I told you about going to the gym for the first time last Saturday. This morning I got up extra early to go to the gym. Overall it was good. Don't get me wrong. I still hate mornings. Alarm clocks are evil and must die! Realistically, I can't stay up all night like I use to and definitely can't go to the gym late. I live in small town America. There are no 24 hour gyms. I have tried going to the gym in the evenings after work since I got back from my trip and just could never quite make it. Solution to this: go before work. Then if I have to stay late for whatever reason it doesn't matter. And though my legs are kind of sore, I felt better today for having gone to the gym.
Right now I have not been doing intense workouts. Mostly just trying to form better habits. If I get in the habit of going I won't think twice about it eventually. I am looking forward to getting to that point. One plus to going so very early in the morning is there is not many other people there. You have your choice of equipment and you don't have to worry about being judged. Sorry this is short but getting up early tomorrow to workout. :)
Monday, November 25, 2013
Saturday, November 23, 2013
You would be so proud of me
So I bought bridesmaid dress for a friend's wedding coming up in January. When I bought the dress it did not quite zip up all the way. Now I can get it zipped up! Yay!! I am not going to lie, it is still tight but getting it zipped is good progress. I still have until towards the end of January to work on the tightness. I think I will be able to make it. :)
I joined the local gym in town online while I was home in Seattle. Today was the first day I went. I tried to go once before but my GPS got me lost. (Ok, go ahead and laugh. Yes I got lost in my tiny town. Having a negative sense of directions sucks!) But anyways, so I went to the gym today and I worked out for the first time in far too long. It felt good. I took it slow today. I don't want to push too much and do more damage than good. I want to lose weight the right way and not push too hard too fast. I did not put the weight on over night and neither will I lose it.
While I was at the gym I spoke with a personal trainer. He is going to tailor a workout for me. First he asked what my goal was. I said I would like to get healthier and lose some weight. This led to the obvious question of how much am I trying to lose. He seemed pretty surprised when i said I don't have an exact weight loss goal. I guess that is usual. I just feel more comfortable that way. Especially since muscle weighs more than fat. I know right now as I workout I will drop weight but eventually I will hit the point that I will gain weight because I am putting on muscle.
Overall, the gym was nice. Granted it does not have some amenities that would be awesome, like a pool. That is ok though. I am going to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to start with. I will probably set it up down the road but this is a good start.
Next I am going to finally get myself into the doctor for a check-up and have my thyroid functioning checked. I have always functioned on the very low side of normal. I was supposed to have my thyroid tested annually. I was not able to thought due to that being an expensive test and I was uninsured. I have insurance through work not (YAY!!!) I feel like I am finally getting everything on track.
I joined the local gym in town online while I was home in Seattle. Today was the first day I went. I tried to go once before but my GPS got me lost. (Ok, go ahead and laugh. Yes I got lost in my tiny town. Having a negative sense of directions sucks!) But anyways, so I went to the gym today and I worked out for the first time in far too long. It felt good. I took it slow today. I don't want to push too much and do more damage than good. I want to lose weight the right way and not push too hard too fast. I did not put the weight on over night and neither will I lose it.
While I was at the gym I spoke with a personal trainer. He is going to tailor a workout for me. First he asked what my goal was. I said I would like to get healthier and lose some weight. This led to the obvious question of how much am I trying to lose. He seemed pretty surprised when i said I don't have an exact weight loss goal. I guess that is usual. I just feel more comfortable that way. Especially since muscle weighs more than fat. I know right now as I workout I will drop weight but eventually I will hit the point that I will gain weight because I am putting on muscle.
Overall, the gym was nice. Granted it does not have some amenities that would be awesome, like a pool. That is ok though. I am going to the gym on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to start with. I will probably set it up down the road but this is a good start.
Next I am going to finally get myself into the doctor for a check-up and have my thyroid functioning checked. I have always functioned on the very low side of normal. I was supposed to have my thyroid tested annually. I was not able to thought due to that being an expensive test and I was uninsured. I have insurance through work not (YAY!!!) I feel like I am finally getting everything on track.
Friday, November 15, 2013
It's good to be home!
I flew home to Seattle for a visit. And as the title said it's good to be home! When I m gone it is easy to forget how much I miss it here. Ok, yes, there are things I will never ever miss. Like gridlock traffic but there are enough awesome things that outweigh it. Like having mountains, ocean, rivers and lakes just a hop away. I love the water! It has been awesome being able to see all my friends and loved ones again. (This is the first time I have been home in about 2 years). Touching base with my roots has been good for my soul. (Honestly I am not looking forward to how buried my desk will be when I get back but this trip was worth all the catch up I will have to do).
I came home because two different sets of friends were getting married within 10 days of each other. (Made for a great excuse to take a vacation. Tee Hee!). The first wedding was steampunk theme. And was fabulous! Out of all the weddings I have been to, I enjoyed this one the most. It was obvious they spent quite a bit of money on the wedding. In my experience, expensive weddings end up being very pretentious. You can tell they are trying to impress people. That was not the case here. The food was good, old comfort foods. Appetizers were tiny cups of tomato basil soup with grilled cheese sandwich triangles. Dinner was small plates with lots of courses. We had truffled macaroni and cheese, asparagus and crab cake, and meatloaf with shoestring fried onions and mashed potatoes. The music was awesome! I danced and danced. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. I hope if I ever get married that my wedding is like that.
I also went to the bachelorette party for the second wedding. It was a ton of fun. We started out by having a pole dancing lesson. The lesson was great. I will say this though, how much fun you have with it would depend a lot on the group you are with. It is easy to feel completely awkward and clumsy while pole dancing. Especially if you have never done it before. I am sure that is how I looked but luckily I was with a great group of girls so I was not the least bit embarrassed when I flubbed.
The second wedding is coming up on Sunday and then I have to fly back to Missouri. Sigh, back to reality. I did finally join the gym in town and looking forward to beginning to workout. Overall, I am down 20 pounds within minimal exercising. I did fall off the wagon for a bit around my birthday but got right back on. I have not eaten the best on this trip but I have been very good about exercising to counteract some of the calories. Hopefully I have not gotten too off track with this trip.I have been noticing a difference in how I feel based on what I eat or how much. If I eat too much food in general or too many sweets I fell very blah. That helps as a motivator to eat better things. It is still a struggle though. I think I am getting better at it.
I came home because two different sets of friends were getting married within 10 days of each other. (Made for a great excuse to take a vacation. Tee Hee!). The first wedding was steampunk theme. And was fabulous! Out of all the weddings I have been to, I enjoyed this one the most. It was obvious they spent quite a bit of money on the wedding. In my experience, expensive weddings end up being very pretentious. You can tell they are trying to impress people. That was not the case here. The food was good, old comfort foods. Appetizers were tiny cups of tomato basil soup with grilled cheese sandwich triangles. Dinner was small plates with lots of courses. We had truffled macaroni and cheese, asparagus and crab cake, and meatloaf with shoestring fried onions and mashed potatoes. The music was awesome! I danced and danced. Everyone really enjoyed themselves. I hope if I ever get married that my wedding is like that.
I also went to the bachelorette party for the second wedding. It was a ton of fun. We started out by having a pole dancing lesson. The lesson was great. I will say this though, how much fun you have with it would depend a lot on the group you are with. It is easy to feel completely awkward and clumsy while pole dancing. Especially if you have never done it before. I am sure that is how I looked but luckily I was with a great group of girls so I was not the least bit embarrassed when I flubbed.
The second wedding is coming up on Sunday and then I have to fly back to Missouri. Sigh, back to reality. I did finally join the gym in town and looking forward to beginning to workout. Overall, I am down 20 pounds within minimal exercising. I did fall off the wagon for a bit around my birthday but got right back on. I have not eaten the best on this trip but I have been very good about exercising to counteract some of the calories. Hopefully I have not gotten too off track with this trip.I have been noticing a difference in how I feel based on what I eat or how much. If I eat too much food in general or too many sweets I fell very blah. That helps as a motivator to eat better things. It is still a struggle though. I think I am getting better at it.
Saturday, September 14, 2013
I am sorry
I am sorry I have been gone so long. I have no good excuse. I will try to be better in the future. I make no promises though (mostly because I try not to make promises that I don't know I will keep). But you all love me anyway :)
So what is new in my world? I am settling in at work and starting to figure things out. I am starting to have more days where I actually feel like I know what the hell I am doing and less days I worry they are going to figure out I have no idea what is going on and fire me. It helps that everyone in my office is really nice and helpful. I also have made friends with some more experienced attorneys. They have been angels answering all my questions and helping me get the hang of things. So far I have not had anything go to trial yet but I might on Thursday. (keep your fingers crossed for me)
On the home front, my landlord just painted the exterior of my house. That was nice but the people they hired to do the painting left paint chips all around my yard. Not so fond of that. I will be damned if I am going to go around cleaning up the paint chips. My dining room table was delivered today. I am totally stoked. I bought it used from my neighbors. They bought it last year and are remodeling their house. It doesn't work in their space anymore so now it is mine. I am totally loving having a table again. I have not had a dining room table since I lived with my parental unit.
As to my weight, I was bad and stopped tracking my food for a few weeks. I still tried to eat better even though I was not keeping track. I am back on the wagon and tracking everyday. So far I have dropped 15 pounds. I am on a mission to collect recipes that are delicious and good for you. Just because I am eating healthier doesn't mean I have to eat cardboard. Honestly, I am more likely to succeed if I am enjoying the food I am eating. I have not taken my measurements lately but that is because I have mislaid my measuring tape When I find it I will post the new measurements.
I hope you all forgive me for not updating regularly.
So what is new in my world? I am settling in at work and starting to figure things out. I am starting to have more days where I actually feel like I know what the hell I am doing and less days I worry they are going to figure out I have no idea what is going on and fire me. It helps that everyone in my office is really nice and helpful. I also have made friends with some more experienced attorneys. They have been angels answering all my questions and helping me get the hang of things. So far I have not had anything go to trial yet but I might on Thursday. (keep your fingers crossed for me)
On the home front, my landlord just painted the exterior of my house. That was nice but the people they hired to do the painting left paint chips all around my yard. Not so fond of that. I will be damned if I am going to go around cleaning up the paint chips. My dining room table was delivered today. I am totally stoked. I bought it used from my neighbors. They bought it last year and are remodeling their house. It doesn't work in their space anymore so now it is mine. I am totally loving having a table again. I have not had a dining room table since I lived with my parental unit.
As to my weight, I was bad and stopped tracking my food for a few weeks. I still tried to eat better even though I was not keeping track. I am back on the wagon and tracking everyday. So far I have dropped 15 pounds. I am on a mission to collect recipes that are delicious and good for you. Just because I am eating healthier doesn't mean I have to eat cardboard. Honestly, I am more likely to succeed if I am enjoying the food I am eating. I have not taken my measurements lately but that is because I have mislaid my measuring tape When I find it I will post the new measurements.
I hope you all forgive me for not updating regularly.
Sunday, July 14, 2013
Changes
Lately, I have been making some changes in my life. Some far over due. I have had a person in my life that really has not added anything to it. Actually if I am being honest, they have really only been a negative. I made the decision to no longer have that person in my life. To say they didn't take it quietly would be an understatement. I tried to be nice about it at first. That didn't work. Next I moved on to being very blunt. When that didn't work I severed all ties de-friended on Facebook, added their number to my phone reject list and set my email to bounce everything they send to spam. I wish it had not come to that point but I feel good about my decision. Now I feel like I can move forward with my life. I sincerely hope that person does the same.
This week I am trying something new for my lunches. On most days I come home from work during my lunch hour. (One of the bonuses of living close to the office) I have been bad about planning ahead for my lunches so I usually end up having a sandwich or a can of soup. I saw something on Pinterest and decided to try it out: Mason jar salads. I bought some wide-mouth mason jars today and prepped 4 different types of salad. I have not tried them yet. I will let you know how they worked out.
I continued with my habit of prepping some dinners in advance for the week. This week I made Spinach lasagna rolls. Which turned out AWESOME! I included the recipe below. I did make a couple changes though. I used fresh spinach and boiled it rather than using frozen (I had fresh on hand I needed to use) and I also used a bottle of my favorite spaghetti sauce instead of plain tomato sauce. In the terms of difficulty, this was an easy recipe. The hardest part is filling noodles and rolling. And really that was not bad. I served this with a nice side salad and sprinkled some crushed red peppers on top of the roll before serving. I hope people enjoy this recipe as much as I did.
Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Points+: 6 ww pts
Calories: 224.9 • Fat: 5.1 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.0 g • Carbs: 31.5
Ingredients:
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.
To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.
This week I am trying something new for my lunches. On most days I come home from work during my lunch hour. (One of the bonuses of living close to the office) I have been bad about planning ahead for my lunches so I usually end up having a sandwich or a can of soup. I saw something on Pinterest and decided to try it out: Mason jar salads. I bought some wide-mouth mason jars today and prepped 4 different types of salad. I have not tried them yet. I will let you know how they worked out.
I continued with my habit of prepping some dinners in advance for the week. This week I made Spinach lasagna rolls. Which turned out AWESOME! I included the recipe below. I did make a couple changes though. I used fresh spinach and boiled it rather than using frozen (I had fresh on hand I needed to use) and I also used a bottle of my favorite spaghetti sauce instead of plain tomato sauce. In the terms of difficulty, this was an easy recipe. The hardest part is filling noodles and rolling. And really that was not bad. I served this with a nice side salad and sprinkled some crushed red peppers on top of the roll before serving. I hope people enjoy this recipe as much as I did.
Spinach Lasagna Rolls
Servings: 9 • Serving Size: 1 roll • Points+: 6 ww pts
Calories: 224.9 • Fat: 5.1 g • Fiber: 3.4 g • Protein: 13.0 g • Carbs: 31.5
Ingredients:
- 9 lasagna noodles, cooked
- 10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and completely drained
- 15 oz fat free ricotta cheese (I like Polly-o)
- 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
- 1 egg
- salt and fresh pepper
- 32 oz tomato sauce
- 9 tbsp (about 3 oz) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350°. Combine spinach, ricotta, Parmesan, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Ladle about 1 cup sauce on the bottom of a 9 x 12 baking dish.
Place a piece of wax paper on the counter and lay out lasagna noodles. Make sure noodles are dry. Take 1/3 cup of ricotta mixture and spread evenly over noodle. Roll carefully and place seam side down onto the baking dish. Repeat with remaining noodles.
Ladle sauce over the noodles in the baking dish and top each one with 1 tbsp mozzarella cheese. Put foil over baking dish and bake for 40 minutes, or until cheese melts. Makes 9 rolls.
To serve, ladle a little sauce on the plate and top with lasagna roll.
Friday, July 5, 2013
Fireflies
I am sitting on my couch, cuddling with Puggie and watching fireflies dancing around my yard. One thing that is awesome about living in rural Missouri is there are so many more stars in the sky (or should I say you can see them much better) and every night a ton of fireflies come out. I enjoy watching them sometimes. I find it relaxing. And it makes me think of faeries. LOL (Yes, I am a big kid at heart. I love Winnie the Pooh and Fairy Tales).
Happy late Fourth of July! and Happy Friday to those who don't celebrate the American holiday. I took today off of work so I have a four day weekend. Though I will have to make up the time, it is totally worth it. I have been go, go, go since I found out I got the job and trying to get settled. It's nice to have some down time.
I do have one little rant for today. I switched cell phone carriers a little over a month ago because my previous carrier had absolutely no reception here. I have been waiting to get my new cell phone bill. I had the money set aside and everything. Today I get a call saying I am overdue on my bill and I will be disconnected if I don't pay today. I was able to pay it and I am back in the good with them but WTF. I never got a bill. They said one was sent. Honestly, it probably was. The post office and I do not get along. (there is a whole long back story of why which I won't take up your time with) So I am chalking it up to the post office strikes again. I wish that I had not been overdue with my very first bill, doesn't set good precedence. I am glad that I had the money ready and was able to pay it right away.
If anyone really wants to hear the back story about my war with the post office leave a comment and I will post it. I am going to say goodnight and I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.
Happy late Fourth of July! and Happy Friday to those who don't celebrate the American holiday. I took today off of work so I have a four day weekend. Though I will have to make up the time, it is totally worth it. I have been go, go, go since I found out I got the job and trying to get settled. It's nice to have some down time.
I do have one little rant for today. I switched cell phone carriers a little over a month ago because my previous carrier had absolutely no reception here. I have been waiting to get my new cell phone bill. I had the money set aside and everything. Today I get a call saying I am overdue on my bill and I will be disconnected if I don't pay today. I was able to pay it and I am back in the good with them but WTF. I never got a bill. They said one was sent. Honestly, it probably was. The post office and I do not get along. (there is a whole long back story of why which I won't take up your time with) So I am chalking it up to the post office strikes again. I wish that I had not been overdue with my very first bill, doesn't set good precedence. I am glad that I had the money ready and was able to pay it right away.
If anyone really wants to hear the back story about my war with the post office leave a comment and I will post it. I am going to say goodnight and I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend.
Saturday, June 29, 2013
Gardening
So far this has been a good weekend. I went to the store and picked up some gardening supplies. Gardening is expensive lol. And I didn't even get everything I need. I just started with the basics. On the plus side, a lot of what I bought today is one time purchases like a weed eater, trowel, hose etc. I really thought about buying some flowers today.Ultimately I decided to wait until i get the flower beds cleared out so I can transfer them right away. I would hate to buy flowers and have them die.
When I got home from the store I started to weed my flower beds. I admit I forgot to take a before picture. It's not done though so I will take one tomorrow. Granted it will be kind of a half way photo but better than nothing. I worked in the yard for about 40 minutes. With how hot it is out it's difficult to work outside for very long. That and I developed my first garden induced blister. I made good progress though. It will be one step at a time. Especially since I am not used to having yard upkeep as part of my regular schedule. A drawback from being an apartment dweller for so long.
An update about weight watchers. Overall, I like the program. I basically can eat what I want as long as I say within my points for the day. I never feel hungry which is a plus. Also, there are many foods, mostly fruits and veggies that are 0. I have lost 5 pounds so far. Admittedly, I have not been trying very hard. I have been concentrating mostly on getting into the habit of tracking foods. I downloaded an app to my phone to make that easier. For people who have a hard time being self motivated and keeping track, weight watchers probably is not the program for them. It also requires planning ahead. I know that can be difficult for some people.
For me, I think this will be a good program. I am totally a planner. I LOVE my lists. No, seriously. I have a list for practically everything and I keep them up. When I was living with my brother and his family that was one of my biggest frustrations. I am a planner and he SOOOOO is not (though he likes to think he is for some reason haha). So planning ahead for meals is easy for me. I use to do this when I was in law school. Anyone who has been to law school knows there are A LOT of very long days. Often you come home after spending 12+ hours at school and internships and you really don't want to cook. You can only eat so many sandwiches so you end up just picking up something on your way home at the local fast food place. In other words, you ate like crap. I got in the habit of spending one day on the weekend cooking meals and putting them up to eat during the week. That way I could eat quickly after a long day and I ate so much better. Draw back is I have gotten out of the habit in the last year so I am getting back into it now.
I will keep you posted as I go through the program, both good and bad. I know that this program is not for everyone. I hope I can share my knowledge and help the people that this would not work for discover that before spending money. Well that is all I have for now. Pugsley and I are goign to cuddle up and watch Dr. Who now. Have a goodnight everyone!
When I got home from the store I started to weed my flower beds. I admit I forgot to take a before picture. It's not done though so I will take one tomorrow. Granted it will be kind of a half way photo but better than nothing. I worked in the yard for about 40 minutes. With how hot it is out it's difficult to work outside for very long. That and I developed my first garden induced blister. I made good progress though. It will be one step at a time. Especially since I am not used to having yard upkeep as part of my regular schedule. A drawback from being an apartment dweller for so long.
An update about weight watchers. Overall, I like the program. I basically can eat what I want as long as I say within my points for the day. I never feel hungry which is a plus. Also, there are many foods, mostly fruits and veggies that are 0. I have lost 5 pounds so far. Admittedly, I have not been trying very hard. I have been concentrating mostly on getting into the habit of tracking foods. I downloaded an app to my phone to make that easier. For people who have a hard time being self motivated and keeping track, weight watchers probably is not the program for them. It also requires planning ahead. I know that can be difficult for some people.
For me, I think this will be a good program. I am totally a planner. I LOVE my lists. No, seriously. I have a list for practically everything and I keep them up. When I was living with my brother and his family that was one of my biggest frustrations. I am a planner and he SOOOOO is not (though he likes to think he is for some reason haha). So planning ahead for meals is easy for me. I use to do this when I was in law school. Anyone who has been to law school knows there are A LOT of very long days. Often you come home after spending 12+ hours at school and internships and you really don't want to cook. You can only eat so many sandwiches so you end up just picking up something on your way home at the local fast food place. In other words, you ate like crap. I got in the habit of spending one day on the weekend cooking meals and putting them up to eat during the week. That way I could eat quickly after a long day and I ate so much better. Draw back is I have gotten out of the habit in the last year so I am getting back into it now.
I will keep you posted as I go through the program, both good and bad. I know that this program is not for everyone. I hope I can share my knowledge and help the people that this would not work for discover that before spending money. Well that is all I have for now. Pugsley and I are goign to cuddle up and watch Dr. Who now. Have a goodnight everyone!
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Getting Organized
I am settling in to my new life here. I am really liking the house I am renting. It will be even better once I have enough furniture to fill it. (For those that are wondering: I need a dining room table, more book shelves, a bed for the spare room and a pantry cupboard). Not to mention I need to work on storage solutions for my bathroom. One thing I will say is my old bathroom was larger and had way more storage. Not that the bathroom in my house is so bad. It is just going to take some creativity to eliminate the clutter problem. Not to mention money.
Don't get me wrong I am getting paid (Finally!) but after coming off of a year of unemployment there are a lot of bills I am playing catch up on. I am getting there though. It will just take some time to get caught up. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to do so. I am still amazed how different my life is now compared to two months ago. Today I received my official business cards. How cool is that?? :) I feel all official now.
There are so many projects that I want to do around the house and in my office it is hard to know where to begin. I say that but honestly I will probably start by weeding and planting my flower beds in front of my house. My neighbors all keep their yards very nice and my yard is bit of an eyesore. So much so my neighbor has been mowing my lawn for me. I don't own a lawn mower yet. When I rip out my garden and replant it I will post before and after pictures.
Closer to the topic that my blog is supposed to be about, I joined weight watchers. That is part of why I need to get things organized. I have a friend that has used that program to lose weight. Very successfully I might add. She said what is most important is to plan ahead. Though the program does allow you to still live your life and eat out, your life is much easier if you plan your home menu ahead of time and prepare your food in advance for nights you are not likely to cook. This week I am not doing so much with weight watchers except putting together my meal plans and shopping list.
I don't think this will be easy but I also know I can do it. I have been through a lot in life and overcome many obstacles. I was able to quit smoking 5 years ago and never started again. I completed law school and passed the bar. I rode the wave that is the crappy job market. And many other things I will not get into right now. I have come out a better person because of these challenges. This will be the same. With dedication, hard work and let's not lie lots of frustration I will come out on top. I have never set a long term goal I have not achieved, though some took much longer than originally planned.
When my meal plan is complete I will post it online and share my joys and challenges with you. I am going to take you on this journey with me. Partly to hold myself accountable and partly because I hope that my challenges and the lessons learned from them will help someone. Even if all it does is make someone feel not so alone then my goal is achieved.
Well that is all for now. I hope this was not too all over the place for you. Guess I am a little scattered today.
Don't get me wrong I am getting paid (Finally!) but after coming off of a year of unemployment there are a lot of bills I am playing catch up on. I am getting there though. It will just take some time to get caught up. I am so thankful that I have the opportunity to do so. I am still amazed how different my life is now compared to two months ago. Today I received my official business cards. How cool is that?? :) I feel all official now.
There are so many projects that I want to do around the house and in my office it is hard to know where to begin. I say that but honestly I will probably start by weeding and planting my flower beds in front of my house. My neighbors all keep their yards very nice and my yard is bit of an eyesore. So much so my neighbor has been mowing my lawn for me. I don't own a lawn mower yet. When I rip out my garden and replant it I will post before and after pictures.
Closer to the topic that my blog is supposed to be about, I joined weight watchers. That is part of why I need to get things organized. I have a friend that has used that program to lose weight. Very successfully I might add. She said what is most important is to plan ahead. Though the program does allow you to still live your life and eat out, your life is much easier if you plan your home menu ahead of time and prepare your food in advance for nights you are not likely to cook. This week I am not doing so much with weight watchers except putting together my meal plans and shopping list.
I don't think this will be easy but I also know I can do it. I have been through a lot in life and overcome many obstacles. I was able to quit smoking 5 years ago and never started again. I completed law school and passed the bar. I rode the wave that is the crappy job market. And many other things I will not get into right now. I have come out a better person because of these challenges. This will be the same. With dedication, hard work and let's not lie lots of frustration I will come out on top. I have never set a long term goal I have not achieved, though some took much longer than originally planned.
When my meal plan is complete I will post it online and share my joys and challenges with you. I am going to take you on this journey with me. Partly to hold myself accountable and partly because I hope that my challenges and the lessons learned from them will help someone. Even if all it does is make someone feel not so alone then my goal is achieved.
Well that is all for now. I hope this was not too all over the place for you. Guess I am a little scattered today.
Thursday, June 6, 2013
Feeling spoiled!
Today was a long day. I spent most of the day in court though I really only had a couple clients on the docket and both were set for the morning. Originally I was planning to be back at my office after lunch but then one client was moved to the afternoon docket. So to make a long story short I didn't get back to my office until almost 4. I did get to leave the office early though.
After I got home I hooked my Wii up to my new Wi-Fi. I can stream Netflix now. I am feeling so spoiled right now. :) I use to have it set up at my old apartment while I was in school. I never bothered when I was at my brother's house. I didn't think I would be there long enough to justify taking the time. Little did I know. Lol. Now that I am settling into my new place and getting back some of the things I enjoyed I feel so lucky.
One project I am going to have to tackle soon is gardening. Part of my lease is I have to maintain the lawn and the garden. Right now it's a bit....what is the best word...free-range. I don't have a lawn mower so the grass is a bit tall. Not as tall as it could be though. One of my neighbors was super nice and mowed my lawn. I have flower beds in the front yard which are more weed beds at the moment. Drawback to moving from an apartment to a house is you don't have the equipment to care for your yard.
I am looking forward to the gardening project but I am having a hard time deciding what kind of flowers to plant. I want colorful flowers but I live in a high heat area. I don't want to spend a bunch of money on flowers just to have them wilt and die. I am totally open to suggestions if anyone has ideas for what flowers would be good in high heat.
This weekend is the town-wide garage sale. Once a year here almost everyone in town has a garage sale on the same weekend. I have never been to a garage sale like this. I am hoping maybe I can find some gardening tools or cute things for my house cheap. We will see. Even it I don't find anything I want to buy it still sounds like fun. Well that is all for now. Aren't you proud of me. I updated two whole days in a row :)
After I got home I hooked my Wii up to my new Wi-Fi. I can stream Netflix now. I am feeling so spoiled right now. :) I use to have it set up at my old apartment while I was in school. I never bothered when I was at my brother's house. I didn't think I would be there long enough to justify taking the time. Little did I know. Lol. Now that I am settling into my new place and getting back some of the things I enjoyed I feel so lucky.
One project I am going to have to tackle soon is gardening. Part of my lease is I have to maintain the lawn and the garden. Right now it's a bit....what is the best word...free-range. I don't have a lawn mower so the grass is a bit tall. Not as tall as it could be though. One of my neighbors was super nice and mowed my lawn. I have flower beds in the front yard which are more weed beds at the moment. Drawback to moving from an apartment to a house is you don't have the equipment to care for your yard.
I am looking forward to the gardening project but I am having a hard time deciding what kind of flowers to plant. I want colorful flowers but I live in a high heat area. I don't want to spend a bunch of money on flowers just to have them wilt and die. I am totally open to suggestions if anyone has ideas for what flowers would be good in high heat.
This weekend is the town-wide garage sale. Once a year here almost everyone in town has a garage sale on the same weekend. I have never been to a garage sale like this. I am hoping maybe I can find some gardening tools or cute things for my house cheap. We will see. Even it I don't find anything I want to buy it still sounds like fun. Well that is all for now. Aren't you proud of me. I updated two whole days in a row :)
Wednesday, June 5, 2013
I am back!
Sorry I have not updated in a long time. I was not able to for quite awhile because I had no internet at home. Though there is a library in town that provides free wifi, it keeps very limited hours. So I was only able to get there on Saturdays because I always worked too late during week days. Even on Saturday the library was only open for a couple hours. I am amazed how much my email piled up only checking it once a week.
For those that might be wondering why I did not check my email or use my phone for internet, it's because my cell phone got absolutely no reception here. This part of Missouri is a complete dead zone. I bought a cheap prepaid cell so I would be able to make and receive calls but it did not have internet access.
I was without internet at home for a month. I swear I was having withdrawals. Lol. The reason it was a month is because I receive my paychecks on a two week delay. They have to be processed through the main office before they are distributed to the employees. I had a good friend volunteer to put down the deposit for the internet for me but I was trying to avoid owing more people money. My first check was only a partial check so I ended up taking my friend up on the offer. Which I am very very thankful for. She is my hero.
Honestly, I know it sounds like I am complaining but I am really am happy with my situation. I found a cute little house to rent that is really close to my office. Everyone I work with has been very nice and welcoming.
Everyone loves my dog here. I still have people stop me on the street while I am walking him to say he is fabulous. Pugsley is liking it here as well. I was concerned how he would adjust. He has never liked moving. Pugsley surprised me and settled right in. There is a little min pin next door named Diesel that Pugsley loves to play with.
I am still adjusting to work. My schedule is crazy this month. This is really due to the last attorney set up my schedule for me. Once I get past June the craziness will pass and I will get my schedule back to normal.
I feel so fortunate to have this job. I cannot even tell you how excited I was to get my first paycheck. Granted it was only a partial paycheck and was pretty much spent before I got it, still an improvement over the last year. There is a great sense of self satisfaction for getting a paycheck and being able to pay my bills with it. There is a long list of things I need to buy like a lawnmower but I know things are going to keep getting better. Now that I have internet I will do my best to update more often and let you know what is happening in my world
For those that might be wondering why I did not check my email or use my phone for internet, it's because my cell phone got absolutely no reception here. This part of Missouri is a complete dead zone. I bought a cheap prepaid cell so I would be able to make and receive calls but it did not have internet access.
I was without internet at home for a month. I swear I was having withdrawals. Lol. The reason it was a month is because I receive my paychecks on a two week delay. They have to be processed through the main office before they are distributed to the employees. I had a good friend volunteer to put down the deposit for the internet for me but I was trying to avoid owing more people money. My first check was only a partial check so I ended up taking my friend up on the offer. Which I am very very thankful for. She is my hero.
Honestly, I know it sounds like I am complaining but I am really am happy with my situation. I found a cute little house to rent that is really close to my office. Everyone I work with has been very nice and welcoming.
Everyone loves my dog here. I still have people stop me on the street while I am walking him to say he is fabulous. Pugsley is liking it here as well. I was concerned how he would adjust. He has never liked moving. Pugsley surprised me and settled right in. There is a little min pin next door named Diesel that Pugsley loves to play with.
I am still adjusting to work. My schedule is crazy this month. This is really due to the last attorney set up my schedule for me. Once I get past June the craziness will pass and I will get my schedule back to normal.
I feel so fortunate to have this job. I cannot even tell you how excited I was to get my first paycheck. Granted it was only a partial paycheck and was pretty much spent before I got it, still an improvement over the last year. There is a great sense of self satisfaction for getting a paycheck and being able to pay my bills with it. There is a long list of things I need to buy like a lawnmower but I know things are going to keep getting better. Now that I have internet I will do my best to update more often and let you know what is happening in my world
Friday, April 19, 2013
Huzzah!!!!
Okay. I know I have been completely horrible and have not updated in... a very long time. I am going to try to be better about it. I am not going to make any promises though because my life is about to completely change. Not that I am complaining about that mind you. Actually it's about damn time it happened. I have felt like I have been stagnant for so long. When you get in such a rut it is hard not to lose hope. I was really beginning to feel like what was the point of continuing to submit resumes and apply for jobs when the majority of the jobs you apply to never respond.
I especially started to lose hope when I received a job offer but the pay was so ridiculously low I would have made more money making burgers at a fast food restaurant. I was very excited when I first got the offer thinking that the end of the tunnel was in sight. I made the assumption they would negotiate on the salary. I know, silly me. Needless to say they would not budge so I had to walk away from the offer. I was so happy when they first extended the offer then very down after I had to turn it down. Part of me could not help wondering if I had made a giant mistake. After all I have been out of school for almost a year at this point and other than my volunteer position with a local organization I have been unemployed the entire time. You can't help but feel like no one ever is going to hire you.
Over the last year I have interviewed for every position with the Public Defender's Office that was available. That was a lot of interviews. During this last week I went interviewed with 3 different offices, though part of me felt like what is the point, they are just going to turn me down. Two of the interviews I felt good about. The last one I did not have good feelings about. He expressed a concern about my ability to adjust to a very rural setting. I was surprised to find out the next day the office I last interviewed with was calling my references. I dared to have hope that I have not allowed myself to have in quite awhile.
Today was the day. I was extended a job offer with the Public Defender Office!!!!!!! I honestly do not have words to tell you how excited I am. I accepted the offer right away. The ironic thing is the offices I felt the interviews went well with decided to hire someone else. The interview I walked out of thinking I was going to get a rejection letter from is the one that wants me. Shows what I know. lol
I can't believe I really, really have a job now. It's almost surreal. To those still job hunting, don't lose hope. Keep trying! You never know when you will find the job for you. Being tenacious goes a long way.
Now I am looking for a place to live in a very rural area. That is going to be easier said than done but I feel like my life is finally getting on track. I am setting up appointments to go look at rentals an one house that is in foreclosure in the area. I will keep you posted as things develop. It is going to be a crazy couple of weeks. I need to find a place to live, pack my stuff here, get the rest of my belongings out of storage and move one state north. My new boss would like me to start on the first. I am going to do my best but not sure if I can make that happen. If not I will be starting on the sixth.
Thank you to all my friends and family for putting up with me this last year. I know I have not always been the easiest to deal with. Love you.
I especially started to lose hope when I received a job offer but the pay was so ridiculously low I would have made more money making burgers at a fast food restaurant. I was very excited when I first got the offer thinking that the end of the tunnel was in sight. I made the assumption they would negotiate on the salary. I know, silly me. Needless to say they would not budge so I had to walk away from the offer. I was so happy when they first extended the offer then very down after I had to turn it down. Part of me could not help wondering if I had made a giant mistake. After all I have been out of school for almost a year at this point and other than my volunteer position with a local organization I have been unemployed the entire time. You can't help but feel like no one ever is going to hire you.
Over the last year I have interviewed for every position with the Public Defender's Office that was available. That was a lot of interviews. During this last week I went interviewed with 3 different offices, though part of me felt like what is the point, they are just going to turn me down. Two of the interviews I felt good about. The last one I did not have good feelings about. He expressed a concern about my ability to adjust to a very rural setting. I was surprised to find out the next day the office I last interviewed with was calling my references. I dared to have hope that I have not allowed myself to have in quite awhile.
Today was the day. I was extended a job offer with the Public Defender Office!!!!!!! I honestly do not have words to tell you how excited I am. I accepted the offer right away. The ironic thing is the offices I felt the interviews went well with decided to hire someone else. The interview I walked out of thinking I was going to get a rejection letter from is the one that wants me. Shows what I know. lol
I can't believe I really, really have a job now. It's almost surreal. To those still job hunting, don't lose hope. Keep trying! You never know when you will find the job for you. Being tenacious goes a long way.
Now I am looking for a place to live in a very rural area. That is going to be easier said than done but I feel like my life is finally getting on track. I am setting up appointments to go look at rentals an one house that is in foreclosure in the area. I will keep you posted as things develop. It is going to be a crazy couple of weeks. I need to find a place to live, pack my stuff here, get the rest of my belongings out of storage and move one state north. My new boss would like me to start on the first. I am going to do my best but not sure if I can make that happen. If not I will be starting on the sixth.
Thank you to all my friends and family for putting up with me this last year. I know I have not always been the easiest to deal with. Love you.
Saturday, January 5, 2013
Food for thought
Have you ever felt as though food is
your best friend and your worst enemy? How can a person manage to be thin when
there is so much good food out there in the world? Pasta, hamburgers, pizza,
cookies, cakes, candies, potatoes, the list are endless and restaurants are
always coming up with new ways to keep us in their take out lines after work.
From experience, I know how easy it is to fall in a deeply imbedded food trap. I used to go to work where I would snack all day on various foods that were easily obtained from the kitchen. One cook had a crush on me and was always making me treats. After that I would then go home to more fast food or the freezer section of my grocery store. There have been times that I know my body was screaming for more nutrition. I was ignoring the screams. What are the screams, you wonder? I will explain… (Please forgive the gross-out factor): excessive flatulence, dehydration, dark urine, fatigue (low-energy), indigestion, heart burn, the list goes on and on. These are simply the symptoms!
From experience, I know how easy it is to fall in a deeply imbedded food trap. I used to go to work where I would snack all day on various foods that were easily obtained from the kitchen. One cook had a crush on me and was always making me treats. After that I would then go home to more fast food or the freezer section of my grocery store. There have been times that I know my body was screaming for more nutrition. I was ignoring the screams. What are the screams, you wonder? I will explain… (Please forgive the gross-out factor): excessive flatulence, dehydration, dark urine, fatigue (low-energy), indigestion, heart burn, the list goes on and on. These are simply the symptoms!
Eating poorly for a good portion of your
life can lead to high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, depression,
weak immune system, this list also goes on. These food issues are not unique to
people with excess weight. Chances are, you know several people who are of
moderate weight that eat horribly. I know I do! These people can be very
frustrating to be around especially when their body does not seem to show signs
of their bad habits! Truth be known, that these habits will probably creep up
on them later on in life.
There have been points (currently and recently) in my life that I have had an over saturated palette. In order to taste good to me, my food needed to be drowning in grease, saturated in butter, rolled in sugar and heavily sprinkled with salt. I was suffering from the “but, it tastes good” syndrome which is one I am still trying to overcome. Eating well does not have to be a painful experience. You just have to be willing to put in the time and find recipes that taste good and are also good for you.
There have been points (currently and recently) in my life that I have had an over saturated palette. In order to taste good to me, my food needed to be drowning in grease, saturated in butter, rolled in sugar and heavily sprinkled with salt. I was suffering from the “but, it tastes good” syndrome which is one I am still trying to overcome. Eating well does not have to be a painful experience. You just have to be willing to put in the time and find recipes that taste good and are also good for you.
One of my 101 goals is to eat at home
more often. This is due to many reasons. First and foremost it is healthier.
You can control the portions and what goes into your food. Not only do I want
to lose weight but I would like to eat cleaner. By this I mean use butter and
not margarine, don’t use artificial sweeteners, etc. The more I hear about
chemicals that are being put into our foods the more it scares me.
The second reason cooking at home is
less expensive. Right now I really have to watch my money being unemployed. But
even after I line up a job I am still going to have to watch my dollars (and
make them stretch as far as possible.). I don’t know how much I will make (that
depends on what firm hires me, or if I am in the public sector like a public
defender or a prosecutor). Regardless of how much money I am bringing in, I
have large student loans looming over my head. I would like to pay off my
student loans as soon as possible and buy a home. (A girl has to save money
where she can!)
As I try recipes I will post them and
whether they are a success or a failure. I will give a few disclaimers. My food
NEVER looks like the picture. Might
taste awesome but doesn’t look as pretty. Another thing is I absolutely hate
mushrooms so I will not be trying recipes that involve mushrooms. If the recipe
does they will be judiciously left out or substituted for something that is not
nasty.
If anyone has recipes they think are
awesome feel free to share them with me. I am always open to suggestions. It
might be awhile before I can really start testing recipes. It is hard to do
things like that while living with my family. Fathead does not have an
adventurous palate. Lol
Thursday, January 3, 2013
OMG a bear!
Yesterday I volunteered at Legal aid. I spent the whole dya helping organize files and writing closing letters to clients. The office is feeling the crunch at the end of the year to get files closed. I
wish I could get some money for it but I am so grateful to have the opportunity
to keep practicing law even though I am not working right now. It helps keep my
resume fresh and gain more experience.
Honestly, I thought I would have a job
by now but I do not despair. I know that if I keep at it I will find a job.
Lord knows I have gone on a lot of interviews. One thing I know for certain is
my lack of experience is working against me. Legal Aid will help me rectify
this.
I am keeping my eyes on the future.
Things are tough for me right now but I know I am tougher and will get through
this. Soon I will be able to share with you that I have found a good job and am
moving into my own place again.
In other news, my brother met with
the neurosurgeon today for his surgery consultation.
Since I have 3 brothers I will call
this one Fathead (a childhood nickname for him lol). Fathead has had a back
disease since we were kids called Scheurmann’s disease. Here is a link telling
more about it. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmedhealth/PMH0002220/ He used to have to wear a back brace and do physical
therapy, amongst other things. About a month ago Fathead woke up with severe
back pain. After a fun adventure at the Emergency Room, CAT scan and other
tests the Doctor diagnosed him with three bulging discs in his spine. One of
the discs is pressing on his sciatic nerve which is making one of his legs go
numb. Needless to say he has not been walking around much. The E.R. doctor
recommended surgery, as did the doctor giving a second opinion. So he made an
appointment with the neurosurgeon. Regrettably he was not able to get in until
after the holidays.
The appointment didn't go as Fathead hope. (Meaning he was not rushed directly to surgery) The surgeon prescribed him an anti-inflammatory, We are going to wait fir ut to build up in his system and see how it affects the problem. Right now Denton is being a little ray of sunshine, reminiscent of a bear in pain.
Tuesday, January 1, 2013
Goals for the years to come
Happy New Years! I hope you all had
a really fun time last night! I stayed in, watched movies and played with
my dog. I have to say I find myself addicted to a new show Once Upon a Time. I discovered it last week. So of course now I must catch up on all the episodes. lol
So, it’s the first day of January and I know some of us are evaluating and making new goals for this year. Calling them resolutions or goals or achievements doesn't really matter.
My list is long and ambitious for me, but I'd rather try than not try anything at all. I've started working slowly on everything today and it feels good to have a clearer pathway. And for the negative people out there, yes I have made resolutions and kept them. Like quitting smoking. So although this an ambitious list I will do my level best to accomplish everything on it. If I don't it won't be for lack of trying.
I would like to weigh myself to have a starting weight this year but we have no scale here so I will have to do it later. I am sure I am up from a lot of holiday eating with little exercise. I will measure myself so I have a basis to start from.I will post the measurements in tomorrow's blog.
Writing the goals list has got me thinking about my own habits and how staying with my brother has made me have to make adjustments. Although I love spending time with my family and I appreciate that they have supported me when I need it, I am looking forward to having my own place again so I can try to get back my healthier habits. When you have good habits like that, overeating no longer becomes an option, and eating bad foods only makes you feel worse. I am being honest when I say I felt better when I was exercising regularly. I am going to get back to that place.
So inspired by my friend Dr. Juris, I decided to
do the 101 in 1001 days challenge.
I've decided to start today with the new year (01/01/2013),
and it will end on September 17, 2015 (09/28/2015). (Glad I have time
for some of these goals.)
As I complete them, I'll cross them
out, and hyperlink to any blog entries I may have composed about particular
goals I accomplished. I am going to do my best to finish these goals.
For convenience and ease of
grouping, I put them in specific categories.
Professional Goals
1)
Transfer Bar License to Washington
2)
Take a case to trial
3)
Land a great job
4)
Complete necessary CLE for Missouri
5)
Win a difficult case
6) Become accomplished enough in my career that I feel
comfortable speaking to undergrad students
about it
7)
Speak to undergrads about career
options with respect to my experiences
8)
Write a legal article and submit it
for publishing
9) Become active
P.A.D. alumna
10) Don’t spend
more than you earn
Personal Goals
11)
Buy
a house
12)
Pay off my student loans
13)
Start a savings account
14) Watch less tv
15) Start trying
recipes and things I have pinned on Pintrest
16)
Build or refinish a piece of
furniture
17)
Build a budget and stick to it
18)
Do one thing I have always said I
would NEVER do
19)
Reconnect with old friends
20) Get another dog
21) Repair Flute
22) Get better car
but own it outright
23) After weight loss- buy new wardrobe
24) Eat more often and better
25) Make time for
friends and family
Self-Betterment
26)
Donate 100 hours of pro bono time
27)
Participate in a 5K
28)
Discover a healthy activity I love
doing
29)
Don’t cuss for an entire day
30)
Read ten classic novels
31)
Develop a nighttime skin/winding
down routine and stick to it for two weeks
32)
Watch five classic movies
33)
Complete one, real, honest-to-God
pull up
34)
Take a spin class
35) Floss everyday
36) Lose 150 lbs.
37) Get new glasses
38) Brush up on my
etiquette and manners
39) Learn to knit, crochet and sew
Altruism
40)
Write someone a thank you note for
influencing me in a positive way
41)
Knit a scarf to donate
42) Buy someone a gift just because I can
43)
Give blood
44)
Plant a tree and a garden
45)
Send care packages to soldiers over
seas
46)
Sponsor a family during the holidays
Educational Endeavors
47) Educate myself
about the stock market and investments
48) Revisit learning
another language
49) Visit a museum
50)
Visit the Smithsonian
51)
Go to an orchestra performance
52)
Go to a ballet performance
Artistic Endeavors
53)
Complete an artistic project to hang
in the house
54) Participate in
another play/musical
55)
Watch a Broadway play
56)
Sew something that I’m not
embarrassed of
57)
Visit the opera
58)
Practice the flute everyday
59)
Watch a stand up show/routine
60)
Work on photography skills
61)
Join local community band
Cooking
62)
Make homemade bread
63)
Make a homemade cheesecake
64) Discover my signature dish
65) Take a cooking
class
66) Make Christmas cookies and candies to give as gifts
67)
Plan and execute an elaborate
dinner, complete with tapered candles and music
68)
Build a menu and eat at home 90% of
the time
Autonomy
69) Do the dishes
every night for an entire week
70)
Drink the requisite eight glasses of
water every day for an entire week
71)
Workout regularly
72)
Go to bed by 11:00 every day for an
entire week
73)
Get up at 6:00 every morning for an
entire week in order to work out
74) Keep a regular
schedule for chores
75)
Organize my life
Travel Plans
76) Travel to NYC
77) Go to New Orleans for Mardi gras
78)
Go to Disney land and eat in the
restaurant inside the Pirates of the Caribbean ride
79)
Go to Disney World
80)
Travel abroad
81)
Go camping
82) Visit the Grand
Canyon
83)
Visit somewhere with crystal clear
waters and snorkel
Electronic Age
84)
Digitally store and sort all of my
old photos online
85) Create photo albums of all my precious moments
86) Finish photo
editing photos for important moments (graduation, vacations, swearing ins)
87)
Organize all of my files and
documents
88)
Get larger IPod and create playlists
for all occasions
Just because I can....
89)
Get my concealed carry
90)
Roast marshmallows around a campfire
91)
Decorate a gingerbread house
92)
Take a dance class
93)
Buy myself a piece of jewelry
94)
Buy a hammock and lay in it
95) Frame
and mat my diplomas
96) Have
a day at the spa
Online Presence
97) Write
a blog entry once every day for a week
98) Redesign my blog
Grown Up Stuff
99) Host
Thanksgiving and Christmas
100) Throw a dinner/themed party
101) Discover and add three new vegetables to my diet
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)