AHRAAAAHAHAHHHHGGG!!!!!!!!!!!!
...Phew.
For some reason I still don't feel any better.
Wednesday, December 31, 2008
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Frustration
I wrote all about my christmas and for whatever reason half of it has been deleted. I really had much more to say other than what i got for christmas. I hope that i saved it on my email at work so i hope to have a better update on monday.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Merry Christmas 2008 (UPDATED)
*Updated - I found my lost entry and re-posted it below.
A Very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all!
Our Christmas this year was just lovely. (Yes, the word is silly, but it fits nicely.)
Christmas Eve, after having a drink with the girls from work, I went to Mom and Dad's to meet with the rest of the family to eat hors devours and open presents. Everyone got exactly what they wanted this year, and unless it was specifically asked for, no one got gift cards. I got a sewing machine from Mom, and now I'm nervous to decide what I'm going to make first. Pillows? Window treatments? Pet clothes for the boys?
(<---example of random cat. not one of mine; Barry would kill me!) Only time will tell. Barry got a turkey fryer. The family can't wait to have our first fried turkey. I hope we don't end up like the At&t commercial! (www.youtube.com/watch?v=6MR-2zKnn1I)
On Christmas morning, Barry and I got on the road by 7:30 to drive to Tampa to visit with some of the Swedlows. About 19 of us gathered at the home of Susan Eggleston's for the day from all over the country, all kin to David Swedlow (Uncle/Morty's brother). This is the first Christmas/Hanukkah since David's death in May, so it was extra special to have the family together. The day was filled with laughter and stories, and a few tears shed for David. We all miss him so much.On a side, but important note: I just love this family so much and I am more than grateful to have become a part of it. Thank you, Swedlows, for treating me like I've been a part of the family all along. I love you all more than I can discribe.
I had to work today (unfortunately) so around 7:00 I left Barry behind and drove back to Jacksonville. I got home about 11:00 and quickly went to bed to prepare for today. After work I'll be driving back down so I can spend one more day with everyone before they all fly back to each of their respective states. I guess I can take Barry back with me as well.
PS Let me give props to my wonderful husband. Last night when he got back to his hotel he went, on his own volition, running and swimming! Being in florida has its perks sometimes - being able to swim outside on Christmas! Great job, Babe - I'm proud of you!!
A Very Merry Christmas and Happy Hanukkah to all!
Our Christmas this year was just lovely. (Yes, the word is silly, but it fits nicely.)
Christmas Eve, after having a drink with the girls from work, I went to Mom and Dad's to meet with the rest of the family to eat hors devours and open presents. Everyone got exactly what they wanted this year, and unless it was specifically asked for, no one got gift cards. I got a sewing machine from Mom, and now I'm nervous to decide what I'm going to make first. Pillows? Window treatments? Pet clothes for the boys?
On Christmas morning, Barry and I got on the road by 7:30 to drive to Tampa to visit with some of the Swedlows. About 19 of us gathered at the home of Susan Eggleston's for the day from all over the country, all kin to David Swedlow (Uncle/Morty's brother). This is the first Christmas/Hanukkah since David's death in May, so it was extra special to have the family together. The day was filled with laughter and stories, and a few tears shed for David. We all miss him so much.On a side, but important note: I just love this family so much and I am more than grateful to have become a part of it. Thank you, Swedlows, for treating me like I've been a part of the family all along. I love you all more than I can discribe.
I had to work today (unfortunately) so around 7:00 I left Barry behind and drove back to Jacksonville. I got home about 11:00 and quickly went to bed to prepare for today. After work I'll be driving back down so I can spend one more day with everyone before they all fly back to each of their respective states. I guess I can take Barry back with me as well.
PS Let me give props to my wonderful husband. Last night when he got back to his hotel he went, on his own volition, running and swimming! Being in florida has its perks sometimes - being able to swim outside on Christmas! Great job, Babe - I'm proud of you!!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
48 Minutes and Counting
Until we close and get to have a drink!!!
Luckily not many people do their banking on Christmas Eve, because I was finally able to catch up on everything. I have been working 10 hour days all week, and worked 11 last friday. I'm exausted!
Ever since we did our mock tri, I haven't been as enthusiastic about working out, and that's not good. I guess now that i know i can do it, I don't feel i have to be as diligent? It's horrible, I know. (Angelle, you can stop shaking your head now.) On Thursday I went to the Jag's game, so I count the climbing up and down the ramps of the stadium to get my beer working out. Saturday we ran and swam, and Sunday I was a lazy biotch and didn't even get out of my jammies. Yesterday we ran and swam and I had a really good run. I'm actually starting to like it. Now while doing it, but immediately after. I mean, I actually thing of running fondly, it's quite a strange feeling for me.
Our internet is acting up at home again... we tried to install a wireless router - that was a mistake. now we have nuthin'.
Ok, this is now labeled the most boring post. Ever.
Luckily not many people do their banking on Christmas Eve, because I was finally able to catch up on everything. I have been working 10 hour days all week, and worked 11 last friday. I'm exausted!
Ever since we did our mock tri, I haven't been as enthusiastic about working out, and that's not good. I guess now that i know i can do it, I don't feel i have to be as diligent? It's horrible, I know. (Angelle, you can stop shaking your head now.) On Thursday I went to the Jag's game, so I count the climbing up and down the ramps of the stadium to get my beer working out. Saturday we ran and swam, and Sunday I was a lazy biotch and didn't even get out of my jammies. Yesterday we ran and swam and I had a really good run. I'm actually starting to like it. Now while doing it, but immediately after. I mean, I actually thing of running fondly, it's quite a strange feeling for me.
Our internet is acting up at home again... we tried to install a wireless router - that was a mistake. now we have nuthin'.
Ok, this is now labeled the most boring post. Ever.
Thursday, December 18, 2008
PLEASE?
Can I use my period as an excuse not to go swimming tonight and to watch my nephew's preschool christmas program instead?
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Whole Foods
My life has changed forever. I have experienced Whole Foods.
For the last year I have passed the distruction, then construction, of the building that has become Whole Foods. Everyday, coming home from work, it became a game. I hoped that I would get stopped by the light at Hartley just so I can gawk to see what more might have been added. To see how much closer. The anticipation almost killed me. But finally, on December 10th, the anticipation was over. For Whole Foods had opened.
It was more than I ever imagined. The produce, the meats, the hot and cold bars. Gourmet cheeses and chocolates, fresh gelato, fresh pizzas baked in a 600+ degree wood burning oven. Half the store is the by-the-pound hot bars filled with chinese, indian, american, middle-eastern, italian, and more. By 8:00am there are fresh soups like Potato and Gouda (and oh yes, it was gouda). There's even a bar where you can buy specialty sugars and salts by the pound (example? smoked black salt).
The food is only the beginning. The service is extroidanary. They aren't just nice to Alton! They are truly happy to help you. Not sure which variety apple you'd like? Just ask and they'll cut one up for you to taste. Same goes for the chocolates and caramels, and the $50 per pound cheese.
This place is so good, as we were leaving it on friday night, a couple was taking their picture in front of the store.
If you've never experienced whole foods, then I urge you to find the one closest to you. It really is worth the drive.
If you prefer steak um's to prime rib, it may not be the store for you. As I over heard one digruntled consumer say "It's all that or-ganic crap. I coodn't find NUTHIN' normal!"
That's fine lady, save that parking space for me.
For the last year I have passed the distruction, then construction, of the building that has become Whole Foods. Everyday, coming home from work, it became a game. I hoped that I would get stopped by the light at Hartley just so I can gawk to see what more might have been added. To see how much closer. The anticipation almost killed me. But finally, on December 10th, the anticipation was over. For Whole Foods had opened.
It was more than I ever imagined. The produce, the meats, the hot and cold bars. Gourmet cheeses and chocolates, fresh gelato, fresh pizzas baked in a 600+ degree wood burning oven. Half the store is the by-the-pound hot bars filled with chinese, indian, american, middle-eastern, italian, and more. By 8:00am there are fresh soups like Potato and Gouda (and oh yes, it was gouda). There's even a bar where you can buy specialty sugars and salts by the pound (example? smoked black salt).
The food is only the beginning. The service is extroidanary. They aren't just nice to Alton! They are truly happy to help you. Not sure which variety apple you'd like? Just ask and they'll cut one up for you to taste. Same goes for the chocolates and caramels, and the $50 per pound cheese.
This place is so good, as we were leaving it on friday night, a couple was taking their picture in front of the store.
If you've never experienced whole foods, then I urge you to find the one closest to you. It really is worth the drive.
If you prefer steak um's to prime rib, it may not be the store for you. As I over heard one digruntled consumer say "It's all that or-ganic crap. I coodn't find NUTHIN' normal!"
That's fine lady, save that parking space for me.
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
WORK. A Four Letter Word
From now until 2009, please be kind to me if I'm not blogging regularly. My best time to blog is at work during my down time, but I don't forsee any of that for the rest of the year.
You see, from now until then, I'm pretty much the only Office Manager. Of the 5 branches, one OM recently left the company. One has pneumonia and the other 2 are on vacation. That's me. On top of that, my personal banker (my counterpart at the branch) is working at our Downtown location due to short staff there. Then, starting friday until the 5th, I'll also be helping out with operations because the person that does the bank's branch balancing, transaction reporting, hold maintenence, and GL Suspense balancing (among other things) is also on vacay. So from now until 2009 my duties include (but are not limited to):
>Checking and collecting overdrafts for 3-4 branches (all after 8:30am but before 10am)
>Collecting past due loans
>Pulling Daily Branch Reports
>Scanning and savings daily branch reports
>balancing the Bank's branches
>Overlooking and correcting any holds placed
>Checking and sending CTRs (govt regulation)
>Finding any GL suspense discrepencies
>Opening accounts
>Completing any customer maintenence
>Being the help desk for all the branches
>Performing any task that only OMs can do (there are a few)
>Address and send out 48 christmas cards
>Answer the phones with a smile
>NOT pulling my hair out
You see, from now until then, I'm pretty much the only Office Manager. Of the 5 branches, one OM recently left the company. One has pneumonia and the other 2 are on vacation. That's me. On top of that, my personal banker (my counterpart at the branch) is working at our Downtown location due to short staff there. Then, starting friday until the 5th, I'll also be helping out with operations because the person that does the bank's branch balancing, transaction reporting, hold maintenence, and GL Suspense balancing (among other things) is also on vacay. So from now until 2009 my duties include (but are not limited to):
>Checking and collecting overdrafts for 3-4 branches (all after 8:30am but before 10am)
>Collecting past due loans
>Pulling Daily Branch Reports
>Scanning and savings daily branch reports
>balancing the Bank's branches
>Overlooking and correcting any holds placed
>Checking and sending CTRs (govt regulation)
>Finding any GL suspense discrepencies
>Opening accounts
>Completing any customer maintenence
>Being the help desk for all the branches
>Performing any task that only OMs can do (there are a few)
>Address and send out 48 christmas cards
>Answer the phones with a smile
>NOT pulling my hair out
Laziness?
I hope not. But I haven't worked out since our mock-tri. Sunday is understandable - I need a day to rest. Monday we talked each other out of it because Barry was going to swim early this morning at a 7:30am class. I said that i would run before i went over to mom and dad's for our Tuesday dinner.
Well, I got out of work an hour and a half late (more to come on that) so I went straight to Mom's. "i'll go after dinner". Yea, right, that didn't happen. So here i am, day 3 of no workout. I'll definitely get back on the wagon tomorrow. It's bike and swim day.
Well, I got out of work an hour and a half late (more to come on that) so I went straight to Mom's. "i'll go after dinner". Yea, right, that didn't happen. So here i am, day 3 of no workout. I'll definitely get back on the wagon tomorrow. It's bike and swim day.
Triathlon Already??!
Once we finally left the accident scene on Saturday we went to an off-road trail called Durbin Creek Peninsula Trail. It was a great trail and ended up being about 3.2 miles, which was perfect. After the run Barry had the bone-head idea of completing all the components of the triathlon. At first I was against it- we're only week 8 into our training and I don't want to overdue it - but he was adamant. SOOO... we got home, put the bikes on the rack and went to the Rail Trail. We biked the 13 miles (20k) of the sprint. It was hard for me - my quads were not in the mood to bike after running 5K+, but I said "QUADS! You're not the boss of me!" and pushed through. From there we went home, put the bikes up, and went to the pool for our 500yard swim. Surprisingly, my swim was actually completed with no problems. In fact, i probably could've gone more. :)
You're probably thinking, "How nice of you to be able to live so close to all these great amenities."
No. I live in Jacksonville, where everything is "20 minutes away". So from Home to Run to Home to Bike to Home to Swim, we put about 71 miles on the car just driving back and forth. :P BUT it was all worth it. Without our lengthy transitions, i did it in less than 2 hours. :) I'm happy. :) (Even though we did it backwards)
Here are my times:
RUN: 40 minutes (3.2 miles)
BIKE: 1hr 1min (13 miles)
SWIM: 10 min (500 yards)
You're probably thinking, "How nice of you to be able to live so close to all these great amenities."
No. I live in Jacksonville, where everything is "20 minutes away". So from Home to Run to Home to Bike to Home to Swim, we put about 71 miles on the car just driving back and forth. :P BUT it was all worth it. Without our lengthy transitions, i did it in less than 2 hours. :) I'm happy. :) (Even though we did it backwards)
Here are my times:
RUN: 40 minutes (3.2 miles)
BIKE: 1hr 1min (13 miles)
SWIM: 10 min (500 yards)
Monday, December 15, 2008
coming soon...
I will be blogging about the tri as soon as i have the time to do it. i just HAD to die my hair tonight. hopefully i'll have time at work tomorrow. :)
Saturday, December 13, 2008
Can I Get a Witness?
On the way to the trails to go running this morning, the car in front of us ran the red light and T-boned an FJ cruiser. We immediately stopped and called 911. Barry ran over, along w/ 4 or 5others, to make sure the victims were ok, but i decided to stay back. I just had a refresher at the bank for Robbery training, so I knew that if i were going to be a valid witness that i would need to collect my memory and not talk to others to prevent skew the scene in my mind. It's a good thing we did because we were the last witnesses questioned and the other people had the cars REVERSED! The lady that ran the red light could've gotten away scott free (other than her broken arm) and the lady that went away in a stretcher could've been cited.
I'm glad we stopped. and the lesson of this story is: If you're a witness to something dramatic, refrain from doing the exciting thing and talk about it until you give your official statement!
I'm glad we stopped. and the lesson of this story is: If you're a witness to something dramatic, refrain from doing the exciting thing and talk about it until you give your official statement!
Friday, December 12, 2008
Keylime Cheesecake
If I could make keylime cheesecake for a living, i would make a killing! I made one for the girls at work today on behalf of Jennifer's birthday on Sunday. two words: HOLY SHIT. it turned out perfectly! I will be making another one for Meghan's bday in Jan, so if i have time i will take pictures and do a picture recipe. And when i say "from scratch" i mean from scratch! I was just short of milking the cow and gathering the eggs. I bought fresh key limes, squeezed 'em, grated the zest, seperated the eggs (using the shells only!), whipped the merengue, folded it in, made homeade whipped cream and enjoyed the deliciousness that was the cake.
Crossing My Legs
~Today I happened to cross my legs.
Now, for you skinny people, you may not comprehend what I'm about to tell you: Large Legged People have a hard time crossing their legs. It's quite annoying, especially in a skirt, when you are attempting to be ladylike but the only thing you can do is cross your ankles. And I don't know where I was in ankle-crossing class, but i just never learned how to do it comfortably. So, to avoid such awkward moments, I stay behind my desk or just wear pants where I can sit with both legs on the floor, allow my thigh fat to spread across the chair and be quasi-comfortable with my knees a shoulder length apart.
Back to today. Today, as I was sitting at my desk, I nonchalantly crossed my legs. I realized shortly there after that the task had been completed without aide. I had accomplished a 'little thing'.
Honestly, since that moment, I've been afraid to do it again in fear it was a fluke.
Now, for you skinny people, you may not comprehend what I'm about to tell you: Large Legged People have a hard time crossing their legs. It's quite annoying, especially in a skirt, when you are attempting to be ladylike but the only thing you can do is cross your ankles. And I don't know where I was in ankle-crossing class, but i just never learned how to do it comfortably. So, to avoid such awkward moments, I stay behind my desk or just wear pants where I can sit with both legs on the floor, allow my thigh fat to spread across the chair and be quasi-comfortable with my knees a shoulder length apart.
Back to today. Today, as I was sitting at my desk, I nonchalantly crossed my legs. I realized shortly there after that the task had been completed without aide. I had accomplished a 'little thing'.
Honestly, since that moment, I've been afraid to do it again in fear it was a fluke.
mmmm...Maggiano's...
I'm eating leftover Maggiano's for breakfast right now: Rigatoni D and Mushroom Ravioli al Forno. YUM!
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Confession
I haven't been using my Livstrong Daily Plate. Not in like 2 or more weeks. I kinda feel bad, but at the same time, i wasn't very good at balancing my diet anyway, even when I recorded. Hm. I wonder if that's why i'm working out 5 days and only loosing a 1/2 a pound or so a week.
Tuesday, December 9, 2008
Picture Time!
I have updated 2 posts so far with pictures. I'm still working on the rest, but there's only so much slacking you can do during your work day, right?
Monday, December 8, 2008
My First 5K!
EVER.
The first time i decide to run 3+ miles in a row in my entire life and I do it with an official timing chip attached to my shoe and everything. :)
Sunday night, after doing my best to recover from Saturday night, Barry and I fufilled our agreement to sign up for the Festival of Lights 5K with Jenn and Dave. When I woke up Sunday morning I was a wee bit nervous about it, but I rested all day, drank water and ate pasta, so i was feeling like myself by the evening.
It was great! I say this now that its over - this is what labor might feel like. During the race I remember hating it, but as soon as it was over i don't remember why. I wasn't overly winded and I recovered quite quickly. :) I had a great breathing rythym. And no matter what, I have created a Personal Record! :) Here were our official times:
Name / Total Place / Age group place / Time / Pace
Mandi / 848 / 171 out of 237 / 38.55 / 12.31 / 39.34
Jenn / 826 / 112 out of132 / 38.26 / 12.22 / 39.06
Dave /153 /17 out of 106 / 23.45 / 7.39 / 24.25
Barry / 604 / 60 out of 86 / 34.18/11.02 / 34.58
Jenn / 826 / 112 out of132 / 38.26 / 12.22 / 39.06
Dave /153 /17 out of 106 / 23.45 / 7.39 / 24.25
Barry / 604 / 60 out of 86 / 34.18/11.02 / 34.58
Side note: Does anyone know how to do a table on blogspot? hm.
My goals were to not stop running the whole time and to finish in under 42 minutes - and i did both!! WOOT!
Saturday Training - Updated with Pictures
My funk of not wanting to workout seeped into the weekend. Saturday's task was to bike for 53 minutes. I really enjoy biking, but for some reason we just didn't want to get off the couch. And then when I saw that Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story was on public TV - I didn't realize there was more after Avonlea**! So i decided that, to compromise, i would go to the gym to bike and watch it. Unfortunately, they didn't get the same public channel there and i missed out anyway. :( (I watched Lethal Weapon 4 instead). I did about 12 miles in the 53 minutes. :) My lazy husband stayed in bed! I'll definitely beat him if he keeps this up! :)
**Sidebar: Did you know there's another Anne movie coming out next year? Just found out! Click here for the synopsis: http://www.anneofgreengables.com/anneClassicmovies/anne4/index.php
Saturday night was my company's Christmas party. As a gift to my husband, i let him stay home! In fact, he dropped me off and picked me up so I could drink - woohoo! Well, i took full advantage and drank myself under the table. WAY too much vodka in WAY too short of time. But i had a blast and i was smokin' hot, i might add. (Pictures will be added tonight!) My boss said i looked like a model - I'll remember that one for a while. :)
Our CEO, Gil, and me
Me and our CLO
Me, Denise, Faye, & Meghan in front of the Tree
The end of the night. :) Erin, Vanessa, Janice, and Me
At the end of the night, I got a good ab workout - if you know what i mean. I slept on the bathroom floor and eventually ended up on the couch at my sister's. Barry started drinking when we got there, about midnight, and apparently ended up running around my sister's neighborhood with cape at 3 o'clock in the morning. :) I was unfortunately unconscious during this or i would have pictures.
**Sidebar: Did you know there's another Anne movie coming out next year? Just found out! Click here for the synopsis: http://www.anneofgreengables.com/anneClassicmovies/anne4/index.php
Saturday night was my company's Christmas party. As a gift to my husband, i let him stay home! In fact, he dropped me off and picked me up so I could drink - woohoo! Well, i took full advantage and drank myself under the table. WAY too much vodka in WAY too short of time. But i had a blast and i was smokin' hot, i might add. (Pictures will be added tonight!) My boss said i looked like a model - I'll remember that one for a while. :)
Our CEO, Gil, and me
Me and our CLO
Me, Denise, Faye, & Meghan in front of the Tree
The end of the night. :) Erin, Vanessa, Janice, and Me
At the end of the night, I got a good ab workout - if you know what i mean. I slept on the bathroom floor and eventually ended up on the couch at my sister's. Barry started drinking when we got there, about midnight, and apparently ended up running around my sister's neighborhood with cape at 3 o'clock in the morning. :) I was unfortunately unconscious during this or i would have pictures.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
UGH.
Ok, I'm at that point. I had a great vacation during which i didn't exercise once and i just don't feel like getting back into the swing of things. We went to the gym yesterday and i felt as though i struggled through the biking and swimming. Today is to swim for 26 minutes and i just don't want to go. Barry won't be there and I just soooo want to decorate the house and finish the laundry. Can you believe i'd rather do laundry than drive to the gym? Geez...
I'm so glad i have ya'll to account for me. "I don't feel like it" is just not a good enough excuse anymore. Thanks guys!
PS Monday the 8th is when my internet will be working - yay!! Sometime shortly after that i will upload all my pictures that have been waiting so patiently to be published on the World Wide Web for all to see. :)
I'm so glad i have ya'll to account for me. "I don't feel like it" is just not a good enough excuse anymore. Thanks guys!
PS Monday the 8th is when my internet will be working - yay!! Sometime shortly after that i will upload all my pictures that have been waiting so patiently to be published on the World Wide Web for all to see. :)
Sunday, November 30, 2008
Happy Thanksgiving! - UPDATED with pictures!
Happy late Thanksgiving to all! Right now i am sitting on my Aunt's laptop in Bristol, WI. Its snowing outside fairly hard. There's a Packers game on TV and leftovers in my belly. It was a great Thanksgiving.
We flew in on Thursday just in time for dinner to be served at my Grandparents house. Grandpa said it was the most people he had seen in the house at one time in a while (There was 12 of use all together). It was awesome to be with family on Thanksgiving, at my grandparent's house - my most favorite place on earth. Our family tradition is to go around the room before grace and say what we're thankful for. Grandpa put tears in our eyes as he talked about how thankful he was for all of us. For Family. He has been an angel to my grandma since she's been sick.
Friday we picked up my parents and brought them to the airport in Milwaukee (they had been there since monday). Before we dropped them off we went to Frank's Diner - another stop thanks to Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.
We ordered a 1/2 garbage plate and it was HUGE!!
We also, between the 4 of us, split 1 pancake. It was bigger than your head. See? It was also quite delicious I might add.
Even the parking garage was bitchin.
Every Day at noon the wings close, and open again. It's pretty spectacular.
It was the building that we wanted to see, more than the art inside it, but when we got there there was an interactive art exhibit that seemed pretty cool. It was unreal. It felt like real magic. Especially the wooden mirror. It's really worth the click. Then we went to "The Domes", again more for the architecture, but it was fun. From there we went to Mader's - an AWESOME german restaurant. I totally forgot to take pictures- i blame the food for making me forget how to work a camera. it was that good. And of course a trip to WI wouldn't be complete without visiting a cheese store! Wisconsin Cheese Mart has been affectionately dubbed "Barry's Heaven".
Shortly after that, it will become my hell. (HA!) I made that joke in the cheese shop... no one got it. (OH LOOK! I just noticed that Barry's Heaven has my Vera Bradley Bag in it (He 'affectionately' calls it my "Very Badley Bag")
Saturday, after an awesome "overnight french toast" breakfast by my Aunt Karene, we drove to Chicago. First stop - of course - was to Smoque, thanks to DDD.
I'm man enough to admit that our vacations are now governed by the DDD map. We need stickers on our luggage that say "We Go with Guy." Well, the ribs and brisket were amazing of course! But i was still full from breakfast so barry ate most of it. it really was delicious. Enough to buy the t-shirt.
We were walking distance to the El, so we just took the train into downtown. Our plan was to visit Millenium Park and take pictures at the Bean and then go ice skating. When we walked out of the subway stations we ended up being right in front of Marshal Feilds! I was so excited because it was something that was suggested to do by a client of mine, but i didn't know where it was. Marshall Fields is famous for it's christmas windows. Now its a Macy's, but they still do it up big. It was great!
When we got to the ice rink, it was a 2 hour wait for skate rentals, and there were some pretty speedy 16 year olds out there on the ice. I would've felt like an idiot floridian out there, so we just skipped it.
After taking some fun pics at the bean...
...we decided to go to Chinatown. :) Mmmm... Beef Chow Fun... It was delicious! After that, we headed home to Grandmas and spent a few hours with them. :)
We woke up Monday morning to this:
This is my Grandparent's driveway. Something out of a Robert Frost poem, isn't it?
We made it home safe and sound, and only a few hours late, in spite of the weather delays. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.
We flew in on Thursday just in time for dinner to be served at my Grandparents house. Grandpa said it was the most people he had seen in the house at one time in a while (There was 12 of use all together). It was awesome to be with family on Thanksgiving, at my grandparent's house - my most favorite place on earth. Our family tradition is to go around the room before grace and say what we're thankful for. Grandpa put tears in our eyes as he talked about how thankful he was for all of us. For Family. He has been an angel to my grandma since she's been sick.
Friday we picked up my parents and brought them to the airport in Milwaukee (they had been there since monday). Before we dropped them off we went to Frank's Diner - another stop thanks to Diners Drive-Ins and Dives.
We ordered a 1/2 garbage plate and it was HUGE!!
We also, between the 4 of us, split 1 pancake. It was bigger than your head. See? It was also quite delicious I might add.
Even the parking garage was bitchin.
Every Day at noon the wings close, and open again. It's pretty spectacular.
It was the building that we wanted to see, more than the art inside it, but when we got there there was an interactive art exhibit that seemed pretty cool. It was unreal. It felt like real magic. Especially the wooden mirror. It's really worth the click. Then we went to "The Domes", again more for the architecture, but it was fun. From there we went to Mader's - an AWESOME german restaurant. I totally forgot to take pictures- i blame the food for making me forget how to work a camera. it was that good. And of course a trip to WI wouldn't be complete without visiting a cheese store! Wisconsin Cheese Mart has been affectionately dubbed "Barry's Heaven".
Shortly after that, it will become my hell. (HA!) I made that joke in the cheese shop... no one got it. (OH LOOK! I just noticed that Barry's Heaven has my Vera Bradley Bag in it (He 'affectionately' calls it my "Very Badley Bag")
Saturday, after an awesome "overnight french toast" breakfast by my Aunt Karene, we drove to Chicago. First stop - of course - was to Smoque, thanks to DDD.
I'm man enough to admit that our vacations are now governed by the DDD map. We need stickers on our luggage that say "We Go with Guy." Well, the ribs and brisket were amazing of course! But i was still full from breakfast so barry ate most of it. it really was delicious. Enough to buy the t-shirt.
We were walking distance to the El, so we just took the train into downtown. Our plan was to visit Millenium Park and take pictures at the Bean and then go ice skating. When we walked out of the subway stations we ended up being right in front of Marshal Feilds! I was so excited because it was something that was suggested to do by a client of mine, but i didn't know where it was. Marshall Fields is famous for it's christmas windows. Now its a Macy's, but they still do it up big. It was great!
When we got to the ice rink, it was a 2 hour wait for skate rentals, and there were some pretty speedy 16 year olds out there on the ice. I would've felt like an idiot floridian out there, so we just skipped it.
After taking some fun pics at the bean...
...we decided to go to Chinatown. :) Mmmm... Beef Chow Fun... It was delicious! After that, we headed home to Grandmas and spent a few hours with them. :)
We woke up Monday morning to this:
This is my Grandparent's driveway. Something out of a Robert Frost poem, isn't it?
We made it home safe and sound, and only a few hours late, in spite of the weather delays. It was a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Night of a Thousand Lessons
Maybe not a thousand, but it feels like it. We had to bike just 29 minutes today. Easy, right? Well, we waited for my friend Jen to come with us, and by that time it was dark. No biggie - that's why we bought lights.
Let the lessons begin:
Let the lessons begin:
- If you have the opportunity to bike during the day, take it.
- Before biking at night, make sure your front light is fully charged.
- Follow the "Rules of the Road"; they are there for a reason. (i.e. Don't bike on the sidewalk just because you're afraid of the road.)
- If you are prone to accidents, you will always fall on your bike right in front of the 2 scary black guys selling firewood.
- Scary Black Guys selling firewood will ask if you are OK, then rightfully laugh as you fumble getting back up. Scary Black Guys are not usually as scary as they seem.
- If you see a pot hole in the side walk (that you shouldn't bike on), you will forget to unclip and fall.
- Know your route before taking it. Know where the bike lanes are. Know the well lit roads just in case your front light goes out.
- If you are on an unfamiliar, dark road, your average speed will rise by 2-3 mile per hour.
- Sunday evenings, after dark, are not the best time to pop your Share-the-Road-Cherry.
- Cycling on the road after dark is scarier than falling out of a perfectly good airplane and your main shoot not deploying.
- Wear contacts or get laser surgery before biking on a road shared with cars. Turning your head behind you to check for clearance is moot when its all a big blur.
- Talking yourself through a situation will help get you through it.
- As soon as one bruise heals, 3 more will surface.
*sigh*
Friday, November 21, 2008
My Mom's Scare
My mom told us last week that the doctors found blood in her urine. This is a big red flag for bladder cancer. Scary right? Well times that by like, a bazillion, because that's what her mother had. Twice. and eventually killed her when it spread to her stomach. So when she told us that, it was... well, scary beyond imagination.
She had an MRI done on Friday and got her test results back yesterday. It's not cancer!!! I was over come with joy when she called. She has to go back every 6 months for the next 18, but I am just so relieved.
I love you, Mom!!
She had an MRI done on Friday and got her test results back yesterday. It's not cancer!!! I was over come with joy when she called. She has to go back every 6 months for the next 18, but I am just so relieved.
I love you, Mom!!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Training Update
I can't believe it's been a week since i've blogged about my training! The week was pretty typical. I haven't skipped any days. Thursday was my long swim day. It was supposed to be a 24 minute swim, but Friend Dave used to be a competitive swimmer and had a whole workout planned for me. I ended up doing about 1200 yards in about 40 minutes. I did some laps with the paddles and some with flippers. Lemme tell ya, using the flippers was AWESOME. we did sprints, and i swam twice as fast, if not faster, than Dave with the flippers on than he did without (i would do 25 yards when he did 50). And the next day, for the first time since we've started this training, I was sore. It felt good to know i had a hard workout.
Friday night was the shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. I though it'd be good to go run on the beach and watch the launch at the same time. We ended up seeing my sister by Jax Pier and just stayed w/ them while the shuttle went off and ran afterwards. The shuttle was awesome! The run, however, sucked donkey balls because i had to pee the whole time. The only reason i stopped to walk was because i was about to pee my pants and had to compose myself. It sucked. Also, I didn't quite think through running at night on jax beach. It's not the safest place in the world and it's quite dark at night. We probably won't do that again - at night anyway.
Sunday we went back to the Rail Trail. My goal was to go farther in the same amount of time. And that's what we did. We went a mile farther and did 13 miles in 58 minutes. Thirteen miles is the length of the sprint, so now we just need to cut our time down. I really enjoy cycling and I look forward to going for longer rides. :)
Over the weekend I found something... Two tickets to the GUN SHOW! HA! We've been training now for 5 full weeks (this week is the 6th) and I haven't really been paying attention to my muscle changes. I keep watching my belly wishing it would go down (it hasn't - i've only lost 5 pounds). I felt my biceps and was like WOAH! All that swimming is starting to show - no more flabby arms! And my quads are like rocks. They always say "you'll start to see changes in 6 weeks" when you see those infomercials... I guess they're not all blowing smoke. :)
This week is our recovery week. I'm glad - I think i need a break. Last night's workout felt so short, but it was nice to be home in time for Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. :)
Friday night was the shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral. I though it'd be good to go run on the beach and watch the launch at the same time. We ended up seeing my sister by Jax Pier and just stayed w/ them while the shuttle went off and ran afterwards. The shuttle was awesome! The run, however, sucked donkey balls because i had to pee the whole time. The only reason i stopped to walk was because i was about to pee my pants and had to compose myself. It sucked. Also, I didn't quite think through running at night on jax beach. It's not the safest place in the world and it's quite dark at night. We probably won't do that again - at night anyway.
Sunday we went back to the Rail Trail. My goal was to go farther in the same amount of time. And that's what we did. We went a mile farther and did 13 miles in 58 minutes. Thirteen miles is the length of the sprint, so now we just need to cut our time down. I really enjoy cycling and I look forward to going for longer rides. :)
Over the weekend I found something... Two tickets to the GUN SHOW! HA! We've been training now for 5 full weeks (this week is the 6th) and I haven't really been paying attention to my muscle changes. I keep watching my belly wishing it would go down (it hasn't - i've only lost 5 pounds). I felt my biceps and was like WOAH! All that swimming is starting to show - no more flabby arms! And my quads are like rocks. They always say "you'll start to see changes in 6 weeks" when you see those infomercials... I guess they're not all blowing smoke. :)
This week is our recovery week. I'm glad - I think i need a break. Last night's workout felt so short, but it was nice to be home in time for Big Bang Theory and How I Met Your Mother. :)
Priceline Negotiator!
HHIIIIIII-YAH!
I am a Priceline Negotiator, not some Mamsy-Pamsy.
I love that website.
I had to book a rental car for our trip next week to Chicago. The cheapest i could find was $28 a day, and w/ taxes and fees it came out to about $170 bucks. But I made 'em sweat and I got 4 days in Chicago for $97 - taxes and fees included! BOOYAH!
Finally...
...a free moment at work, where all the emails have been sent and am just waiting replies. Let's see how long this will last. :)
Monday, November 17, 2008
Blogger's To-Do List
I have so much to blog about, but our internet at home is effed up and i've been too busy at work! So... before the internet goes out again, here's a list of things i want to talk about:
- DDD
- Training!
- Priceline
- Frustration w/ Returning Phone Calls
- Thanksgiving
- Tired
- Work
There may be more... but this'll give me a good list to start when i find a good few minutes to devote.
Saturday, November 15, 2008
Another Stop on the DDD Train
Bloggers Note: I started this post, as you can see, a few days ago. My damn computer at home is messed up and I'm sick of seeing it in my Drafts. I'll update it when i figure out how.
~M
While we were in OKC we were able to eat Leo's BBQ, another one of Guy's Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. :) Lemme tell you, It. Was. AWESOME. Here's some pictures:
The outside. It looked like an old auto repair shop/garage.
[Ok. Here's where the pictures WOULD be, except for whatever reason my internet is not allowing to upload them. Use your imagination...]
The Menu
The Damage.
It was OOOOH So GOOD.
~M
While we were in OKC we were able to eat Leo's BBQ, another one of Guy's Diners Drive-Ins and Dives. :) Lemme tell you, It. Was. AWESOME. Here's some pictures:
The outside. It looked like an old auto repair shop/garage.
[Ok. Here's where the pictures WOULD be, except for whatever reason my internet is not allowing to upload them. Use your imagination...]
The Menu
The Damage.
It was OOOOH So GOOD.
Tuesday, November 11, 2008
MIA?
So, I've been MIA because of the unexpected trip to Oklahoma City. Here's a rundown of what's been happening lately:
- The funeral of Uncle Howie was pretty hard, but other than that it was actually a great trip. Its sad what brings families together, but we had a great visit with them.
- I didn't get to the gym on Thursday or Friday, and i ate crappy because we ate out the whole time, and my body was not on it's normal schedule - if you know what i mean - so i gained a few pounds over the weekend.
- We got back about 2:00 on Sunday, got some food and watched a portion of the Jags whooping Detroit's ass at my sister's, then got home to quickly change for a bike ride before it got dark.
- We biked 12 miles on Sunday on the Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail. It's a 14 mile paved pathway that used to be an old Railroad track. It's really nice to bike w/o worrying about cars, but it's really flat so we'll have to find something more hilly to kick it up a notch for our NC Tri in March.
- Yesterday we ran and swam. It was only 14 minutes each, but for some reason i felt like i struggled through it. Oh YEA - It's because i didn't work out all weekend... go figure!
- Today is Veteran's Day. So - THANK YOU to all my veterans who protect me and keep me free everyday.
- Because it's Veteran's Day, we got the day off. Barry and I did some errands during the day and went over to my mom's for our usual Tuesday dinner, but when we got there we got a surprise THANKSGIVING! YUM!! We're all going to be scattered for Thanksgiving, so mom surprised us all with a family thanksgiving today, complete with the pilgrim salt n' pepper shakers and everything. so i get left overs tomorrow for lunch, MMM!!! Now it'll be forever before i loose those poopy pounds from the weekend.
- Here's a random thing to do for fun: Weigh yourself before and after you go to the bathroom. It's better if you have a scale w/ a tenth of a pound option. It's fun to see how much you loose, literally. :) heehee.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
A Not-So-Little Thing
With the news of Uncle Howie, and Uncle David just a few months ago - both of heart attacks - and with Barry's Dad's heart issues (he had a quintuple bypass 5 years ago), I am soooo greatful to be doing this triathlon with Barry. His family is just crawling with cholesterol and bad hearts. I hope that with this new sport we can stick with it and keep Barry's heart young. I don't want to be a widow before 65.
Hammerheads & Last Night's Workout
We got to the gym last night shortly after 7:00pm. There's a Triathlon club in Jax call the Hammerheads. They happened to be meeting at our gym, so we decided to go and check it out. There were about 35 people there, and there's about 400 people in the club! Check out the website for all the stuff they do. Membership is pretty cheap ($65/year per couple) and you get discounts and other fun stuff. I think i'll wait a little longer before we decide though.
After the meeting ended, barry and I headed upstairs to the bikes. They've got this cool program called Expresso that simulates different routes. As you go up hill, the pedals get tighter. You can change gears to help you also and the handlebars move so you actually have to travel through the road and beat your pacer. There are other programs where you have to catch dragons and you can ride through space. It's so cool! (We did the "Bent Spoke" route) So we did that and then went to the pool. I decided that for the 18 minutes, i was just going to swim w/o stopping and see how far i go. I was able to swim 10 minutes, back and forth. I need an abacus at the edge of the pool, because i always loose count and i couldn't tell you how far i got. I think it was 300 yards. I took a short break and went again. We probably ended up swimming for closer to 25 minutes, but i was practicing my turns and stuff.
For the competitions sake, i have a new goal: Beat Barry. I never really thought I would be able to because he has always ran faster than me, but if i could beat him in the pool and bike portion, maybe i can actually beat him! That'd be so awesome. :) Last night in the pool, barry kept saying that he has to go all out to keep up with me. YESS! I love having something that im better at than he is. He was making the excuse that his shorts were too baggy and dragging him down. Typical man, making excuses. :)
After the meeting ended, barry and I headed upstairs to the bikes. They've got this cool program called Expresso that simulates different routes. As you go up hill, the pedals get tighter. You can change gears to help you also and the handlebars move so you actually have to travel through the road and beat your pacer. There are other programs where you have to catch dragons and you can ride through space. It's so cool! (We did the "Bent Spoke" route) So we did that and then went to the pool. I decided that for the 18 minutes, i was just going to swim w/o stopping and see how far i go. I was able to swim 10 minutes, back and forth. I need an abacus at the edge of the pool, because i always loose count and i couldn't tell you how far i got. I think it was 300 yards. I took a short break and went again. We probably ended up swimming for closer to 25 minutes, but i was practicing my turns and stuff.
For the competitions sake, i have a new goal: Beat Barry. I never really thought I would be able to because he has always ran faster than me, but if i could beat him in the pool and bike portion, maybe i can actually beat him! That'd be so awesome. :) Last night in the pool, barry kept saying that he has to go all out to keep up with me. YESS! I love having something that im better at than he is. He was making the excuse that his shorts were too baggy and dragging him down. Typical man, making excuses. :)
This Weekend
We're flying to Oklahoma City tonight for the funeral tomorrow morning, then returning Sunday. We won't make it to the pool today, which sucks because it's the first day of training we'll miss. Tomorrow is a long run (22 minutes). I hope i can find time to go running - i did pack a sports bra - hopefully that will help motivate me to hit the pavement tomorrow. Saturday is our off day, and we're back in Jax by 2:00 on sunday, so we'll try and get the bikes out Sunday afternoon.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
I Hate Wait.
It's amazing how one sentence can throw your world into an upspin.
"Uncle Howie died."
'There's no way; David just died in the spring.'
"He had a heart attack about 2 hours ago. That's all I know. The funeral may be Saturday, but there's no plans yet."
WTF? Now I sit here at work, with things to do but no motivation to do them. There's no reason to leave because there's nothing to do other than wait for the phone call. So, I will blog, and talk to you about our Uncle Howie.
I didn't get to know him very well, just at family gatherings and on our first cruise. Howie and his wife were there to share in our engagement, and in fact gave us the gift of the cruise. His voice was loud, scratchy and sometimes annoying, but he could always make you smile - even if it was from embarrassment. :) Howie LOVED his family, loved to laugh, and loved to have a good time. He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He and his wife just retired fully and moved to Oklahoma to be closer to his grandchildren about 6 months ago. It's sad that they will never get to hear his boisterous laugh.
Goodbye, Uncle Howie.
"Uncle Howie died."
'There's no way; David just died in the spring.'
"He had a heart attack about 2 hours ago. That's all I know. The funeral may be Saturday, but there's no plans yet."
WTF? Now I sit here at work, with things to do but no motivation to do them. There's no reason to leave because there's nothing to do other than wait for the phone call. So, I will blog, and talk to you about our Uncle Howie.
I didn't get to know him very well, just at family gatherings and on our first cruise. Howie and his wife were there to share in our engagement, and in fact gave us the gift of the cruise. His voice was loud, scratchy and sometimes annoying, but he could always make you smile - even if it was from embarrassment. :) Howie LOVED his family, loved to laugh, and loved to have a good time. He loved life and lived it to the fullest. He and his wife just retired fully and moved to Oklahoma to be closer to his grandchildren about 6 months ago. It's sad that they will never get to hear his boisterous laugh.
Goodbye, Uncle Howie.
Professor Swedlow
Barry is going to the Jr. High to see if he can observe a classroom today. :)
I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but Barry has decided to go back to school and become a teacher. High School history to be more specific. We've registered for classes and purchased books. He also got his substitute teaching certificate and "green card".
We've been joking about him finally getting his Green Card since we heard about it. (Funny Story: he was opening up his mail last night on 'The Throne' and i hear from behind the door, "It's not even green!")
He wants to observe classes for a few days before he gets his own classroom to sub officially. I'm so excited for him! He's so passionate about learning new things and he's an excellent teacher when it comes to Martial Arts, I know he will be a great school teacher.
I love you, Babe!
I don't remember if I've mentioned this, but Barry has decided to go back to school and become a teacher. High School history to be more specific. We've registered for classes and purchased books. He also got his substitute teaching certificate and "green card".
We've been joking about him finally getting his Green Card since we heard about it. (Funny Story: he was opening up his mail last night on 'The Throne' and i hear from behind the door, "It's not even green!")
He wants to observe classes for a few days before he gets his own classroom to sub officially. I'm so excited for him! He's so passionate about learning new things and he's an excellent teacher when it comes to Martial Arts, I know he will be a great school teacher.
I love you, Babe!
Tuesday, November 4, 2008
Inspiration
As we were running on Sunday, there was a guy on a stairmaster w/ a hiking pack and hiking shoes on, just trekin' away. We had a chance to talk to him after our workout as we stretched. He was in his late 60's. Sometime ago, after watching the majority of his family die between the ages of 45-55, he decided that he will not be added to the list. At age 55, he exercised for the first time in his life. 10 or so years later, he has climbed Mt. Denali (McKinley), The Grand Tetons, Kilimanjaro, and most impressive of all: Everest. 3 times. (not sumit, but as high as possible w/o oxygen - still at 21,500 ft). He didn't look much older than 60, but we asumed he was in his late 60s because of all he has completed.
If he can start at age 55, I can start at age 28.
If he can start at age 55, I can start at age 28.
I think this triathlon is just the beginning.
Not The Kind of Crown a Queen Expects
I had to go to the dentist last week because a tooth that had a recent filling (Oct. 2nd) was hurting when i bit down. Well, the filling got 'debonded'. Aparently only 1 out of 100 teeth do this - don't i feel lucky? Instead of just a quick fix or a promise that it will go away, they slap me w/ the news that i need a crown. CRAP. I've never had that before. So that's what i got to do on my training-day off today. Go to the dentist and get drilled for an hour. Yuck. Its a good think that I get nitrous oxide and a TV on the ceiling. I love Sanford and Son (Ba-Ba-Bwah-nuh!), especially w/ the laughing gas!
Right now i've got a temporary cap in. They took a digital imprint and photos of my tooth nub and emailed the impression to Israel, where they will create my tooth and mail it back within 2 weeks. Weird, eh? Israel. So for 2 weeks i get to wear this temporary thing that feels like a denture. it's all smooth and stuff. I hope the permanent one feels more like my real teeth...
Right now i've got a temporary cap in. They took a digital imprint and photos of my tooth nub and emailed the impression to Israel, where they will create my tooth and mail it back within 2 weeks. Weird, eh? Israel. So for 2 weeks i get to wear this temporary thing that feels like a denture. it's all smooth and stuff. I hope the permanent one feels more like my real teeth...
The Latest - Weekend Training
Since we stuck it out, we were able to have a great day off on saturday. I'm wondering if they do more harm than good because it seems that on my off days i eat pretty badly. (see below post). It was nice to relax on saturday.
Sunday's task was to run 20 minutes. It took me FOREVER to get barry up and ready to go. I was minutes away from going w/o him when he finally got ready. I walked to warm up for 3 minutes and then set a 4.3mph pace. Unfortunately, i got a stitch in my side and had to walk it off for about a minute, but as soon as it was done i got right back to 'running'. My average was less than 4mph. I must improve on that. Happy side note: Anne of Green Gables was on so that time went by so quickly!
The rest of the day was spent lounging. I found PBS on TV and finished the Anne movies. :) It was a great relaxing day.
Yesterday was Run/Swim. I switched our days around a bit so we can have our long bike day on the weekend, that way if we want to do more trails we can. So, w/ the run, I kept at 4.5mph the whole time, even if it was just for 13 minutes. I'm realizing that just when i find my groove in running, i have to stop. :P I guess i have to trust in the training program though. From the run we changed and I got in the pool. I concentrated on technique that Dave taught me on thursday and i felt really good. Barry said that i was making him push harder, and that made me feel good. The time to swim was only 13 minutes, but i think i did more like 15-20. I like seeing the progress and i really enjoy the pool, so it's hard for me to get out. :)
Sunday's task was to run 20 minutes. It took me FOREVER to get barry up and ready to go. I was minutes away from going w/o him when he finally got ready. I walked to warm up for 3 minutes and then set a 4.3mph pace. Unfortunately, i got a stitch in my side and had to walk it off for about a minute, but as soon as it was done i got right back to 'running'. My average was less than 4mph. I must improve on that. Happy side note: Anne of Green Gables was on so that time went by so quickly!
The rest of the day was spent lounging. I found PBS on TV and finished the Anne movies. :) It was a great relaxing day.
Yesterday was Run/Swim. I switched our days around a bit so we can have our long bike day on the weekend, that way if we want to do more trails we can. So, w/ the run, I kept at 4.5mph the whole time, even if it was just for 13 minutes. I'm realizing that just when i find my groove in running, i have to stop. :P I guess i have to trust in the training program though. From the run we changed and I got in the pool. I concentrated on technique that Dave taught me on thursday and i felt really good. Barry said that i was making him push harder, and that made me feel good. The time to swim was only 13 minutes, but i think i did more like 15-20. I like seeing the progress and i really enjoy the pool, so it's hard for me to get out. :)
Saturday, November 1, 2008
Good Mandi, Bad Mandi
Yesterday I was sooo good. I was able to pass up Vanilla's Cupcakes. oh yes. I have the power.
Wait.
HAD the power.
Today was my neice's 1st birthday... and I couldn't resist Publix birthday cake. Bad Mandi...
Wait.
HAD the power.
Today was my neice's 1st birthday... and I couldn't resist Publix birthday cake. Bad Mandi...
The Tacky Cyclist and the Tale of the 37 Minute Ride
I was a Tacky Cyclist for Halloween. Imagine, if you will, a pastel pink helmet, a bright yellow/blue top, baby blue gloves, black bike shorts, "Wicked Witch" green socks w/ sparkly skull and cross bones, and pearl white cyclist shoes. That's what I wore last night.
Tonight's 'mission' was to bike 40 minutes. We left for OP (Orange Park) at about 7:30, got to the Industrial Loop (big loop, little cars), got the bikes off the rack, helmets and shoes on, and lights flashing when it starts sprinkling. No biggie. Then about 1/2 way through the loop it starts RAINING. I can't see shit because I'm always blinking and it's my first time riding in the dark, not to mention that i feel like I'm coming down w/ something (scratchy throat, etc). So we cut through the loop, get back to the car, get the bikes secured back on the rack, gloves, helmets, and shoes off. We drive 2 minutes to Barry's dad's to pick something up, get back in the car and it stops.
We go back to the loop and discuss for a few minutes whether we should attempt to try again or just take our Saturday off to cycle in the morning. We decide to give it a try. So, cycle-cycle-cycle... 35 minutes go by. And it starts sprinkling again just as I'm passing the car. I say F this. I can handle 5 more minutes. And it starts RAINING. Again. I get around the loop the last time, and cut my ride 3 minutes short. Barry says "I will not be defeated!" and does another 1/2 loop to finish up.
We finally got home and cooked dinner at 10pm.
All-in-all it wasn't so bad. It sucked, but I'm glad we stuck to the schedule and got our ride in last night.
Tonight's 'mission' was to bike 40 minutes. We left for OP (Orange Park) at about 7:30, got to the Industrial Loop (big loop, little cars), got the bikes off the rack, helmets and shoes on, and lights flashing when it starts sprinkling. No biggie. Then about 1/2 way through the loop it starts RAINING. I can't see shit because I'm always blinking and it's my first time riding in the dark, not to mention that i feel like I'm coming down w/ something (scratchy throat, etc). So we cut through the loop, get back to the car, get the bikes secured back on the rack, gloves, helmets, and shoes off. We drive 2 minutes to Barry's dad's to pick something up, get back in the car and it stops.
We go back to the loop and discuss for a few minutes whether we should attempt to try again or just take our Saturday off to cycle in the morning. We decide to give it a try. So, cycle-cycle-cycle... 35 minutes go by. And it starts sprinkling again just as I'm passing the car. I say F this. I can handle 5 more minutes. And it starts RAINING. Again. I get around the loop the last time, and cut my ride 3 minutes short. Barry says "I will not be defeated!" and does another 1/2 loop to finish up.
We finally got home and cooked dinner at 10pm.
All-in-all it wasn't so bad. It sucked, but I'm glad we stuck to the schedule and got our ride in last night.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Swimming
Last night I did 800 yards in the pool!! HOLY. Friend Dave used to be a competitive swimmer, so we did drills. 200 warm up, 6 x 25 kicks, 12x 25 arms, etc etc. I was tired, but not too bad. There's something about the water that doesn't make me feel tired unless i'm actually doing the swimming, and then i REALLY notice.
Another positive: I've been going into the hot tub after each swim and I haven't realy felt sore at all! WOOT! I'm so glad we signed up for the Y.
Another positive: I've been going into the hot tub after each swim and I haven't realy felt sore at all! WOOT! I'm so glad we signed up for the Y.
GO GATORS! (I SWEAR!)
In the spirit of Halloween, i thought i'd wear a red top and my devil ears and tail. I got all dressed to go to work, and i couldn't find the ears! So i left the tail at home and out the door i went: Red top and black slacks. I'm half way to work when i realize I'm wearing bulldog colors!! AHHHHH!!!! Today we were supposed to wear our 'team colors' and i end up in the enemy's red and black.
CRAP.
CRAP.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Training... Day 16?
I'm starting to loose count on which day it is...
Yesterday's plan was to run 12 minutes and swim for 16. I finally found my contacts, so i was able to actually keep a decent amount of time in the pool. I swam for about 550-600 yards, but i had to break alot and w/ the breaks i didn't count the time. I was probably in the pool almost 30 minutes. The running was OK. I walked for 3 minutes to warm up and tried to go straight to a 4.5mph jog. Bad idea. I blaim my boobs. Something weird was going on in the heart/chest area - it felt like irregular palpitations, but it could've just been my boobs bouncing on my chest plate. If that's the case, that's pretty funny. :) Either way, it was uncomfortable so i brought it down to 4.1 mph. I could've probably gone 30 minute at the 4.1! In fact, i wanted to because Seinfeld was on and it was pretty funny... BUT time was up and Barry was done and i had to PEEEEEE so i stopped when my time stopped.
Happy Angelle? :)
Now i'm off to the dentist, and then back to the gym! It's a 20 minutes swim day.
Yesterday's plan was to run 12 minutes and swim for 16. I finally found my contacts, so i was able to actually keep a decent amount of time in the pool. I swam for about 550-600 yards, but i had to break alot and w/ the breaks i didn't count the time. I was probably in the pool almost 30 minutes. The running was OK. I walked for 3 minutes to warm up and tried to go straight to a 4.5mph jog. Bad idea. I blaim my boobs. Something weird was going on in the heart/chest area - it felt like irregular palpitations, but it could've just been my boobs bouncing on my chest plate. If that's the case, that's pretty funny. :) Either way, it was uncomfortable so i brought it down to 4.1 mph. I could've probably gone 30 minute at the 4.1! In fact, i wanted to because Seinfeld was on and it was pretty funny... BUT time was up and Barry was done and i had to PEEEEEE so i stopped when my time stopped.
Happy Angelle? :)
Now i'm off to the dentist, and then back to the gym! It's a 20 minutes swim day.
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I'm SOOOO glad we got memberships to the Y. Our Tri training would go kaputz if we didn't.
Today's high was 60. Luckily, it's our day off so no biggy. But tomorrow morning is supposed to be in the 30s!!! And it's OCTOBER. BRRRRR!! Swimming would be nonexistent.
...Global warming, my ass...
Today's high was 60. Luckily, it's our day off so no biggy. But tomorrow morning is supposed to be in the 30s!!! And it's OCTOBER. BRRRRR!! Swimming would be nonexistent.
...Global warming, my ass...
Monday, October 27, 2008
Cake Wreck!
I'm totally submitting these to Cake Wrecks. They are moon pies on a stick and were for sale at the bakery at the bazaar. How hideous!!!
Training 12 & 13
Barry and I were supposed to go jogging/walking saturday morning but it ended be all misty and gross outside, so we walked to the complex's gym and used the treadmill. I chose a speed interval training program and I had to keep upping the mph for it to be worth it. I'm going to do manual from now on - it was such a pain in the ass. Then we went to the Bazaar and ate so much Filipino BBQ Pork - it's so delicious and we only get it once a year (but i found a recipe... heehee)
PS Remember that bruise I was talking about earlier? Well here it is. When I busted on friday, i hit my leg in the exact same spot and aggrevated all over again! I put the pen there so you can see how huge it is. :(
Sunday was AWESOME. Barry and I met our friend Dave and we went out and biked. 16 miles!!!! I was so nervous at first. On Friday night we 
practiced around the neighborhood and I had a complete brain fart on my first 'de-clipping' and busted - i have the scraped knee to prove it (haven't had one of these in years! Probably the last time i rode a bike...) BUT it ended up awesome and I really enjoyed myself - even caught myself smiling from time to time. So i'm looking forward to another ride this weekend.
practiced around the neighborhood and I had a complete brain fart on my first 'de-clipping' and busted - i have the scraped knee to prove it (haven't had one of these in years! Probably the last time i rode a bike...) BUT it ended up awesome and I really enjoyed myself - even caught myself smiling from time to time. So i'm looking forward to another ride this weekend.
PS Remember that bruise I was talking about earlier? Well here it is. When I busted on friday, i hit my leg in the exact same spot and aggrevated all over again! I put the pen there so you can see how huge it is. :(Sunday, October 26, 2008
Blogger Withdrawal
OK, I think I'm now addicted to blogging. I see people haven't posted in the last 4 hours and i think "Slacker - wait... i used to blog 2-3 times a month..." Hopefully I won't get sick of blogging about training, 'cause w/ no kids, that's about all i got. :)
N-E Way. I didn't post yesterday because it's my church's annual bazaar and it's a HUGE family affair. We were there ALL weekend, less the time i slept and worked out. We did go to the UFC fight on sat night, but i was half asleep anyway, so i count that as sleeping. (Cote vs. Sliva - Cote popped his ACL in the 3rd round - sucks to be him and made for a sucky fight, so it was a waste of awake-ness in my book.)
I'm quite tired, so I'm going to go to bed early and I'll try and post about my training weekend tomorrow - i did some good stuff! (don't let the tension get to you, it's not all that. :))
N-E Way. I didn't post yesterday because it's my church's annual bazaar and it's a HUGE family affair. We were there ALL weekend, less the time i slept and worked out. We did go to the UFC fight on sat night, but i was half asleep anyway, so i count that as sleeping. (Cote vs. Sliva - Cote popped his ACL in the 3rd round - sucks to be him and made for a sucky fight, so it was a waste of awake-ness in my book.)
I'm quite tired, so I'm going to go to bed early and I'll try and post about my training weekend tomorrow - i did some good stuff! (don't let the tension get to you, it's not all that. :))
Friday, October 24, 2008
A Good Nutrition Article
I love information w/ facts and numbers. Read this article about adequately fueling your body for a workout:
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1603
http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=1603
Triathlon Training -Day 11
After that crazy workout yesterday, getting up this morning was a BEAST. We were supposed to wake up at 5:00 to go cycle for 2-3 miles. 5:00 turned to 5:30, and I was able to get up just in time to hear the rain pouring down. :P So i thought that i could still get up at 6 and go to our gym for the stationary bike. So back to bed i went for another precious 30 minutes. The bike in our complex gym is a recumbent and i truly dispise it. This coupled with the sound of the rain, the snuggles from barry, and the warmth of my bed equaled the demise of that plan. I finally crawled out of bed and into the shower at 7:50ish. I packed my gym clothes, made a smoothie and was out the door at 8:45, only to forget my yummy cattiatore leftovers. :(
I found out there was a YMCA about 5 miles from my office -BONUS!- now if i can't get up in the morning i can always go workout on my lunchbreak - woohoo! AND it has a pool - Double Woohoo! So for lunch I got on a stationary bike, but the regular kind, and rode 3 miles at about 12-13mph. Today's requirements were to swim 150m and bike 2 miles, but i forgot my swimsuit. I'm using the excuse that i swam enough yesterday for 2 days worth. :)
I found out there was a YMCA about 5 miles from my office -BONUS!- now if i can't get up in the morning i can always go workout on my lunchbreak - woohoo! AND it has a pool - Double Woohoo! So for lunch I got on a stationary bike, but the regular kind, and rode 3 miles at about 12-13mph. Today's requirements were to swim 150m and bike 2 miles, but i forgot my swimsuit. I'm using the excuse that i swam enough yesterday for 2 days worth. :)
Training - Day 10
Yesterday's requirement was to swim 100m, cool down for 50m and to walk for 20 minutes.
I started with walking, then picked it up to a jog about 3-4 minutes in. I then was able to jog the entire remainder of the 20 minutes at 4.1mph, and i even kicked it up to over 5mph at the last minute. I was not expecting to be able to do that! I guess i don't give myself enough credit. After a 10 minute cooldown walk, i changed into my suit and swam the 150m. I had to stop after 100m, and then i had a break while Barry did his (the pool was full!) BUT after that, i wasn't ready to get out. SO, 50m at a time, I swam the full 500m - 1/3 of the triathlon. woohoo! i averaged about 1 min, 5 sec per lap w/ the breaks.
From there, we went to another YMCA and went climbing! the first time in over a year - i probalby only spent about 10 minutes actually climbing, and i stuck to elementary stuff, but it was fun to get back on the wall. It was NOT fun to have to trim my nails though. Oh well.
All in all it felt good! I did way more than 'required' and kept up pretty well. I didn't get tired until after we were done climbing, and that's probably be cause i hadn't eaten in like 7 hours. We got home and barry cooked some AMAZING Chicken Cacciatore, and it was time for bed.
Diet: I'm still having trouble eating ENOUGH calories. I have my weight loss goal set to 2lbs a week, and i'm still having a hard time. My hope is that i'll just loose more, right? I am drinking more water and not eating bad everyday, like i used to. I have not been too stricted, because i think that will just set me up to go overboard when i do eat badly. I've been making smoothies in the morning, and that fills me up. Try this for a great breakfast:
1 large banana
4-6 large frozen strawberries
4oz soymilk
4 oz apple juice
1 tbl PB (organic or "natural")
1 serving carnation instant breakfast
add ice for your choice of thickness. i don't like a lot of ice.
This makes about 32 oz, give or take.
Blend and enjoy! Sometimes i'll add oats and flax seed, but most of the time i forget.
I started with walking, then picked it up to a jog about 3-4 minutes in. I then was able to jog the entire remainder of the 20 minutes at 4.1mph, and i even kicked it up to over 5mph at the last minute. I was not expecting to be able to do that! I guess i don't give myself enough credit. After a 10 minute cooldown walk, i changed into my suit and swam the 150m. I had to stop after 100m, and then i had a break while Barry did his (the pool was full!) BUT after that, i wasn't ready to get out. SO, 50m at a time, I swam the full 500m - 1/3 of the triathlon. woohoo! i averaged about 1 min, 5 sec per lap w/ the breaks.
From there, we went to another YMCA and went climbing! the first time in over a year - i probalby only spent about 10 minutes actually climbing, and i stuck to elementary stuff, but it was fun to get back on the wall. It was NOT fun to have to trim my nails though. Oh well.
All in all it felt good! I did way more than 'required' and kept up pretty well. I didn't get tired until after we were done climbing, and that's probably be cause i hadn't eaten in like 7 hours. We got home and barry cooked some AMAZING Chicken Cacciatore, and it was time for bed.
Diet: I'm still having trouble eating ENOUGH calories. I have my weight loss goal set to 2lbs a week, and i'm still having a hard time. My hope is that i'll just loose more, right? I am drinking more water and not eating bad everyday, like i used to. I have not been too stricted, because i think that will just set me up to go overboard when i do eat badly. I've been making smoothies in the morning, and that fills me up. Try this for a great breakfast:
1 large banana
4-6 large frozen strawberries
4oz soymilk
4 oz apple juice
1 tbl PB (organic or "natural")
1 serving carnation instant breakfast
add ice for your choice of thickness. i don't like a lot of ice.
This makes about 32 oz, give or take.
Blend and enjoy! Sometimes i'll add oats and flax seed, but most of the time i forget.
Thursday, October 23, 2008
beginnertriathlete.com
Work today is completely slow, so I've had the time to read some articles on www.beginnertriathlete.com. This is such a great site! I really can tell that I have changed for the better, at least my heart has. My body will catch up.
I've read inspiring articles before. My reaction to them is usually the same: "Good for them - but i don't think i have the 'it' that they do."
Now it's different. I read the articles of people's first triathlons - people with severe asthma and people that have gone through quintuple bypass - and i think, (here comes the cliche) "If they can do it, i can do it!" Reading these articles gets me pumped! I know I've said this before, but I'm so excited! I'm most excited about being heart-healthy and loosing the feeling of being tired and fat just going up the stairs of my condo!
WOOT!!
I've read inspiring articles before. My reaction to them is usually the same: "Good for them - but i don't think i have the 'it' that they do."
Now it's different. I read the articles of people's first triathlons - people with severe asthma and people that have gone through quintuple bypass - and i think, (here comes the cliche) "If they can do it, i can do it!" Reading these articles gets me pumped! I know I've said this before, but I'm so excited! I'm most excited about being heart-healthy and loosing the feeling of being tired and fat just going up the stairs of my condo!
WOOT!!
Air Show
Every year, NAS Jax puts on an awesome air show. It alternates from the beach to NAS Jacksonville and this year it's at NAS, which is right down the road from where i work. It's pretty sweet because we get to watch them practice! Unfortnately, it's cloudy today, but fortunately, these jets are so badass that they fly below the cloud line! I can't wait for the Blue Angels to practice! Swededeu!
Training, Day 9
Well, yesterday did not go as planned at all. The plan was to get to the bike shop at 4:15 and be out by 7 (when they close.), then go over to the gym to swim and walk. I ended up getting to the shop at 4:30 and not leaving until after 8. I hadn't eaten anything since 12:00 or so and i was soooo hungry. I had asked Barry to bring me a chicken sandwich or something, but of course he "forgot". We ended up getting home at 8:30 and i decided that instead of going to the gym last nighti was going to eat dinner and use my day off today to do yesterday's workout. He kept saying i was making excuses and that this is how it starts and that we probably just wasted all that money, blah blah blah...
...that brings me to another "little thing":
...that brings me to another "little thing":
- proving Barry wrong.
I know this isn't very positive, but damn it, i don't think he believes me when i tell him that I'm in a different mind set. He always talks about how we need to loose weight. Now I'm doing it.
So, that being said, today, Training: Day 10, will include swimming and jogging, and then we're going to go do some climbing, which i haven't done in for frickin' ever.
Take that, Barry.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Bikes - And a Truly "Mandi-esque" Post
The Bikes are in the garage, the rack is on the car, i'm wearing my bike pants as i type this, and our checking account is empty! We definitely made a serious commitment! I just hope we can do it!!
NO, i KNOW we can do it. :)
I rode a little bit around the parking lot of the store and have my first bruise. I forgot that... hold on*
* side bar: my kitty Hiro is playing with my mouse - ha! The cursor moving all over the screen and he has no idea - so cute!
OK sorry. :) Now i forgot what i was going to say i forgot. LOL. OH YEAH. I forgot i was clipped in at one point and have my first bike-related bruise. I didn't fall on my ass thank goodness, but i guess my inner thigh hit my lateral bar or something. Luckily i caught my balance w/o falling.
We're going on a ride on Sunday w/ Dave and Jen (friends/former triathletes). I'm really looking forward to it and getting comfortable in the saddle and with my clips.
BTW, I'm only wearing the bike shorts because we were about to go play around the road in our complex when Barry realized that it's Wednesday at 10pm and he HAD to watch his Ultimate Fighter... I'm not a freak that likes to wear bike shorts. For all my men reader (Hi, Mike.): if you wear a pair of bike shorts you will know what it's like to wear a maxi pad. "And Knowing Is Half The Battle!" ... well, maybe not in this case.
As you can tell by reading this post, I'm way too tired and i need to go to bed now. More to come tomorrow.
NO, i KNOW we can do it. :)
I rode a little bit around the parking lot of the store and have my first bruise. I forgot that... hold on*
* side bar: my kitty Hiro is playing with my mouse - ha! The cursor moving all over the screen and he has no idea - so cute!
OK sorry. :) Now i forgot what i was going to say i forgot. LOL. OH YEAH. I forgot i was clipped in at one point and have my first bike-related bruise. I didn't fall on my ass thank goodness, but i guess my inner thigh hit my lateral bar or something. Luckily i caught my balance w/o falling.
We're going on a ride on Sunday w/ Dave and Jen (friends/former triathletes). I'm really looking forward to it and getting comfortable in the saddle and with my clips.
BTW, I'm only wearing the bike shorts because we were about to go play around the road in our complex when Barry realized that it's Wednesday at 10pm and he HAD to watch his Ultimate Fighter... I'm not a freak that likes to wear bike shorts. For all my men reader (Hi, Mike.): if you wear a pair of bike shorts you will know what it's like to wear a maxi pad. "And Knowing Is Half The Battle!" ... well, maybe not in this case.
As you can tell by reading this post, I'm way too tired and i need to go to bed now. More to come tomorrow.
Four by Four
So the rules are: Go to your folder of pictures on your computer. Open the 4th folder, and upload the 4th picture, then explain it.
This is from LAST year's soccer season -Ashton's first year. I was hoping for a cooler picture, but it's got my nephew in it, so it's pretty cool in itself. :) That's my big boy in the #7 jersey. Go #7!!!
This is from LAST year's soccer season -Ashton's first year. I was hoping for a cooler picture, but it's got my nephew in it, so it's pretty cool in itself. :) That's my big boy in the #7 jersey. Go #7!!!I tag Rhi, Jamie, Laurie, & Erin.
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Changarooski
After looking at our current training program and talking to my friend Dave - who happens to be a former triathlete and current lover of all things outdoorsy-sports like - he thinks the program is a little lax. It's quite possible that he's right. I did a little more research and actually like the same program Angelle is doing! SOOOO... we're going to finish week 2 w/ our lax program and start week 3 Monday w/ Angelle's. I already copied the spreadsheet and added rows for Barry and my distances so we can see our improvements. :)
I also stopped by the gym today and signed Barry and myself up! This place is re-DONK-ulous!! It's got everything imaginable as far as equipment goes, but it also has personal TVs on every cario machine w/ DirecTV, all your toiletries ever needed in the bathroom, a sauna, a jacuzzi, & 2 pools. It's got a swimsuit dryer near the showers so as you shower, you can dry your suit to put in your bag! All the lockers have 4 digit combo locks, so you don't have to bring your own lock. All towels are given so you don't even have to bring those! It is unbelieveable!
Ok, time for bed. Tomorrow I get fitted for my bike. Barry spent almost 5 hours at the bike shop today getting fitted! I hope it doesn't take that long for me. :P Then it's off to the gym for swimming and running/walking.
I also stopped by the gym today and signed Barry and myself up! This place is re-DONK-ulous!! It's got everything imaginable as far as equipment goes, but it also has personal TVs on every cario machine w/ DirecTV, all your toiletries ever needed in the bathroom, a sauna, a jacuzzi, & 2 pools. It's got a swimsuit dryer near the showers so as you shower, you can dry your suit to put in your bag! All the lockers have 4 digit combo locks, so you don't have to bring your own lock. All towels are given so you don't even have to bring those! It is unbelieveable!
Ok, time for bed. Tomorrow I get fitted for my bike. Barry spent almost 5 hours at the bike shop today getting fitted! I hope it doesn't take that long for me. :P Then it's off to the gym for swimming and running/walking.
Little Things - 2
More things I'm excited about:
- Less chafing between my fat thighs! I'm not a fan of walking like an old cowboy when my legs chafe.
- Not being nervous about biking.
- Buying new lingerie.
- passing Lane Bryant without blinking.
- walking into The Body Shop/5-7-9/Charlotte Rousse without having heart palpitations.
- being a better climber
- seeing the smile on Dr. Raspa's face when he sees me in January.
Training, Day 7
We ended up not going to the "Y" yesterday, but instead went to Bicycles, Etc. and to buy our 2008 Trek 1.2's. I called each of the bike shops we visited and asked for their best price. Not only did they give us the best deal, but also spent the most time with us and made us feel truly welcome into their shop and the sport that they obviously love so much. However, when we got there, we got to talking about upgrades and frames and wheels and pedals and saddles and cranks... and started to look around some more. I ended up with an AWESOME deal on a 2008 Scott Contessa Speedster. I saved over $600. Barry is picking out his this morning and getting fitted. I'll pick mine up tomorrow and get fitted.
Training: Don't think we skipped out on training just to go shopping. When we got home, we got to our gym about 8:00 and jumped in the pool. If i had nuts i'd have been singing a few octives higher - it was so cold!! But we got used to it and did 150m in just under 4 minutes. I got our goggles yesterday, but i still tended to keep my head up. I think we need ear plugs because when i tried to do what i thought was better technique, i would get water in my ear. From there we walked our 20 minutes. Today i gave myself an incline and switched up my pace from 3.6-3.9mph. We got home just in time for the last 10 minutes of How I Met Your Mother and watched Heroes.
Diet: From logging everything I eat on the Daily plate, i'm learning that I'm having trouble eating enough calories during the week, and then i go overboard w/ crappy calories on the weekend. It's a strange feeling to actually know that i need to eat MORE. I like it!
It's amazing how much easier it is to stay on track when you have the right tools!
Training: Don't think we skipped out on training just to go shopping. When we got home, we got to our gym about 8:00 and jumped in the pool. If i had nuts i'd have been singing a few octives higher - it was so cold!! But we got used to it and did 150m in just under 4 minutes. I got our goggles yesterday, but i still tended to keep my head up. I think we need ear plugs because when i tried to do what i thought was better technique, i would get water in my ear. From there we walked our 20 minutes. Today i gave myself an incline and switched up my pace from 3.6-3.9mph. We got home just in time for the last 10 minutes of How I Met Your Mother and watched Heroes.
Diet: From logging everything I eat on the Daily plate, i'm learning that I'm having trouble eating enough calories during the week, and then i go overboard w/ crappy calories on the weekend. It's a strange feeling to actually know that i need to eat MORE. I like it!
It's amazing how much easier it is to stay on track when you have the right tools!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Monday, Monday...
Sooo... 5:30 AM came and went. It was only about 60 degrees this morning! BRRRR!!! Too cold to for swimming! Barry said, "why don't we do it tonight when it's warmer?" I didn't need any convincing. We slept with the windows open last night and I sleep so well when we do that: A cool breeze and all warm under the covers. I ended up crawling out of bed about 7:30... and when I looked in the mirror - WOAH! Angelle and Laurie - do you remember what my hair would do sometimes? It was pretty bad. That's what I get for sleeping w/ a wet head. Needless to say it took way longer to do my hair than it usually does and I was running about 30 minutes behind today.
After I get off of work, barry and I are going to go to the YMCA and get a membership and do our swim/walk. I found out there's a new gym that has an indoor pool! WOOT! And it's open from 5am to 10pm, so we can work out before or after work, and it's only about $60/month for a family membership. I just have to not eat out $60 worth each month to make up for it - with my new eating soon-to-be habits, that shouldn't be an issue.
More to come on how my workout went today...
After I get off of work, barry and I are going to go to the YMCA and get a membership and do our swim/walk. I found out there's a new gym that has an indoor pool! WOOT! And it's open from 5am to 10pm, so we can work out before or after work, and it's only about $60/month for a family membership. I just have to not eat out $60 worth each month to make up for it - with my new eating soon-to-be habits, that shouldn't be an issue.
More to come on how my workout went today...
The Weekend
Saturday was wonderful - we slept in. That in itself made the day great. :)
Seriously though, we slept in, finished watching Prison Break (season 3 - soooo GOOD!!!!) then got over to the gym. We only had to walk for 25 minutes. We get to the gym, and in the 30 hours or so since we had been in the room, one of the treadmills was broken. So i ended up doing the Elliptical for the 25 minutes - that was ok w/ me - probably burned a few extra calories anyway.
After we got showered, we had lunch at Mama Fu's (YUM!), visited another bike shop (another hour!) and went to OP to pick up Zoe, our niece, for a birthday trip to Busch Gardens! She is just 54" so she was able to ride all the rides. We drove down Sat night and stayed with Barry's cousin.
Sunday we got up about 8:00 and had breakfast and got over to the park about 9:30. It was so fun to watch her experience her first time on roller coasters - after the 3rd time around she was a front row-er only! Especially on Sheikra! There were NO lines and the weather was PERFECT. At one point we had about a 10 minute ride on Montu and she was like, "NUH-UH - we should come back later!" She was definitely spoiled on her first trip! I'll post some pictures tomorrow if i have time.
We got home just before 11. Sunday's workout was 2 miles on the bike, so before we even went into the house we walked over to the gym and did our 2 miles! COMMITMENT!! :)
We were in bed by 12, with the alarm set for 5:30...
Seriously though, we slept in, finished watching Prison Break (season 3 - soooo GOOD!!!!) then got over to the gym. We only had to walk for 25 minutes. We get to the gym, and in the 30 hours or so since we had been in the room, one of the treadmills was broken. So i ended up doing the Elliptical for the 25 minutes - that was ok w/ me - probably burned a few extra calories anyway.
After we got showered, we had lunch at Mama Fu's (YUM!), visited another bike shop (another hour!) and went to OP to pick up Zoe, our niece, for a birthday trip to Busch Gardens! She is just 54" so she was able to ride all the rides. We drove down Sat night and stayed with Barry's cousin.
Sunday we got up about 8:00 and had breakfast and got over to the park about 9:30. It was so fun to watch her experience her first time on roller coasters - after the 3rd time around she was a front row-er only! Especially on Sheikra! There were NO lines and the weather was PERFECT. At one point we had about a 10 minute ride on Montu and she was like, "NUH-UH - we should come back later!" She was definitely spoiled on her first trip! I'll post some pictures tomorrow if i have time.
We got home just before 11. Sunday's workout was 2 miles on the bike, so before we even went into the house we walked over to the gym and did our 2 miles! COMMITMENT!! :)
We were in bed by 12, with the alarm set for 5:30...
Friday, October 17, 2008
It's Not My Head That Should Be Spinning
I spent 2 hours in a bike shop today learning about bicycles. I am blown away... When I agreed to do this triathlon, i didn't think about how much it would cost. Honestly, i didn't even think about the fact that i don't even own a bicycle... ONE bike, after helmets, and shorts, and lights, and car racks... is going to cost about a grand. But - oh yeah! - Barry and I are doing this together. 2 bikes. 2 helmets. 2 shorts. 2 light sets.
Luckily, we only need 1 car rack. :P
Luckily, we only need 1 car rack. :P
Training, Day 4
Uck. So, either i'm more of a wuss than I thought, or this Michael Pate guy knows what he's doing for couch potatoes like me...
Today's training was to Swim 100m and bike 2 miles. Swimming was hard, but I got through it w/o any major complaints. Then I got on the bike. 2 miles. I can do it. I got to about 1.6 miles and was dying... i had to stop for a few seconds. But I was close to the 2 miles, so i pushed through and did it in about the same time i did yesterday (10 min). Yesterday all we did was bike and today I had just swum* 100m plus, so i guess that's an improvement, right?
When we got back to the house I was thirsty so i drank a small glass of water, and then started to feel nauseous. Barry said my sugar was low, so i drank a few ounces of vanilla almond milk. I blaim barry - he kept talking about why i was nauseous... I ran to the bathroom and threw up everything... mostly water, but reminents of last night's yummy dinner too... not so yummy the second time. I got ready for work, but i still feel weak and queasy. Now it's 7:00, - all i have left to do is button my pants... and I sooo don't want to. Is this normal? We didn't even workout an hour! WTF? I've gone 2-3 hours of hard martial arts workouts and not felt this bad. I've gone 14 hours of guard practice and not felt like this...
Oh well, as I always say... "This too shall pass."
*Did I use that right?
Today's training was to Swim 100m and bike 2 miles. Swimming was hard, but I got through it w/o any major complaints. Then I got on the bike. 2 miles. I can do it. I got to about 1.6 miles and was dying... i had to stop for a few seconds. But I was close to the 2 miles, so i pushed through and did it in about the same time i did yesterday (10 min). Yesterday all we did was bike and today I had just swum* 100m plus, so i guess that's an improvement, right?
When we got back to the house I was thirsty so i drank a small glass of water, and then started to feel nauseous. Barry said my sugar was low, so i drank a few ounces of vanilla almond milk. I blaim barry - he kept talking about why i was nauseous... I ran to the bathroom and threw up everything... mostly water, but reminents of last night's yummy dinner too... not so yummy the second time. I got ready for work, but i still feel weak and queasy. Now it's 7:00, - all i have left to do is button my pants... and I sooo don't want to. Is this normal? We didn't even workout an hour! WTF? I've gone 2-3 hours of hard martial arts workouts and not felt this bad. I've gone 14 hours of guard practice and not felt like this...
Oh well, as I always say... "This too shall pass."
*Did I use that right?
Thursday, October 16, 2008
Medical Update
I had another follow up with my Doctor about my PCOS. BTW, I mentioned before how much i like my doctor, right? Well, he's just the sweetest man ever. Gives out hugs at greeting and departure - i love hugs!! Anyway, I digress. (or as Matt LeBlanc said at 6:30 this morning on Married... With Children: "I digest...")
At the appointment, he was not happy with the way my chart is looking - yellow stickers everywhere, meaning, I have mucus almost everyday. I have not had a period since the end of June, and although i've been really good at taking my meds at night, i somehow forget almost every morning. I wasn't aware of this before, but he hadn't actually diagnosed me with PCOS until this week. Now it's offical. :P He also gave me another prescription. Now i'm taking progesterone, every night before bed. I'm grateful they're not shots, but they aren't taken orally either. That makes things interesting... Aparently the progesterone is supposed to jump start my cycle and on the 10th day taking the meds, i should have a period. And he warned me that it'll be a big one. That blows. On the bright side, hopefully i'll have more green days and a strong peak after that. *Crosses Fingers!* He says he would like to see more "I" s on my chart, and more green days would accomplish that. (I think his exact words were: "I'd like to see you have more sex.") Now you see why i like this guy?
On the other end of my body, i had some eye tests done a few weeks ago and the results came back yesterday. I thought I blogged about my eyes before, but to refresh: They're shitty. Not so much: Shitty, I'm almost blind, shitty, but more like: Shitty, If I'm not careful I could go blind, shitty. That's right. Blind. I have unusually shaped rods, which can be a catalyst for Glaucoma. On top of this, i am predisposed to be a 'great' candidate for macular degeneration. So every 6 months i get tested for both. And the most recent tests show I'm borderline for both. This means that for the mac degen, eating healthier and doing what i started to do this week will help. However for the glaucoma, the only thing we can do is catch it early. Once i have it, I'll have to take drops for the rest of my life to prevent blindness. How scary is that? I feel like it's just a matter of when. Luckily I get regular eye exams, i'd never know.
So, ladies and gents, just because you don't feel like you have poor vision, you should get regularly scheduled eye exams. Without tests, Glaucoma isn't noticed until it starts affecting your vision, and then it's too late - it's not reversable.
At the appointment, he was not happy with the way my chart is looking - yellow stickers everywhere, meaning, I have mucus almost everyday. I have not had a period since the end of June, and although i've been really good at taking my meds at night, i somehow forget almost every morning. I wasn't aware of this before, but he hadn't actually diagnosed me with PCOS until this week. Now it's offical. :P He also gave me another prescription. Now i'm taking progesterone, every night before bed. I'm grateful they're not shots, but they aren't taken orally either. That makes things interesting... Aparently the progesterone is supposed to jump start my cycle and on the 10th day taking the meds, i should have a period. And he warned me that it'll be a big one. That blows. On the bright side, hopefully i'll have more green days and a strong peak after that. *Crosses Fingers!* He says he would like to see more "I" s on my chart, and more green days would accomplish that. (I think his exact words were: "I'd like to see you have more sex.") Now you see why i like this guy?
On the other end of my body, i had some eye tests done a few weeks ago and the results came back yesterday. I thought I blogged about my eyes before, but to refresh: They're shitty. Not so much: Shitty, I'm almost blind, shitty, but more like: Shitty, If I'm not careful I could go blind, shitty. That's right. Blind. I have unusually shaped rods, which can be a catalyst for Glaucoma. On top of this, i am predisposed to be a 'great' candidate for macular degeneration. So every 6 months i get tested for both. And the most recent tests show I'm borderline for both. This means that for the mac degen, eating healthier and doing what i started to do this week will help. However for the glaucoma, the only thing we can do is catch it early. Once i have it, I'll have to take drops for the rest of my life to prevent blindness. How scary is that? I feel like it's just a matter of when. Luckily I get regular eye exams, i'd never know.
So, ladies and gents, just because you don't feel like you have poor vision, you should get regularly scheduled eye exams. Without tests, Glaucoma isn't noticed until it starts affecting your vision, and then it's too late - it's not reversable.
The Little Things
I think it's going to be the little things that will make a difference, once i start seeing changes in my body. I thought I'd list a few that i am looking forward to. Give me a comment, or post your own "little things blog" if you can think of some of your "little things"! Hopefully they'll inspire us, or at least make us giggle. :)
- Getting rid of the 'front roll'. It's the phenomena that occurs when I wear pants and the front rolls down to make room for my fat belly.
- Buying tops that have buttons down the front! Or at least wearing them w/o an undershirt, just so i don't flash everyone to my left with the gaping hold between buttons.
- Not feeling tired all the time.
- Having regular periods (TMI? Too bad, it's my blog.)
- Not shopping in the fat girl section (I'm right on the border - 14s are too small, 16s are too big, but 16s are more comfy, so i wear those.)
- getting second looks from strangers. i used to get them much more frequently than i do now.
- Adding "Triathlete" on my list of accomplishments. That'll be sweet.
As I think of more, I'll post more...
Triathlon Training Day 3
Woke up again this morning - that is a plus! I feel very good about this, i don't know what it is. I just really feel that i can create a habit this time. Woohoo! I really hope i maintain my excitement. I think that keeping up with my blog will help.
Training: Today (Thursday) is supposed to be my "off" day, but since we started working out just yesterday, We did Tuesday's workout today. All that was required today was to bike 2 miles. Reading what everyone else has been doing is really making me feel like a wuss, but I guess the program knows best. There's only 1 bike in our gym at our condo, and it's the sit-down kind. I can tell that the bike riding is going to be my crux. I haven't owned a bike since i got one under the Christmas tree from Santa Claus. But i was on the LOWEST setting today and it took everything i had to get through those 2 miles. And i was only on for 10 minutes! I hope the stand-up bike will be easier. While Barry did his turn on the bike i did some sit ups and some light weights.
Diet: I still don't have a solid diet plan, but i am WAY closer. I found the link that Angelle gave a while back from livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ I'm really enjoying this! I put in everything i eat and all the exercise i do and it spits out how I'm doing, complete with pie charts! I'm so Ross Perot when it comes to charts. I learned today that shrimp, other than cholesterol, is pretty good for you! I ate 10 shrimp cocktails a little while ago and learned that a serving of 80 calories has 12 shrimp. So I'm going to go eat 2 more! heehee :)
Another thing I have to be better about is to blog first, read second. I blame that on part of the reason for not being a better blogger in the first place. I'd read all my friends blogs and then it'd be time for bed! Now i will be sure to complete my own before stalking. :)
Training: Today (Thursday) is supposed to be my "off" day, but since we started working out just yesterday, We did Tuesday's workout today. All that was required today was to bike 2 miles. Reading what everyone else has been doing is really making me feel like a wuss, but I guess the program knows best. There's only 1 bike in our gym at our condo, and it's the sit-down kind. I can tell that the bike riding is going to be my crux. I haven't owned a bike since i got one under the Christmas tree from Santa Claus. But i was on the LOWEST setting today and it took everything i had to get through those 2 miles. And i was only on for 10 minutes! I hope the stand-up bike will be easier. While Barry did his turn on the bike i did some sit ups and some light weights.
Diet: I still don't have a solid diet plan, but i am WAY closer. I found the link that Angelle gave a while back from livestrong.com: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/ I'm really enjoying this! I put in everything i eat and all the exercise i do and it spits out how I'm doing, complete with pie charts! I'm so Ross Perot when it comes to charts. I learned today that shrimp, other than cholesterol, is pretty good for you! I ate 10 shrimp cocktails a little while ago and learned that a serving of 80 calories has 12 shrimp. So I'm going to go eat 2 more! heehee :)
Another thing I have to be better about is to blog first, read second. I blame that on part of the reason for not being a better blogger in the first place. I'd read all my friends blogs and then it'd be time for bed! Now i will be sure to complete my own before stalking. :)
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
It's 6:33AM
...and I've completed my first workout and taken a shower. Today was great, but that's probably because it's day one and i was asleep before 11:00 last night. Jumping in the pool was not fun, but i got used to it pretty quickly and realized that i don't have any goggles. I need to add that to my 'things to get' pile, along with some better running shoes and a bike. So today i kept my head above water, which i think made it a more strenuous workout. Walking was boring... my talkative husband only spoke when spoken to - he is definitely NOT a morning person. Next time i'll bring my ipod or figure out the TV in the room.
I really need to figure out a good nutrition program. I don't think i get ENOUGH calories in a day, OR i get too many really shitty calories.
BTW, the straw that broke the camel's back was sunday when i had this to eat:
~Leftover thai food (Duck w/ red coconut curry)
~Leftover Fajita Nachos from LaNopalera Mexian
~5 Honey Garlic Wings from Gators w/ ranch
~Fried Green Beans
~Chili Cheese Nachos
~over a pitcher of Yuengling
~Cup of Funari's Banana Pudding/Brownie Batter Gelato
There. Now it's out in the open. No more eating like that.
I really need to figure out a good nutrition program. I don't think i get ENOUGH calories in a day, OR i get too many really shitty calories.
BTW, the straw that broke the camel's back was sunday when i had this to eat:
~Leftover thai food (Duck w/ red coconut curry)
~Leftover Fajita Nachos from LaNopalera Mexian
~5 Honey Garlic Wings from Gators w/ ranch
~Fried Green Beans
~Chili Cheese Nachos
~over a pitcher of Yuengling
~Cup of Funari's Banana Pudding/Brownie Batter Gelato
There. Now it's out in the open. No more eating like that.
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Triathlon Training, Day #1
Ok, so i didn't actually do any training today. But I'm counting today as day one because my heart and mind are still in it and i did alot of leg work today:
- I got the OK from my doctor. He was glad that i was thinking of doing a program that started slow.
- I decided on my workout schedule: http://www.beginnertriathlete.com/cms/article-detail.asp?articleid=262
- We scoped out our gym. We somehow lost the key to our pool/gym area, which was a huge excuse as to why i haven't been exercising. However, a quick sqeeze through some bars that some hooligan bent apart (Thanks, Hooligan!) and making a copy of our neighbor's key and we are IN!
- I'm still trying to figure out logistics for swimming when it gets cooler outside. I am thinking about going back to school, but if i do that won't be until feb and that's too late. There's only one other gym in the jacksonville area that has an indoor gym, but they're $40/month and 25 minutes away. I mentioned that getting a wetsuit was an idea... that's definitely something to do when it's dark outside! lol
All in all, day 1 i feel has been a good day. We wake up at 5:00 am tomorrow for some walking and swimming!!
Monday, October 13, 2008
OH!
And another bonus: I'm going to be smokin' hot for my cruise in February! Maybe I could wear a bikini??? OOOO I just got tingly!
Triathlon
Barry and I met the Gallers today for a quick visit with lunch at Red Lobster. (Endless Shrimp - yum!) Angelle mentioned that her next big step is to do a triathlon. Her timing in mentioning this was perfect because last night, (while enjoying the 2nd day at Funari's) I was discussing w/ friends what i had eaten that day and needless to say... it was horrible. I did have green beans... but they were battered and deep fried. I started to feel nasty and realized that i really need to change my life - I don't eat right OR work out. I used to do a little of both, but now: NOTHING. Just thinking about it right now is making me nauseous (or maybe it's the gazillion shrimp in my belly right now coupled with 1/2 the boston creme cupcake from Vanilla's for dessert?)... either way it's bad i'm sure.
So, for the first time, I am saying it out loud and in writing:
I am going to train for a triathlon.
Doing it with Angelle next spring will be great motivation - I'll get to visit with friends, have a nice vacation, and have an end goal in mind.
So, i've been online today looking at training programs and things needed. Obviously i'm going to need a bike. Yikes. I was going to use my tax refund to get a new laptop... it may be going towards some new bikes now. Damn. But it's for my greater good, right?
I happen to have a doctors appointment tomorrow. I'm going to get his blessing with this before i start on tuesday, since i am probably 50 pounds overweight.
HOLY SHIT!!! Wish me luck!
So, for the first time, I am saying it out loud and in writing:
I am going to train for a triathlon.
Doing it with Angelle next spring will be great motivation - I'll get to visit with friends, have a nice vacation, and have an end goal in mind.
So, i've been online today looking at training programs and things needed. Obviously i'm going to need a bike. Yikes. I was going to use my tax refund to get a new laptop... it may be going towards some new bikes now. Damn. But it's for my greater good, right?
I happen to have a doctors appointment tomorrow. I'm going to get his blessing with this before i start on tuesday, since i am probably 50 pounds overweight.
HOLY SHIT!!! Wish me luck!
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Class of 1998
Last weekend was my 10 year high school reunion. It started Friday night at a local bar called Square One. I saw a few people I knew from Elementary and Jr High, but didn't hang out w/ them in HS. But, it was fun to talk and have some drinks.
Then Saturday was the actual reunion. Out of a class of about 550 people, only 40 or 50 showed up. Amazingly, i recognized almost all of them, although i was only friends w/ a few. I really was just looking forward to seeing some suprise faces and reconnecting with them. Luckily, i wasn't dissapointed! A friend from band, Chris Cunningham, and his wife came. Honestly, i hadn't thought about him since HS so it was a great suprise to see him. He and a few other friends, along w/ their husbands, hung out and caught up, and then went bar hopping along the beach. Aside from my husband and I getting into it, I had a great time. (that's another blog).
It really was uneventful - no amazing stories. But I got some pictures, and if i remember, i'll put them up tonight. I'm looking forward to digging out the HS ones and comparing. :)
Then Saturday was the actual reunion. Out of a class of about 550 people, only 40 or 50 showed up. Amazingly, i recognized almost all of them, although i was only friends w/ a few. I really was just looking forward to seeing some suprise faces and reconnecting with them. Luckily, i wasn't dissapointed! A friend from band, Chris Cunningham, and his wife came. Honestly, i hadn't thought about him since HS so it was a great suprise to see him. He and a few other friends, along w/ their husbands, hung out and caught up, and then went bar hopping along the beach. Aside from my husband and I getting into it, I had a great time. (that's another blog).
It really was uneventful - no amazing stories. But I got some pictures, and if i remember, i'll put them up tonight. I'm looking forward to digging out the HS ones and comparing. :)
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
A Rare Topic: Politics
So, I'm really not a very politically-opinionated person. The only class in college that I got a "W" in was Political Science. I mean, I have my opinions, but I'm not very good at relaying them. However, a series of unrelated events happened today that got me thinking:
This morning I got a 'forward' from a friend's mom that sends way too many forwards. I normally just delete them but I happened to skim through it today. It was supposedly from David Letterman (which is not true according to snopes.com), who claims to be a Bush basher and one of the 2/3rds of Americans that seem to blame him for everything that's horrible with the US today. Within the email, however, it says (and I paraphrase) that 'Americans are so unhappy, yet we have clean water and electricity, police, fire fighters and emergency workers that are available within minutes, and flat screen TVs and computers in almost every home. All that we have, yet we are ungrateful brats. People love America, but hate Americans. We only think about ourselves. '
Then, as I'm listening to talk radio on the way home, they say to the caller(as they do often), "You're preaching to the choir, son." Which is completely true. I decided to listen to "the other station" for a while and wondered how many people actually do the same. How many people are open minded enough to truly listen and read about both sides and form opinions without the influence of the media. I'd say it's a rare few.
Finally tonight, while again listening to talk radio, there was a story about the inauguration of the new South African President. I thought about how insignificant it was compared to the US Presidential race. How we, Ungrateful American Brats - comprised of only 4-5% of the world's population - are responsible for electing one of the most powerful persons in the world. How sobering. And that thought brought me to my next one: I wonder how the election would turn out if the entire world voted for the American Presidency. Doesn't it seem fitting that they should at least have a partial say before it's all said and done in November?
Just a thought from a non-political American Brat.
This morning I got a 'forward' from a friend's mom that sends way too many forwards. I normally just delete them but I happened to skim through it today. It was supposedly from David Letterman (which is not true according to snopes.com), who claims to be a Bush basher and one of the 2/3rds of Americans that seem to blame him for everything that's horrible with the US today. Within the email, however, it says (and I paraphrase) that 'Americans are so unhappy, yet we have clean water and electricity, police, fire fighters and emergency workers that are available within minutes, and flat screen TVs and computers in almost every home. All that we have, yet we are ungrateful brats. People love America, but hate Americans. We only think about ourselves. '
Then, as I'm listening to talk radio on the way home, they say to the caller(as they do often), "You're preaching to the choir, son." Which is completely true. I decided to listen to "the other station" for a while and wondered how many people actually do the same. How many people are open minded enough to truly listen and read about both sides and form opinions without the influence of the media. I'd say it's a rare few.
Finally tonight, while again listening to talk radio, there was a story about the inauguration of the new South African President. I thought about how insignificant it was compared to the US Presidential race. How we, Ungrateful American Brats - comprised of only 4-5% of the world's population - are responsible for electing one of the most powerful persons in the world. How sobering. And that thought brought me to my next one: I wonder how the election would turn out if the entire world voted for the American Presidency. Doesn't it seem fitting that they should at least have a partial say before it's all said and done in November?
Just a thought from a non-political American Brat.
Saturday, September 27, 2008
FINALLY
I FINALLY got in the mood to organize my spare bedroom. For the last 6 months or more, it's been nothing more than a storage space and looked more like a garage w/ a bed in it than a bedroom. We also have SO much furniture in here, that it's hard to make it look like a usable space. But for the last hour i've gone though most of the junk and the only thing on the floor is the furniture - YAY!!
In going through everything i've found:
In going through everything i've found:
- 3 years of mail, 1/2 not even opened yet.
- my 2006 tax returns
- random books about China - how to speak it, read it, and travel in it.
- A box of shot glasses
- Enough Party Lite candles to burn for a year - straight.
- a cowboy hat
- My Paradigm medals and other random memorabilia
- and last but not least: our video camera! We've been missing it since we moved here. Barry was certain it was lost forever. It was a birthday gift of his and now it's back!! WOOT!!
It's amazing what you'll find when things are actually organized. I'm quite excited. (can you tell?)
NOW all that's left to do is organize the bookshelves and computer area. Ew. i'm not looking forward to this, but if i'm this happy about having the floor clean, just imagine how i'll be when it's all done. :)
I know, you can't contain your excitement either.
Friday, September 19, 2008
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Only To Prove Angelle Right
A) Four places that I go over and over:
1 The Bank
2 Publix
3 Target
4 The Toilet
B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
1 Random People at Work (counts as 1!)
2 Eric King
3 Nichole
4 John McCain (recently... :P)
C) Four of my favorite places to eat:
1 My Mom's
2 Maggiano's
3 Sorbello's
4 Mama Fu's
D) Four places I would rather be right now:
1 My Grandparent's Lake
2 Denmark(to see my sister and her baby & baby belly)
3 The Acupuncturist
4 Turneffe Island Lodge
E) Four people I think will respond:
1 I
2 Have
3 No
4 Idea
(But I tag Laurie, Rhiannon, Erin, Jamie)
F) Four TV shows I watch all the time:
1 Scrubs
2 Mythbusters
3 Diners Drive-ins and Dives
4 Heroes (Sept 22nd!)
1 The Bank
2 Publix
3 Target
4 The Toilet
B) Four people who e-mail me (regularly):
1 Random People at Work (counts as 1!)
2 Eric King
3 Nichole
4 John McCain (recently... :P)
C) Four of my favorite places to eat:
1 My Mom's
2 Maggiano's
3 Sorbello's
4 Mama Fu's
D) Four places I would rather be right now:
1 My Grandparent's Lake
2 Denmark(to see my sister and her baby & baby belly)
3 The Acupuncturist
4 Turneffe Island Lodge
E) Four people I think will respond:
1 I
2 Have
3 No
4 Idea
(But I tag Laurie, Rhiannon, Erin, Jamie)
F) Four TV shows I watch all the time:
1 Scrubs
2 Mythbusters
3 Diners Drive-ins and Dives
4 Heroes (Sept 22nd!)
Thursday, September 11, 2008
Feeling Sorry For Myself?
There are about 5 people on my myspace that are currently expecting a baby. I am unbelievably happy for them. I love children, I love the joy they bring me and I'm not even a mother. I love seeing the little peanut ultrasounds and the "We're expecting!" headlines. I love the joy i read through friends blogs or even just captions of a child's picture written by their mother. I read Laurie's blog about parenting.com and decided to take a gander at the DS baby pictures. Looking at them put tears in my eyes. They are just so beautiful. Children, whether they have DS or are "46-ers" just have a way to show undeniable love through their eyes and smiles.
I really don't want a child right now. I'm not ready yet. Barry and I aren't in a place that we can financially take care of a child. Barry's not in a place mentally that he is ready for a child. I don't know if he ever will be. But I knew that when I married him.
Even if we both were ready and wanted a baby, who knows when it would be before i got pregnant, if i am able to get pregnant at all. (That thought scares me the most.) With my PCOS, things don't seem to be getting any better. Most of that is my fault - the 20 pounds the doctor told me to loose is still sitting on my fat belly. I was doing so well at taking my meds on time and now, since we've been traveling a lot lately, i keep forgetting. I will get back on track with that though.
With all that being said, I have a confession to make: I would be estatic if I got pregnant. I can't help but feel envious of those 5+ people on my myspace. The warmth that must be going through their hearts - i can only imagine it. I've been only imagining it for a few years now. My heart is ready to experience it first hand. If only my head and pocketbook (and husband) would catch up.
I really don't want a child right now. I'm not ready yet. Barry and I aren't in a place that we can financially take care of a child. Barry's not in a place mentally that he is ready for a child. I don't know if he ever will be. But I knew that when I married him.
Even if we both were ready and wanted a baby, who knows when it would be before i got pregnant, if i am able to get pregnant at all. (That thought scares me the most.) With my PCOS, things don't seem to be getting any better. Most of that is my fault - the 20 pounds the doctor told me to loose is still sitting on my fat belly. I was doing so well at taking my meds on time and now, since we've been traveling a lot lately, i keep forgetting. I will get back on track with that though.
With all that being said, I have a confession to make: I would be estatic if I got pregnant. I can't help but feel envious of those 5+ people on my myspace. The warmth that must be going through their hearts - i can only imagine it. I've been only imagining it for a few years now. My heart is ready to experience it first hand. If only my head and pocketbook (and husband) would catch up.
Friday, September 5, 2008
Spirit Air Fiasco
I hope this is the worst that it will be. With Ike coming, i doubt it.
Barry and I are going to NYC this weekend to visit his brother in law and see the city.
A few months back I couldn't confirm my flight, so i was a little tiffed. I blogged about that here. Tonight is the night we drive to Ft. Laudie to catch a flight at 7:05am. Yesterday I went to my booking just to check up on it to make sure everything was kosher - of course it wasn't.
Not only did they change our arriving airport from Long Island's MacArthur Airport to LaGuardia, but they also changed the time of departure from 10:00am to 7:45pm, which gets us in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50pm on Tuesday night. This give me NO time to get to work on Wednesday. There's another day of PTO i have to use as well as try and get coverage for my already short staff. With this news i had a scramble of phone calls. First to the airline to CONFIRM confirm. They actually answered the phone! It was India, but hell, at least it was a person. Then calling the hotel to see if we can change locations - of course I booked a hotel in long island, not near laguardia. No, because it was booked through Priceline, I'll have to talk to them. So on to priceline. I new it was a long shot, but i thought I'd try and save the $300 hotel bill. Amazingly, because of this mix up, priceline was able to refund my hotel COMPLETELY without penalty. (I recommend them to anyone!) After i got that straightened out, i call my brother in law to let him know and to ask him to recommend a good hotel in the city. He's like "Why did you cancel your hotel? You're not going to get a price like that in the city!" Well, shit. Back to pricline.com to try and get another hotel for the weekend. Lo and Behold! I got 3 nights at the Holiday Inn (same place bro-in-law is staying) in Long Island for $80 cheaper! woot!
All in all, its going to work out. I have coverage at the bank for Wednesday, and it actually gives us another 1/2 day in the city. Who knows, we may be there all week with Hurricane Ike headed straight for South Florida. Hopefully we'll have a car to come back to so we can drive home to Jax.
Barry and I are going to NYC this weekend to visit his brother in law and see the city.
A few months back I couldn't confirm my flight, so i was a little tiffed. I blogged about that here. Tonight is the night we drive to Ft. Laudie to catch a flight at 7:05am. Yesterday I went to my booking just to check up on it to make sure everything was kosher - of course it wasn't.
Not only did they change our arriving airport from Long Island's MacArthur Airport to LaGuardia, but they also changed the time of departure from 10:00am to 7:45pm, which gets us in Ft. Lauderdale at 10:50pm on Tuesday night. This give me NO time to get to work on Wednesday. There's another day of PTO i have to use as well as try and get coverage for my already short staff. With this news i had a scramble of phone calls. First to the airline to CONFIRM confirm. They actually answered the phone! It was India, but hell, at least it was a person. Then calling the hotel to see if we can change locations - of course I booked a hotel in long island, not near laguardia. No, because it was booked through Priceline, I'll have to talk to them. So on to priceline. I new it was a long shot, but i thought I'd try and save the $300 hotel bill. Amazingly, because of this mix up, priceline was able to refund my hotel COMPLETELY without penalty. (I recommend them to anyone!) After i got that straightened out, i call my brother in law to let him know and to ask him to recommend a good hotel in the city. He's like "Why did you cancel your hotel? You're not going to get a price like that in the city!" Well, shit. Back to pricline.com to try and get another hotel for the weekend. Lo and Behold! I got 3 nights at the Holiday Inn (same place bro-in-law is staying) in Long Island for $80 cheaper! woot!
All in all, its going to work out. I have coverage at the bank for Wednesday, and it actually gives us another 1/2 day in the city. Who knows, we may be there all week with Hurricane Ike headed straight for South Florida. Hopefully we'll have a car to come back to so we can drive home to Jax.
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