I don't like to stretch

Hey All... good day. 

I'll spare you the reading about how I never blog anymore... you already know that.  I wish I could get back into it, but I just feel like I have nothing to say.

I'm getting old.  I've gained more weight than I want (before COVID even hit) and I'm having a real tough time dropping those extra pounds.  It's sad that the main reason I've even realized I need to drop them is because of some health issues ... nothing major (yet), just some acid reflux that I've never had before and some sciatic nerve pain that I've been dealing with.  

In effort to try and lose some weight I've been working out a few times a week, but haven't really been able to get my eating to change... I don't eat fast food as a rule, but I also don't eat a lot of veggies with every meal.  So I'm not super unhealthy, but I think I just eat more than I should most of the time.  If only I could get portion size under control, I think it would help a great deal.  

The other part is I've been looking up how to deal with this sciatic issue, there will be times when I'm in a certain position and my leg will get tingly and start to feel like it's falling asleep after just a couple seconds.   So there are a whole bunch of stretches that you can do to help and I thought... 'oh, this'll be easy for me to do on breaks at work'... but as I sit here and try to find the right stretches, all I can think is 'ugh, I hate stretching, this sounds like such a chore'.  I think this might make me the odd man out a little bit... I don't think I've ever heard anyone say they don't like to stretch, so that makes me feel silly.  

I know that I have to do it in order to help, but stretching makes me feel uncomfortable and never leaves me feeling much better.  This must be the same reason I don't have the patience for yoga... I've tried that before and could never get into it.

Well anyways, that is all I have to say today.  I hope everyone is staying safe from COVID and gearing up for a winter of quarantine 😠

~Cheers~
Ang

Random Update v16.1

So it's been a hot minute since I've typed a random blog... I'm gonna try to do a random update of sorts.  Lots to be keeping track of in my life right now.  I'm seriously behind.

• Last October (2015) my (maternal) grandfather passed away. 
• Last month (August 2016), his wife, my (maternal) Grandmother, passed away.
• That means, in a span of 15 months, I lost 3 grandparents and a cat.  I'm ready for death to be done.
• In June, I added a little tattoo to my growing collection, in honor of my little buddy (this is his actual print):

• Somewhere around the end of July, we took a jack hammer to our front stairs and began building a patio all by ourselves.  I'll post another blog detailing this patio.. it's pretty cool actually.
  Here is what our house looked like when we moved in:
  
  
  
  
  Here is what our house looks like now (currently under construction still):
  

  
• I have some exciting things coming up in the next few weeks:
• I'm running a Vikings 5k on 10/1 and the finish line is at the 50 yard line of the new home to the Minnesota Vikings (U.S. Bank Stadium)
• After that 5k, I will be boarding a plane with my mom and brother and heading to Portland, OR for a few days!
• I'm going to see Sia on 10/13!!!
• A week after Sia I will be boarding a plane with my favorite group of girls and heading to VEGAS!!
• We also have ticket to see Britney Spears while in Vegas :)
  

I think that is probably about all I've got for now... I"ll put together something regarding the patio, with more detail real soon for your reading pleasure.

~Cheers~

Ang

Isagenix 9 Day Deep Cleanse Review

So I clearly don't blog often anymore, but it's nice to still have it available when I need/want to document something.

I made this crazy decision to try out a cleanse.  I drink the Isagenix IsaLean Meal Replacement Shakes on a daily basis anyhow, so I decided that the Isagenix 9 Day Cleanse was probably the best option for me.

Here is a link to the Cleanse package so you can see what all is included in it.

I'm going to just keep track of my days here.. for fun and for those searching the inter-web for feedback on the cleanse.
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While this cleanse is technically a 9 day cleanse, they do advise a 2 day pre-cleanse to get your body ready for what it's going to go through.  I think this is most important for people who rely on fast foods, eat a lot of fried things, and drink a lot of coffee and/or soda... or at least that is what I assumed.

The 2 types of days are:
Shake Days - you replace 2 meals with a shake and eat one 400-600 calorie low-glycemic meal.  You are allowed to eat the Snacks! that come with the cleanse package as well as celery, carrots, an apple, 1 hard boiled egg a day, and other approved snacks to get you by between meals/shakes.

Cleanse Days - you drink Cleanse for Life 4 times a day and limit your snacking to the Snacks! wafers, celery, cucumbers, and lots and lots of water.
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Day 1 (Pre-Cleanse - Shake Day):
Initial weigh in this morning.
I didn't follow the rules specifically on today, but did somewhat.  I drank 1 cup of coffee in order to try and cut myself back.  I replaced breakfast and lunch with shakes and had healthy snacks between meals.  I also had a balanced meal for dinner following the suggested guidelines.  I did not take the Accelerator capsules today simply because I forgot to bring them to work with me.
I drank a ton of water today, and it was easy to do.
I felt fine today, by the time I was due for my 400-600 calorie meal at 5pm, I was famished and couldn't eat fast enough.
Day 1 survived.

Day 2 (Pre-Cleanse - Shake Day):
Weigh in - down 3 pounds
Today was a bit harder - but I followed it to a T.  I took the capsules, I replaced 2 meals with a shake and I ate a balanced 400-600 calorie meal for dinner.  I didn't feel any different today other than tired... I allowed myself to drink 1 cup of green tea in the late morning.
I drank a ton of water today and it was easy and helpful when I felt hunger pangs.  I decided to add lemon to my water to help with the boredom of a otherwise bland day of food.

These Pre-Cleanse days have not been that bad, I just watch what a eat a bit closer, but I'm still able to eat real food, so that's dope!

Day 3 (Cleanse Day):
Weigh in - down .8# from yesterday (3.8# down total)
I was scared to drink the Cleanse for Life.. thinking it would taste like cough syrup, but surprisingly it wasn't that bad.  I drank it straight and chased it with water.  I felt full until I was due for my first snack at 9am... I devoured that wafer, and it wasn't that bad.  I'm learning that if you let it sit and absorb some wetness from your mouth, it's less chalky to bite into.  That helps.  The morning is dragging on this day.. I keep checking the schedule to make sure I'm not missing some food milestone.
Several times I've told myself to just quit.  I want food.  My water is depressing, even with lemon in it.
I made it to 'lunch', which is just another 4oz of Cleanse for Life... yay.  Oddly, it does take away the hungry pangs, not sure if it's supposed to or if I'm just so desperate that I imagine that it is... maybe it's the wafer.
I took my lunch break and went for a walk at the park, even just a quick 10 minute walk in the sunshine was helpful.  I'd never want to do this cleanse in the winter when I can't be outside.

After work I came home and cleaned both bathrooms, keeping busy is helping.  Steve sat next to me and ate dinner while I watched.  That was hard.  In his defense, he did ask if he could eat at home or if I wanted him to leave.
It's Thursday night and football is on... I've never paid so much attention to pizza commercials.  Damn, that shit looks so good!

Today's lesson: celery tastes AWFUL without ranch, blue cheese, or PB.

I went to bed at 8:45pm (my normal goal bedtime is 9:00pm).

Day 4 (Cleanse Day):
Weigh in - down 1.8# from yesterday (5.6# down total)
I weigh in each morning and have to do a double take... I step on the scale over and over to be sure that it's not just messing with me.  Sure enough, each time it reads the same.  I'm fearful that whatever I lose will just hog-pile back on once I am back to a normal routine.  However, everything I've read and from what I've been told this cleanse is telling my body that it's okay to burn fat... so hopefully what I'm losing is all FAT!

On to the day... today is the second cleanse day and I woke up feeling pretty okay, I don't feel like I'm sleeping any better or worse.  I decided to not follow the timeline that I was given in the schedule, and by that I simply mean that I moved the times around.  I start work early and the timeline didn't give me my first intake until long after I woke up.  So it was helpful to do it on my own timeline.  I'll remember this for when I have my next 2 cleanse days next week.

It's Friday and I worked until 11:30am; I came up with this grand plan to come home and pre-make all my meals for the next 5 shake days.  So, I drove to the grocery store and purchased everything I needed to plan.  Surprisingly I wasn't tempted by ANYTHING at the store.  Hell, I even bought $15 worth of groceries for the food drive that was happening at the store (canned veggies and cereal, as requested on the list).  I came home and started cooking... normally on a Friday, I come home and nap.  Today... I was cooking and realized I felt amazing.  I felt energized.  I felt alive.  So I continued to cook.  I made a Southwest Turkey Meatball Skillet (meatballs from scratch) and a really yummy looking Quinoa with Feta and Tomatoes (I added Black Beans) and I also cooked up a few chicken breasts.  Enough for 5 meals plus some leftover for Steve to eat too.

I hate giving up my naps, so I decided to try and sleep.  I was successful for about 30 minutes (which is short for me).

I'm still feeling pretty good.  The hunger pangs haven't been as bad today.  I'm honestly surprised by how much I feel that I CAN complete these 9 days.  It's a complete 180° from my mood and mindset yesterday.

Oddly, I like today.

Day 5 (Shake Day):
Weigh in - down 2.2# from yesterday (7.8# down total)
Sorry for the long ass post yesterday, I was riding a high, for sure.  I went to bed at like 10pm and woke up at like 9am today.  Not bad.
I feel good today, not hungry at all.  I thought for sure I'd wake up and crave that breakfast shake like it was the last meal I'd ever eat.  Not so, I woke up and made the shake and drank it like any other day I have a shake.  It didn't taste overly good to me, but it was welcome in my tummy.  I drank my daily cup of green tea this morning while Steve had delicious looking eggs, sausage and toast... not to mention coffee.  I'm definitely jealous of his being able to drink the joe... I love that stuff.
Dinner is right around the corner and I'm excited to eat, just to have some normal food and feel stuffed.
I don't have as much energy as yesterday, but I still feel good.  I thought about maybe trying to do some yoga, but ... I'm not sure I have it in me.  Not the energy, but the patience. Not a patient person and yoga is a patient practice.

Day 6 (Shake Day):
Weigh in - down 0# from yesterday (7.8# down total)
Today was hard, but mostly because I went to a Twins Baseball game... and it's hard to not drink beer and eat hot dogs.
I had my 1st shake for Breakfast and opted to eat my meal for lunch, thinking that if I went to the ballpark stuffed, it would be easier.  It was for the most part.
We went out to a bar afterwards (my own choice, I knew I could resist alcohol).. the only problem here was that we were there so long my dinner shake ended up being like 3 hours late, which... sucked.  Other than that it was a normal day.
Based on my weigh in of nothing up/nothing down in pounds this morning, I did decide to jump on my elliptical for a half hour this morning, so it felt good to do something (I'm nursing a foot injury, so it was a trial workout).

Day 7 (Shake Day):
Weigh in - up 0.8# from yesterday (7# down total)
AM Update: It was super frustrating to have worked out yesterday, restrain from eating garbage and drinking a bunch of beer only to be up in weight this morning.  I know it's only .8#, but I did NOTHING yesterday that should warrant being up.
It's Monday, so I'm back at work, I'd barely been here for 20 minutes and I'm getting emails and phone calls about shit, my boss called in sick (which means I have to cover)... I feel like I'm already crabby today.  Everything just isn't starting out on the right foot.
This cleanse is harder to do at work... I'm so easily distracted and it's so easy to want to snack and be bad.  We have candy everywhere.
The one thing that could be factoring into this is I think my lady time is due in a few days... which usually causes some flux in weight, typically up, never down.  Sometimes my mood is affected by it.
Early PM update: I still feel crabby today.  I, again, decided to eat my meal for lunch, I just think it's easier to feed myself mid day vs. waiting until the evening.  I'm convinced that it's not the cleanse making me crabby, but I guess you never know.
I feel tired today too... I stayed up late last night watching football.  I lost, or will lose, both of my fantasy match ups this week and I'm sure that's not helping the mood at all.
Blargh.  This is all I'm going to type today, no point in dwelling on it.

Day 8 (Shake Day):
Weigh in - 0# difference from yesterday (7# down total)
Tuesday today... nothing major to report from today other than I feel like my life is falling apart, but not because of the cleanse.  I have posterior tibial tendinitis from running and at my Doctor appt today, I was put in a walking boot.  neat.
This day is dumb.
Still on the cleanse, going fine, on the homestretch! (<-- there was no honest enthusiasm behind that exclamation point)

Day 9 (Shake Day):
Weigh in - down 0.4# from yesterday (7.4# down total)
Morning Update: First full day in a walking boot.  Turns out this blog isn't so much about my cleanse, but my actual life - sorry to anyone coming here just looking for cleanse facts.
Today is my last shake day, after today I get to cleanse for 2 days and then I'm done and can eat whatever the hell I want.  I'm so excited to not have to think so hard about meals and to not have to worry about is it 'time' for my shake/meal yet, I'll just be able to be a normal person in a walking boot.
While my gut (no pun intended) wants me to eat chicken wings and huge breakfast feasts... I don't think I'll be up for it when the time comes.
However, I do want sushi... and I want it first thing Saturday Morning - breakfast sushi anyone?
Afternoon Update: I'm crabby.  I seriously cannot wait for this crabbiness to go away.  PMS?  maybe.  Cleanse?  possibly.  Walking Boot?  Absolutely.

Day 10 (Cleanse Day):
Weigh in - up 0.2# from yesterday (7.2# down total)
My spirits are much improved today.  Again, not sure if it was the cleanse or my monthly visitor being around the corner or my foot thing.  All combined, I'm sure.
Whatever - that was the past.
Today is a new day... this cleanse day hasn't been as bad as last Thursday.  Tomorrow is another cleanse day, and even if it's the worst day of my life, I know that I'm not going to quit.  So I've pretty much already beat this thing... (can I have some pie now?)

Day 11 (Cleanse Day - FINAL DAY!!):
Weigh in - down 1.2# from yesterday (8.4# down total)
I had a dream last night about food.  I could finally eat again, and the first place I go is McDonalds... and I order Chicken Nuggets and French Fries.  oy vey.
I've decided the thing I'm most excited for is coffee.  I haven't had coffee in 10 days.  It's not a huge deal, I've been fine without it (I gave up coffee for 11 months about 2 years ago), but I LOVE it so much that I simply can't wait to take a sip.  Just one itty bitty sip will make my life complete.
So it's early when I'm typing this, but I feel really good today.  My mood is still way better than earlier this week, I don't feel hungry, the boot is becoming more... livable.
Today is my last day, so I know I've got this... but I'm REALLY excited to just be a normal meal eater again.  I'm not gonna splurge, just gonna eat.
I'll do one more check in with totals.

Day 12 (FINAL NUMBERS):
Weigh in - down 2# from yesterday (10.4# down total)
Measurements:
down .5" in the neck
down 1.5" in the bust
down 1.5" in the waist
down .5" in the abdomen
down 1" in the hips/buttocks

My arm and leg measurements didn't change enough, up or down, to note, so I'll save you the reading.

Overall, I'm glad I did this cleanse, if for no other reason than to show myself I can do it and can be disciplined.  Being down 10# is huge, for anyone, but I'm not getting my hopes up yet, until I see if any comes back on from normal eating.

I will say that as a rule, I don't eat a lot of fast food and over the last year of trying to lose weight I've cut back a lot on how much fried foods I eat.  I've also been getting in more activity on a regular basis, so I think my results on this cleanse are probably different than someone who eats fast food and never gets exercise as part of their regular life.  Meaning, I already had my metabolism kicked up, so this just gave it the extra boost.

I'm happy to answer any question that people may have, so please, feel free to ask!  

Thanks for reading, and sorry for the super long post!

Posterior Tibial Tendonitis

So ... here's me:

Over the summer I've taken up running... I ran a couple 5k's:

I've continued to run and have 2 more 5k's coming up (Halloween and Thanksgiving).

In the process of this I obviously go for runs... well, one run was just too much.
Afterwards I was in quite a bit of pain... in my left heel area.  I automatically assume Planters Fasciitis and think great... all this training and commitment and this is what I get.  To be honest I worry about getting PF quite often, my mom and my brother both have it and it seems to be the common ailment for people these days.

I decide to wait a week and see if the pain goes away on it's own.  It doesn't.  Steve told me I need to go in.
I couldn't even walk up or down the stairs like a normal person.

So I go in.

I'm diagnosed with Posterior Tibial Tendonitis - yay.
There are 2 ways of dealing with this:
1. Custom Orthotic Inserts (longer healing time)
2. Walking boot (faster healing time)

I'm leaving for NYC in like a week... I opt for the boot.  Essentially it immobilizes the tendon so it doesn't move at all, allowing it to heal.  I have the orthotics on order anyhow, as the doc suggested wearing them when I run, and I will likely take them to NYC with me.  But until the morning I leave to get on that plane... I'm in a boot!

That's all.  Just wanted to share.

Thoughts for Tuesday...

For some reason I got to thinking about my past relationships last night in the shower... maybe it's because I was texting with an ex.

For the most part I've managed to end most of my relationships on good terms; no bad blood, no dirty laundry, and able to truly remain friends; we just understand that it's time for the relationship to be over on that level.  I have a few exes that I've remained in contact with and there are certain things I miss about the relationship, sure, but it's never enough for me to desire having that relationship back.

The reason I'm writing this is I got to thinking about my very last relationship before Steve... it would have been happening during my years of blogging... I don't think I wrote much about it or about the guy, but he entered my mind last night and I realized that I miss nothing about him or that relationship.  It dawned on me that it probably wasn't the best relationship to begin with if I didn't grieve over losing him .. I think I was sad for like a week, if even.  I think there are several factors that play into that; he lived in a different state being number one.  I was used to not having him around, so what's the difference now?  We just don't talk on the phone or email anymore.

It wasn't an abusive relationship, but I think him being older than me made him want to change me into someone sophisticated enough to be with him.  That isn't how I roll.  At the time, I thought I was in love, and maybe I was, so I went along with it and wore the clothes he wanted when we were together, or acted a certain way in a certain setting... overall, everything about that was not me.  I've never been one to confirm to anything .. for anyone!

Needless to say, I'm very happy that relationship has ended and he and I have exchanged hello's a few times over the years and he seems to be happy in his life, I'm very happy that he is.. what person doesn't deserve happiness, right?  It's probably the easiest end to a relationship I've ever been a part of... it's always sad to part ways, but when it's truly not meant to be, it's so much easier.

Anyhow... I'm not sure I have a point here, it's just something that felt good to acknowledge to myself and thought it was worth documenting.  It's hard to know it at the time, but usually things that come to an end do so for a valid reason.

I Feel Stuck

I know that some people are still subscribed to my blog, but not nearly as many people are reading it as what used to.  I'm so okay with this.  I like the idea of having my blog back to the simple days.  I like being able to write and not have a ton of people reading or feeling like I have to produce some epic post to get blog hits.

Somewhere along the line I lost my blog to my readers.

I'll be honest, I don't read any blogs anymore - I may happen across one or two from time to time and scroll a page or two in, but I just don't have the desire for the 'community' aspect of it anymore.

This, however, is not what I wished to write about when I first opened this new post.

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I feel stuck in a rut.  I get in these from time to time and I always get out... but I feel like it's been a LONG time since I've been here.

I've been trying to lose weight for a few months and I was doing a good job for the most part - not dropping too much, but enough to notice a difference.  I've been counting my calories and trying to workout more.
I feel like I've been doing some serious emotional eating the past 1-2 weeks and, while I've tried to make good decisions of what I put in my body, I'm eating more calories than I should be.
I might chalk some of this up to my monthly visitor, but overall, I know what I'm doing is within my own power to stop.

The other thing is that I'm not sleeping well as of late.  It's been a pretty emotional couple of weeks for me with my Gma's passing... for some reason I just can't get to bed at a decent time and when I do, I simply don't sleep well.  Today at work, before I even had my first cup of coffee, someone said to me "You look tired today"... real nice.  I've felt tired all week and it's just made me super crabby.  I feel like I have no real interest in seeing or spending time with people... I don't want to be crabby towards others.  I just want to be a hermit... curled up in a ball in the corner somewhere.  Sadly, every day this week I've thought long and hard about having a cigarette; I haven't smoked since 2009.

To top it all off I can't wrap my head around the fact that my gma is gone.  Some moments I want to bawl, other moments I want to be around as many people as possible, and sometimes I just want to run away and be alone.  More than anything I just want to cry... but I don't because I feel like I need to be strong.

Maybe this is grieving?

Love

At what point do you realize you love somebody in your life?  I'm not talking about falling in love, but the family or closeness kind of love that you feel for a new family member or a best friend.

I feel like I want to tell people I love them a lot.  Maybe that's because my heart is so open and full, I have a lot to give in that department (I owe that to my Gma).

I have friends whom I've had forever and I truly love them - I know this to be true.  Not sure at what point I crossed over into that world of love, but my feelings for them are so deep and true.

Then you have people who come into your life through family measures - maybe you have a relative who begins dating someone and ends up getting married to that person, when do you form a love with that person, again, not being in love with them, but just having love for them?

How do you know what love is when it's not being in love?

Hey!

Just stopping by to say hello... is anyone still out there watching for my posts?

29 days and I'll be a wife!!

Hi all.

I’m still alive – and I’m getting married in 4 weeks and 1 day!

Things are going well for the most part – my bachelorette party is tomorrow!  We’re having the party at my house, so I’ve been frantically trying to get our house in order – which… when you’re planning a wedding is not an easy thing to do.  There is stuff all over the place.  Especially after having 2 bridal showers already too!  I’ve got a bathroom to clean tonight and a main floor to vacuum… other than that, I’m all set!

One of the main reasons I mention being frantic… I’ve had 2 migraines this week. L

One came on Sunday, 10am.  As I was eating breakfast, I started to have blind spots… which is my normal onset of a migraine… I few hours later we had my niece, Cayden’s, 3^rd birthday party (crazy she is already 3, eh?!)… so … as you can imagine, that was rough.

The other migraine was on Wednesday morning.  I woke up at my normal time and I was eating breakfast, when the blind spots hit again.  I told Steve that either my eyes are not yet awake or I’m getting another migraine.  I wish my eyes had been sleepy still… I ended up staying home from work on Wednesday with a pretty killer headache.  I wasn't very good either, while I should have been resting, I spent too many hours at our desktop computer getting our wedding playlists set up.  Shame on me.

Enough negative.

Oh wait… one more thing –

Our final date to RSVP was on May 1^st.  It blows my mind how many people didn’t RSVP.  Then when we contact them, a lot of them are saying no… so it’s almost like they expect us to know they are not coming based on the fact that they didn’t RSVP?  Boggles my mind, I tell ya. 

However, some people are saying yes … which doesn’t really agree with that theory.  We gave people 2 months to get the RSVP in, and it was easy to do – they either go online and do it or call me and let me know.  Simple, right?

So, needless to say, we’re still tracking people down to find out if they are coming and if we have to feed them.  Oy vey.

Other than that the wedding planning is going brilliantly.  I’d say I’m pretty well ready.  I had my final dress fitting this week (a day that I didn’t have a migraine), that was fun because I was able to finalize my jewelry as well! 

What else…?

Got any questions about the wedding?  Ask them in the comments and I’ll try to answer them all.  I talk so much about the wedding in real life that I no longer know what people want to know and what I’m just blabbing about!

It’s amazing how much goes into planning a wedding and how much the price of something can SKYROCKET because it is for a wedding. 

Ok, ok… that’s all I've got for this morning.

How is everyone?  I miss my blogging friends (I’ll be honest; I've been a BAD bloggy reader as of late!).

New Job

People have been asking how the new job is going... it's going.  Any new job is tough at first; having to learn new inventory code, new systems, new processes, new names.  It's never 'easy'.  I tend to be pretty hard on myself and set my own standard pretty high... so I get frustrated easily.  I need to let off myself and just know that it will come to me.

Now... that being said, that's just the job portion.

My own personal schedule has changed so much, and I am really struggling to find my new schedule.  I used to get up around 5am and get dressed and head right to work.  Now I get up around 7am, but I don't have to be to work until 9am.  Also, I'm used to coming home and unwinding with my kitty for a bit before Steve got home.  Now I get home and Steve's already here.  Not that it's a bad thing coming home to him, I do love it, I just need to adjust to that is how it is.  My kitty isn't home lonely looking for me, he's already been loved.

Not to mention, I work Friday's now!

It's just hard.

I'm a creature of habit and I'm used to my schedule... now I have to adjust and re-figure that all out.  I could NEVER EVER have a work schedule that I had to wait from week to week to see what my hours were going to be - I don't know how some of you do it.

Anyhow - just wanted to update everyone... I'm getting there with the new job... overall, I'm just happy to be sleeping better and be happier that I no longer have to deal with the bullshit that was my other employer.

Moving On

I think I've made it clear in my blog that I'm unhappy at my current job.  I've been applying and handing in my resume EVERY.WHERE.
I've been on a bogus interview or two.
I never gave up.

Over the last two weeks I've been communicating with a company 12 miles from my house.  I had a first interview, then I had a second interview.  Then they asked me to come in for a couple of hours, paid, to get a feel for the company and see if we'd all be a good fit.

On Monday I received an email, asking me to come in to discuss a job offer.

Today, I gave my 2 week notice and my last day with this company will be Nov. 21st.  I begin a new journey on Monday, November 26th.

I'll still be doing office/administrative work.  It's still a small company.  I'll have to start working on Friday's - which.. will be interesting.  However parts of me feel like giving up 10 hour days will be a welcomed change.. .then the other part of me says '10 hours only seems long because it's such a miserable place to work'.

Oh well.  It's a necessary change.

Today, I told my favorite co-worker, Bob.  I cried.  He cried after he walked away from me.  We are both so miserable here, we are each others only saving grace.  I feel so awful to be leaving him alone in this - however.. I have to do what is best for me.

Bittersweet.

The timing is perfect.  Tomorrow my mom and I leave for a long weekend (Th-Sun) in La Jolla, CA (just North of San Diego).  I plan to relax and hopefully catch up on some of that sleep that I haven't been getting for a few months now - only I'll be sleeping on the beach instead of in a bed :)

Thoughts For Thursday: Scent Memories

One of the best things about living in a 'small town' is most of the time you have a straight up meat market - and I'm not talking a meat counter at the grocery store - I'm talking about a stand alone building that sells pretty much nothing but meat.
I love meat.  I won't lie.

Let me take you back...
When I was a little girl, I lived N.E. Minneapolis and our local butcher/meat market was Ready Meats - every time we were to have meat for dinner I would BEG to go with whichever of my parents were making the run to Ready's.
Walking into that place is something I won't likely ever forget... every time you walk in you're greeted with, not only a friendly staff, but the wonderful meat market smell.
The other reason I always loved going to the meat market is because my parents would always let me get a string cheese - BEST DAY EVER!  String cheese is the BOMB.

You know how they say a smell can bring you back to a memory?

Back to the little town I live in.  We have Anoka Meats, and boy are we lucky; best little meat market ever.  The other day I walked in to grab some ground beef for tacos (yep, we still used ground beef, haven't quite jumped on the ground turkey bandwagon yet) and the smell instantly brought me back to when I was a kid, walking into that meat market with my parents, smelling the smell and getting my string cheese.

It's a wonderful memory, for many reason.

I've yet to pickup a string cheese from our local meat market as an adult.. I don't think I want to ruin that childhood memory, so I probably never will.

Do you have a memory that pops up based on a smell?  Tell me about it - I have many more that I'll write up on soon!

I don't get it

I have a 'friend' on facebook who claims she's done a Playboy and Maxim photo shoot.  Now... this girl used to be the sweetest thing ever, we went to Elementary School together and found each other on Facebook.  Sometimes that's a mistake you know.

Anyhow - she's a completely different person, and I'm not saying people can't change... BUT, she claims this is all natural.  Her boobs... no way.  Her dark hair when it used to be blonde, maybe.. but it doesn't look real.  I just have a hard time buying her whole bit.

So she has this album on facebook that has probably 12 photos of her supposed photo shoots with these various mags.  Only problem is they either don't show her face, look NOTHING like her (and I'm not talking air-brushed), or have smudged parts of her face which would be a clearly identifying point.

I look at these photos and think how the hell can this girl claim this is her and why would you even want to do that?  I just don't get it.

Parts of me want to just post a seemingly innocent comment on one of the pics about how it looks nothing like her... (let her take it however she wants).  One dude posted on the photo with the entire nose smudged out asking why it looks like there is a smudge on her face - she didn't say anything in reply to that comment.  So... maybe my idea wouldn't amount to much.

As a matter of fact, I'm going to post that photo here and just ... i don't know, see what you think - even though you've never seen this girl, isn't it a bit odd to post this on facebook and claim it's you?

I wish I could post a pic here and have you tell me what you think, but I feel like that's going too far.

Now, I'm not saying she didn't have photoshoots with these mags, and honestly, I don't care if she did or not.  I just don't get why she'd post pics online claiming they are of her when they are clearly not.  What's wrong with people?

That's really all I've got.  Sorry this is such a lame post and completely about someone else, someone you don't even know!

Coming Soon

So, recently I've been itching to have a VHS tape (yep, I still have some) transferred to DVD.  So the other day I finally got off my ass and went into Costco with it.  Well, they quickly turned me away telling me they need some sort of copyright release.. BS.  I was pissed.

So what is the video, you ask?  Let me tell you.
In 1999 (13 years ago) I went to Cancun Mexico.  During that trip I swam with dolphins - one of the highlights of my life!  I have a dolphin tattoo, so that means I really love them ;)
Anyways - I convinced my mother to purchase the tape for me... and for the last 13 years I've just held onto it showing people every so often.  In more recent years I've held onto it with no way to watch it; I got rid of my VCR long ago!

Well, after I left Costco all pissed off because It was 13 years ago, why on Earth would I have a copyright release?! I went online to contact the lovely people in Cancun.  I used their company 'contact' form telling them what I was looking to do and a couple of short days later, I receive an email from them with a copyright release form!!!!!

Head held high and copyright release in hand, I walk back into Costco and hand over the tape without offering my release form right away.  I wanted to see what this employee would tell me.
Costco Employee: I assume this tape is not what the cover says?
Me: No, it is what it says it is
CE: We can't copy this ma'am, it's a professional video and it's copyrighted.
Me: I have the copyright release right here
CE: Oh.


 From that point forward I'm pretty sure he hated his life - it's like I walked into an ice cream shop and asked for a malt/shake (having many friends who worked for DQ, I know how much they hated when someone ordered a malt/shake).  He finished helping me, but it was seriously like I was the devil to him and asking to have a VHS converted to DVD is THE WORST thing I could have ever asked for.

All of this being said - he told me that in about a week I should receive an email telling me that my video is available online (they give you a free 90 online preview of it).  So once that's up and running... I do plan to share it with you all!  Oh happy days!

I was 17 when that video was shot.  I haven't watched it myself in probably 7 years!  I'm kind of excited!  Stay tuned...

Update via pictures

I figured since I really have nothing to write about I should go through my phone camera and post some of the stuff we've been up to, in NO particular order!

First and foremost, in case you don't make it all the way through this post, I'll post the most important thing first.

A couple weeks ago we took a bottle of Stoli vodka and a pineapple.  Cut up the pineapple placed it in a big drink dispenser poured the vodka in and let it sit for just over a week.  Now some just drink this on ice (called a Stoli Doli), but we had other plans for it.  There is a restaurant in Duluth that makes a drink (which name escapes me) - it's a muddled cucumber, a shot of pineapple infused vodka, sprite and a splash of soda.  Sounds odd, but it's seriously amazing, especially for summer - extremely refreshing!  My brother made a variation of it by putting soda with a splash of sprite (less sugar, great idea!).  He said it was probably the best drink he's ever had... and coming from my brother, that is saying a lot!

You should probably get off your ass and give it a shot.  You don't even know you're drinking, it's gold.

What else?  Have I told you that Steve and I celebrated 3 years together?  I think I mentioned it was coming, we'll it's come and gone.  On our anniversary (it was a Friday), I went downtown Minneapolis and we had food truck lunch, yum!  We went to Solera that night for dinner, a first for both of us, and delicious.  We also stopped by a little restaurant for a rhubarb dessert sampling - I'm a sucker for rhubarb anything.

We also tried a new burger at home - Steve is in love with Pizza Luce pizza's... so he wanted to see if we could make a burger to taste the same.  This burger has garlic mashed potatoes, tomatoes, scallions, and feta on it.  It was good, but the pizza is WAY better.  Yes, garlic mashed potato pizza.  I need a Pizza Luce fix!

This past weekend we spend a fortune on a number of things - we got the items pictured below - 2 floor lamps that look like the top pic, and 2 boxes of tiles (second pic) to make a backsplash in our kitchen.  Both items were normally very expensive - we got the lamps for $50/each (Tiffany lamps) and the tiles were normally $28/sheet, we got them for $5.00/sheet - SCORE.

We also purchased (not pictured) 7 sheets of Oak veneer - which will hopefully be enough to fix the oak table we have along with the newest item we've added to our collection of antique family pieces (the picture is when it was still at my aunts house with stuff all over it, but you get the point of what it is) - it's an Oak buffet, which may or may not go with out oak table, no one knows if they are a set - BUT these pieces were in the house my dad and aunts grew up in for their entire lives... and now I have them both.  The best part is hopefully we purchased enough veneer to restore them both to their original beauty!

The veneer is like 60 years old (both pieces are older than that), so we're hoping it will look right on theses pieces.  This stuff retails for upwards of $30/sheet... we got it for $10/sheet!

So we spent a lot this weekend, but saved a ton too!

Pam's shower and bachelorette party were a success - obviously, if I'm involved in planning, it's bound to be a success!  Here is the bride and her ladies:

Lastly, I'll leave you with a photo of my adorable kitty snoozing on the couch (yes, I'm aware he is overweight):

That's all for now people!

What do you expect?!

Quick, super quick, like stealth little ninja quick... update on my life.

We made it back from New York - New York City was simply amazing!  Just as I expected.  I do have pictures, and I will post them (I know you've heard that before, but I really will!!).  Steve loved it, he's obsessed with the Subway system there; can't say I blame him.  I'll most more on that once I have my pics on my computer.

I changed offices last week - I still work for the same company :( but because we are merging with another company, we are rearranging some of the office staff - myself and my co-worker, Bob, moved our spaces to Elk River.  Which is about 20 minutes closer to my house!  My commute is now 15 minutes!  That is about the only bonus of that.  I just moved down on Thursday of last week, so I have really had much time to soak it all in... but the one thing I have noticed already is that I'm super fucking lonely.  Before I sat in an office with open walls and we could talk (work or personal) whenever we wanted, now I'm all alone in a little space - well here, let me snap a pic with my phone:

So, that view is what you see walking in the front door - I sit behind that desk.  excuse the mess, I just moved ;)
To the right, is the offices of the company we are merging with - to the left is the offices of the company we share the space with, also a vendor of ours.  Straight back (to the right of the desk) is the bathrooms and a door to the plant/warehouse.  I also sit right next to the lunchroom.
ALL ALONE.  People walk through randomly, say hello, and carry on.  I really feel like I'm going to go crazy - before I could hear every conversation whether I wanted to or not.. now I don't even get to hear people talk about what they had for dinner last night :(

Moving on... what else has been going on?
My #2 niece, Cayden, turned 2 at the end of April - she's a fricken doll.
My bestie, Pam, is getting married at the end of June, so lots of stuff going on with that (showers, bach parties, etc.) - all the planning is going super awesome, finally!
It's our last week at Kettlebells this week... talk about an ass kicking!  Hey-Zeus!
Steve and I will celebrate 3 years on June 1

That's it for now.  Just wanted to check in and let you know I'm alive!

Cooking Class

Back on December 16 I turned 30... the BIG 3-0!!
My wonderful aunt told me that her gift to me was a cooking class at a little store here in MN called Kitchen Window - I posted about it here.

Well... somewhere along the line that class was cancelled because of low participation.  lame.  Because it was bound to be amazing.

We rescheduled and last night was our class.  I don't have pictures (dirty hands don't take good photos!), but I do have the class description:

Whether it’s a hearty swordfish steak or the local catch of the day, fish is wonderful on the grill. But cooking it takes some care. Because fish cooks quickly, it’s easy to overcook, and to lose delicate flavor and texture. This hands-on class will show you the way to fabulous fish every time – and you’ll get some great recipes as well. You’ll learn how to use different smoking woods to add flavor to your fish; the merits of gas vs. charcoal grills; and how to build a sauce. To kick things off, we’ll enjoy SMOKED SCALLOP TOSTADA with PICO DE GALLO & CREMA FRESCA. We’ll learn how to shuck oysters for BLACK PEPPERCORN SMOKED OYSTERS. We’ll follow that with SUGAR CANE SHRIMP with FRUIT SALSA and STUFFED CALAMARI – whole calamari filled with a savory stuffing and grilled to perfection. We’ll cook two kinds of fish: GRILLED ARCTIC CHAR with VERMOUTH COMPOUND BUTTER & GRILLED GREEN BEANS; and CRUSTED MAPLE-PLANKED HALIBUT, which will show you how much flavor a simple piece of wood adds to your cooking. For dessert, we’ll make STRAWBERRY-ORANGE S’MORES – grilled shortbread with Cointreau, strawberries and charred marshmallow.

The class was a 'grill masters' class, so they focus more on the grilling vs that basic chop some onion now type of thing - all the ingredients for our sauces or stuffing were pre-measured (which I like because going to a class to chop onion does not sound like a good time when I cry 5 seconds into cutting an onion).  We just mixed everything together and go about grilling the stuff.

It was an absolute wonderful time!  We drank wine while we cooked, mingled with the other cookers, and enjoyed being together - aunt and niece.
Not only do I have wonderful memories of the night, but now I have a good seafood market to go to when I want to get some good stuff :)  oh, and the skill to grill it :)

Lift me!

I'm having a bad day... is it too much to ask my readers, or should I say commenters, to lift my spirit?  Tell me a story. do a random act of kindness recently?  tell me about it.  have a cute story about an old person?  I wanna hear it.  win the lottery recently?  how much are you up? know a way to offer a virtual hug?  do it.  show me your boobs.

I don't care what you do - just do it... please.

Thanks.

Random v12.1

1. Do you ever find it impossible to tell someone how much you really love them?

2. I'm sick.  I can't wait to be able to breathe through my nose again.

3. I'm throwing up the white flag to 2012.  I surrender.

4. "Buzz words" used by people make me hate the person without a second thought.  Synergy, Team, Outside the Box... vomit.

5. I don't do fashion.  I don't wear cute outfits. I see people pinning outfits on Pinterest... it's so over my head.

6. I'm obsessed with Zoya nail polishes.  IN the past few months, I've purchased so many that I've had to start a list so I know which ones I have.  I've also taken advantage of their twitter promo codes during December... I've not paid full price for one bottle, even if you include shipping.  Matter of fact, I've paid about half price for every bottle I have.  Their Spring "True" collection is to die for.

7. My dad and I have a handshake... one we've spent years perfecting.  It's complete and has been for many years... I want to tattoo it on my body, but how do you tattoo a handshake?

8. Do you have a bucket list?  If you do, and you have it published (on a blog or somewhere), can you link me to it in the comments?  I like to read other peoples bucket lists.  I find them quite fascinating.

9. When was the last time you Googled yourself?  You should probably do it now.  While you're at it, Google Image yourself too... what page do you first appear on?  I pop up on page one.  I have a unique last name, so all my hits are me and not someone with the same name.

10. I love the home I live in, but having a cat and having a lot of wood (hardwood floors, wood trim, wood build-in's) makes for too much cleaning.

11. I know it's part of nature and part of life, but I really hate watching nature type shows and seeing animals fight... and then one win - because usually that means one has died.

12. People who smoke, stink.

13. I'm craving sushi.

14. I'm sick of people telling me they can help me out and then falling short.  I get that you're doing me a favor and all, but if you can't follow through, don't even offer.  Waste of my time.

Day 7 of Birthday Month

I'm so not going to be this:

Source: someecards.com via Melissa on Pinterest

I'm turning 30 in just over a week and I'm embracing that shit out of it.  Turning 29 last year I was all ugh, next year I'm going to be 30; I'm not married, my job sucks, I'm not who I thought I'd be by this time.  Now I'm all 30 ain't got shit on me!  Who cares, it's just a number!

This year, I want to be just like this:

Source: google.com via Missy on Pinterest

Glamorous (thanks to Fergie for my knowledge of how to spell that!), spoiled (I've been that way every other year), and simply happy!

I want this too:

Source: someecards.com via Kelli Michelle on Pinterest

A few weeks ago I posted wondering what you'd do if you were turning 30 this year - I got a few great ideas from people.  The main things I wanted: close friends, a super chill atmosphere, and nothing too loud (I like to be able to hear my friends talk).  What I really wanted was a party where I could take B&W photos and have them turn out like all the photos you might find in your grandparents photo albums; all the stories I hear about them sitting around, smoking and drinking, and just being casual.  Do you know what I'm talking about?  Picture a swanky cocktail lounge with over-sized leather couches and people in pretty dresses.

I did a lot of research for stuff around the Twin Cities, nice chill cocktail lounges and I found a few with promise, but on a Friday night, I figured they'd all still be super loud and packed.  Lots of people usually equals lots of noise, I didn't know how to get around that.
The other things I didn't want: making people spend a fortune to come out and have a good time, driving a far distance, nowhere to stay if they did whoop it up, having to worry about parking, amongst other things.  So the last option I had been toying with was having a party at our house.
At lunch with my cousin Shannon one day, it was decided; we'd have a cocktail party for my birthday, on my birthday, at my house!  This also assures Steve being able to drink rather than drive me around :)

It's a fancy party too, well cocktail attire required is what the invite says.  Yep, I mailed out formal invitations.  Don't be offended if you didn't get one, it's a small group, mostly people I've been friends with either a good part of my life or friends that I'm close with.

So... Steve, the whiz he is in Photoshop, whipped this up:

Now that's only the front - the details on the back are not important (and it has our address on it, so I'm not posting).  The biggest thing you need to know is that the house on it is our house!  Steve is amazing.  He took Photoshop and basically drew our home for the front of the invitation, and he did it in record time as I wanted to have the invites out a month in advance, giving people 2 weeks to RSVP and giving myself 2 weeks with a firm number.
It's going to be BYOB and Hors D'oeuvres are welcomed but not necessary.  We have plenty of places for people to sleep, so drinking is encouraged :)
We're going to have some sort of playlist, with some great music - mood setting music - think oldies like Sinatra, Dean Martin, Etta James, and probably lots of Adele!
The lighting will hopefully be mood setting as well - which is why we've been hanging so many damn lights as of late - it's just too hard to open up walls just to add a wall sconce (like Steve would eventually love to have).

Now, if I can just get someone to make me pretty cupcakes (like what I see on Pinterest).

I think I might make this too:

White Sangria with Pomegranate 

Source: whatsheshaving.com via Angela on Pinterest

I figure it wouldn't hurt to offer one thing to drink, even though it says BYOB, right?  It's so pretty!

Tonight I think I'm going to work on Steve's Christmas present - which I can't post here because he stalks my blog.  I'm also hoping to get some gifts wrapped and under the tree, as it's been up for weeks and is still bare underneath!