Well, friends, how did you do with last year's "resolutions"??
I say this with a little (okay maybe more than a little) sarcasm, because I buy so little into "New Years Resolutions." All week on facebook, and especially today, it's just so.......amusing? Annoying? Enlightening? ...to read what people say they WILL do.....starting tomorrow. What makes 1/1 so earth-shattering anyway? If you really want to stop eating all junk food, no more crap! no more fast food!, why wait til tomorrow? Just start today....it's not like that that resolution will actually hold up for more than a week. Can people do it? Sure. But all the people I know are just regular people looking for a healthier life.......and depriving yourself ALL the time of things you like just isn't healthy! But anyway. Ready to get the next 2 weeks over with so the gym will be back to normal (I've been running inside lately - except for today, it has been TOO wet and snowy outside to run outdoors!!)
So, a look back at my "goals" from last year, written on 1/5/10........
1. Improve my relationship with God: I'd say that I haven't accomplished this as much as I wanted to, but on a big upside, when I've made the effort, Chris has been in on the act, too. We've attended church together this year, and that's huge. It seems every single week this year brought new challenges and heartache, but the constant reminder to myself to "give it to God" has been a big comfort. This goal is ongoing and something I look forward to improving upon again this year.
2. Say "no" more often: at work, this definitely was accomplished! I have set some strict boundaries at work and am reaping the benefits of doing so. My boss respects me more, as do my coworkers. I probably still say "yes" more often than necessary, but who knew that saying "no" could be so gratifying?
3. Live my life for me.......another goal that is hard to put into black and white, but still one that I don't think I quite accomplished. I still think that, even at 27, I put too much stock into how others perceive me. It bothers me when I feel judged, and it bothers me when I think people are mad at me. This is probably something that won't ever change, but my need to please other people has slowed down some.........and I need to live by a good motto: "Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind."
4. Run a mini-marathon: well, this didn't happen in 2010. But, I made some huge strides, hitting my longest run (6 miles) during the summer, and increasing my speed and endurance. Plus, I actually SIGNED UP for a mini in May of 2011, so it is something I definitely will achieve this year! 18 weeks, 1 day and counting! The training has already begun!
5. Write down one good thing everyday........definitely didn't write down something everyday.......but the overall goal of looking for the positive helped this year. There were some times that looking for the good things was the ONLY thing that kept me from getting too wrapped up in the bad & ugly. So.......another one to continue work on this year.
So, that's how I did. I've been thinking about some concrete, black & white goals to work towards in 2011, and I'll be putting pen to paper (or fingers to keys) in the next couple of days.
I hope everyone has a safe and fun New Year's tonight! It'll be the first one in a long time that we'll be by ourselves.........may be the first, if I think about it!
So long, 2010!
Friday, December 31, 2010
Wednesday, December 29, 2010
Unanswered Prayers
I like numbers. A lot. I'm good with them. And people think I have a weird "thing" with numbers...which is probably true. At my job, every job site has a 3-digit number that is used to track all time & materials that go to that job throughout the year. We have 200 or so sites...I can rattle off the numbers at the drop of a hat for about 195 of them. I still remember the phone numbers of my best friends from 5th grade. And....I remember dates.
Today is December 29.
For 9 years now, this day hasn't held much meaning. But in 2000 and 2001, it had a a LOT of meaning. My junior year of high school, I worked at JCPenney and this guy started working there. His name was Shaun. Eventually, our boss had to quit putting us on the same shift b/c we always had a little too much fun laughing and talking. That didn't stop us from starting to talk outside of work as much as possible, and eventually, start dating. He was a freshman at ISU, so Mom & Dad were a little leery at first, but he won them over, and I was smitten.
And December 29, 2000 - he asked me to be his girlfriend (I just have to laugh at that. How cheesy that sounds now!)
That next year - the end of my junior and beginning of my senior year - was a lot of fun. He was my date to senior prom. He was in on my surprise 18th birthday. We went to King's Island together, and he came on our family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC that summer. I called him from every spot possible when I was in Europe for 2 weeks.
Unfortunately, our lives were just too different. He couldn't go back to ISU for the spring semester b/c his mom & dad were divorced (I never met his mom), and his mom wasn't holding up her end of the deal to help him through school. He moved in with friends in Terre Haute, and for awhile, things were okay. But he was a full -fledged grownup, with bills to pay and rent due every month. There wasn't a lot of time leftover for me, and at 17/18, I probably wasn't the least bit understanding why he couldn't spend more time with me. Right after our first "anniversary," he moved to Indianapolis to live with his best friend Joe (and Joe's g/f, and Joe's mom). Things quickly went downhill from there. We "officially" broke up on February 20, 2002 - in my high school's parking lot (he drove from Indy and didn't want to have to see my family, and I let him get away with it). The last time I ever spoke to him was the day I got my acceptance letter from Ball State. At that time, he told me not to f it up like he did. And that he was already dating someone else.
I was heartbroken. Fortunately, not having to see him made it easier, and with the end of my high school career coming to a quick end, there was a lot to keep me distracted. Prom, picnics, banquets and parties with my friends helped it to not be so "traumatic." But for awhile, I was sad. Shaun had given me a "promise ring," and I was as sure as the sky is blue that we'd end up together. But it obviously didn't end up that way. And there are random times and days, like today, that he'll cross my mind. I haven't spoken to him in almost 9 years, and sometimes I just wonder about him. I don't pine for him, I don't wonder what might have been. I just am....wistful? No....wrong word. Just....wondering. Wondering how his life turned out. And....to quote an old cheesy Garth Brooks song..........thanking God for unanswered prayers.
Today is December 29.
For 9 years now, this day hasn't held much meaning. But in 2000 and 2001, it had a a LOT of meaning. My junior year of high school, I worked at JCPenney and this guy started working there. His name was Shaun. Eventually, our boss had to quit putting us on the same shift b/c we always had a little too much fun laughing and talking. That didn't stop us from starting to talk outside of work as much as possible, and eventually, start dating. He was a freshman at ISU, so Mom & Dad were a little leery at first, but he won them over, and I was smitten.
And December 29, 2000 - he asked me to be his girlfriend (I just have to laugh at that. How cheesy that sounds now!)
That next year - the end of my junior and beginning of my senior year - was a lot of fun. He was my date to senior prom. He was in on my surprise 18th birthday. We went to King's Island together, and he came on our family vacation to Myrtle Beach, SC that summer. I called him from every spot possible when I was in Europe for 2 weeks.
Unfortunately, our lives were just too different. He couldn't go back to ISU for the spring semester b/c his mom & dad were divorced (I never met his mom), and his mom wasn't holding up her end of the deal to help him through school. He moved in with friends in Terre Haute, and for awhile, things were okay. But he was a full -fledged grownup, with bills to pay and rent due every month. There wasn't a lot of time leftover for me, and at 17/18, I probably wasn't the least bit understanding why he couldn't spend more time with me. Right after our first "anniversary," he moved to Indianapolis to live with his best friend Joe (and Joe's g/f, and Joe's mom). Things quickly went downhill from there. We "officially" broke up on February 20, 2002 - in my high school's parking lot (he drove from Indy and didn't want to have to see my family, and I let him get away with it). The last time I ever spoke to him was the day I got my acceptance letter from Ball State. At that time, he told me not to f it up like he did. And that he was already dating someone else.
I was heartbroken. Fortunately, not having to see him made it easier, and with the end of my high school career coming to a quick end, there was a lot to keep me distracted. Prom, picnics, banquets and parties with my friends helped it to not be so "traumatic." But for awhile, I was sad. Shaun had given me a "promise ring," and I was as sure as the sky is blue that we'd end up together. But it obviously didn't end up that way. And there are random times and days, like today, that he'll cross my mind. I haven't spoken to him in almost 9 years, and sometimes I just wonder about him. I don't pine for him, I don't wonder what might have been. I just am....wistful? No....wrong word. Just....wondering. Wondering how his life turned out. And....to quote an old cheesy Garth Brooks song..........thanking God for unanswered prayers.
Monday, December 27, 2010
Deck the Halls - Christmas 2010
To keep myself on track, I'm going to stick with the format of my last holiday format.....
C is for car. 500 + miles in our car between Wednesday night and Sunday night. It's 230 miles from our front door to my parents', and then between running in between Chris' parents' house and mine, plus driving out to my Nana's in Marshall Illinois, we probably put closer to over 600 miles on my poor Malibu (nearing 140,000 miles very rapidly). That will be a perk when we start having kids. People will have to come to us!
H is for.....H is for.........husband! We actually exchanged gifts this year for the 1st time since we've been married (the first year we did "joint gifts" and last year I don't think we really did much of anything....his theory, and kind of mine too, is that we have joint money now, so we can just go buy our own stuff.....but we never do). We set a budget and I went a little over, but I had a lot of fun picking stuff out for him. I got him a couple hats, a box full of OSU gear, and a really nice Izod golf shirt. I have another thing, but I'm still working on it, so shhh...........he yelled at me for going over, but then I open mine and he did so well! He picked out some cold weather running clothes (Danskin from Walmart - just as good as Nike or Under Armour) for me, some good running headphones (nothing drives me crazier or distracts me more than wires all over the place and headphones that fall out of my ears), and a beautiful ring/ pendant/ earring set from Helzberg. I had really just wanted a ring for my right hand, but he went above and beyond :o) It's a light blue color which really has no meaning other than it's his birthstone (March), so I think of him everytime I see it!
R is for Ridiculous. Cowboys game Christmas night. Down 21-3. Came back to go ahead 26-24 with 1:41 to go. Missed the EXTRA POINT (as my friend Sarah would say, Jesus needed earmuffs). Defense made some huge stops and all we had to do was stop them on 4th and 15 (FOURTH AND FIFTEEN)!!!!!!!! and we couldn't. Cardinals go down the field and Jay Feely kicks one right down the middle with 0:05 to go to win 27-24. We suck.
I is for I LOVE MY FAMILY. Christmas has never been overly extravagant in our household, and I know that my mom & dad wish they could do more, but honestly? Anthony was on facebook and saw that one of friends had gotten (among other things) an Austin Collie authentic jersey (easily $150) and a PLASMA tv - and he's 15. Seriously? That's great for the people who can afford it, but I know so many people who go into debt over the holidays, and that just is so missing the whole point. My mom and dad have always made Christmas special - whether it always means putting apples & oranges in the bottoms of our stockings (we've all had the same ones since we were born), or all of us having a big "Santa" gift and the rest from mom and dad - I feel like no matter how much or how little my parents have, they always make sure Christmas is special for us. In the last couple of years, we've all been together at our house and watched a movie before Midnight Mass.........and then we all go to Midnight Mass together, which has become a really special time together.
S is for Scrapbooking! "Santa" brought me a huge "scrapbook starter kit" for Christmas, and I'm excited to get started! I took a lot of pictures all throughout college and since we've been married, but the only evidence of them is on facebook. I think I'm going to start with something creatively "easy" - our wedding. Wedding-themed paper and stickers, etc are pretty easy to find, and although Mom & Dad got us a book from snapfish of a bunch of pictures, I'd like to include a program, an invite and some other random "momentos" from the occasion. I have a BOX full of stuff that I've been quite sure what to do with (wedding cards, flower petals, leftover stickers from the candy) - so now I can put it to paper and throw out the rest (maybe not the wedding cards, though. My parents still have all of theirs and I think that's kind of neat)!!
T is for new Traditions.....every year since I was born, my mom's side of the family has gotten together on Christmas Day - my aunts, uncles and all of my cousins. Well, the oldest cousin (Kristi) is now almost 28; the youngest (Anthony) is 15, and there are now 3 littler cousins (Michael's 2 boys, Gabe & Jason; Kristi's little girl, Ava) - and last year's get-together was a madhouse. So, this year, each family "unit" did their own thing. It was nice just being my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, brother, hubby & me, but it was kind of sad to break a 20+ year tradition. Hopefully in a few years the hubby and I will start some new traditions of our own with our own family :-)
M is for Mother-in-Law....she's so funny!! We had gone shopping together on Black Friday where I picked out all of my husband's and brother- and sister-in-law's presents....well, she went back out the same day after we were done to pick up a bunch of the stuff that I had oohed and ahhed over! There were some earrings from JCP that I had actually picked up to buy but put down - she got them - and then this 24-opening photo collage from Kohl's that she got me, too, along with a lot of other stuff (Cowboys scarf/ socks, Bath & Body Works stuff, a gorgeous sweater, and some frames from IKEA). Our relationship has really changed for the better this year, and it's pretty cool.
A is for Anthony.........my brother.........my all of 6'3" brother who is 15......nothing much to say about him except for my grandpa brought over the little newspaper clipping from his 1st Christmas and I about burst into tears. He's a spoiled brat and I know that I had a lot to do with it.....he's just growing up so fast, and it's hard to believe that this time 7 or 8 years ago he still believed in Santa :-( He was still just as excited with all of his presents as a little kid though (a new DROID! from Nana, and all kinds of Oregon Duck stuff from our parents....not as excited over his letter jacket as Megan & I were when we got ours as sophomores, but still kind of surreal to see him with '13 on his sleeve!!)
S is for Stupidity............it seems a new tradition within my family is to lock ourselves out of places (when we had our girls' weekend in Indy, Dad & Anthony locked themselves out of the house)...........I went to my aunt's to see my cousins (and Ava!).....was in a hurry and just wanted to run in, grab a few pictures, and leave. Well, out of habit, I locked my car when I got out.....when I had thrown my keys in my purse on the front seat. Fortunately, my uncle came to the rescue with a wire coat hanger and I didn't have to pay a locksmith on Christmas weekend! Note to self: get Chris a spare!
Okay, so what each letter was for was kind of lame, but overall, we had a really nice Christmas. Very busy, very out of my routine (and I'm kind of like a 2-year old when I'm out of my routine too long), but a lot of time with family and each other. Christmas decorations are coming down as we speak - I'm ready to get back to normal!!! Thank goodness for Thursday & Friday off this week..........I need it to recover!
C is for car. 500 + miles in our car between Wednesday night and Sunday night. It's 230 miles from our front door to my parents', and then between running in between Chris' parents' house and mine, plus driving out to my Nana's in Marshall Illinois, we probably put closer to over 600 miles on my poor Malibu (nearing 140,000 miles very rapidly). That will be a perk when we start having kids. People will have to come to us!
H is for.....H is for.........husband! We actually exchanged gifts this year for the 1st time since we've been married (the first year we did "joint gifts" and last year I don't think we really did much of anything....his theory, and kind of mine too, is that we have joint money now, so we can just go buy our own stuff.....but we never do). We set a budget and I went a little over, but I had a lot of fun picking stuff out for him. I got him a couple hats, a box full of OSU gear, and a really nice Izod golf shirt. I have another thing, but I'm still working on it, so shhh...........he yelled at me for going over, but then I open mine and he did so well! He picked out some cold weather running clothes (Danskin from Walmart - just as good as Nike or Under Armour) for me, some good running headphones (nothing drives me crazier or distracts me more than wires all over the place and headphones that fall out of my ears), and a beautiful ring/ pendant/ earring set from Helzberg. I had really just wanted a ring for my right hand, but he went above and beyond :o) It's a light blue color which really has no meaning other than it's his birthstone (March), so I think of him everytime I see it!
R is for Ridiculous. Cowboys game Christmas night. Down 21-3. Came back to go ahead 26-24 with 1:41 to go. Missed the EXTRA POINT (as my friend Sarah would say, Jesus needed earmuffs). Defense made some huge stops and all we had to do was stop them on 4th and 15 (FOURTH AND FIFTEEN)!!!!!!!! and we couldn't. Cardinals go down the field and Jay Feely kicks one right down the middle with 0:05 to go to win 27-24. We suck.
I is for I LOVE MY FAMILY. Christmas has never been overly extravagant in our household, and I know that my mom & dad wish they could do more, but honestly? Anthony was on facebook and saw that one of friends had gotten (among other things) an Austin Collie authentic jersey (easily $150) and a PLASMA tv - and he's 15. Seriously? That's great for the people who can afford it, but I know so many people who go into debt over the holidays, and that just is so missing the whole point. My mom and dad have always made Christmas special - whether it always means putting apples & oranges in the bottoms of our stockings (we've all had the same ones since we were born), or all of us having a big "Santa" gift and the rest from mom and dad - I feel like no matter how much or how little my parents have, they always make sure Christmas is special for us. In the last couple of years, we've all been together at our house and watched a movie before Midnight Mass.........and then we all go to Midnight Mass together, which has become a really special time together.
S is for Scrapbooking! "Santa" brought me a huge "scrapbook starter kit" for Christmas, and I'm excited to get started! I took a lot of pictures all throughout college and since we've been married, but the only evidence of them is on facebook. I think I'm going to start with something creatively "easy" - our wedding. Wedding-themed paper and stickers, etc are pretty easy to find, and although Mom & Dad got us a book from snapfish of a bunch of pictures, I'd like to include a program, an invite and some other random "momentos" from the occasion. I have a BOX full of stuff that I've been quite sure what to do with (wedding cards, flower petals, leftover stickers from the candy) - so now I can put it to paper and throw out the rest (maybe not the wedding cards, though. My parents still have all of theirs and I think that's kind of neat)!!
T is for new Traditions.....every year since I was born, my mom's side of the family has gotten together on Christmas Day - my aunts, uncles and all of my cousins. Well, the oldest cousin (Kristi) is now almost 28; the youngest (Anthony) is 15, and there are now 3 littler cousins (Michael's 2 boys, Gabe & Jason; Kristi's little girl, Ava) - and last year's get-together was a madhouse. So, this year, each family "unit" did their own thing. It was nice just being my mom, dad, sister, brother-in-law, brother, hubby & me, but it was kind of sad to break a 20+ year tradition. Hopefully in a few years the hubby and I will start some new traditions of our own with our own family :-)
M is for Mother-in-Law....she's so funny!! We had gone shopping together on Black Friday where I picked out all of my husband's and brother- and sister-in-law's presents....well, she went back out the same day after we were done to pick up a bunch of the stuff that I had oohed and ahhed over! There were some earrings from JCP that I had actually picked up to buy but put down - she got them - and then this 24-opening photo collage from Kohl's that she got me, too, along with a lot of other stuff (Cowboys scarf/ socks, Bath & Body Works stuff, a gorgeous sweater, and some frames from IKEA). Our relationship has really changed for the better this year, and it's pretty cool.
A is for Anthony.........my brother.........my all of 6'3" brother who is 15......nothing much to say about him except for my grandpa brought over the little newspaper clipping from his 1st Christmas and I about burst into tears. He's a spoiled brat and I know that I had a lot to do with it.....he's just growing up so fast, and it's hard to believe that this time 7 or 8 years ago he still believed in Santa :-( He was still just as excited with all of his presents as a little kid though (a new DROID! from Nana, and all kinds of Oregon Duck stuff from our parents....not as excited over his letter jacket as Megan & I were when we got ours as sophomores, but still kind of surreal to see him with '13 on his sleeve!!)
S is for Stupidity............it seems a new tradition within my family is to lock ourselves out of places (when we had our girls' weekend in Indy, Dad & Anthony locked themselves out of the house)...........I went to my aunt's to see my cousins (and Ava!).....was in a hurry and just wanted to run in, grab a few pictures, and leave. Well, out of habit, I locked my car when I got out.....when I had thrown my keys in my purse on the front seat. Fortunately, my uncle came to the rescue with a wire coat hanger and I didn't have to pay a locksmith on Christmas weekend! Note to self: get Chris a spare!
Okay, so what each letter was for was kind of lame, but overall, we had a really nice Christmas. Very busy, very out of my routine (and I'm kind of like a 2-year old when I'm out of my routine too long), but a lot of time with family and each other. Christmas decorations are coming down as we speak - I'm ready to get back to normal!!! Thank goodness for Thursday & Friday off this week..........I need it to recover!
Monday, December 20, 2010
Annoyed
I have to quit letting people get to me.
Little, petty, stupid things get to me more than big things (generally speaking).
I know when people are intentionally pushing my buttons but yet I still respond. I learned the lesson when I was little and yet at 27 I still let "bullies" pick at me until they get me good and pissed off, instead of just ignoring them and walking away.
But right now, I'm annoyed.
I'm annoyed at the overly anti-Cowboys sentiment from just about everyone I know (which usually translates into pro-Colts, but whatever). They're my team. I'm passionate. I live and breathe football so, yes, I take seasons like this hard. I don't have kids. I have a semi-normal-work-hours job. I don't have any major responsibilities outside of showing up to work and making my marriage work (not diminishing that), but seriously? If I was neglecting my kids, losing money, or winding up in jail, then yes. You could intervene. But until then? I'm going to be the generally overly-obnoxious (mostly for other peoples' benefits) fan. I'm going to shit-talk teams I don't like. I'm going to chat football with those who know what they're talking about. Everyone else can go to hell.
I have friends who are teachers. My sister will be a teacher soon (God willing). I could never be a teacher, nor do I feel that I'd ever make a good one. But unfortunately, I feel that there are people JUST LIKE ME who ARE teachers for the main reason that they get long winter breaks and summer vacations. No lie. And that pisses me off. Those people could be teaching my own children someday. Are Christmas breaks and summer vacations a perk of the job? Sure. But to know without a doubt that that is one of the only reasons people became a teacher just gets under my skin. I'd love to have 2-hour delays, snow days, and long breaks from work. But I'm not going to get a freaking teaching degree just to have those days off. I work my ass off. I work 50 hour weeks, I work 12 hour days. Just think of how much nicer this world would be if everyone got a summer vacation. (Do I understand that then no one would have anywhere to go if this happened? Duh. I'm just dreaming).
I'm already annoyed with New Years resolutions. If you're going to do it, just do it. If you're going to work out, just go. If you're going to go on South Beach, just do it. In my weight-loss journey before my vacation, I kept people updated (whether they liked it or not, ha) via my facebook, but that was for more than 2 days. I lost 25 pounds in the span of about 6 months this year, and that's something to be proud of. I'm a huge advocate of NOT encouraging those who complain about themselves.....I've never been one to console a friend, "Aw, you're not fat!" when she goes "I HATE the way I look!" I'm just not. If you want to do something about it, fine. Then do it. If you've starved yourself for 2 days just to fall into a Burger King breakfast on the 3rd day, then I'm sorry - but no. Find something that you can stick with. MODERATION, MODERATION, MODERATION.
I'm annoyed with snow, but 'tis the season. It is just never ending. I have definitely had my fill of 12-hour + days in the last week, which is probably the reason for my mood. I'm just OVER everything and everybody. I'm ready to get to Terre Haute and spend Christmas snuggled up with my family.
Bah, humbug.
Little, petty, stupid things get to me more than big things (generally speaking).
I know when people are intentionally pushing my buttons but yet I still respond. I learned the lesson when I was little and yet at 27 I still let "bullies" pick at me until they get me good and pissed off, instead of just ignoring them and walking away.
But right now, I'm annoyed.
I'm annoyed at the overly anti-Cowboys sentiment from just about everyone I know (which usually translates into pro-Colts, but whatever). They're my team. I'm passionate. I live and breathe football so, yes, I take seasons like this hard. I don't have kids. I have a semi-normal-work-hours job. I don't have any major responsibilities outside of showing up to work and making my marriage work (not diminishing that), but seriously? If I was neglecting my kids, losing money, or winding up in jail, then yes. You could intervene. But until then? I'm going to be the generally overly-obnoxious (mostly for other peoples' benefits) fan. I'm going to shit-talk teams I don't like. I'm going to chat football with those who know what they're talking about. Everyone else can go to hell.
I have friends who are teachers. My sister will be a teacher soon (God willing). I could never be a teacher, nor do I feel that I'd ever make a good one. But unfortunately, I feel that there are people JUST LIKE ME who ARE teachers for the main reason that they get long winter breaks and summer vacations. No lie. And that pisses me off. Those people could be teaching my own children someday. Are Christmas breaks and summer vacations a perk of the job? Sure. But to know without a doubt that that is one of the only reasons people became a teacher just gets under my skin. I'd love to have 2-hour delays, snow days, and long breaks from work. But I'm not going to get a freaking teaching degree just to have those days off. I work my ass off. I work 50 hour weeks, I work 12 hour days. Just think of how much nicer this world would be if everyone got a summer vacation. (Do I understand that then no one would have anywhere to go if this happened? Duh. I'm just dreaming).
I'm already annoyed with New Years resolutions. If you're going to do it, just do it. If you're going to work out, just go. If you're going to go on South Beach, just do it. In my weight-loss journey before my vacation, I kept people updated (whether they liked it or not, ha) via my facebook, but that was for more than 2 days. I lost 25 pounds in the span of about 6 months this year, and that's something to be proud of. I'm a huge advocate of NOT encouraging those who complain about themselves.....I've never been one to console a friend, "Aw, you're not fat!" when she goes "I HATE the way I look!" I'm just not. If you want to do something about it, fine. Then do it. If you've starved yourself for 2 days just to fall into a Burger King breakfast on the 3rd day, then I'm sorry - but no. Find something that you can stick with. MODERATION, MODERATION, MODERATION.
I'm annoyed with snow, but 'tis the season. It is just never ending. I have definitely had my fill of 12-hour + days in the last week, which is probably the reason for my mood. I'm just OVER everything and everybody. I'm ready to get to Terre Haute and spend Christmas snuggled up with my family.
Bah, humbug.
Monday, December 13, 2010
Girls Weekend
What a FUN weekend!
We've been planning this weekend for months. Nana and all of Papa Gene's girls went up to the Mall of America back in October - so this was our side of family's turn for some fun :) Thanks to Nana, we had a suite on the 8th floor of the Hilton that was right downtown. We all met up on Friday night -
- walked around Monument Circle (it was a gorgeous night for being "touristy"- brisk but not bone chilling, clear and just a nice winter night) -
and ate dinner at Buca di Beppo's. (Do you see the 2 people behind my Nana & me? They were celebrating their upcoming wedding and Megan & I weren't sure that they realized they weren't on their honeymoon yet. EW).
Saturday, we were up and at 'em early - Circle City Mall was a block away (which was a good thing, Mom & I brought armloads of bags back halfway through the day) and we shopped and shopped and shopped......its been a long time since I've been there and we had a lot of fun!
Saturday night, Nana had gotten us a table at Beef n' Boards for their Christmas show, and while I wasn't that impressed by the food, the show was REALLY good. It was a lot of fun and really entertaining. They had singers, dancers, tap dancers, 2 little girls that were sisters and cuter than you could imagine. We all left high on holiday spirit that night. The best part of the whole show was when the emcee opened a number by asking all veterans and active members of the military to stand so they could be recongized by applause.....but then he pointed out a young man in a sailor's uniform who had just gotten back from Afghanistan within the last few days. He got a standing ovation. It was seriously one of the most beautiful, goose-bump-making, wonderful moments. When the emcee said, "Now THAT is how every member of the armed services should be welcomed home," we all heartily agreed. It was amazing.Yesterday, we woke up, had a quick brunch at Cracker Barrel and all hit the road to get home before too much more snow fell. I made it home in really good time with no major bumps, and so did Mom, Megan & Nana back to Terre Haute. Megan actually ended up in a ditch on her way back to KY, but some road angels let her sit in their warm van while she waited for a tow truck, and they even paid to get her car towed out of the ditch. Stories like that remind me that not everyone is a complete shithead...........(and I'm only half kidding. I know. My attitude stinks).
It was such a fun weekend to spend with my family. I'm so blessed to have them.
And a few more of my fave pics from our fun time.........
Megan & I and our freshly baked Nestle Tollhouse cookies....YUM!
Love this picture of my momma, me and my sister. We had such a good time!Sunday, December 5, 2010
Weekend Recap
This weekend ended a lot better than it began.
I slept a LONG time Friday night, and I couldn't have needed it more. I'm still trying to stave off this cold or whatever is trying to take over, but lots of sleep in the last 2 nights, lots of water, and lots of day/nyquil have helped.
Yesterday, Chris didn't get off until 2....we went to a late lunch and we came back so he could take a nap. For the first time in....????? 2 years at least?, I went to Confession (Reconciliation) at St. Brendans. The Msgr. "running the show" was so nice and supportive and kind. I was a mess. A sniffling, somber, remorseful, MESS. I wasn't in there but maybe 5 minutes, but was able to come out to a darkened, candlelit church (Mass getting ready to start within the next hour) and kneel by myself, in silence, and just BE. I think when some people hear other people say "I felt God with me," it sounds cheesy........but there isn't a single other feeling I can even put into words. All at once, I just felt such peace. Lightened. What I've done in the past, the big things and little things.........it was just such an amazing experience for me and I'm glad I went. I also went to Mass last night for the first time in a long time for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, and I'm glad I did that, too.
Last night, Chris & I went out to dinner and came back home and watched Valentine's Day that he had DVR'd. I heard a lot of people that didn't like that movie, but I thought it was really cute! I still can't believe how many big names were in there.
Today, I slept late again, we went to grab lunch, went grocery shopping, and came back to watch my 3-8 Cowboys BEAT the 6-5 Colts!! Outside of Dallas' division rivals, I hate the Colts more than any other team in the league (95% of my Colts' fan acquaintances being why.....seriously, look up bandwagon and you'll see these people) and it was good to get a win there today.
I need to take a shower and get to bed to gear up for what's looking to be a busy week......snow is definitely upon us, we have November close on Friday, and I'm leaving early on Friday to head to Indy for a girls weekend with my mom, sister & Nana. We're staying at a hotel that's right next to Circle Center and have tickets to the Beef & Boards show on Saturday night. If I've been to downtown Indy for Christmas, its been a LONG time, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with my family just shopping and enjoying the season!
Here's to looking up -
I slept a LONG time Friday night, and I couldn't have needed it more. I'm still trying to stave off this cold or whatever is trying to take over, but lots of sleep in the last 2 nights, lots of water, and lots of day/nyquil have helped.
Yesterday, Chris didn't get off until 2....we went to a late lunch and we came back so he could take a nap. For the first time in....????? 2 years at least?, I went to Confession (Reconciliation) at St. Brendans. The Msgr. "running the show" was so nice and supportive and kind. I was a mess. A sniffling, somber, remorseful, MESS. I wasn't in there but maybe 5 minutes, but was able to come out to a darkened, candlelit church (Mass getting ready to start within the next hour) and kneel by myself, in silence, and just BE. I think when some people hear other people say "I felt God with me," it sounds cheesy........but there isn't a single other feeling I can even put into words. All at once, I just felt such peace. Lightened. What I've done in the past, the big things and little things.........it was just such an amazing experience for me and I'm glad I went. I also went to Mass last night for the first time in a long time for the 2nd Sunday of Advent, and I'm glad I did that, too.
Last night, Chris & I went out to dinner and came back home and watched Valentine's Day that he had DVR'd. I heard a lot of people that didn't like that movie, but I thought it was really cute! I still can't believe how many big names were in there.
Today, I slept late again, we went to grab lunch, went grocery shopping, and came back to watch my 3-8 Cowboys BEAT the 6-5 Colts!! Outside of Dallas' division rivals, I hate the Colts more than any other team in the league (95% of my Colts' fan acquaintances being why.....seriously, look up bandwagon and you'll see these people) and it was good to get a win there today.
I need to take a shower and get to bed to gear up for what's looking to be a busy week......snow is definitely upon us, we have November close on Friday, and I'm leaving early on Friday to head to Indy for a girls weekend with my mom, sister & Nana. We're staying at a hotel that's right next to Circle Center and have tickets to the Beef & Boards show on Saturday night. If I've been to downtown Indy for Christmas, its been a LONG time, and I'm looking forward to spending some time with my family just shopping and enjoying the season!
Here's to looking up -
Friday, December 3, 2010
Unsettled
It has been a long week.
Right now, I don't feel good. My throat hurts, my ears hurt and I'm exhausted after this month end. I took Monday off for a vacation day, which was MUCH needed after the packed holiday weekend - but it made for hell for the rest of the 4 days. Our first snow event was between Wednesday and Thursday, we had a zillion new hires, and after a semi-major meeting (at my call) with my controller last week, it made for a fairly tense week with my boss this week (things are getting better though, I think). My boss and I had a meeting with ....well, that guy at work. Obviously our work relationship changed after everything happened, and it has caused nothing but problems between us work-wise. FORTUNATELY, we've both managed to keep it professional enough to not get ourselves fired..................even when I've wanted to kick his ass up one wall and down another. Between yesterday and today I put in about 24 hours at work. And it's not going to slow down anytime soon. At least I'm not bored.
I just watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. That movie is really cute but really makes you think..........I was just thinking about some "resolutions" for the new year, and one of them is getting rid of our credit cards. We don't have as much credit card debt as some (most is student loans), but there's enough, and we (me more than him) just need to quit. I'm going to come up with a plan.....
I've had baby fever BAD since last weekend........the......need? craving? intense want, desire? for a baby has been really hard to deal with. But I know this isn't the time OR place in our lives for one.......and I know there won't ever be a completely right time......but how will we know?
I need to get back to church. Every weekend I tell myself we'll go, and every weekend I find reasons to not go. I haven't ran consistently for awhile, and I'm running a freakin' mini marathon in about 20 weeks. I've gained weight since our vacation (about 10lbs out of the 25 I lost before).
Control. I'm taking it back. Now.
Right now, I don't feel good. My throat hurts, my ears hurt and I'm exhausted after this month end. I took Monday off for a vacation day, which was MUCH needed after the packed holiday weekend - but it made for hell for the rest of the 4 days. Our first snow event was between Wednesday and Thursday, we had a zillion new hires, and after a semi-major meeting (at my call) with my controller last week, it made for a fairly tense week with my boss this week (things are getting better though, I think). My boss and I had a meeting with ....well, that guy at work. Obviously our work relationship changed after everything happened, and it has caused nothing but problems between us work-wise. FORTUNATELY, we've both managed to keep it professional enough to not get ourselves fired..................even when I've wanted to kick his ass up one wall and down another. Between yesterday and today I put in about 24 hours at work. And it's not going to slow down anytime soon. At least I'm not bored.
I just watched Confessions of a Shopaholic. That movie is really cute but really makes you think..........I was just thinking about some "resolutions" for the new year, and one of them is getting rid of our credit cards. We don't have as much credit card debt as some (most is student loans), but there's enough, and we (me more than him) just need to quit. I'm going to come up with a plan.....
I've had baby fever BAD since last weekend........the......need? craving? intense want, desire? for a baby has been really hard to deal with. But I know this isn't the time OR place in our lives for one.......and I know there won't ever be a completely right time......but how will we know?
I need to get back to church. Every weekend I tell myself we'll go, and every weekend I find reasons to not go. I haven't ran consistently for awhile, and I'm running a freakin' mini marathon in about 20 weeks. I've gained weight since our vacation (about 10lbs out of the 25 I lost before).
Control. I'm taking it back. Now.
Monday, November 29, 2010
Hair and Prayers
I'm not usually an impulsive person.
I've been desparately needing a haircut for a couple weeks now. I have worn my hair long in recent years, but it never fails that at *that* point that I start just wearing it in a ponytail or messy bun (or lately, braids) just about everyday. I've been in ponytails/ buns/ braids for about a month now. So it was time.
The last time I got a haircut, I just wanted a trim. Enough to get the dead ends off. An inch, maybe. Today.....I had the day off and was out around town and thought - you know what? Today's the day.
The day, indeed. I should've taken a picture of how much hair I lost today. I'd say about 5" maybe, at the longest point? The longest hairs on my head now barely touch my shoulders. It was a shock to see that much hair on the floor and I had a momentary case of panic, but the girl who was cutting my hair was SO nice....we highlighted it and then washed and conditioned it....she took some of my hair in her fingers and said, "What do you think, about here?" I said, "Just DO IT!" and closed my eyes, and there was no looking back. But I like it. Still sort of a shock to run my fingers through my hair and get about 4" into it and that's it....but I like it.
A more serious point......our friends Cory & Amber just had their baby Saturday....she was released today but baby Colin is still in NICU. He just hasn't gotten the hang of eating yet. Chris talked to Cory earlier and he'll be fine, but he was a full 2 weeks early and when they went to induce her, she wasn't even showing SIGNS of effacing or dilating yet. I guess he did better today and woke up every 3 hours or so to eat, which is good. He'll be okay, but my heart just goes out to Amber. She's one of those very diligent and by-the-books people, so I can just imagine that she is worrying and wondering what she could be doing different. Obviously I don't know what being a new mom feels like, but I can't imagine this is much fun for her or Cory. Hopefully Colin will be home tomorrow. I can't wait to actually hold him when we go back for Christmas!
Off to bed....back to work after being off 5 days. Sniff, sniff. End of month week + the dramas that ended last week = a fun 4 days coming up. Wish me luck.
I've been desparately needing a haircut for a couple weeks now. I have worn my hair long in recent years, but it never fails that at *that* point that I start just wearing it in a ponytail or messy bun (or lately, braids) just about everyday. I've been in ponytails/ buns/ braids for about a month now. So it was time.
The last time I got a haircut, I just wanted a trim. Enough to get the dead ends off. An inch, maybe. Today.....I had the day off and was out around town and thought - you know what? Today's the day.
The day, indeed. I should've taken a picture of how much hair I lost today. I'd say about 5" maybe, at the longest point? The longest hairs on my head now barely touch my shoulders. It was a shock to see that much hair on the floor and I had a momentary case of panic, but the girl who was cutting my hair was SO nice....we highlighted it and then washed and conditioned it....she took some of my hair in her fingers and said, "What do you think, about here?" I said, "Just DO IT!" and closed my eyes, and there was no looking back. But I like it. Still sort of a shock to run my fingers through my hair and get about 4" into it and that's it....but I like it.
A more serious point......our friends Cory & Amber just had their baby Saturday....she was released today but baby Colin is still in NICU. He just hasn't gotten the hang of eating yet. Chris talked to Cory earlier and he'll be fine, but he was a full 2 weeks early and when they went to induce her, she wasn't even showing SIGNS of effacing or dilating yet. I guess he did better today and woke up every 3 hours or so to eat, which is good. He'll be okay, but my heart just goes out to Amber. She's one of those very diligent and by-the-books people, so I can just imagine that she is worrying and wondering what she could be doing different. Obviously I don't know what being a new mom feels like, but I can't imagine this is much fun for her or Cory. Hopefully Colin will be home tomorrow. I can't wait to actually hold him when we go back for Christmas!
Off to bed....back to work after being off 5 days. Sniff, sniff. End of month week + the dramas that ended last week = a fun 4 days coming up. Wish me luck.
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Happy Turkey Day!
It has been a whirlwind last couple of days. We left for TH on Wednesday night and just got back home a little while ago. Everyday has been action-packed, with not a lot of sleep for either of us (not used to a king-sized bed)......so in the interest of a semi-organized post, I'm stealing this idea from other blogs I've read......and "condensed" the weekend into T.U.R.K.E.Y (I started with T.H.A.N.K.S.G.I.V.I.N.G.....but my mind is having problems functioning, and I'm just not that creative).....
T - is for thankful. For my parents, for my brother & sister, for my faith, for my husband and the millions of 2nd chances hes given me, for the Cowboys no matter how much talent they have but still lose, for a good job that pays for a roof over our head and food on our table, for friends.
U - is for unreal. Unreal how the Cowboys continue to shoot themselves in the foot. A great Thanksgiving Day tradition continued when the Cowboys took on the reigning Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints. They were down 17-0 after the 1st quarter and it looked like a blowout. They persevered and didn't quit and actually went up 27-23 with 5 minutes to go. After a big defensive stop, Dallas had a 3rd and 10.....bomb to Roy Williams.....runs up the field for 40+ yards......and the ball gets stripped with 3:30 to go. Wham bam thank you ma'am, 1:05 and 5 plays later, N.O. marched down the field to take the lead, 30-27. We got the ball back with 1:55 to go and got into a long FG range (59 yards), and Buehler just missed it. Oh well.
R - is for Relationship....with my mother in law. It was never bad, per se', just.....daughter-and-mother-in-law-like. Civil, nice, polite....but yesterday, I think we really had a great day together that really upped our relationship. Last year, Chris' sister, Jenn; his mom, Sharon; and I went shopping on Black Friday and had a LOT of fun. This year, Jenn was in Iowa with her fiance's family, so it was just her and me. I think both of us were a little nervous about how the day would go, and were a little ill at ease at first, but we got some Starbucks, hit Old Navy first, and we were on a roll from there. We shopped from 7am to 3pm straight. I hand picked all of her gifts (because she hates picking out things) and she paid for them - we had lunch - and then we came back to her house and I wrapped everything for her. It's funny knowing beforehand what Chris is getting :)
K - is for the Kids table. I'm not sitting at it next year. And neither is Chris. I'm calling seniority in 2011. End of story.
E - is for excitement...over new babies! My AOII pledge sister/ former roommate/ bridesmaid Jenn and her husband welcomed their first baby into the world Wednesday 11/24. They didn't know the sex beforehand so it was exciting to get the text saying it was a boy! Welcome Lawson Shane! Jenn - so excited for you....and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks when we come through for Christmas :) Then, Chris' Sigma Chi brother/ former roommate/ groomsman Cory and his wife Amber welcomed THEIR first baby into the world today! They did know the sex beforehand, but it was still exciting to know he was here. He wasn't supposed to be here until December 6, but for some reason she was induced last night and he arrived around 2:30 pm today. Just a little guy - 6 lbs, 12 oz and 20" long. We stopped by the hospital on our way home to give them a few little things and to see the proud parents. We didn't get to see him because he had low blood sugar and they had him on a warmer, but we'll see him in a few weeks, too :)
Y - is for not Yet (lame, but Y is hard). I said this a lot this weekend. So did Chris. "When are you guys going to have a baby?" "You guys pregnant yet?" "When are you guys due?" Some joking, some not, some trying to BE joking but weren't......it was like our first year everyone gave us a free pass. Our 2nd anniversary hit on August 30 and everyone kind of took that date as the date to start asking. It's HARD to say "not yet" when we're surrounded by babies, when my baby fever spikes just by walking through a baby section at Target, when people keep asking. I'm not annoyed by it and I don't think Chris is, really, either, but at the same time.....it's sometimes hard to just slap a smile on your face and give people an answer they don't want. I KNOW our family and friends want what's best for us, and so do we.....but man oh man is it hard to know when that time IS! Especially seeing little Colin tonight......and earlier today we went to my mom's little babysitting charges' house. At 2 1/2, Landon is practically part of the family since my mom has had him since he was 3 months old.....and he just got a baby sister, Emeline, this July. I walked her to sleep this afternoon before we left, and I just fell in LOVE. She has these big brown eyes that are so SERIOUS, and just look & look at you....but she fell asleep as I was bouncing her and walking with her, and I just melted. She's a beautiful little baby and there is just something so.....amazing - how they just trust you so much. Yup, baby fever is spiked.
No matter how worried or stressed or anxious or annoyed I may get day to day............at the end of everyday, I get to lay my head down in my warm bed, next to a man I love and loves me back, with the knowledge that I always have my family behind me, friends I can go to, food in my belly & a roof over my head, my health and a God that no matter how "bad" of a Catholic I am...........is always listening. I can't ask for much more than that.
T - is for thankful. For my parents, for my brother & sister, for my faith, for my husband and the millions of 2nd chances hes given me, for the Cowboys no matter how much talent they have but still lose, for a good job that pays for a roof over our head and food on our table, for friends.
U - is for unreal. Unreal how the Cowboys continue to shoot themselves in the foot. A great Thanksgiving Day tradition continued when the Cowboys took on the reigning Super Bowl champs, the New Orleans Saints. They were down 17-0 after the 1st quarter and it looked like a blowout. They persevered and didn't quit and actually went up 27-23 with 5 minutes to go. After a big defensive stop, Dallas had a 3rd and 10.....bomb to Roy Williams.....runs up the field for 40+ yards......and the ball gets stripped with 3:30 to go. Wham bam thank you ma'am, 1:05 and 5 plays later, N.O. marched down the field to take the lead, 30-27. We got the ball back with 1:55 to go and got into a long FG range (59 yards), and Buehler just missed it. Oh well.
R - is for Relationship....with my mother in law. It was never bad, per se', just.....daughter-and-mother-in-law-like. Civil, nice, polite....but yesterday, I think we really had a great day together that really upped our relationship. Last year, Chris' sister, Jenn; his mom, Sharon; and I went shopping on Black Friday and had a LOT of fun. This year, Jenn was in Iowa with her fiance's family, so it was just her and me. I think both of us were a little nervous about how the day would go, and were a little ill at ease at first, but we got some Starbucks, hit Old Navy first, and we were on a roll from there. We shopped from 7am to 3pm straight. I hand picked all of her gifts (because she hates picking out things) and she paid for them - we had lunch - and then we came back to her house and I wrapped everything for her. It's funny knowing beforehand what Chris is getting :)
K - is for the Kids table. I'm not sitting at it next year. And neither is Chris. I'm calling seniority in 2011. End of story.
E - is for excitement...over new babies! My AOII pledge sister/ former roommate/ bridesmaid Jenn and her husband welcomed their first baby into the world Wednesday 11/24. They didn't know the sex beforehand so it was exciting to get the text saying it was a boy! Welcome Lawson Shane! Jenn - so excited for you....and can't wait to see you in a couple weeks when we come through for Christmas :) Then, Chris' Sigma Chi brother/ former roommate/ groomsman Cory and his wife Amber welcomed THEIR first baby into the world today! They did know the sex beforehand, but it was still exciting to know he was here. He wasn't supposed to be here until December 6, but for some reason she was induced last night and he arrived around 2:30 pm today. Just a little guy - 6 lbs, 12 oz and 20" long. We stopped by the hospital on our way home to give them a few little things and to see the proud parents. We didn't get to see him because he had low blood sugar and they had him on a warmer, but we'll see him in a few weeks, too :)
Y - is for not Yet (lame, but Y is hard). I said this a lot this weekend. So did Chris. "When are you guys going to have a baby?" "You guys pregnant yet?" "When are you guys due?" Some joking, some not, some trying to BE joking but weren't......it was like our first year everyone gave us a free pass. Our 2nd anniversary hit on August 30 and everyone kind of took that date as the date to start asking. It's HARD to say "not yet" when we're surrounded by babies, when my baby fever spikes just by walking through a baby section at Target, when people keep asking. I'm not annoyed by it and I don't think Chris is, really, either, but at the same time.....it's sometimes hard to just slap a smile on your face and give people an answer they don't want. I KNOW our family and friends want what's best for us, and so do we.....but man oh man is it hard to know when that time IS! Especially seeing little Colin tonight......and earlier today we went to my mom's little babysitting charges' house. At 2 1/2, Landon is practically part of the family since my mom has had him since he was 3 months old.....and he just got a baby sister, Emeline, this July. I walked her to sleep this afternoon before we left, and I just fell in LOVE. She has these big brown eyes that are so SERIOUS, and just look & look at you....but she fell asleep as I was bouncing her and walking with her, and I just melted. She's a beautiful little baby and there is just something so.....amazing - how they just trust you so much. Yup, baby fever is spiked.
No matter how worried or stressed or anxious or annoyed I may get day to day............at the end of everyday, I get to lay my head down in my warm bed, next to a man I love and loves me back, with the knowledge that I always have my family behind me, friends I can go to, food in my belly & a roof over my head, my health and a God that no matter how "bad" of a Catholic I am...........is always listening. I can't ask for much more than that.
Monday, November 22, 2010
65 in November
It's currently 55 degrees in San Diego, CA at 5pm where the Chargers/ Broncos MNF game is in progress....it's 65 here in Columbus, OH. On November 22. A mere....27 days from winter's start and 31 days from Christmas.
I will take this weather ANY day over snow, sleet and ice!....I know snow is a big reason why I have a job........but really........I could do without it!
I will take this weather ANY day over snow, sleet and ice!....I know snow is a big reason why I have a job........but really........I could do without it!
Sunday, November 21, 2010
10 Day Rundown
Quick rundown of the last 10 days -
Megan & Ryan came to Columbus for the weekend last weekend. They didn't get here until 2am and drove 330 miles to get here, but we had a great time all together. We walked around Easton and "took our fun!" to Dave & Busters. I truly love my sister. We just have so much fun together, and I love talking and laughing with her.
Dallas got a big win last Sunday against division rivals 6-2 Giants! No one (including me) gave them a chance in hell to win that game, but they did! It was a great feeling to actually feel proud of my team.
This week was another ridiculous week at work. It has been a really trying last month or so, but I'm just trying to hang in there.....
Had to send flowers to a crewleader's family this week for the death of his sister. This guy is one of those slightly older guys, just blue collar, comes to work day in and day out, works his butt off, always does what you ask and then some. His sister was only early 40s and died unexpectedly in her sleep. So sad.
The saddest, most tragic moment of the week, though, came on Friday afternoon. I learned that one of my fellow BAs here in Columbus is, and will be, going through something I can't even imagine. The story has been all over Columbus, Ohio and the US......the 4 people that went missing last Thursday (a mother and her 2 children + a family friend) were found this past week. The 13-year old girl was found bound and gagged in this sicko's home (but alive, thank God), and the other 3's bodies were found in the bottom of a hollowed out tree outside of Columbus. No other details have been released, and I'm not sure that I care to know. All I know is that someone I know now has to go through life without her sister-in-law and nephew, and somehow help her niece through what must have been an unimaginable 4 days before she was found. I am heartbroken and outraged.........and ??? It's hard to explain. When a tragedy like this happens across the country, it's sad. You don't know those people, you think about them while it's in the news, but after something else comes into the spotlight, you quickly forget about it. But this.......this just hit a little too close to home. There ARE bad people out there. Sick people. And now a friend of mine is hurting because of it. You just never know. If you're reading this, please keep Trisha and her family in your prayers.
Another sad day was yesterday. November 20, 1980 - a day that obviously I wasn't around for.....but had it not been for that day.....my parents may not have gotten married as soon as they did (they had been engaged for 3 weeks on that day, but weren't planning a wedding until 1983)....and obviously wouldn't have had me when they did. My dad almost didn't make it through that day alive. That day is why I don't take any kind of mental illness lightly...........that day is, without a doubt, why my dad is who he is today.......everything I know about that day is from my mom and Nana and those who were there that day, because my dad doesn't talk about it. That day is why, no matter how often in my life I've seen my dad run without a shirt, do yardwork without a shirt, etc - I always cringe and am a little sad for my dad.....even if somehow he could put that day out of his mind, the 2 scars he has (one in his back, one on the side of his stomach) won't ever allow him to forget. And at the end of that day........my mom almost lost her would-be husband, and my dad lost his dad. Mental illness is no joke. It is scary, scary business. Who knows how that whole day would've been different if they would've known what we all know now about schizophrenia.
Today, the Cowboys get another win.........winning streak alert!
But somehow, birthdays and Cowboys wins all seem a little less important in the light of what happens in this world on a daily basis. Somehow, though, life went on after that day in 1980......and life will still go on after this past week. That's where family and friends are so, so important...........I can't think of a better week for Thanksgiving.
God bless all........
Megan & Ryan came to Columbus for the weekend last weekend. They didn't get here until 2am and drove 330 miles to get here, but we had a great time all together. We walked around Easton and "took our fun!" to Dave & Busters. I truly love my sister. We just have so much fun together, and I love talking and laughing with her.
Dallas got a big win last Sunday against division rivals 6-2 Giants! No one (including me) gave them a chance in hell to win that game, but they did! It was a great feeling to actually feel proud of my team.
This week was another ridiculous week at work. It has been a really trying last month or so, but I'm just trying to hang in there.....
Had to send flowers to a crewleader's family this week for the death of his sister. This guy is one of those slightly older guys, just blue collar, comes to work day in and day out, works his butt off, always does what you ask and then some. His sister was only early 40s and died unexpectedly in her sleep. So sad.
The saddest, most tragic moment of the week, though, came on Friday afternoon. I learned that one of my fellow BAs here in Columbus is, and will be, going through something I can't even imagine. The story has been all over Columbus, Ohio and the US......the 4 people that went missing last Thursday (a mother and her 2 children + a family friend) were found this past week. The 13-year old girl was found bound and gagged in this sicko's home (but alive, thank God), and the other 3's bodies were found in the bottom of a hollowed out tree outside of Columbus. No other details have been released, and I'm not sure that I care to know. All I know is that someone I know now has to go through life without her sister-in-law and nephew, and somehow help her niece through what must have been an unimaginable 4 days before she was found. I am heartbroken and outraged.........and ??? It's hard to explain. When a tragedy like this happens across the country, it's sad. You don't know those people, you think about them while it's in the news, but after something else comes into the spotlight, you quickly forget about it. But this.......this just hit a little too close to home. There ARE bad people out there. Sick people. And now a friend of mine is hurting because of it. You just never know. If you're reading this, please keep Trisha and her family in your prayers.
Another sad day was yesterday. November 20, 1980 - a day that obviously I wasn't around for.....but had it not been for that day.....my parents may not have gotten married as soon as they did (they had been engaged for 3 weeks on that day, but weren't planning a wedding until 1983)....and obviously wouldn't have had me when they did. My dad almost didn't make it through that day alive. That day is why I don't take any kind of mental illness lightly...........that day is, without a doubt, why my dad is who he is today.......everything I know about that day is from my mom and Nana and those who were there that day, because my dad doesn't talk about it. That day is why, no matter how often in my life I've seen my dad run without a shirt, do yardwork without a shirt, etc - I always cringe and am a little sad for my dad.....even if somehow he could put that day out of his mind, the 2 scars he has (one in his back, one on the side of his stomach) won't ever allow him to forget. And at the end of that day........my mom almost lost her would-be husband, and my dad lost his dad. Mental illness is no joke. It is scary, scary business. Who knows how that whole day would've been different if they would've known what we all know now about schizophrenia.
Today, the Cowboys get another win.........winning streak alert!
But somehow, birthdays and Cowboys wins all seem a little less important in the light of what happens in this world on a daily basis. Somehow, though, life went on after that day in 1980......and life will still go on after this past week. That's where family and friends are so, so important...........I can't think of a better week for Thanksgiving.
God bless all........
Thursday, November 11, 2010
27
I turned 21 on a Thursday.
I just turned 27, today, 11/11/10, on a Thursday.
I look back and think about how fast the last 6 years have gone. I remember my 21st birthday like it was yesterday - still living at "Old Bethel," counting down the days, going out to bars with AOII sisters and friends the night before.........getting up late on Thursday and having a test in my 3:30 class (Intermediate Accg 2) and 5:30 (Management). As I recall, I bombed both tests, bad. Oh well..............................
In the last 6 years, I have:
* moved.....5 times (Old Bethel > New Bethel > Abbott St > Terre Haute > Columbus Apt #1 > Columbus Apt #2)
* graduated college
* gotten engaged (and married)
* changed jobs.......3 times (sounds worse than it is, 2 of those times were due to moving: Old National (Muncie) > First Merchants (Muncie) > Weyerhaeuser/ IP (Terre Haute) > Brickman (Columbus)
* witnessed my sister graduating from college and getting married
* watched my baby brother go from a scrawny little 9-year old to a 6'2" young man, a sophomore in high school who's too funny for his own good and is already a heartbreaker....those poor girls
* questioned my faith
* questioned my relationships across the board
* questioned myself
* attended the funerals of 2 of Chris' family members - his Aunt Joyce in 2005, and his Grandpa this past April
* attended more weddings than I can count; been a direct part of......4? Is that it? Ashley, Allison, my own, Megan?
* watched friends, family members and sorority sisters welcome babies into the world.
Wow............what a whirlwind its been.
The only thing I could've predicted for sure at this time 6 years ago was that I would still be with Chris. And against all odds - I got that prediction right. I am so lucky.
Today, I received phone calls, texts, facebook messages and cards (and an overly-decorated-office......pictures to come later). It is an undescribable feeling tonight, as I'm about to go to bed......that I am as blessed as I am, with the people around me that are there.
It has been a great birthday. As time starts flying faster and faster, birthdays start meaning less about the gifts and cards and meals out - and more about the people that you love, and that love you back.
I just turned 27, today, 11/11/10, on a Thursday.
I look back and think about how fast the last 6 years have gone. I remember my 21st birthday like it was yesterday - still living at "Old Bethel," counting down the days, going out to bars with AOII sisters and friends the night before.........getting up late on Thursday and having a test in my 3:30 class (Intermediate Accg 2) and 5:30 (Management). As I recall, I bombed both tests, bad. Oh well..............................
In the last 6 years, I have:
* moved.....5 times (Old Bethel > New Bethel > Abbott St > Terre Haute > Columbus Apt #1 > Columbus Apt #2)
* graduated college
* gotten engaged (and married)
* changed jobs.......3 times (sounds worse than it is, 2 of those times were due to moving: Old National (Muncie) > First Merchants (Muncie) > Weyerhaeuser/ IP (Terre Haute) > Brickman (Columbus)
* witnessed my sister graduating from college and getting married
* watched my baby brother go from a scrawny little 9-year old to a 6'2" young man, a sophomore in high school who's too funny for his own good and is already a heartbreaker....those poor girls
* questioned my faith
* questioned my relationships across the board
* questioned myself
* attended the funerals of 2 of Chris' family members - his Aunt Joyce in 2005, and his Grandpa this past April
* attended more weddings than I can count; been a direct part of......4? Is that it? Ashley, Allison, my own, Megan?
* watched friends, family members and sorority sisters welcome babies into the world.
Wow............what a whirlwind its been.
The only thing I could've predicted for sure at this time 6 years ago was that I would still be with Chris. And against all odds - I got that prediction right. I am so lucky.
Today, I received phone calls, texts, facebook messages and cards (and an overly-decorated-office......pictures to come later). It is an undescribable feeling tonight, as I'm about to go to bed......that I am as blessed as I am, with the people around me that are there.
It has been a great birthday. As time starts flying faster and faster, birthdays start meaning less about the gifts and cards and meals out - and more about the people that you love, and that love you back.
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Forgiveness
A friend of my sister's that I'm friends with on facebook had a GREAT quote up today:
“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”-Catherine Ponder
I'm a grudge holder. I'm vindictive. I seek revenge on people that hurt me (never in any kind of violent manner but usually in a passive aggressive manner, which when other people do it annoys me, so I should stop) or people I love.
The last 9 months have been eventful, emotionally turbulent and just HARD. In those 9 months I hurt more people than necessary - disappointed others - pushed still others away - and did a lot of soul searching.
But at the end of these past 9 months, I still find myself hurt by some. Disappointed by some. Flat out mad at others.
Take a deep breath. Let it out. Forgive. And move on.
Like my Mom loves to say: "It is what it is."
“When you hold resentment toward another, you are bound to that person or condition by an emotional link that is stronger than steel. Forgiveness is the only way to dissolve that link and get free.”-Catherine Ponder
I'm a grudge holder. I'm vindictive. I seek revenge on people that hurt me (never in any kind of violent manner but usually in a passive aggressive manner, which when other people do it annoys me, so I should stop) or people I love.
The last 9 months have been eventful, emotionally turbulent and just HARD. In those 9 months I hurt more people than necessary - disappointed others - pushed still others away - and did a lot of soul searching.
But at the end of these past 9 months, I still find myself hurt by some. Disappointed by some. Flat out mad at others.
Take a deep breath. Let it out. Forgive. And move on.
Like my Mom loves to say: "It is what it is."
Monday, November 8, 2010
Operation 13.1
May 7, 2011. Goal: Complete the Indianapolis Mini Marathon in (around) 2 hours.
180 days away.
Just under 26 weeks.
I haven't really been in any kind of running regimen since (gulp) before vacation. I've ran since then, of course, but not on any kind of schedule.
That changes now.
At the suggestion of one of my sorority sisters who recently ran her first mini ever, I have printed off and dedicated myself to a "novice" running program to get me ready for a race like this......it's a 12 week program so I think I'm going to double it up to help me ease into it. In the 2 weeks before I start that, I've looked up some various interval training material to get me back into a groove to where I can get used to running again.
I really do enjoy running. Of course, starting it back up after being out it is never fun, but when I ran 5 miles for the first time ever this summer, I felt invincible. Strong. Fit. It's also a good time to just turn up some good, loud music and let my mind just clear itself out. The cold weather we're starting to experience is tough to run in, but I'd rather the cold anyday over the sweltering heat and humidity of this past summer! But - if I can get through 3, 4 & 5 mile runs in 95* heat with 90% humidity - I think I can handle a little chilly weather (especially since I started running in that last year).
So, Indy Mini - here we come! (My mom has already signed up to walk it - it will be her 3rd Mini!) Wish us luck :)
180 days away.
Just under 26 weeks.
I haven't really been in any kind of running regimen since (gulp) before vacation. I've ran since then, of course, but not on any kind of schedule.
That changes now.
At the suggestion of one of my sorority sisters who recently ran her first mini ever, I have printed off and dedicated myself to a "novice" running program to get me ready for a race like this......it's a 12 week program so I think I'm going to double it up to help me ease into it. In the 2 weeks before I start that, I've looked up some various interval training material to get me back into a groove to where I can get used to running again.
I really do enjoy running. Of course, starting it back up after being out it is never fun, but when I ran 5 miles for the first time ever this summer, I felt invincible. Strong. Fit. It's also a good time to just turn up some good, loud music and let my mind just clear itself out. The cold weather we're starting to experience is tough to run in, but I'd rather the cold anyday over the sweltering heat and humidity of this past summer! But - if I can get through 3, 4 & 5 mile runs in 95* heat with 90% humidity - I think I can handle a little chilly weather (especially since I started running in that last year).
So, Indy Mini - here we come! (My mom has already signed up to walk it - it will be her 3rd Mini!) Wish us luck :)
Tuesday, November 2, 2010
Voting & A Confession
I voted for the first time today as a resident of the Buckeye State (I voted absentee in Indiana in 2008 b/c I didn't get my butt in gear to register here in time).
What a cool thing voting is.
Now, I am THRILLED TO DEATH that this day is almost over, because with today's end, so comes the end of all of the yard signs, billboards.......and worst of all, all the tv and radio ads. The negative, bashing, awful ads that do more to point out opponents' doings than their own. To tell you the truth, I didn't even really think about who I was going to vote for until today at work, but then I was able to go online, put in my address, and compare candidates and issues that I would be voting on. I did the same thing for EVERY comparison........scrolled right down to the bottom of the page to the question: "Bottom line: why should people vote for you?" and marked down my choices based on their answers. I did, as expected, vote more Republican than Democrat, but there were a few in there. If only every politician did what they said they would do.....but we'd never know if we didn't vote! I think that everyone can agree that the way that the system has been operating in recent years hasn't been working. We'll see if change really comes.
Anyway. On a lighter note (well, not so light to me....sad face)......I bought my first night cream a couple weeks ago. Anti wrinkle night cream. It wasn't expensive, just Garnier brand, but I'm seriously starting to notice some changes in my skin and face (or maybe it's more me being paranoid, but still). I also bought some eye stuff......by the end of everyday, I look like I've been punched in both eyes. Dark circles, puffy.......sick.
A little vanity never killed anybody. Too bad at this time of year, I really like to tan.........but then I wonder why I'm getting little wrinkles. Nikki, be smart. (Oh, but how I love tanning).......
What a cool thing voting is.
Now, I am THRILLED TO DEATH that this day is almost over, because with today's end, so comes the end of all of the yard signs, billboards.......and worst of all, all the tv and radio ads. The negative, bashing, awful ads that do more to point out opponents' doings than their own. To tell you the truth, I didn't even really think about who I was going to vote for until today at work, but then I was able to go online, put in my address, and compare candidates and issues that I would be voting on. I did the same thing for EVERY comparison........scrolled right down to the bottom of the page to the question: "Bottom line: why should people vote for you?" and marked down my choices based on their answers. I did, as expected, vote more Republican than Democrat, but there were a few in there. If only every politician did what they said they would do.....but we'd never know if we didn't vote! I think that everyone can agree that the way that the system has been operating in recent years hasn't been working. We'll see if change really comes.
Anyway. On a lighter note (well, not so light to me....sad face)......I bought my first night cream a couple weeks ago. Anti wrinkle night cream. It wasn't expensive, just Garnier brand, but I'm seriously starting to notice some changes in my skin and face (or maybe it's more me being paranoid, but still). I also bought some eye stuff......by the end of everyday, I look like I've been punched in both eyes. Dark circles, puffy.......sick.
A little vanity never killed anybody. Too bad at this time of year, I really like to tan.........but then I wonder why I'm getting little wrinkles. Nikki, be smart. (Oh, but how I love tanning).......
Monday, November 1, 2010
Happy November!
60 days til 2011. Unreal!
I have to say, the next 60 days are my favorite months of the year. Weather starts getting chillier, perfect for hoodies, jeans & boots (I could do without the snow though).....football season is well underway (well, actually, I'm good on this season for now, but I still like football more than any other sport)......my birthday! (eventually I'll quit being excited about it.....hahahaha), Thanksgiving, the hustle & bustle of Christmas - it's such a family time, and a loving time, and I really do love every minute of it.
Cowboys are now 1-6. I've never turned off a game before, but Chris & I left the house 2 minutes into the 4th quarter yesterday b/c if we didn't, I was going to break something. I wish I had more money than Jerry Jones, b/c then I'd just fire them all. Except about 4 players (Dez Bryant, Tashard Choice, Keith Brooking and Demarcus Ware) and Joe DeCamillis (ST coach). They're pitiful.
Work is......well, work. Not much I can say over the internet. It's only Monday and I'm already looking forward to the weekend. Sad....
Chris & I had a relaxing weekend (except for a hiccup Saturday night.......amazing that after almost 8 years together we still don't always fight fair. It's a process......a learning experience, a journey.....) and sometimes I really just have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
My biggest lesson learned this weekend? I can't expect others to move on if I can't.
I have to say, the next 60 days are my favorite months of the year. Weather starts getting chillier, perfect for hoodies, jeans & boots (I could do without the snow though).....football season is well underway (well, actually, I'm good on this season for now, but I still like football more than any other sport)......my birthday! (eventually I'll quit being excited about it.....hahahaha), Thanksgiving, the hustle & bustle of Christmas - it's such a family time, and a loving time, and I really do love every minute of it.
Cowboys are now 1-6. I've never turned off a game before, but Chris & I left the house 2 minutes into the 4th quarter yesterday b/c if we didn't, I was going to break something. I wish I had more money than Jerry Jones, b/c then I'd just fire them all. Except about 4 players (Dez Bryant, Tashard Choice, Keith Brooking and Demarcus Ware) and Joe DeCamillis (ST coach). They're pitiful.
Work is......well, work. Not much I can say over the internet. It's only Monday and I'm already looking forward to the weekend. Sad....
Chris & I had a relaxing weekend (except for a hiccup Saturday night.......amazing that after almost 8 years together we still don't always fight fair. It's a process......a learning experience, a journey.....) and sometimes I really just have to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
My biggest lesson learned this weekend? I can't expect others to move on if I can't.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
I Need a New Hobby
It's 12:22 am.
I have to be at work in 6 hours and 38 minutes.
I'm so disappointed in this Cowboys team. So talented and we had this game in hand.....look like we have completely given up and then make a game of it with 39 seconds to go.........and lose it.
Romo is out for ???? with a broken clavicle.
And the media vultures will feast.
Only once has a team gone 1-5 and made the playoffs..................in 1970....that was 40 years ago.
Can they still turn it around?
Maybe. And I'll still watch with hope every week.
But Jerry. A new coach. A new OC. Please?
Staying up to see press conferences to see how bad the clavicle is on Romo.
Our upcoming schedule:
10/31 JACKSONVILLE
11/7 @ Green Bay (Sunday Night Football - awesome)
11/14 @ NYG
11/21 DETROIT
11/25 NEW ORLEANS (Thanksgiving Day)
12/5 @ Indy
12/12 PHILADELPHIA
12/19 WASHINGTON
12/26 @ Arizona
1/3 @ Philadelphia
Realistically speaking.......with potentially having no Romo for the rest of the season? Winning 4 of those.........making this season 5-11.
5-11 was a lot easier to handle in the early 2000's when we had 0 talent. We have the talent now. Just no heart. :(
Signing off,
A Bewildered Cowboys fan
^ a reporter said that word and I can't think of a better one at the moment.
I have to be at work in 6 hours and 38 minutes.
I'm so disappointed in this Cowboys team. So talented and we had this game in hand.....look like we have completely given up and then make a game of it with 39 seconds to go.........and lose it.
Romo is out for ???? with a broken clavicle.
And the media vultures will feast.
Only once has a team gone 1-5 and made the playoffs..................in 1970....that was 40 years ago.
Can they still turn it around?
Maybe. And I'll still watch with hope every week.
But Jerry. A new coach. A new OC. Please?
Staying up to see press conferences to see how bad the clavicle is on Romo.
Our upcoming schedule:
10/31 JACKSONVILLE
11/7 @ Green Bay (Sunday Night Football - awesome)
11/14 @ NYG
11/21 DETROIT
11/25 NEW ORLEANS (Thanksgiving Day)
12/5 @ Indy
12/12 PHILADELPHIA
12/19 WASHINGTON
12/26 @ Arizona
1/3 @ Philadelphia
Realistically speaking.......with potentially having no Romo for the rest of the season? Winning 4 of those.........making this season 5-11.
5-11 was a lot easier to handle in the early 2000's when we had 0 talent. We have the talent now. Just no heart. :(
Signing off,
A Bewildered Cowboys fan
^ a reporter said that word and I can't think of a better one at the moment.
Monday, October 25, 2010
Parody in the NFL
I love football. I really, really do. My Cowboys don't play until tonight, but that didn't mean I had nothing to watch yesterday.
Loved watching Philly get beat by Tennessee.
Didn't really like seeing Washington win, but loved watching Jay Cutler get made to look like the doucebaggy-overrated QB he is.
Buffalo almost beat Baltimore - are you kidding?
Cleveland beat New Orleans 30-17. If I didn't have N.O. ST/ D in my fantasy (this week ONLY b/c the Jets are on a bye) that earned a whopping -3 points, I would've been laughing.
Atlanta beat Cincy - seriously, Cincy had a fluke season last year.
Refs pull one out for Pittsburgh (sick).
Oakland puts 59 on Denver on the ROAD?
I love it. Now I'm anxiously awaiting what basically boils down to a playoff game for Dallas tonight....I'm almost afraid to watch. But I will. Holding my breath the whole time....let's just hope they don't almost come back to win and LOSE in the final minute, because that'll just keep me up pissed off. Lame, I know.
This weekend was so nice and relaxing. We walked around the mall on Saturday, getting ideas for Christmas (and me giving Chris ideas for my bday :)) and just wandering. Went grocery shopping, went home and I took a nap (I LOVE naps), woke up and went to dinner (gotta love buy one entree get one free! We ate the Rusty Bucket - a chain in Cbus with really good food and sports). Yesterday we laid around some more and I got a run in. That was about it! It was nice :)
8 hours 45 minutes to go til kickoff. Definitely thinking it's naptime after work!!
Loved watching Philly get beat by Tennessee.
Didn't really like seeing Washington win, but loved watching Jay Cutler get made to look like the doucebaggy-overrated QB he is.
Buffalo almost beat Baltimore - are you kidding?
Cleveland beat New Orleans 30-17. If I didn't have N.O. ST/ D in my fantasy (this week ONLY b/c the Jets are on a bye) that earned a whopping -3 points, I would've been laughing.
Atlanta beat Cincy - seriously, Cincy had a fluke season last year.
Refs pull one out for Pittsburgh (sick).
Oakland puts 59 on Denver on the ROAD?
I love it. Now I'm anxiously awaiting what basically boils down to a playoff game for Dallas tonight....I'm almost afraid to watch. But I will. Holding my breath the whole time....let's just hope they don't almost come back to win and LOSE in the final minute, because that'll just keep me up pissed off. Lame, I know.
This weekend was so nice and relaxing. We walked around the mall on Saturday, getting ideas for Christmas (and me giving Chris ideas for my bday :)) and just wandering. Went grocery shopping, went home and I took a nap (I LOVE naps), woke up and went to dinner (gotta love buy one entree get one free! We ate the Rusty Bucket - a chain in Cbus with really good food and sports). Yesterday we laid around some more and I got a run in. That was about it! It was nice :)
8 hours 45 minutes to go til kickoff. Definitely thinking it's naptime after work!!
Friday, October 22, 2010
Gotta Love Marilyn
"I believe that everything happens for a reason. People change so that you can learn to let go, things go wrong so that you appreciate them when they're right, you believe lies so you eventually learn to trust no one but yourself, and sometimes good things fall apart so better things can fall together." — Marilyn Monroe
How many changes have I gone through in the last 2 years? How many things have I had to learn the hard way to get to today? It hasn't always been the easiest road since August 30, 2008, but in the 2 years and 2 months since then - boy, have I learned a lot.
Who's there for me, who's not. Who wants to judge and who sticks by me. Where I can go, where I can't. Why my faith is so important, who I can really trust, and why I know that if you truly love each other, you can make it through anything.
Happy Friday!
How many changes have I gone through in the last 2 years? How many things have I had to learn the hard way to get to today? It hasn't always been the easiest road since August 30, 2008, but in the 2 years and 2 months since then - boy, have I learned a lot.
Who's there for me, who's not. Who wants to judge and who sticks by me. Where I can go, where I can't. Why my faith is so important, who I can really trust, and why I know that if you truly love each other, you can make it through anything.
Happy Friday!
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Fall Cleaning
I've done a lot of cleaning lately.
Chris and I have basically gone room by room and cleaned top to bottom in our apartment, just like we were moving out. It felt good to go through a lot of the old stuff, to de-clutter (some) and just CLEAN. It's amazing what you hold on from year to year, thinking you just MIGHT do something with it someday, or need it someday. Yeah, a lot of that went in the trash this time around. (Except for the box filled with our wedding cards, leftover invitations, flower petals, programs and candles. I will do something with all that someday. Someday soon. I need to, at least).
I've also taken a lot of time over the last few weeks to get my life in order at work. It's amazing; I spend 45-60 hours a week in a small office that's maybe....what? 15x10? I don't know dimensions....but it's amazing how much crap piles up. Of course, there is some stuff I have to keep....but I've purged a lot of old crap that I (again) thought I might need someday. But I haven't. So a lot of old stuff - buh bye. I mean, who really needs 11 different sized binders, in various states of falling apart and use?
And last week, I went through my list of over 630 facebook friends. I'm now down to 563. Didn't like ya in high school - why am I friends with you now? Had one class with you sophomore year of college - don't even remember what class that was. You generally annoy me with your whiny/ passive-aggressive/ slutty/ dramatic statuses - you're gone. Who the hell ARE you? Did I even know you in the first place? Yup, you're gone.
It feels good to de-clutter. Simplify. Get back to the things that matter. Clear out the bad.
Things like that are easy to see your progress. Getting your head in order and thoughts in line can be harder sometimes, but fortunately, I'm finding out everyday that it literally just takes mind over matter. You can be negative. You can look for the sad things, the bad things; you can pick up on the drama in other peoples' lives. But at the end of the day - you have to go to sleep with your own thoughts, and be content with yourself.
On that note - good night. Sweet dreams. :)
Chris and I have basically gone room by room and cleaned top to bottom in our apartment, just like we were moving out. It felt good to go through a lot of the old stuff, to de-clutter (some) and just CLEAN. It's amazing what you hold on from year to year, thinking you just MIGHT do something with it someday, or need it someday. Yeah, a lot of that went in the trash this time around. (Except for the box filled with our wedding cards, leftover invitations, flower petals, programs and candles. I will do something with all that someday. Someday soon. I need to, at least).
I've also taken a lot of time over the last few weeks to get my life in order at work. It's amazing; I spend 45-60 hours a week in a small office that's maybe....what? 15x10? I don't know dimensions....but it's amazing how much crap piles up. Of course, there is some stuff I have to keep....but I've purged a lot of old crap that I (again) thought I might need someday. But I haven't. So a lot of old stuff - buh bye. I mean, who really needs 11 different sized binders, in various states of falling apart and use?
And last week, I went through my list of over 630 facebook friends. I'm now down to 563. Didn't like ya in high school - why am I friends with you now? Had one class with you sophomore year of college - don't even remember what class that was. You generally annoy me with your whiny/ passive-aggressive/ slutty/ dramatic statuses - you're gone. Who the hell ARE you? Did I even know you in the first place? Yup, you're gone.
It feels good to de-clutter. Simplify. Get back to the things that matter. Clear out the bad.
Things like that are easy to see your progress. Getting your head in order and thoughts in line can be harder sometimes, but fortunately, I'm finding out everyday that it literally just takes mind over matter. You can be negative. You can look for the sad things, the bad things; you can pick up on the drama in other peoples' lives. But at the end of the day - you have to go to sleep with your own thoughts, and be content with yourself.
On that note - good night. Sweet dreams. :)
Monday, October 18, 2010
It's Fall Y'all
What a dumb title. I suck at coming up with creative titles to these things.
What a great weekend. I left work early on Friday to make it to Terre Haute by about 6:30. My mom, at my request, made homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and meatloaf gravy. SO good. Chris won't let me make him meatloaf, and even if he did, it wouldn't be as good as Mom's. After dinner, my dad & I went to The Terminal (a sports bar on ISU's campus) to drown our sorrows over the Cowboys. We ended up talking to the producers of the ESPN radio station in Terre Haute who recruited my dad to be a weekly local caller. It was really funny! He just knows so much about so many sports that he's fun to talk to (as long as you're a fan of his teams....the Cowboys ((duh)), St. Louis Cardinals, LA Lakers and #48 Jimmie Johnson ((he got started on that from Anthony))). We played a little pool and hung out, and it was cool. The guys he was talking to thought it was cool he was having a drink with his daughter, and I did too ;-)
Saturday morning, I woke up at an ungodly hour for me (8:45) to run a 5K with my mom (who walked it). It was my first one ever, and it was COLD, but I did pretty well for the couple of decent hills and the temperature. I finished in 31:38 and in 3rd place in my age division! Mom finished 4th (really 3rd....the 1st place walker a lot of people think cheated.....and she left before awards even started.....I'm sorry, if you know you won, wouldn't you stick around? But she's a good sport and was proud of her 41:40 finish).
We went right home and changed, picked up Megan & headed to Bridgeton's Covered Bridge Festival. It was such a great afternoon. We shopped just about every stand and shop and got some great deals. I got started with Christmas shopping with my dad's gift and my white elephant gift for Chris' family, plus a couple little things for the house & myself. We walked alot, laughed a lot, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was so fun. That night, the 3 of us went to dinner while Anthony went to a girl's Sweet 16 party (He's a heartbreaker. Those poor girls. He's tall, he's funny, he always wears cologne & smells good, he wears nice clothes and is cute. All added up, girls just fall all over him) and Dad stayed at home to watch the race. Again....lots of laughs. I absolutely love my mom & sister. They are truly my best friends in this world, besides Chris. They know me better than almost anyone, they know how to make me laugh, they let me cry on their shoulders, and even after my worst mistakes, I know they're there.
Anyway. Yesterday wasn't as great as a day. I wanted to stay home an extra day but....couldn't. Had to come back. Ended up having to listen to the Cowboys game on AM radio which was just as well. They suck. Mike & Mike did a game this morning, "5 Words That Describe Your Team"....I came up with plenty (When is Jimmy coming back? Too many stupid unnecessary penalties. No reason to start celebrating. When will Wade be fired? Players not being held accountable). But somehow, people aren't writing them off yet. I wish I could just say to hell with it and not get worked up for next Monday night's game....but we all know that's impossible. Got to bed too late last night (damn my need to talk things out instead of just letting them rest with Chris) and went to work in a foul mood this morning.
But, as they say -
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
What a great weekend. I left work early on Friday to make it to Terre Haute by about 6:30. My mom, at my request, made homemade meatloaf, mashed potatoes and meatloaf gravy. SO good. Chris won't let me make him meatloaf, and even if he did, it wouldn't be as good as Mom's. After dinner, my dad & I went to The Terminal (a sports bar on ISU's campus) to drown our sorrows over the Cowboys. We ended up talking to the producers of the ESPN radio station in Terre Haute who recruited my dad to be a weekly local caller. It was really funny! He just knows so much about so many sports that he's fun to talk to (as long as you're a fan of his teams....the Cowboys ((duh)), St. Louis Cardinals, LA Lakers and #48 Jimmie Johnson ((he got started on that from Anthony))). We played a little pool and hung out, and it was cool. The guys he was talking to thought it was cool he was having a drink with his daughter, and I did too ;-)
Saturday morning, I woke up at an ungodly hour for me (8:45) to run a 5K with my mom (who walked it). It was my first one ever, and it was COLD, but I did pretty well for the couple of decent hills and the temperature. I finished in 31:38 and in 3rd place in my age division! Mom finished 4th (really 3rd....the 1st place walker a lot of people think cheated.....and she left before awards even started.....I'm sorry, if you know you won, wouldn't you stick around? But she's a good sport and was proud of her 41:40 finish).
We went right home and changed, picked up Megan & headed to Bridgeton's Covered Bridge Festival. It was such a great afternoon. We shopped just about every stand and shop and got some great deals. I got started with Christmas shopping with my dad's gift and my white elephant gift for Chris' family, plus a couple little things for the house & myself. We walked alot, laughed a lot, and just enjoyed each other's company. It was so fun. That night, the 3 of us went to dinner while Anthony went to a girl's Sweet 16 party (He's a heartbreaker. Those poor girls. He's tall, he's funny, he always wears cologne & smells good, he wears nice clothes and is cute. All added up, girls just fall all over him) and Dad stayed at home to watch the race. Again....lots of laughs. I absolutely love my mom & sister. They are truly my best friends in this world, besides Chris. They know me better than almost anyone, they know how to make me laugh, they let me cry on their shoulders, and even after my worst mistakes, I know they're there.
Anyway. Yesterday wasn't as great as a day. I wanted to stay home an extra day but....couldn't. Had to come back. Ended up having to listen to the Cowboys game on AM radio which was just as well. They suck. Mike & Mike did a game this morning, "5 Words That Describe Your Team"....I came up with plenty (When is Jimmy coming back? Too many stupid unnecessary penalties. No reason to start celebrating. When will Wade be fired? Players not being held accountable). But somehow, people aren't writing them off yet. I wish I could just say to hell with it and not get worked up for next Monday night's game....but we all know that's impossible. Got to bed too late last night (damn my need to talk things out instead of just letting them rest with Chris) and went to work in a foul mood this morning.
But, as they say -
Everything will be okay in the end. If it's not okay, it's not the end.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Happy October (?!?!????)
I can't believe that this time in 3 months, we'll be in 2011. Sigh. Time. It goes so fast....
My last post was Debbie Downer....and not much has changed, but I know I have to change my attitude. What good is it going to do to just complain and be pissed off all the time?
There has been a lot going on at work. We came THIIIIIIIIIIIIIS close to losing Columbus' biggest client (and the company's biggest, too)....fortunately, they decided not to cancel on us, but that means a lot of changes for everybody in Columbus....and unfortunately, only a small percentage of those changes are in black and white. A lot of it is going to be figured out as we go, which wouldn't be a big deal, except snow planning is in full swing. Ack. Job security, I guess.
There has been a lot going on at work. We came THIIIIIIIIIIIIIS close to losing Columbus' biggest client (and the company's biggest, too)....fortunately, they decided not to cancel on us, but that means a lot of changes for everybody in Columbus....and unfortunately, only a small percentage of those changes are in black and white. A lot of it is going to be figured out as we go, which wouldn't be a big deal, except snow planning is in full swing. Ack. Job security, I guess.
Babies. Babies are falling out of the sky. Literally, everyday for the last month there has been someone new on my newsfeed that is expecting a little one. I'm thrilled for all of them, but man does it add to the baby fever that has been in full swing for about 6 months now. But again...I know we're not ready for a baby yet....and hopefully when we are, it's because WE have truly made a good, conscious decision that is good for US, and isn't just a product of the outside world.
Anyway, the weekend was fun. Went to Indy on Saturday....left at 5pm and were back to Cbus by 7:30 on Sunday. Saturday night, we hung out at the house of one of Chris' fraternity brothers (they are buying it from his g/f's parents, who own a pharm company....this house is AMAZING and I wanted them to adopt me!!!!) and spent the night at another one of Chris' fraternity brothers (he and his wife are expecting!). Sunday, a bunch of friends who I haven't seen in way too long gathered at Ashley's house for Jenn's baby shower. I thought it was weird enough to be in all of my friends' weddings (well, not Jenn's, but hers doesn't count b/c she only had her sister!) - that seemed like a pretty grown up step. But having babies? There are no words. It blows my mind........
All I know is that it's hard to not REALLY REALLY want a baby when my friend from work pic-texts me a little Cowboys onesie..........
Monday, September 27, 2010
Long Day, All The Way
I'm homesick. I haven't been home since July 4th, which, by my count, is just short of 3 months.
I miss my mom.
I miss my sister.
I miss my dad & brother.
I'm tired of stressful days at work.
I'm tired of awkwardness and hostility and tension with a certain few coworkers.
I'm tired of not being listened to at work (why would the BA know anything)?
I'm tired of being taken for granted.
I'm tired of being TIRED.
I'm tired of hearing crap about the Cowboys. Seriously.
I'm always tired of bandwagon fans.
I'm tired of passive agressive high school drama.
I'm tired of feeling unsettled.
I'm tired of always feeling like nothing is quite enough.
I'm tired of bills.
I'm tired of laundry.
I'm tired of cleaning.
I'm tired of always having something that needs done.
I'm tired of life in general.
I need a vacation....
I miss my mom.
I miss my sister.
I miss my dad & brother.
I'm tired of stressful days at work.
I'm tired of awkwardness and hostility and tension with a certain few coworkers.
I'm tired of not being listened to at work (why would the BA know anything)?
I'm tired of being taken for granted.
I'm tired of being TIRED.
I'm tired of hearing crap about the Cowboys. Seriously.
I'm always tired of bandwagon fans.
I'm tired of passive agressive high school drama.
I'm tired of feeling unsettled.
I'm tired of always feeling like nothing is quite enough.
I'm tired of bills.
I'm tired of laundry.
I'm tired of cleaning.
I'm tired of always having something that needs done.
I'm tired of life in general.
I need a vacation....
Sunday, September 26, 2010
The Sky Isn't Falling!
My boys went out and got a good, solid, TEAM win today....and very convincing at 27-13 (AND beating a 2-0 team). Phew. Now we go into a bye week, which generally speaking I HATE early bye weeks, but this year - couldn't have come at a better time. Get everyone healthy, get some focus on the NUMEROUS penalties - and come out with guns blazin' at home vs. Tennessee. Yeah! Go Cowboys!
Just passed my 2nd anniversary at Brickman on 9/18....crazy how fast time flies in that job. There is just no "coasting" in this job. Every week, every month, every season is a new focus and a new fire to fight....but it keeps me busy! This week marks my 24th end of month, which is always crazy........but hopefully goes by quickly and smoothly.
Looking forward to Jenn's baby shower next weekend and seeing some friends that I don't see enough. The weekend after that, Chris' parents come....I love visitors! And I think fall just might be officially here. After a couple days in the 90s this week, we had a gorgeous 70-degree day to enjoy the OSU game yesterday (got some tickets from a guy at work....who had gotten them from the Regional Manager but couldn't go), and today has been a cloudy, chilly, perfect-fall 50-ish degree day. I know that winter and snow inevitably follow this season, but I just adore fall....hoodies, football, pumpkins, apple cider, changing trees (well, not this year b/c of the drought, but still!)
But for now, time for a shower, some SNF and an early bedtime....6:30 meeting will come too quick. Boo.
Just passed my 2nd anniversary at Brickman on 9/18....crazy how fast time flies in that job. There is just no "coasting" in this job. Every week, every month, every season is a new focus and a new fire to fight....but it keeps me busy! This week marks my 24th end of month, which is always crazy........but hopefully goes by quickly and smoothly.
Looking forward to Jenn's baby shower next weekend and seeing some friends that I don't see enough. The weekend after that, Chris' parents come....I love visitors! And I think fall just might be officially here. After a couple days in the 90s this week, we had a gorgeous 70-degree day to enjoy the OSU game yesterday (got some tickets from a guy at work....who had gotten them from the Regional Manager but couldn't go), and today has been a cloudy, chilly, perfect-fall 50-ish degree day. I know that winter and snow inevitably follow this season, but I just adore fall....hoodies, football, pumpkins, apple cider, changing trees (well, not this year b/c of the drought, but still!)
But for now, time for a shower, some SNF and an early bedtime....6:30 meeting will come too quick. Boo.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
I Saw God Today
There's a story out there....not sure where it started, but ever since I read it, I remember it everytime I come across a penny. You know, the story about a woman who goes out and has dinner with her wealthy boss....she watches him stop outside the restaurant, stoop down to pick up a penny, pause and smile, put the coin in his pocket, and goes about the evening. She wonders why he stopped and smiled and KEPT the penny....so much so that she asks him. He points out to her "In God We Trust"....and she's confused.
He says: "Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every US coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray. I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me."
I LOVE that story....and since then, have found dozens of pennies in my path. I don't always stop to pick them up, and I may not even stop....but with every penny I see, I smile, knowing that no matter what....God DOES have a plan. No matter what kind of pain, or stress, or worry, or sadness I go through - it's FOR something.
And while I may not be the best Catholic or even Christian, I feel stronger in my faith everyday. This week has been stressful....Monday morning, I was immediately greeted at work with stress. I came home in a bad mood, and whined to Chris all night. Tuesday was more of the same....until a song came on on my iPod player that made me stop in my tracks. "How Great Thou Art," the acoustic version. That song was a favorite of my great grandparents, and it is just such a powerful song. It really made me stop and think....and remember. I closed my eyes, just for a second, and just felt such peace. If I listened really closely, I could my great-grandma Guenzel's slightly warbly voice, singing beside me in church. But at that moment, I was so thankful.
I have a good job. I have a husband of 2 years/ best friend of almost 8. I have a home (well, apartment). I have family & friends who love me. Things aren't ever as bad as they seem.
And the week got better.....if only for a few minutes.
He says: "Whenever I find a coin I see that inscription. It is written on every US coin, but we never seem to notice it! God drops a message right in front of me telling me to trust Him? Who am I to pass it by? When I see a coin, I pray. I stop to see if my trust IS in God at that moment. I pick the coin up as a response to God; that I do trust in Him. For a short time, at least, I cherish it as if it were gold. I think it is God's way of starting a conversation with me."
I LOVE that story....and since then, have found dozens of pennies in my path. I don't always stop to pick them up, and I may not even stop....but with every penny I see, I smile, knowing that no matter what....God DOES have a plan. No matter what kind of pain, or stress, or worry, or sadness I go through - it's FOR something.
And while I may not be the best Catholic or even Christian, I feel stronger in my faith everyday. This week has been stressful....Monday morning, I was immediately greeted at work with stress. I came home in a bad mood, and whined to Chris all night. Tuesday was more of the same....until a song came on on my iPod player that made me stop in my tracks. "How Great Thou Art," the acoustic version. That song was a favorite of my great grandparents, and it is just such a powerful song. It really made me stop and think....and remember. I closed my eyes, just for a second, and just felt such peace. If I listened really closely, I could my great-grandma Guenzel's slightly warbly voice, singing beside me in church. But at that moment, I was so thankful.
I have a good job. I have a husband of 2 years/ best friend of almost 8. I have a home (well, apartment). I have family & friends who love me. Things aren't ever as bad as they seem.
And the week got better.....if only for a few minutes.
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
(Unfounded) Baby Fears
So, I'm a creature of habit. I love reruns of "Friends." There was just an episode on where Monica & Chandler find out that the chances of them having a baby on their own is pretty slim to none....
Things like that scare me to death. In fact, besides something happening that would suddenly take a loved one (or not suddenly, either one) away, my biggest fear is that I won't ever be able to have my own children. I know that right now I'm too selfish to be a mom, but my hopes are that eventually, I'll be grown up enough to be a mother.....if I could even be half the mom my own mom is....I think that my child(ren) will be lucky :) But seriously - all the money, exams and general pain-in-the-buttness of the last decade of trying to NOT have kids....just to be told someday that I can't? The thought just makes me sad, and something that I hope I never have to face.
On the other hand though....it seems that every other day, a friend, coworker, family member, acquaintance.....announces their upcoming bundle of joy. Seeing pictures.....buying for baby showers.....buying for the mommies-to-be.....gives me baby fever BAD.
But how do you KNOW? How do you know you're ready? I'm a planner. I like things going in a straight, forward, planned manner. Every morning at work, I go over the list I began the afternoon/ evening before and map out my day. Through the week, I think about the upcoming weekend and what I would like to accomplish (and in case anyone is wondering, this weekend I have plans to do NOTHING). Life just happens in a straight line.....y'know? Preschool....elem school....middle school....high school.....college. Since Chris & I started dating in college, it was a clear path that we would get married (obviously not the only reason we got married, but it was a good next step). After college, you get a good job. After you get married and have a good job, it seems, you have a baby. At least, that's the way it seems within my circle of friends.
There isn't a woman I know that is newly pregnant or newly-made-mommy that isn't in a good place or "shouldn't" be pregnant or "shouldn't" be a mom. Every woman I know that is pregnant or a mom is in a good place. But how do you KNOW you're in a good place? How do you know you're ready? How much does the circle of friends you run with play a part? How much does "baby fever" play a part? Obviously, big things like deciding with your husband...finances....play a part. But how much do outside factors play a part?
It's probably different for everyone. And I know that if we wait until we're "really" ready, we'll never have a baby. I just want to make sure that when we do....it's really, truly right for us....
Things like that scare me to death. In fact, besides something happening that would suddenly take a loved one (or not suddenly, either one) away, my biggest fear is that I won't ever be able to have my own children. I know that right now I'm too selfish to be a mom, but my hopes are that eventually, I'll be grown up enough to be a mother.....if I could even be half the mom my own mom is....I think that my child(ren) will be lucky :) But seriously - all the money, exams and general pain-in-the-buttness of the last decade of trying to NOT have kids....just to be told someday that I can't? The thought just makes me sad, and something that I hope I never have to face.
On the other hand though....it seems that every other day, a friend, coworker, family member, acquaintance.....announces their upcoming bundle of joy. Seeing pictures.....buying for baby showers.....buying for the mommies-to-be.....gives me baby fever BAD.
But how do you KNOW? How do you know you're ready? I'm a planner. I like things going in a straight, forward, planned manner. Every morning at work, I go over the list I began the afternoon/ evening before and map out my day. Through the week, I think about the upcoming weekend and what I would like to accomplish (and in case anyone is wondering, this weekend I have plans to do NOTHING). Life just happens in a straight line.....y'know? Preschool....elem school....middle school....high school.....college. Since Chris & I started dating in college, it was a clear path that we would get married (obviously not the only reason we got married, but it was a good next step). After college, you get a good job. After you get married and have a good job, it seems, you have a baby. At least, that's the way it seems within my circle of friends.
There isn't a woman I know that is newly pregnant or newly-made-mommy that isn't in a good place or "shouldn't" be pregnant or "shouldn't" be a mom. Every woman I know that is pregnant or a mom is in a good place. But how do you KNOW you're in a good place? How do you know you're ready? How much does the circle of friends you run with play a part? How much does "baby fever" play a part? Obviously, big things like deciding with your husband...finances....play a part. But how much do outside factors play a part?
It's probably different for everyone. And I know that if we wait until we're "really" ready, we'll never have a baby. I just want to make sure that when we do....it's really, truly right for us....
Sunday, September 19, 2010
0-2
SMH.
(That was on the Cowboys' feed earlier this week, and yes, I had to google it. It means "shakes my head.")
That's all I can say for today's game. No words, just shakes my head.
Okay, maybe a couple words.......maybe a little overconfident over a less-talented Bears team, too many mistakes (penalties, 2 freak-interceptions, a fumble and a missed FG), and quite simply just LOST. And now we get to go to an on-fire Houston team next week. Holy hell.
In other news, Chris & I cleaned our spare room from top to bottom today, rearranged some furniture, and put together a new desk (we were previously using an old tv stand).
Now begins another long week after a Cowboys loss. Hey, Minnesota is 0-2 too. And Cleveland....and Oakland...........sniff sniff.
(That was on the Cowboys' feed earlier this week, and yes, I had to google it. It means "shakes my head.")
That's all I can say for today's game. No words, just shakes my head.
Okay, maybe a couple words.......maybe a little overconfident over a less-talented Bears team, too many mistakes (penalties, 2 freak-interceptions, a fumble and a missed FG), and quite simply just LOST. And now we get to go to an on-fire Houston team next week. Holy hell.
In other news, Chris & I cleaned our spare room from top to bottom today, rearranged some furniture, and put together a new desk (we were previously using an old tv stand).
Now begins another long week after a Cowboys loss. Hey, Minnesota is 0-2 too. And Cleveland....and Oakland...........sniff sniff.
Friday, September 17, 2010
Never Right
Always wrong.
Always second guessed.
Can't do anything right, why even try........................
Always second guessed.
Can't do anything right, why even try........................
Monday, September 13, 2010
It's Just A Game, It's Just A Game....
....but then why am I SO PISSED?!?!?
Oh, I know...."on the stat sheet, the Cowboys actually held the advantage. They outgained the Redskins 380 total yards to 250, recorded 24 first downs to 17, and held the time of possession at 34:03 to 25:57."
And penalties. I can't wait to see the final count, but it was more than 10. WAY more than what is acceptable for a professional football team........the game ENDED on an offensive holding penalty, negating what WOULD HAVE BEEN the game winner...........
I could just puke. I let myself get so worked up every week for these games, and I know I really REALLY need to find a hobby, but seriously, when I'm going to get less than 5 hours of sleep because I watched my favorite team beat themselves the whole way, I JUST GET MAD.
Mad. Pissed. Irate. Irritated. Disappointed. Angry. Annoyed.
Name it, I am it. Jason Garrett as the OC needs to GO. His 6th sweep play of the game was called on 3rd and 2....I could've hit the roof. Defense did what they had to do; holding the Skins to 2 measley FGs....one stupid mistake at the end of the 1st half gave them their only TD of the game.
The Cowboys moved the ball well, for the most part, all night long. Dez Bryant had a decent debut, R. Williams came up with a key grab on 3rd and long and caught what should have been the game winner, all 3 RBs had good runs....but to end and LOSE a game on a penalty....just goes to show you that thanks to the Cowboys, the Cowboys LOST.
AND I AM MAD ABOUT IT.
And I have to be at work for a meeting in 6 hours.................at least the shit-talking will be at a minimum....Bengals lost, Colts lost, and Pittsburgh won by the skin of their teeth.
Here's to week two, at home vs. Chicago.
Sheesh.
Oh, I know...."on the stat sheet, the Cowboys actually held the advantage. They outgained the Redskins 380 total yards to 250, recorded 24 first downs to 17, and held the time of possession at 34:03 to 25:57."
And penalties. I can't wait to see the final count, but it was more than 10. WAY more than what is acceptable for a professional football team........the game ENDED on an offensive holding penalty, negating what WOULD HAVE BEEN the game winner...........
I could just puke. I let myself get so worked up every week for these games, and I know I really REALLY need to find a hobby, but seriously, when I'm going to get less than 5 hours of sleep because I watched my favorite team beat themselves the whole way, I JUST GET MAD.
Mad. Pissed. Irate. Irritated. Disappointed. Angry. Annoyed.
Name it, I am it. Jason Garrett as the OC needs to GO. His 6th sweep play of the game was called on 3rd and 2....I could've hit the roof. Defense did what they had to do; holding the Skins to 2 measley FGs....one stupid mistake at the end of the 1st half gave them their only TD of the game.
The Cowboys moved the ball well, for the most part, all night long. Dez Bryant had a decent debut, R. Williams came up with a key grab on 3rd and long and caught what should have been the game winner, all 3 RBs had good runs....but to end and LOSE a game on a penalty....just goes to show you that thanks to the Cowboys, the Cowboys LOST.
AND I AM MAD ABOUT IT.
And I have to be at work for a meeting in 6 hours.................at least the shit-talking will be at a minimum....Bengals lost, Colts lost, and Pittsburgh won by the skin of their teeth.
Here's to week two, at home vs. Chicago.
Sheesh.
Sunday, September 12, 2010
ARE YOU READY FOR SOME FOOTBALL!?!?
This girl definitely is!
The time between the Super Bowl and the beginning of the next regular season always seems endless to me. Sure there's the combine, the draft, OTAs, training camp and preseason, but regular season is finally here and I couldn't be more excited!
Dallas hasn't won a Super Bowl since January 28, 1996. I was 12....in 6th grade. I'm ready for another win, and what could be bigger than a team hosting and WINNING a Super Bowl!? Not much....
Here's hoping that the season doesn't end in disappointment - this Cowboys team has had a lot of expectations piled on them this year, even moreso than in the past - and hopefully they can pull it off. They are one of the most talented teams in the NFL on paper - let's see if they can translate that onto the field and into the Lombardi trophy case!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DALLAS!
GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DALLAS!
Saturday, September 11, 2010
"Where Were You....
(From the LA Times, Opinion Page, 9/10/08)....when the world stopped turning, on that September day?"
9/11/01....it was a Tuesday. I was a senior in high school, in my 1st hour class with Ms. Minar - Newspaper. I was in a side room making some calls to local radio stations about sponsoring us for a car wash, or something....I got ahold of someone at one of the stations, who snippily told me, "We're worried about the state of our country right now!," and hung up. I went back to the classroom and relayed what the rude DJ had said to me. At about that time, there was an announcement over the PA system to turn on all the TVs in the classrooms - which we did, and right at that moment, we saw the 2nd plane hit. I remember where I was sitting in the classroom, and what I was wearing....
I remember that day like it was yesterday. A "code red" was issued for the entire school (beacuse of bomb threats at my own Terre Haute South, and across town at Terre Haute North) which meant that no one was allowed to leave the room they were in, and it was like that for about 3 hours. The whole day was off after that. I got to my next class in the weight room and a code orange was issued.... At lunch, the whole school was evacuated to the football field...and if I remember right, everyone was finally released early. I quickly found Megan to get out of there, and took her locker neighbor, Kelly, home too. Gas had shot up to about 5 bucks a gallon. We got home to a stunned Mom and 6-year old Anthony. My boyfriend at the time, Shaun, sold Kirby vacuum cleaners and I was frantic when I couldn't get ahold of him. He finally came to my house around 8:00 that night and I was so glad to see him. Everyone's nerves and emotions were shot.
It was such a crazy and sad time, and I can't believe that its been 9 years since that fateful day. So much has happened in the world, and in my own life, since then....but 9/11 will always have special meaning for our generation.
It's hard to imagine a world with religious and political tolerance....a world with peace....a world with compromise and patience instead of war and threats....and I'm not sure that I will ever see that in my lifetime, nor will my children. All I know is that more than anything, I had never been more proud to be an American after that day. Blood drives were set up and lines went around the block. I remember South passing around buckets at football games to raise money. Everyone was so proud to be part of a country who could and would stand up to terrorism....and I still am. You can disagree with the war, but you better believe in the reason - otherwise think of all the lives that have been lost for nothing.
Always remembered, never forgotten.........
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Two Years
Chris and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary 10 days ago. I should've blogged then. But for some reason, I find myself intimidated by blogging now. I don't know why! I don't have to record every breathing, living moment I have....but I think that since I was away for so long, I'm finding it hard to find the balance of catching up and moving on at the same time.
But for the moment - catch up. 2 years. Phew.
This past year of our marriage was probably the toughest year of my life. Major mistakes on my end, major hurt on Chris' end, major fights, arguments, yelling and ugliness on both sides. It wasn't a pretty year. And through no fault of Chris'. I disappointed a lot of people, whether or not they know the whole story, and that's almost as hard as what I put my 8-year relationship/ 2-year marriage with Chris through. Fortunately, though, the good thing about something so life-altering is that it shows you who matters in your life, and who doesn't. My family has absolutely blown me away with their support; friends, too. A lot has changed since 8/30/08, but I think I now can (cautiously) say that our relationship is back on track, moving forward, moving together, moving BETTER.
So our 2-year anniversary came and went without a lot of pomp and circumstance. I got Chris my usual 2 cards (one funny, one serious....plus a letter)....Chris got me a very pretty card and even wrote me a poem inside. We went out for Outback on the day of, and this past weekend, we just enjoyed being together and relaxing over the Labor Day holiday. We are planning on going down to Hocking Hills later in the fall to have a little more time to celebrate.
We did sign on for another year at our current apartment, and we did some things around the place over the weekend to make it feel more home-y. I'm really bad at creative type things, but always love going to friends' and families' houses that are well-decorated but still well-lived-in. So I'm trying.
So, moving forward. It has been a crazy and hectic couple of days. I love holidays, but the work just sits on my desk for the next work day. We are having a landline and new DSL installed on Friday in preparation for our DIRECTV to be installed next Wednesday (NFL Ticket!) and that has taken WAY too much of my time to get figured out, but it'll be worth it when I can throw things in my own house instead of in public during non-primetime Cowboys' games!
Money always creates some havoc or another in our lives, and I don't think that that will ever change. Frustrating nonetheless. Fortunately, my background in banking makes it to where no one can ever talk over my head about money, and that's a good thing.
Work is busy as ever. When final numbers came out for our maintenance season, my branch grew over 37% since this time last year. Any growth is good, but growth that large has been hard to manage. 37% growth means more staff and more equipment and more trucks, but still only 1 me, and it's tough. Fortunately, I still enjoy my job (96% of the time) and still learn something new everyday....and I enjoy being a part of one of the top performing branches in the company. Everyday presents new challenges, and it's FAR from an 8-5, Monday to Friday job (no smoke breaks, no recess breaks, if I even eat lunch it's at my desk while answering emails, the phone and doing the million things that come across my desk daily....in early, out late, in some weekends (more during snow)), but I can definitely say that I'm never bored! The account managers are well into renewals for 2011 and snow contracts are coming in by the truckload (ugh - that dirty word).
I've started "training" (via nikeplus.com) for a mini-marathon. It's hard for me to just go out and just RUN. I need to know how far I'm going. I need to have a plan. So this "coach" tells me how to far to run everyday, gives me exercises to do to complement the running I am doing, and lets me compete against myself, and set goals. I'm really glad that I have started to find running enjoyable. It gets my head cleared, and gets my body good and tired. My legs are stronger, my endurance is the highest its ever been, and I am feeling better in general. From March 7 to July 30 (when we left for vacation), I lost 25 pounds, and felt GREAT. Its been hard to get back into it, and I've gained about 3 pounds back. But I'm determined to get that 3 pounds off, plus about an extra 15 to get down to a weight I haven't been since the end of high school. It's a healthy weight for my height, and I've already started to see results - my cholesterol went down by about 30 points from March last year (yay!), and I may be able to go onto a lower dose antidepressant here soon.
Times are tough everywhere, for everyone it seems, STILL. But my aunt posted a great quote today: "God didn't bring me this far to just drop me off!" Something to remember when I can't quite take a step back to get a good look at the big picture.
But for the moment - catch up. 2 years. Phew.
This past year of our marriage was probably the toughest year of my life. Major mistakes on my end, major hurt on Chris' end, major fights, arguments, yelling and ugliness on both sides. It wasn't a pretty year. And through no fault of Chris'. I disappointed a lot of people, whether or not they know the whole story, and that's almost as hard as what I put my 8-year relationship/ 2-year marriage with Chris through. Fortunately, though, the good thing about something so life-altering is that it shows you who matters in your life, and who doesn't. My family has absolutely blown me away with their support; friends, too. A lot has changed since 8/30/08, but I think I now can (cautiously) say that our relationship is back on track, moving forward, moving together, moving BETTER.
So our 2-year anniversary came and went without a lot of pomp and circumstance. I got Chris my usual 2 cards (one funny, one serious....plus a letter)....Chris got me a very pretty card and even wrote me a poem inside. We went out for Outback on the day of, and this past weekend, we just enjoyed being together and relaxing over the Labor Day holiday. We are planning on going down to Hocking Hills later in the fall to have a little more time to celebrate.
We did sign on for another year at our current apartment, and we did some things around the place over the weekend to make it feel more home-y. I'm really bad at creative type things, but always love going to friends' and families' houses that are well-decorated but still well-lived-in. So I'm trying.
So, moving forward. It has been a crazy and hectic couple of days. I love holidays, but the work just sits on my desk for the next work day. We are having a landline and new DSL installed on Friday in preparation for our DIRECTV to be installed next Wednesday (NFL Ticket!) and that has taken WAY too much of my time to get figured out, but it'll be worth it when I can throw things in my own house instead of in public during non-primetime Cowboys' games!
Money always creates some havoc or another in our lives, and I don't think that that will ever change. Frustrating nonetheless. Fortunately, my background in banking makes it to where no one can ever talk over my head about money, and that's a good thing.
Work is busy as ever. When final numbers came out for our maintenance season, my branch grew over 37% since this time last year. Any growth is good, but growth that large has been hard to manage. 37% growth means more staff and more equipment and more trucks, but still only 1 me, and it's tough. Fortunately, I still enjoy my job (96% of the time) and still learn something new everyday....and I enjoy being a part of one of the top performing branches in the company. Everyday presents new challenges, and it's FAR from an 8-5, Monday to Friday job (no smoke breaks, no recess breaks, if I even eat lunch it's at my desk while answering emails, the phone and doing the million things that come across my desk daily....in early, out late, in some weekends (more during snow)), but I can definitely say that I'm never bored! The account managers are well into renewals for 2011 and snow contracts are coming in by the truckload (ugh - that dirty word).
I've started "training" (via nikeplus.com) for a mini-marathon. It's hard for me to just go out and just RUN. I need to know how far I'm going. I need to have a plan. So this "coach" tells me how to far to run everyday, gives me exercises to do to complement the running I am doing, and lets me compete against myself, and set goals. I'm really glad that I have started to find running enjoyable. It gets my head cleared, and gets my body good and tired. My legs are stronger, my endurance is the highest its ever been, and I am feeling better in general. From March 7 to July 30 (when we left for vacation), I lost 25 pounds, and felt GREAT. Its been hard to get back into it, and I've gained about 3 pounds back. But I'm determined to get that 3 pounds off, plus about an extra 15 to get down to a weight I haven't been since the end of high school. It's a healthy weight for my height, and I've already started to see results - my cholesterol went down by about 30 points from March last year (yay!), and I may be able to go onto a lower dose antidepressant here soon.
Times are tough everywhere, for everyone it seems, STILL. But my aunt posted a great quote today: "God didn't bring me this far to just drop me off!" Something to remember when I can't quite take a step back to get a good look at the big picture.
Thursday, August 12, 2010
Happy New Year!
Okay, I haven't lost my mind.
I know it's only August 12 (only!?!? Seems like just last weekend we were ringing in 2010).
BUT.
For 18 years of my life, life kind of started over in August. New clothes, brand spankin' new school supplies (always my favorite part of back to school - yes, I was that kid - there's nothing better than a brand new box of Crayons!); fresh, clean smelling classrooms, smiling teachers and welcoming staff.....a clean slate. Whatever happened the year before was long forgotten.
Now, while I no longer have a summer break (oh, how I miss them!), I still get caught up in the back to school buzz - at the mall, grocery stores, even driving to work. Everyone gets to start over, and that's kind of a cool feeling.
I haven't written in here in a long time. LONG time. A lot has happened in my life....Chris' life....our life together. Not many days have gone by though where I thought to myself, 'I should write this down,' but I just never have gotten around it. So - there is a lot to catch up on. A LOT. But I thought what better way to come back than to change the look on my blog up a little (have always loved rain) - will work on it more later - and get back into the swing of writing things down. I still go back and look at my college Xanga every now and then, and just laugh at my younger self. I know that time will only continue to go faster, and I want to be sure I'm capturing every moment.
I know it's only August 12 (only!?!? Seems like just last weekend we were ringing in 2010).
BUT.
For 18 years of my life, life kind of started over in August. New clothes, brand spankin' new school supplies (always my favorite part of back to school - yes, I was that kid - there's nothing better than a brand new box of Crayons!); fresh, clean smelling classrooms, smiling teachers and welcoming staff.....a clean slate. Whatever happened the year before was long forgotten.
Now, while I no longer have a summer break (oh, how I miss them!), I still get caught up in the back to school buzz - at the mall, grocery stores, even driving to work. Everyone gets to start over, and that's kind of a cool feeling.
I haven't written in here in a long time. LONG time. A lot has happened in my life....Chris' life....our life together. Not many days have gone by though where I thought to myself, 'I should write this down,' but I just never have gotten around it. So - there is a lot to catch up on. A LOT. But I thought what better way to come back than to change the look on my blog up a little (have always loved rain) - will work on it more later - and get back into the swing of writing things down. I still go back and look at my college Xanga every now and then, and just laugh at my younger self. I know that time will only continue to go faster, and I want to be sure I'm capturing every moment.
Thursday, March 11, 2010
Babies, Babies, everywhere
Seriously. They're everywhere!
I know so many people that have had babies in the last 6 months or so....but in the last 3 weeks, I know.........4 babies? Is that it? Seems like there are more....
February 24 - my Division Administrator and her husband welcomed Graham Alexander.
February 28 - one of my OMs' girlfriend's had their twins (6 weeks early) - Brooklyn & Hayden.
Today though, takes the cake. One of my closest friends through college, Ashley, had a baby girl today. She was the first of all of us to get married (which was strange in itself), and now she's the first (in this circle of friends) to have a baby. She lost a baby right after mine and Chris' wedding, so this baby is such a blessing that I know I prayed hard for, so I can't imagine what the last 9 months have been like for Luke and Ashley. I guess she was born at 3:49 pm...7 lbs 15 oz and 22" long. I can't wait to meet my "niece".....it's hard being this far away when something this amazing happens! Welcome Noelle!! I'm so excited to meet you :)
When Ashley got married, it was so surreal....like, 'Are you old enough to be doing this?' But we were all a part of their wedding, and now they're having a baby....and it's just amazing. Utterly, awesomely, amazing. Allison texted me at 4:10 to let us all know that she was here and I was just in disbelief! It just is so surreal! Then, I got in my car to go home, and appropriately enough, the first song I heard was "I Saw God Today." (Cheesy that I teared up? Maybe a little).
Maybe one day, I'll be old enough, mature enough, in that place-in-my-life enough, to bring a child into this world with Chris. But until that day.....I will be content to love on and spoil all the little ones around me :)
I know so many people that have had babies in the last 6 months or so....but in the last 3 weeks, I know.........4 babies? Is that it? Seems like there are more....
February 24 - my Division Administrator and her husband welcomed Graham Alexander.
February 28 - one of my OMs' girlfriend's had their twins (6 weeks early) - Brooklyn & Hayden.
Today though, takes the cake. One of my closest friends through college, Ashley, had a baby girl today. She was the first of all of us to get married (which was strange in itself), and now she's the first (in this circle of friends) to have a baby. She lost a baby right after mine and Chris' wedding, so this baby is such a blessing that I know I prayed hard for, so I can't imagine what the last 9 months have been like for Luke and Ashley. I guess she was born at 3:49 pm...7 lbs 15 oz and 22" long. I can't wait to meet my "niece".....it's hard being this far away when something this amazing happens! Welcome Noelle!! I'm so excited to meet you :)
When Ashley got married, it was so surreal....like, 'Are you old enough to be doing this?' But we were all a part of their wedding, and now they're having a baby....and it's just amazing. Utterly, awesomely, amazing. Allison texted me at 4:10 to let us all know that she was here and I was just in disbelief! It just is so surreal! Then, I got in my car to go home, and appropriately enough, the first song I heard was "I Saw God Today." (Cheesy that I teared up? Maybe a little).
Maybe one day, I'll be old enough, mature enough, in that place-in-my-life enough, to bring a child into this world with Chris. But until that day.....I will be content to love on and spoil all the little ones around me :)
Sunday, February 28, 2010
February in Review
Well, friends, it has been exactly one month since I was here last. For the shortest month in the calendar year, it sure was jam-packed.
Work....work has been IN-SANE. Last year's snow season (end of Nov - mid Feb) dropped about 21" of snow. Total. This month? This February ALONE? I believe the count is now at about 26. We had to have 3 more inches to beat the record that has stood since 1910. CRAZY.
Anyway, all that snow means that in this month, ALONE, we've billed (as of the report I ran right before I left today) about 1.82 MILLION dollars (Last snow season's total was about 1.6 - TOTAL). Needless to say, there have been a lot of tired guys running around the office, and I've been putting in long, long LONG weeks - but I'm really proud to say that I work with a really great team, and we're looking forward to SPRING!
Our 2nd married Valentine's came and went - Joe & Brandi came to town for the 3rd V-Day in a row....we had tickets to see Billy Gardell at the Columbus FunnyBone, and we had Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Billy Gardell was HILARIOUS.
It has been a fairly strained and tense couple of weeks in the King household. We've really had to lean on our 7-year history together to get us through the last couple of weeks. Without going into too much detail, I just ask that whoever reads this shoots up an extra prayer that we make it through everything unscathed and stronger than ever. We're both stubborn and hard headed, but at the end of the day, we made vows, and....well....that's all I can really say.
The Winter Olympics are coming to an end as I speak, as the USA and Canada are fighting it out for the gold in Men's Hockey. What an exciting game! I have to admit, I haven't watched much of the Olympics at all this year. All I really watch anyway is ice skating, and it seems it never would come on until late at night. I've watched curling with interest (if those people are athletes, I have wings and can fly) and of course watched with horror the luger from Georgia that was killed in practice. It's hard to believe that the last Olympics were the Summer ones of '08; Chris and I got married right at the end of them.
Well, Canada just won it in sudden death. I fell so bad for the American goalie (Brian Miller)....he had so many goals shot and shot and shot at him, and he let the last one go. Oh well.....................
:(
Chris and I are pretending it's summer and cooking steaks out on the grill, and I'm making pasta salad. Spring is only 20 days away!!!
Work....work has been IN-SANE. Last year's snow season (end of Nov - mid Feb) dropped about 21" of snow. Total. This month? This February ALONE? I believe the count is now at about 26. We had to have 3 more inches to beat the record that has stood since 1910. CRAZY.
Anyway, all that snow means that in this month, ALONE, we've billed (as of the report I ran right before I left today) about 1.82 MILLION dollars (Last snow season's total was about 1.6 - TOTAL). Needless to say, there have been a lot of tired guys running around the office, and I've been putting in long, long LONG weeks - but I'm really proud to say that I work with a really great team, and we're looking forward to SPRING!
Our 2nd married Valentine's came and went - Joe & Brandi came to town for the 3rd V-Day in a row....we had tickets to see Billy Gardell at the Columbus FunnyBone, and we had Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Billy Gardell was HILARIOUS.
It has been a fairly strained and tense couple of weeks in the King household. We've really had to lean on our 7-year history together to get us through the last couple of weeks. Without going into too much detail, I just ask that whoever reads this shoots up an extra prayer that we make it through everything unscathed and stronger than ever. We're both stubborn and hard headed, but at the end of the day, we made vows, and....well....that's all I can really say.
The Winter Olympics are coming to an end as I speak, as the USA and Canada are fighting it out for the gold in Men's Hockey. What an exciting game! I have to admit, I haven't watched much of the Olympics at all this year. All I really watch anyway is ice skating, and it seems it never would come on until late at night. I've watched curling with interest (if those people are athletes, I have wings and can fly) and of course watched with horror the luger from Georgia that was killed in practice. It's hard to believe that the last Olympics were the Summer ones of '08; Chris and I got married right at the end of them.
Well, Canada just won it in sudden death. I fell so bad for the American goalie (Brian Miller)....he had so many goals shot and shot and shot at him, and he let the last one go. Oh well.....................
:(
Chris and I are pretending it's summer and cooking steaks out on the grill, and I'm making pasta salad. Spring is only 20 days away!!!
Thursday, January 28, 2010
Lifetime Movie: The Pregnancy Pact
This movie absolutely terrifies me. Unless you've been living under a rock, you know that it's a movie about a spike in teen pregnancies in a small town in MA - and it was started because of a "pact" between a bunch of girls.
How did my parents survive me growing up in my teenage years with things like this? Not knowing the right thing to say, or teach? How am I going to know what to say, or teach, my own children, especially if I have daughters? These girls were taught abstinence only (which is what I was taught up through 8th grade). You kind of have to see where their parents and schools were coming from - give them options for birth control and you're almost saying, "Okay - go have sex." (NOT that that's what I will teach!) But at the same time....you can give your children guidance and advice all you want, but at the end of the day, you can't be with them 24/7, and they're going to have to make their own decisions.
It's just so scary out there. I feel like I'm barely a "grown-up," how am I ever going to know when the time is right to bring a child in to this world? And when that time comes....how do Chris and I, as parents, find that balance between keeping your children close and under your thumb and letting them find their own way.
Scary, terrifying stuff.
These girls in the movie are 15, 16 years old. That means by the time they're my age, they will have 10 year olds - 5th graders!!!!!! I'm 26 and still don't feel like I'm mature or responsible enough to take that kind of responsibility.
I know that no one is ever really ready to have children - if you waited until you had enough money, or were in the right house, or worked at the right job - no one would ever have kids. But wow - what a huge step to take.
How did my parents survive me growing up in my teenage years with things like this? Not knowing the right thing to say, or teach? How am I going to know what to say, or teach, my own children, especially if I have daughters? These girls were taught abstinence only (which is what I was taught up through 8th grade). You kind of have to see where their parents and schools were coming from - give them options for birth control and you're almost saying, "Okay - go have sex." (NOT that that's what I will teach!) But at the same time....you can give your children guidance and advice all you want, but at the end of the day, you can't be with them 24/7, and they're going to have to make their own decisions.
It's just so scary out there. I feel like I'm barely a "grown-up," how am I ever going to know when the time is right to bring a child in to this world? And when that time comes....how do Chris and I, as parents, find that balance between keeping your children close and under your thumb and letting them find their own way.
Scary, terrifying stuff.
These girls in the movie are 15, 16 years old. That means by the time they're my age, they will have 10 year olds - 5th graders!!!!!! I'm 26 and still don't feel like I'm mature or responsible enough to take that kind of responsibility.
I know that no one is ever really ready to have children - if you waited until you had enough money, or were in the right house, or worked at the right job - no one would ever have kids. But wow - what a huge step to take.
Tuesday, January 26, 2010
Moles and miles
I suck at coming up with good "titles" for these things....and this one is especially awful. Sorry.... :)
So, the last week or so has been......rough. Some personal challenges Chris & I are trying to work through, and last week was definitely one of those where it was hard to be away from my mom and friends. Sometimes, having only Chris is hard.....and that in turn sometimes makes it hard to not kill him. (I joke!) But, in all seriousness, I really have to be thankful that we've overcome some of the obstacles that we have, when all we have here in Columbus is each other. Parents and friends and siblings are nowhere close enough to be able to "run" to, so we either talk it out or steam in silence 2 rooms away from each other. So.................anyway. Marriage is definitely a journey.............
Last Wednesday, I finally went to a dermatology appointment that I had put off twice. Calling me a chicken? You'd be right. I had 5 moles removed - 3 because I've hated them all my life, and 2 because the doctor was (slightly) suspicious of them. The 3 that I wanted gone he just "shaved" off (ew), but the 2 he wanted to do more research on, he "punched" out. It almost makes me gag to even think about it, so google it or something. But suffice it to say that both needed stitches, and I almost fainted while lying down. I got through it, by myself, even though I wanted my mom, and I go back to have stitches out tomorrow (the one at my hairline) and Monday (on my arm). Sick. Glad to have it over with. And is it bad that my boss needed a picture of me for a bio for a client....and I took a look at it.....and my first thought was, "DANG I need a tan!"???? Bad, bad, bad!
Today, I hit a new personal best - 3.03 miles in 29:40 minutes. First time I've ran 3 miles in under 30 minutes in a LONG time, and I'm really proud of myself. I didn't really run last week with all the bandages I was dealing with and the general pain in the ass they all were, so I think I'm going to fall a little short of my 30 miles ran by 1/30. I'm about 11 miles away, and I still have 4 days.............hmmmm. We'll see. But at any rate, I was pretty pleased with myself today :)
Well, tomorrow marks day 3 of month-end week, and it snowed today - so that's going to make the next 3 days crazy. I need a shower and bed, stat! (Thanks to a rerun of Grey's Anatomy I'm currently watching) :) :) :)
So, the last week or so has been......rough. Some personal challenges Chris & I are trying to work through, and last week was definitely one of those where it was hard to be away from my mom and friends. Sometimes, having only Chris is hard.....and that in turn sometimes makes it hard to not kill him. (I joke!) But, in all seriousness, I really have to be thankful that we've overcome some of the obstacles that we have, when all we have here in Columbus is each other. Parents and friends and siblings are nowhere close enough to be able to "run" to, so we either talk it out or steam in silence 2 rooms away from each other. So.................anyway. Marriage is definitely a journey.............
Last Wednesday, I finally went to a dermatology appointment that I had put off twice. Calling me a chicken? You'd be right. I had 5 moles removed - 3 because I've hated them all my life, and 2 because the doctor was (slightly) suspicious of them. The 3 that I wanted gone he just "shaved" off (ew), but the 2 he wanted to do more research on, he "punched" out. It almost makes me gag to even think about it, so google it or something. But suffice it to say that both needed stitches, and I almost fainted while lying down. I got through it, by myself, even though I wanted my mom, and I go back to have stitches out tomorrow (the one at my hairline) and Monday (on my arm). Sick. Glad to have it over with. And is it bad that my boss needed a picture of me for a bio for a client....and I took a look at it.....and my first thought was, "DANG I need a tan!"???? Bad, bad, bad!
Today, I hit a new personal best - 3.03 miles in 29:40 minutes. First time I've ran 3 miles in under 30 minutes in a LONG time, and I'm really proud of myself. I didn't really run last week with all the bandages I was dealing with and the general pain in the ass they all were, so I think I'm going to fall a little short of my 30 miles ran by 1/30. I'm about 11 miles away, and I still have 4 days.............hmmmm. We'll see. But at any rate, I was pretty pleased with myself today :)
Well, tomorrow marks day 3 of month-end week, and it snowed today - so that's going to make the next 3 days crazy. I need a shower and bed, stat! (Thanks to a rerun of Grey's Anatomy I'm currently watching) :) :) :)
Sunday, January 17, 2010
The long offseason begins.....
Well, that sucked.
I was quietly confident the Cowboys could win today. Play like they've played against the Eagles in the last 2 weeks, and there's no chance we could lose.
Well, the o-line not showing up, the offensive playcalling was about as uncreative as I've seen all season, 6 sacks, 2 lost fumbles, 1 INT, and 2 missed field goals didn't really constitute as playing like we did in the last 2 weeks.
Oh well, I guess...at least the playoff-win-drought monkey is off our backs. This loss will hurt for awhile, though....
Good things:
Thursday > finally completed my "WIG" (wildly important goal) for the first time since the week of 12/7 at work. The administrators in Columbus have been working to lower our DSO (days sales outstanding) since April, and there are 2 specific tasks we have to do each week to get this done. With short weeks, the holidays, and snow, I just wasn't getting those tasks done, and it felt good to be GREEN this week! I also got a good run in that day.
Friday > was a rough day. Overly tired from not sleeping well Thursday night, which turned into me being annoyed at every little thing. I paid over $250K worth of branch invoices on Friday and that's always a huge task - so I guess that was a good thing.
Yesterday > drove to Indy to meet Mom, Megan, & Nana to pick out bridesmaids' dresses. Ignoring the customer-service-less lady at the front desk, it was a really fun time. Megan ended up picking the same dresses that the girls wore in the wedding that Chris was in in September, and thankfully, they're pretty :) I'll be wearing black, and the other girls will be in a watermelon color, which should be really cool and gorgeous for pictures. It was a fun day!
Today > it was raining outside and I definitely didn't feel like it, but I got a run in before the game started today. I didn't go as long as I have been doing, but it felt good to get it under my belt :) I have about 16 miles to run between now and next Saturday (1/30) to meet my first self-made goal. I think I can do it!
Hopefully this week will be a good one and go quickly. I have to go have 5 spots removed (3 suspicious-looking moles the doctor didn't like, and 2 that have annoyed me for forever) on Wednesday, so I'm a little tense about that, but I'm sure it'll be fine. It's also the last fiscal week of January. Wow!
Well, off to do some more laundry and squeeze some more r&r out of this weekend. 5:30am on Monday morning will come way too quick!
I was quietly confident the Cowboys could win today. Play like they've played against the Eagles in the last 2 weeks, and there's no chance we could lose.
Well, the o-line not showing up, the offensive playcalling was about as uncreative as I've seen all season, 6 sacks, 2 lost fumbles, 1 INT, and 2 missed field goals didn't really constitute as playing like we did in the last 2 weeks.
Oh well, I guess...at least the playoff-win-drought monkey is off our backs. This loss will hurt for awhile, though....
Good things:
Thursday > finally completed my "WIG" (wildly important goal) for the first time since the week of 12/7 at work. The administrators in Columbus have been working to lower our DSO (days sales outstanding) since April, and there are 2 specific tasks we have to do each week to get this done. With short weeks, the holidays, and snow, I just wasn't getting those tasks done, and it felt good to be GREEN this week! I also got a good run in that day.
Friday > was a rough day. Overly tired from not sleeping well Thursday night, which turned into me being annoyed at every little thing. I paid over $250K worth of branch invoices on Friday and that's always a huge task - so I guess that was a good thing.
Yesterday > drove to Indy to meet Mom, Megan, & Nana to pick out bridesmaids' dresses. Ignoring the customer-service-less lady at the front desk, it was a really fun time. Megan ended up picking the same dresses that the girls wore in the wedding that Chris was in in September, and thankfully, they're pretty :) I'll be wearing black, and the other girls will be in a watermelon color, which should be really cool and gorgeous for pictures. It was a fun day!
Today > it was raining outside and I definitely didn't feel like it, but I got a run in before the game started today. I didn't go as long as I have been doing, but it felt good to get it under my belt :) I have about 16 miles to run between now and next Saturday (1/30) to meet my first self-made goal. I think I can do it!
Hopefully this week will be a good one and go quickly. I have to go have 5 spots removed (3 suspicious-looking moles the doctor didn't like, and 2 that have annoyed me for forever) on Wednesday, so I'm a little tense about that, but I'm sure it'll be fine. It's also the last fiscal week of January. Wow!
Well, off to do some more laundry and squeeze some more r&r out of this weekend. 5:30am on Monday morning will come way too quick!
Wednesday, January 13, 2010
Good BYE, 2009!
Well, today officially wrapped up 2009. Our year-end/ December close was today, and I'm so relieved. Closes in general are stressful, but there is so much that has to be done and accounted for at year-end - on TOP of snow - that I'm glad, glad, glad it's over! Another branch's close took 5.5 hours yesterday, and ours lasted just under 3 hours. For all the hours everyone has worked lately, I'm so proud of the guys I work with, because they really do make my job easier (sometimes!)
So that was the good thing for today.
Monday - probably the only good thing was that it ended (ha). It was a crazy day at work (6+ hours of snow payroll), and cold, and just a MONDAY!
Yesterday - I hit a new "personal best" while running - 2.62 miles in 25 minutes. Not that great, but it was in the cold and sometimes snowy/ icy roads & sidewalks - but it felt good! It's actually getting easier to run outside as far as breathing goes. At first it felt like I was breathing in needles, but now it's getting better.
I'm off to bed....a little earlier tonight than normal. With the close today and the amount of hours I've been putting into work, I'm just worn out. Today was also one of those days.....hard, overwhelming, and having a generally negative attitude towards everyone and everything. Hopefully a good night's sleep will turn my demeanor around!
Night!
So that was the good thing for today.
Monday - probably the only good thing was that it ended (ha). It was a crazy day at work (6+ hours of snow payroll), and cold, and just a MONDAY!
Yesterday - I hit a new "personal best" while running - 2.62 miles in 25 minutes. Not that great, but it was in the cold and sometimes snowy/ icy roads & sidewalks - but it felt good! It's actually getting easier to run outside as far as breathing goes. At first it felt like I was breathing in needles, but now it's getting better.
I'm off to bed....a little earlier tonight than normal. With the close today and the amount of hours I've been putting into work, I'm just worn out. Today was also one of those days.....hard, overwhelming, and having a generally negative attitude towards everyone and everything. Hopefully a good night's sleep will turn my demeanor around!
Night!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)