MIA.... again

Sorry all! I came back from sunny California and mentally crashed. As always, my reason for not blogging is mental.... emotional... whatever... Just trying to figure things out. Turns out housewifing just isn't for me. It's nice in theory, but I like to make money. It makes me feel more equal in my relationship. I know we don't need my income, but I like to feel that I'm making a financial contribution to the household. I worry about finances even though my husband assures me that we're good. I stress over every penny I spend even when it's groceries. That being said. I'm going to go back to work soon and considering a couple of options. Mostly I'm feeling like I want to become a real estate agent. More on why that is in another post.

So a little more of an update...

I loved San Francisco! and I mean I loved everything! The sun. The weather. The views. The only thing I didn't love was that some asshole stole our credit card info and tried to charge $1,200 at Bloomingdale's. It happened a few days after we got back and according to Capital One, it was an online transaction originating in California. So, a big thank you to them for flagging the account after the first $200 charge and denial of the other attempted charges. I guess it's lucky that I don't shop at Bloomingdale's or they wouldn't have caught it. Keeping it cheap pays off! :P

My vacation pictures are still on my camera and once I get them onto my computer, I'll blog all about it. It was alot of fun, but I think we picked the hottest day of the week to spend in Napa. It was 100ish degrees and sunny! We came from a very rainy Pennsylvania. It seems like it's been raining all summer. (Raining right now actually.) So, it was nice being in the sun and the city itself had perfect weather. It's a very easy place to miss when you come home to a heat wave. Makes me want to move...

Sorry for the general suckiness of this post, but my mind is all over the place right now. So, I'll stop here. Just wanted to give you a little update. I've got some ideas for the next few posts. So keep an eye out for that.

San Francisco Bound!

I figured I'd post a little something before I left for vacation. The first week and half back on WW went well. I lost 3.5  pounds. So, I'm thinking that I was bloated when I weighed myself on my start day. Honestly not too much else going on. We leave for San Francisco today. So, I've been planning things and doing a little research on what we'd want to do once we get there.

We are definitely going to a baseball game since my friend has "visit all the MLB stadiums" on his bucket list and that's one of the main reasons he brought up taking a trip. We are also doing a winery tour. The bus picks us up at 8:30 on Wednesday morning. We make a stop at the Golden Gate Bridge and Muir Woods on the way. Then, we visit three wineries... One in Sonoma and two in Napa. Alcatraz is right out since we didn't plan far enough in advance... and who knew that Anchor Brewing requires a reservation weeks in advance? I called and well... The next available date was September. Oh well... It's not like those tours ever tell me anything I haven't already heard from the other 4 or so brewery tours I've been on. The only difference is the beer you get to taste at the end.

I think I'm all set and ready to go. Though I'm always anxious that I'm going to forget something. Like underwear... or miscounted the shirts and end up with not enough clothes... All I have to do is wait out the next 3.5 hours to be on our way to the airport.

That's it for now. I'll post all about the vacation when we get back!

Oh The Things I Do.... At 5 am....

Apparently, blogging is one of them. It's just about sunrise. I love the early morning quiet. It's a shame that I don't like waking up early to enjoy it. Lately, I've been losing sleep over a few things. Therefore,  I've been seeing alot more of the wee hours than I'd like.

If you read yesterday's post, you'll know that my eating has spiraled out of control. What I didn't say is that I've gained something like 6 pounds since I stopped working.  Well... it wasn't like 6 pounds.... It is exactly 6 pounds... and 15 since my sister in law's wedding 2 years and 2 months ago (almost to the day). I am now 8 pounds from my highest weight ever! Back to where I was when I started Weight Watchers 2 years ago.... That leads me to one of the things that keeps me awake at 5 am. One of the only things I currently don't have under control. My eating and my weight. They go hand in hand so I consider them one thing. Anyway, something needs to change. Tired of laying in bed thinking, I get up determined to make changes. Which leads me to.... Going back to WW... atleast for the 3 months that I subscribed for. It's a necessity.

I know I said I'm doing Intuitive Eating... but when it comes to food, my intuition is all out of whack. I honestly feel like I've forgotten how to eat right. I can't remember what a healthy lunch or snack looks like. I eat maybe one serving of fruit or veg a day which is sooooo not good. Everything in moderation has turned into everything whenever I want it. The most important thing WW ever did for me was teach me how to have a healthier diet. And just like how my grammar gets worse the longer I'm out of school, my eating gets worse the longer I'm not focused on eating right.

I'm formulating a plan... as always. I don't think I ever do anything without a plan. Here's how I see it. WW forces me to make healthy choices and still allows me to eat what I want (to a degree). Incorporate some of what I learned from IE and it could work. WW changed things up a bit since I last did it. They have routines now that you add and track. So, I picked the ones that are more along the lines of Intuitive Eating. Like non distracted eating, taking a sip a water between bites so you'll eat slower, and eat a fruit or veg at every meal and snack, which is along the lines of gentle nutrition.

How this time is different from the others.

1. No frozen dinners. Last time it was my saving grace. Everyday I'd come home from work and pick the Lean Cuisine that would keep me within my points target, and microwave away. Since I stopped working, I've had maybe one or two Lean Cuisines. Honestly, they're nasty. Now that I cook and eat real meat, I can't stomach that processed stuff anymore. Without all the sodium, I won't hold onto all that water weight.

2. No diet drinks. No diet soda or diet hot chocolate...or anything other beverage with the word diet in it. Mostly water and tea.... and the occasional alcoholic beverage. I really only drink alcohol at parties or after a hellish day of work, but since I don't work, it'll mostly be parties.

3. No artificial sweeteners. No Splenda, truvia, sweet n low. It's disgusting and gives me headaches. I used to use it in my coffee, but honestly.... sugar is worth the points since I only add it to coffee.

Don't get confused. These aren't diet rules. They are things that I've decided not to do because it's overly processed crap and it doesn't even taste good. Real food is what I'm after... mostly... I do still eat refined white sugar. That's the hardest thing to cut out along with high fructose corn syrup because I'm a fan of cereal for breakfast and I like a little sugar in my morning coffee.

Lately, I've been focused on what workout I want to do, but that won't matter if I'm not eating right. Diet first.... Exercise later.... this morning.... possibly yoga b/c it's summer and the socks I haven't been wearing are all dirty. :P

I've been MIA....

Shannon at Tatlock's Truth made a good point when she said "it seems as though silence on a blog, means there has been a falling off of the plan." Kind of true here... Though I stated a plan, I never really got started on it. After my last post, I went to visit family for the weekend, then was sick for an entire week, and finally went to visit family again while my husband was out of town for a conference. 

Honestly, I'm a pretty scatter shot person. Always jumping from one thing to the next. I go through phases. Sometimes I'm extroverted and putting myself out there and sometimes I'm a little more introverted  Currently, I'm doing a little more inner reflection. If you've been reading me a while you'll know that I don't share all the nitty gritty details of my life here. Some things are meant to be kept to yourself or only shared with close friends and relatives. 

Recently, I've started refocusing on my spirituality. It seems when I focus on that, everything else just seems to fall into place and I have more clarity on what I want out of life. If you want to know more about my spirituality, just check out the label on the right. I'm pretty much in the same place as I was then since I haven't really been making the time for it. Ultimately, it mostly involves meditating, journaling and connecting with the elements since I'm on a nature-based path. As a result, I've been doing more writing on paper than on the internet. 

If I recall properly, I promised an Intuitive Eating (IE) update in my last post. So.... here it goes.... IE spiraled out of control and I started eating whatever I wanted whenever I wanted. It was like everything I learned gradually reverted back to my old habits. The other day I actually said to myself "if I only ate when I was hungry, I would never get to have any of the good stuff." That really made me think about what the heck I've been doing. I want the good stuff, which is mostly chocolate. However, it isn't something you should have after every meal. Yes, that is where I went. 

Chocolate in the morning
Chocolate in the evening
Chocolate at suppertime (ok not really supper time)

I exaggerate a little. It was chocolate after lunch and dinner. No or... it was both almost everyday. It might be time to lock up the junk. Unlike other husbands, mine doesn't think that he shouldn't be allowed to have chips and cookies in the house when I'm trying to eat healthy. He's in the "always been skinny. always eats what he wants. never gains a pound" club, and with that comes a lack of understanding. He found the lock from high school and remembers the combination. He did agree to lock the junk up so I can't get to it. Sometimes you need to go to crazy extremes to break bad habits and my eating habits are bad habits. Once I feel like I've gotten everything under control again, we'll gradually put the stuff back in the pantry a little at a time. I'll let you know if we actually go through with that little plan. Though I am slowly getting back to eating when I'm hungry and keeping myself busy when I'm not so I don't revert to boredom eating. So, we might not need it if I can be a big girl and control myself a little. 

Not sure when I'll post again. Honestly, the ideas haven't been flowing lately so I'm at a loss as what to write about. Oh! Maybe I'll post about my very big loft clearing project, and by clearing, I mean throw all of the stuff in that room out. I already have a battle wound. :P

Back to Blogging?

Well, it's been well over a year since I've posted anything. I'm pretty sure I've lost alot of my readers, but might as well give this another shot.

A few things have changed in the last year. That "great" job I got in November 2011 wasn't so great. Actually it sucked. As in it sucked the life out of me. I've never been so disrespected in my entire life. I won't get into specifics because I'm just putting it all behind me. After months of nagging, I was finally able to convince my husband to let me quit without having another job lined up (thanks in part to something an asshole attorney said to me). I gave them my notice 2 weeks before my one year anniversary. I am currently a housewife with no focus as to what my next move is going to be. However.... a name change of the blog might be in order as I doubt that I will ever be a paralegal again. (Post some recommendations in the comments if you'd like. I'm crap at naming things. : D )

As a result of said crappy job, I've gained about 10 pounds which isn't so bad... Except it takes me a long time to lose 10 pounds. Also, as a result of being home all day, I've lost any self control I had in regards to eating.

So onto the reason for my return to blogging. I'm about to embark on quite an adventure and thought it would be fun to document my experience. On the recommendation of a friend I read, It Starts With Food. He is currently doing the Whole30 program detailed in the book and said that after one week, he was already feeling the health benefits. It's basically a 30 day nutritional reset based on the Paleo diet. You can find the program for free here if you're not interested in reading all the sciency stuff behind why they believe eating this way is beneficial. A summary: no sugar, no grains, no legumes, no dairy, no alcohol and no white potatoes for 30 days. You consume lean meats, veggies, healthy fats and some fruit. After 30 days, there is a reintroduction period. You reintroduce one type of food at a time. In the following days, you record it effects on you and then decide how much you incorporate it into your diet.

This is more than just losing weight for me. For years I've known that my diet is too heavy on the carbohydrates and too light on protein and vegetables. Almost everything I eat is a grain or has refined sugar in it. My cravings are out of control! Think Swiss Cake Rolls + 3 days= hide said empty box under other boxes in the recycle bin because my husband didn't even know I had bought them.... Time to hit the "reset" button. If the program does half of what it claims, it's worth giving it a try.

So to my remaining readers (if there are any), HELLO!! I look forward to catching up with your blogs.

Still a Little Down

I'm still feeling a little down, but I'm working on it. I am making an effort to notice that the mornings are slowly getting brighter and that the sun is still out when I leave work. In the last few months, I've noticed that my mood is highly influenced by the weather. It's not too bad most of the time, but the dark cold of winter makes me want to hibernate (which I feel is very natural).

I've figured out my goals for 2012. Most of the changes I'll be making will only be noticed by me. There are the normal health and fitness goals and working on my relationship with Dave. However, 2012 be a year of inner reflection for me. My plan is to meditate and journal more frequently so I can find my true self and maybe have some revelations about my spirituality.

Speaking of spirituality... In the last year and a half or so, I have completely stripped away what I've been taught about spirituality and religion. I am now down to the bare bones. Recently, I discovered the my beliefs mostly align with pantheism (well... at the moment they do). Since most people don't know what pantheism is, here is a very basic description. Most of it I agree with and the rest I haven't figured out yet (like the parts about death and the afterlife).


"The basic concepts comprise:

• Reverence for Nature and the wider Universe.
• Active respect and care for the rights of all humans and other living beings.
• Celebration or our lives in our bodies on this beautiful earth as a joy and a privilege.
• Strong naturalism, without belief in supernatural realms, afterlives, beings or forces.
• Respect for reason, evidence and the scientific method as our best ways of understanding nature and the Universe.
• Promotion of religious tolerance, freedom of religion and complete separation of state and religion."

http://www.pantheism.net/manifest.htm (there is also a more detailed statement of principles if you want to know more)

Since work is crazy busy and leaves me drained at the end of the day, most of my blogging will now take place on the weekends. I'm hoping to post atleast every Saturday.

Busy! Busy! Busy!

On Monday, I started at my new job. So far it's going good. I can kind of pick my schedule. Of the options I was given, I picked the 8- 4:30 block. With my 15 minute commute, I'm home before 5. Honestly, not having a long ass commute is pretty freaking awesome!

Right now I'm in the training stage and I am doing a little bit of everything. There are things that I'm doing now that I won't be responsible for in the future. The work load is pretty heavy. I'm not complaining. It's nice to be busy. I get in at 8 and all of sudden I look at the clock and it's 1. It feels good to have the day pass quickly instead of trudging along slowly. However, that leaves very little time for blog reading and writing. So, if I don't comment, know that I'm still here trying not to get too far behind.

So with this new fangled "home well before Dave" thing, I think it's time to start working out again. I'll be able to get most of the workout done before Dave gets home from work and definitely before my BIL gets home. I plan on taking full advantage of it and getting these last 10-15 pounds off for good. Woot! Now, all I have to do is get my diet back on track. It has gone quite a stray since vacation and I haven't reigned it back in yet. I think I'm gonna buy the boys a locked trunk to leave their junk in. I have zero willpower and those 2 skinnies don't think about what's healthy when they buy stuff.

That's about it from here. I hope everyone is having a great week.

Do you know what time it is?

No, it's not Tool Time. :P However, it could be time for a little update.

Lets start with the good stuff. It only took my BIL 2 days to get his clothes off my dining room floor. I hadn't seen him since he threw it there. So, I never asked him to get rid of it. I never pulled out the Bitch. I never left him a note that said "Mother Fucker get rid of this shit!" All I know is that when I came home early Saturday morning (1:30 am), after a night out with the girls, it was gone. I was too tired to be all "YAY!" about it. I was just glad it was gone.

I'm not sure if Dave told him to pick it up. It's possible since Dave had friends over Friday night. I don't care. It got cleaned up. He did put a plastic bag of clothes on the dining room table Sunday afternoon when he came home, and they were gone this morning. I'll take that over clothes on the floor. I think we're making progress. I'm trying to lead by example and hoping that my new found need to keep my home tidy will rub off on the men. Maybe I can get them to clean up the basement. It's not disgusting. Just video games on the floor and various other wires thrown about from trying to fix computer things. The problem is that I'm a klutz that trips over the carpet. So stuff on the floor is a disaster waiting to happen.

More good news!

I GOT THE JOB!!

Woot! I received the call this past Thursday. It took all my willpower not to post about it when I got home from work that night. However, I didn't want to write anything over the internets before I had the written offer and put in my two weeks notice. It's now official.  I was feeling a bit rushed. My boss is away the rest of the week and yesterday was the only day that I could tell him properly face-to-face. I needed the written offer. Like Friday!! I called and emailed the HR rep, I finally received my offer late yesterday afternoon and promptly put in my notice.

My boss is not happy. Well... he's happy that I found a paralegal job (he knows that's what I wanted). He's happy that I found a job close to home. He's just not happy that he needs to find a new legal secretary. My current position was a revolving door before I got hired. From January 2010 until I started in July 2010, they had 4 different legal secretaries in my seat. To help out the next person, I am writing out everything I can think of that the new person will need to know. I was left with nothing from the last people. Obviously because none of them were around long enough to learn enough to pass on and probably because they were fired and didn't have any notice. So, I'm going to do whatever I can to help the transition.

Now some not so good stuff... Ok if this is all I can think of, then my life is pretty good. However, my diet has been crap! CRAP!! I've seem to have lost all sense of what healthy is... or I've gotten lazy. Also.. exercise? The thing I was doing so good at before vacation? What is this thing called exercise? I need to get my ass back in gear before I gain all 20 some odd pounds back.  I even bought a new DVD player! It's still in the box. I need to hook that shit up and get serious!

That's it for now. I know this was long. If you stuck with me, thanks for reading!

Holy Stinking Tired!

I know... I've got nothing on you stay at home moms or working moms for that matter. But this chica is done! and it's only Tuesday!

So, lets start with the fun stuff! Saturday I went to a Halloween Party. I went out... Got myself a short costume... Well short on one side. It had an asymmetrical hem. It was short on the left and longer on the right. I don't have a good picture. So unless one of my friends comes through on Facebook, you'll have to take my word for it when I say I looked hot and totally rocked it! LOL!! It was really fun! There was drinking and some dancing. Not much eating because I was too busy drinking or catching up with friends I haven't seen in a while. We got home around 3 am. I was looking forward to sleeping in, but I woke up at 8 am and couldn't get back to sleep. Thankfully, I got to just hang around the house on Sunday. I made some chili in the crockpot and just chilled around the house. Unfortunately, I didn't nap on Sunday and I was feeling the effects of not enough sleep yesterday.

Then, this morning  I was up an hour earlier than usual because I had an interview before I went to work. It went very well. If you read last week's post, you'll know it's at a place I had interviewed at in July. Instead of getting a whole new candidate pool they revisit the good candidates they saw before. Everytime I go there all I can think of is how ideal it is. It's 15 minutes from my house!! With my current 45 minute commute, I can't help but long for a job close to home. What would I do with that extra hour a day? It's also in the state I live in, which would make tax time alot less stressful for David. It's a larger work environment and would be a great change of pace from the small offices I've worked at the last 5 years. It would be nice to have more than 3 other people to interact with. There are more reasons why I want this job, but that list could get very long. Overall it just seems like a decent place to work. I should know something next week. I'll keep you posted!

So... I'm a little tired this morning... I lie.. I'm alot tired this morning and my coffee is gone already. :(  On the bright side, I have left over chili to eat for dinner. Tonight, I am going to relax and maybe go to bed early to catch up.

Sometimes All You Need is Patience

You know the sayings "Good things come to those who wait" or "Good things happen when you least expect it." They are totally true! Well... for me anyway. My husband came along when I wasn't looking for a boyfriend... Probably because I had one when I found out he liked me, but that's another story.

And just when you give up on something happening and just forget about it.. What you were hoping for happens!

A few months ago back in the Great Day post... If you read the parts after the bikini picture, you would know that I mentioned that I had an interview. Then, in the Interview!! post, I wrote about how great the interview went and how awesome the company seemed. Well... I never updated on this because there wasn't much to update. I didn't get that job and was told that they'd consider me for a position in the future... I had completely given up on this position since it's been months since I'd spoken with them.

Well.. Hot damn! The future is here! I got a call out of nowhere from the HR Rep. to find out if I was still interested and to set up another interview with the paralegal manager. So... I have an interview on Tuesday morning!! Thankfully, the manager gets to work really early and can do the interview in the morning before work. So YAY!! Happy Happy Wednesday! I hope I get it this time since my paralegal options here are non-existent.

And... We're Back!

We got home Friday evening and it feels so good to be home! Except Dave woke up with a fever yesterday morning and still has one. I am hoping that don't get sick. I usually get a cold after traveling. Stupid planes and stupid sick people on them. :P

My vacation was amazing! I will post more about that later. I'm thinking one post for each city... I might break each city down a bit more depending on how much I want to write. There are a bunch of pics and I'm going to steal some of the pics my friend took since he has a nice camera and got alot of amazing shots with it (like the Colosseum at night).

I am still recovering. Between jet lag and 10 days of late nights and early mornings, I'm feeling like I need to take a vacation to recover from my vacation. Next time, I'm going somewhere that doesn't require so much work. :P A beach... my bikini, a book and lots of margaritas! Being the nut that I am, I weighed myself and didn't gain! Yay! All that walking paid off!

So, I'm back at work... Yup! This is me working hard! I'm actually surprised that there isn't alot more stuff in my bin that needs filing. I did expect there to be alot of stuff that needed to get done today, but I'm not so lucky. It's gonna be a long first day back at work.

Come on Irene!

Irene... that trashy whore nailing everyone on the east coast.... So, a recap of Saturday night and Sunday. Wind... Rain... concern about basement flooding and the sump pump working... anxiety about the power going out while it was raining.. anxiety about it raining while the power was out... Sink hole! Big fat fucking sink hole that went almost all the way across the street. I didn't get close enough to get a good picture, but I did get a couple.

Digging out the asphault inside the sink hole

The sink hole after they back filled it with dirt. All that dirt you see is the top of the hole.

Yesterday was very windy. This is the best picture I could get of the trees bending in the wind.

The first hint of sun! I was so excited.

After this picture was taken, the sun quickly retreated behind the clouds. I read for a little bit, and then took a half hour nap. When I woke up the sun was out and there was barely a cloud in the sky.

Last night, I read by candle light. It was really nice! Then at around 9 pm, I finally decided it was time to get some real sleep. About 2 hours later, there were men walking around behind my house, talking and making alot of noise. It sounded like they were trying to start a generator. So, thinking they were making noise to distract me and break in, I turned on my flashlight and went downstairs. Everything was intact, but it put me on  edge. I don't like the dark when there's no way to create light to help me assess a situation. They left and I was anxious for a bit. Finally, after they left, I decided to try and get back to sleep. A few minutes later, the power was back on! YAY!! I was so happy! Finally, I was able to rest and got a good nights sleep. 

I'm off to Europe later this afternoon! I can't wait to get there and see my husband! Him and one of our friends flew out Saturday night. I miss him and can't wait to get vacation started!

Update! Schmupdate!

Got hurricane? Well we will! Ok... I've had a couple glasses of wine. LOL!! I needed it since there is a potential of water getting into our finished basement. The anxiety was unreal! So... I am drinking and having a hurricane party for one! Ok... Two if you count my BIL who has moved in for the next 6 months while he's doing his co-op in a town nearby, but he doesn't drink so it's still a party of one....

Oh.. Yes! The update you are looking for. Well, I'm packed and ready the head to Europe on Monday night. I will be embarking on the vacation of a lifetime! 9 Days, 4 cities. We'll start in Amsterdam, then head to Berlin and Prague and finally.... 2 full days in Rome!! Woot!

I will have limited internet access while I am away. However, I will be journaling during my whole vacation. I plan on taking lots of pictures and writing detailed descriptions of everything we do. So, be prepared for an awesome series of posts about my trip.


Not much going on in the job front. I will get serious about finding a new job closer to home when I get back from vacation.

Not much else going on at the moment... Maybe I can get some cool pics of hurricane Irene.... but the brunt of the storm will hit us overnight. Hopefully, I will be able to sleep through it. We're well inland so we won't see the 100+ mph winds that my family's little piece of heaven down at the Jersey shore will get.

I hope this was a somewhat coherent. I didn't eat before I had that first glass of wine and it has hit me like "Whoah!" LOL!

Ask and You Shall Receive....

So, I've been lacking inspiration on what to write about on here. Nothing exciting has been happening lately. Well, I asked the powers that be to give me something! I got it... unfortunately it's not what I was hoping to write about... I was looking more for a deep revelation or something great... So, here it is...

On Monday, one of the paralegals at my law firm was fired. Well, seeing as I was told a few months ago.. around the time that I wrote THIS POST, that changes might be coming.. (interpret that as this paralegal being let go) and to give him time and I'd be considered for that job... Well... here it is! The new paralegal starts Monday... WHAT THE FUCK!! Seriously! Do they think I'm going to sit here and wait for a year... or two... for one of these 2 new paralegals to move on or get fired? What an bunch of asses! They seem to lack the understanding that I'm over qualified to answer their stupid phones and copy & paste legal documents. I have a fucking bachelor's degree for fuck sake! I am livid! (lol! If you couldn't already tell) So... now I'm going to say "screw em!" They've passed me over twice now. It's time to get serious about finding a new job. I will have to wait until after my vacation since I won't we reachable for two weeks. But man... come September 12... It's on!!

I'm still being considered for a position at the place that I interviewed at last month. I didn't get the job I interviewed for, but they were anticipating another open position that they were going to consider me for. I'm just keeping in touch with the HR rep., and waiting. I give her the update on my current situation here. I am done with this place. It's time to move on!

*Note- I remembered to pack my camera. So, I'm hoping to get some shots of bay this weekend.

My Poor Neglected Blog...

I've been semi-MIA here... Lately, I just haven't had much to write about. The last month or so I've been working out regularly which is great even if my weight isn't going down, however I am noticing a flatter tummy. YAY!! I think I might ditch the scale for a while and focus more on fitness. I'm really close to being a healthy weight and I think the tape measure is moving more than the scale. The pounds just don't seem to want to budge. I've been counting calories at myfitnesspal.com and doing pretty well. I eat alot of the same things everyday/ every week. I think I just need to mix up my diet a bit and find new snacks and meals to shock my body a little.

Summer is just trudging along. Did I ever tell you how I dislike summer? The best part about summer is going to the beach, and I don't get there that often. Atleast this summer I'm more confident about wearing a bathing suit. That's a big change from the previous 6+ years where I'd rather shop at the outdoor mall than be seen in a bathing suit on the beach. I am heading down to Cape May this weekend. There will be some beach time and a yummy seafood dinner. For weeks I've been craving scallops from this one restaurant down there. It's a great restaurant and bar the over looks a harbor. The whole dining room is surrounded by floor to ceiling windows. It's so beautiful especially if you're having dinner while watching the sun set. I can't wait! Cape May is my peaceful place. I'm a totally different person when I'm there. If I remember my camera, maybe I'll take some pictures for you. :P

Right now I can't wait for fall! Dave is really getting into his new home beer brewing hobby and it's turning into something we do together. The first batch didn't turn out so well. It's very bitter and seems to be getting worse every time we try it. I think he's going to dump it. The last 2 have been really good, but they aren't they type of beer that I like. However, in a couple months we will be getting some apple cider from the local orchard and making a hard cider. YUM!! I <3 cider. Strongbow is my favorite. Hopefully, ours will turn out just as good. We have a test batch made with natural style apple juice (no preservatives) in the secondary fermenter. We tried it and it's quite dry. We haven't decided if we're going to kill the yeast and sweeten it or leave the yeast alive and carbonate it. I'm sure it'll taste better cold and after it's had some more time to mellow out.

In 2 1/2 weeks, I'll be on vacation! I'm really looking forward to it. Dave and I are doing an 11 day Euro Trip with friends. So, be prepared. After I get back, I will be posting alot of pictures. I plan on doing alot of writing while I'm away so I can blog about it and maybe make a scrap book. I can't wait to share my vacation with you!

Update

I haven't blogged in over a week. I've just been... blah this past week. So, here's a quick update.

Last weekend I went to the beach with my husband and some friends. I totally... well... mostly rocked the bikini. Took a bit for me to get comfortable with having my pasty white tummy out for everyone to see. Upcoming will be a post about my body image issues since it was part of the beach conversation.

A couple of weeks ago my husband's brother interviewed for a co-op job about 30 minutes from our house and over an hour from his parents house. So, he asked if he could live here for the 6 months while he was doing his co-op. Well, you really can't say no to helping out a family member. He got offered the job this week. At the end of September he will be moving in and staying with us until March-ish. I'm a little apprehensive about it, and that's a post I will share later. I've done some personal journaling about it and just need to clean it up for public reading. Mostly doing some internal processing on the situation. I do have quite a few concerns.

There hasn't been a decision about the job I interviewed for two weeks ago. They had more interviews the Wednesday after my interview and the paralegal manager was on vacation last week. The firm should be having a meeting Monday or Tuesday and I should hear back on Wednesday. Keep your fingers crossed!

That's all for now. I'm hoping to write those other posts later this week.

Interview!!

Fa-Fa- Fellas! La-La-Ladies!! :P Ok.. I don't think I have any male readers... So, Ladies! The interview this morning went really well. It looks like it would be a lateral move for me. Probably no increase in pay, but the office is 15 minutes from my house. So, I will be saving in gas money. This place sounds like a really nice place to work. It's not an exciting area of the legal field, however it seems this firm really appreciates the hard work of the staff.

They have monthly luncheons, and when the firm reaches it's goals they give their employees more casual days. Every Friday is casual day... Jeans and t-shirt kind of stuff. Pretty cool! They also have the no longer customary holiday party and company picnic. When alot of places are downsizing, this place is managing to grow. I learned that the president of the firm started off as a mail clerk while he did his paralegal degree. Then, he worked as a paralegal. He went to law school and is now an attorney and the president. The best bosses are the ones that have done the jobs of the people they are managing.

I really liked the paralegal manager. She was happy and bubbly. She simply seemed like a very kind person. I've never felt so good coming out of an interview. It was a little weird because I wasn't even nervous. Not sure if my confidence is a good thing or a bad thing... Maybe they hated me! OMG! Well, I just have to wait it out now. They are interviewing more people on Wednesday. So, I probably won't hear anything until late next week or early the week after.

I will definitely keep you updated!

A Great Day

I'll start with fun... and for me daring. A few days ago, I posted about the bathing suit debate with my husband HERE. So, yesterday, I went to my tried and true vendor for everything clothes and shoe related... Zappos.com. Ok, I mostly went here because shopping for a bathing suit in a store sucks and I needed the suit this weekend and if I need it fast, I go to Zappos. Anyway...  I bought two suits. One I thought I would like and one I knew David would like. I tried them both on and the one I liked didn't look so hot... Of course! So, I'm keeping the one David likes... And I took a picture... and I'm posting it for you because I was so excited to find bikini bottoms that covered my ass and had a high enough waist the my stomach pooch is camouflaged. Also... Maybe.. I feel pretty great in it. (please excuse the unmade bed. David gets out of bed last in the morning and refuses to make it. :P)

Woo Hoo!! I have to admit... I might be sucking the gut in a little. LOL!!

Now for the second order of business... You remember that job I talked about? The one I posted about HERE? The one I applied for on a complete whim? Well, I received a call about it on my way home from work today... This chica right here has a job interview Friday morning!! I'm ridiculously excited!! I didn't think I was going to hear from them at all and WOOOOO!!! :D I was so shocked when she called I didn't know what to say. Thankfully, I have off on one of the days they had available for interviews. So, I don't have to make any special arrangements with my boss about leaving early or showing up late... or taking one of my 2 remaining personal days. So.. YAY!! Keep your fingers crossed. I'll definitely let you know how the interview goes.

Found Something Great for My Personal Journey

Obviously, I'm not focused on the 30 day challenge. However, I have done the most important parts of the challenge. The rest of the days are mostly about making a daily to do list, and having atleast 2 items on there that will help you achieve your Push Goal. The Push Goal is the one goal that makes all the other goals possible. Mine, which might be obvious to most of you, is finding peace and balance in myself. That being said...

I stumbled across an awesome book during one of my random excursions to the book store during my lunch break. I was roaming around the Women's Health section and found this book that seems to be exactly what I've been looking for when it comes to spirituality, and being true to myself. It's called The Way of the Happy Woman: Living the Best Year of Your Life by Sara Avant Stover. And it looks like this: (honestly.. how can you not buy a book of a woman in a flowy white dress that appears to be twirling in a beautiful green meadow?)

Here is the description from Amazon.com

"Our ancestors adhered to the daily, seasonal, and yearly rhythms of nature by necessity, but modern life overrides these cycles, compromising women’s health and happiness. In this book, Sara Avant Stover shows how simple, natural, and refreshingly accessible practices can minimize stress and put us back in sync with our own cycles and those of nature. When we honor spring’s seedlings, summer’s vibrancy, fall’s harvest, and winter’s quietude, we harmonize our inner and outer worlds. Sara’s recommendations nurture the body, invigorate the mind, and lift the spirit. Illustrated yin and yang yoga sequences, one-day season-specific retreats, enticing recipes, and innovative self-reflection techniques make it easy to reconnect with the essential."

This is right up my spiritual alley since it doesn't stress a specific religious practice. Actually, she makes a point to tell you regularly that you don't have to do everything she suggests in the book. It's just a guide and that you should incorporate the practices that feel right to you. I've been reading it for about a week and am still on the chapters that discuss the basics. She really values journaling and has little "try this" boxes for journaling ideas and getting started. After the chapters on the basics, which cover journaling, cycles of nature & the body, yoga & meditation, and nutrition, the book is broken down by season and practices to incorporate during the seasons. So far, I'm loving it and have been writing more in my journal.

I honestly believe that I was meant to read this book. It literally jumped off the shelf and into my hand. Of course, the title of the book helped. :P I think we're all trying to find our inner happy and this could be a great way to find it. Needless to say, the 30 Day Challenge is out since this seems to be a better fit for what I want to achieve at the moment. I'll keep you all updated on my progress.

I've Been a Bad Blogger...

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything... Sometimes life just gets in the way. I was in my sister-in-law's wedding. So between planning the shower, the bachelorette party and with Easter and a plethora of other events, I was left with very little motivation to sit down and think about what to post.

The wedding was this past Saturday. I'll post a blog all about it after I steal some of the pics my husband's aunt posted on Facebook. :P

I'll also post about my month of maintaining my weight, what I've learned from it, and what I plan to do next with regards to my weight loss.

I have to get back to work so that'll have to do for now.