Things I'm doing today.

• Hoping to finish up Christmas shopping if not today, then tomorrow.
• Work on finishing up the handmade Christmas gifts for Sean's family Christmas.
• Clean and organize my closet.
• Wrap gifts.
• Make homemade lemoncello for friend's Christmas gifts.
• Go to the gym.

All in all, sounds like a well rounded day.

Stairs, day 2.

There are 132 stairs. Made it to the 5th floor before I got tired. Made it farther than yesterday before getting tired, so that's a win. 

I like my daily stair challenge. Again, going down it the easy part. Today I tried going down faster without falling. It was a success. 

Boom. 

Stairs, day 1

Day 1 completed. 

I lost count on the number of stairs when a door on the 4th floor was opened on me. 

I'll maybe not lose count sometime?

The stair challenge

So, at work I work on the 7th floor of a building.  Me being all creeped out and scared of elevators has really been testing me these last three months.

Side note, it's been THREE months at my next job.  Time sure flies.  I digress.  

Anyway, 7th floor.  I think my goal for this week is to take the stairs (going up) at least two times this week.  Going down is the easy part and I've been trying to incorporate that into my routine anyway.  Going up is the tough part.  It's 23 stairs a floor... I think.  That's 138 stairs.  It will be a good way to get my heart rate up right before work and it will make sure I'm super awake and ready to start my day.

Also, I have a weird stair counting obsession.  I've done it for as long as I can remember.  Whenever I go up or down stairs, I have to count.  I always lose count at work because there's so many stairs.  For example, there's 12 stairs in my parents house.  There's 5 stairs in the first section (from the top) and 7 on the next section.  There's 16 stairs going from the parking lot to my apartment.  There was 48 stairs going up to my 4th floor dorm room my junior year of college.

I know, it's a weird obsession and habit.  I can't stop it.

I'll update you on my little challenge at the end of the week.

P.S. Whoa!  I posted.  Hot damn.

Tuesday Thoughts

Thoughts from today's gym session. 

I need to either go to the gym in the morning or later in the evening. Definitely NOT at 4:45 in the afternoon. Worst idea ever. It was so busy. I either need to get my butt out of bed at 4:30 in the morning to work out right away or go around 7 or 8 at night. 

I imagine the guys who think they're so tough with their grunting and muscles are listening to someone like Billy Joel on their iPods. It makes me giggle. 

That is all, for now. 

Today's agenda

Gym. 

Shower. 

Grocery shopping. 

Cleaning. 

Christmas gift knitting. 

All in all, going to be a well rounded day. 

Things I've Learned

Things I've learned while working in the insurance industry.

• Have a quality, standard insurance carrier.  (Most important!)
• Don't be an idiot.
• Know that driving on any road, parking lot, grassy field, etc. is really a death trap and accident can (and will) happen at any moment in time.
• Car accidents are not black and white.  They're actually really one big gray area.
• Drive defensively and there is no such thing as over cautious.

Things I ponder on my drive home decompressing from my day of dealing with other people's car accidents.

• Knowing that at any moment in time another vehicle could smash mine to smithereens.  It's terrifying and panic attack inducing.
• I play out accident scenarios in my head.

There's more to come on this in the future probably...

Boots

I bought a new camera today and then came home and immediately took a picture of my kitten. 

Sean and I were in Kohls and he walked over to Best Buy instead of following me around as I looked at clothes.  I've been searching for a new camera for months - ever since my old one started randomly erasing photos.  Sean let me know Best Buy had some cameras on clearance.  I walked over there and he showed me the Nikon Coolpix L610 that was on clearance.

Done and done.

Sometimes...

Sometimes...

• It takes your mother commenting on a blog post to get you writing again.
• I feel like I don't have very much to write about.  
• I'm happy with a hair cut, but mostly I'm not.  I think I'm too picky and maybe expect too much?  No, wait.  I expect punctuality and I did not receive that this evening for my hair cut.  I don't even know why I bother with my current (perhaps old?) salon.
• It takes me 25 years to figure out a fundamental personality trait.  Sean recently pointed out to me that I am a "rule follower" and it has just blown my mind.  I did not know this about myself and he so easily pointed it out.  When I tell people this, they are not surprised at all because they already knew it.  Why didn't anyone tell me this how much of a rule follower I am?
• I want to lay in bed all day and snuggle with my kitten.
• Most days I have a very strong desire to be busy doing stuff.  Mostly trivial things I think.
• I rock at flossing daily.  I've only missed a handful of nights since my dentist appointment in July.  My dentist should be excited about my gum health.
• I struggle with reading things right in front of my face.  Hopefully my new glasses that will be coming in a week and a half or so will help with this.
• I am thankful daily for the amazing job I have.  I'm thankful for the happiness that it has given me and major stress reduction.
• I write blog posts about absolutely nothing.  

And sometimes, this is a synopsis of my life recently.

Goals

My goals for the next week:

• Go to the gym at least 3 times
• Clean the apartment top to bottom

That's about all I've got.

Man, I'm boring.  Sorry about that.

Five Things on Friday

1. I'm so happy it's Friday.  I'm exhausted.  I haven't figured out a good work-life balance yet and I'm all thrown off.  I can't wait to sleep in tomorrow and possibly feel refreshed, unlike now where I feel like I'm going to fall asleep.

2. It's a long weekend and the only plans I have is to go to a bingo hall with a friend tomorrow night.  I'm excited for the low-key weekend.

3. Still loving my new job.

4. It's been a long week...

5. I know I mentioned we got a Keurig, but I want to reiterate how much I love it.  I use it every single day and am currently drinking coffee I just made.  It's so convenient!  I highly recommend it.

Have a nice weekend!  Sorry this is so short, I am just too tired right now to even think.

Weigh on Wednesday

I'm having trouble rotating my picture and I'm short on time so this will just have to work.  Okay?  Okay.

252.4 lbs

Down 1.4 pounds from the last weigh in.  I'm okay with it.  The Minnesota State Fair is here and I ate more than enough food on Saturday, so I'm happy with a loss at all.  

Happy Wednesday!

Five Things on Friday

1. It's Friday!  I made it through my first week at my new job.  It really flew by and I love it even more than I did on Wednesday.  The people there are SO NICE and welcoming!  Also, Centennial Lakes Park is across the street from my building and it's fantastic.  It's like a secret garden.  This was today's lunch view.

I love this!

2. I got some super random Bible study invitation in the mail.  It was addressed with my maiden name.  No idea how or where this little (well I imagine her to be little) old lady got my name and address.  It also doesn't list any sort of church affiliation on it.  Seems a bit sketchy and creepy to me...

3. I have swimmer's ear.  Whomp whomp.  I used to get it all the time when I was a kid, but haven't had it for a few years.  So painful!  But, my internet search (a.k.a. Pinterest search) for a home remedy has been helping.  It's 5 to 10 drops of equals parts rubbing alcohol and vinegar.  It doesn't hurt as much today as it did yesterday.

4. Gary the Grand Am (my car) is getting working on by my father tomorrow.  Gary is getting new front rotors and brakes.  Shall be a grand time.  Lemon tree is also looking super sad.  She will be staying at my parent's house for a bit because she needs heat and humidity.  There's no where for me to put her outside currently in our apartment, so she's going to sit on my parent's deck for the remainder of the summer/early fall.

Sad lemon tree...

5. The Minnesota State Fair started yesterday.  I did not place at all in the three baking competitions I entered.  Ho hum.  Everything was perfect, too.  It saddens me.  Sean and I are going to the fair on Sunday, so we'll have to see if my stuff made it into the refrigerated display cases at least...

Have a nice weekend!

Weigh in Wednesday

Ugh...

With starting my new job this week and getting up earlier I completely forgot it was Wednesday today.  And I didn't weigh myself and subsequently, no photo. 

I'm sorry, friends.  I'll get back to weigh in Wednesday next week when hopefully my brain in screwed on correctly.

Also, side note.  I love my new job.  I'm not really doing much yet, but I already love it.

Five Things on Friday

 
1. I made a fun graphic!  Thoughts?

2. I'm hanging out with my best friend tomorrow and I'm SUPER excited out it.

3. Today is my last day at the job I held for three years.  End of my first adult job.  It's memorable and terrifying and I'm so excited for the next chapter!

4. I have happy hour with some work friends tonight and I'm looking forward to keeping these friendships going even after my last day.

5. Remember that time I registered for 14 items to enter into the Minnesota State Fair Creative Activities?  Yeah, those items are due on Sunday and I'm busy on Saturday.  Looks like I'm not making 14 items, but instead will make as many as possible.

What are you doing this weekend?

Getting real, real quick

I'm going to get real around here.

Have you noticed my lack of posting?  Have you noticed I only post on Wednesdays and Fridays?  This has got to change.  And I've got to let you all in on a little secret.

I am a habitual starter of things that I never finish.  It's true.  Ask my husband, he'll tell you.  I'm super horrible at starting projects, weight loss, exercise, ideas, etc. and I hardly ever finish.  I've got to get this to change.

Ugh, I need to get over this.  Does anyone else struggle with this?  I struggle with this majorly.  Does anyone have any inspiration?  It's not even strictly related to weight loss and exercise.  It's related to the foods I eat, things I do, everything.  It seems I get sick of the routine and repetitiveness of something.

Ugh.  That's all I have to say about that.

In an effort to get out of my not finishing things rut when it comes to blogging, I need to push myself to blog more often.  Here's to starting.

Weigh in Wednesday

Well, it's about time I get my act together and post for today.

253.6 pounds - week 5

Down .2 pounds. And that's okay with me. Sean and I ate out a lot this week. Wedding, anniversary dinner, breakfast on Sunday, last night... The list goes on. Because of the eating out, I'm happy I've maintained for the last week. 

Back on the wagon. New day, new beginning (or some other motivational crap like that).

Sorry for the short post. I want to get back to enjoying my evening while not at work. The last two weeks have been some of the busiest weeks at work and I'm ready to be done.

One Year

It has been one year today that I married my very best friend.  I can't imagine life without him.  Let's recap that day, shall we?

First, Sean patiently waited for me for our first look, even when Charlie came running.

Finally, it was time to see each other.  The pictures from our first look are my favorite from the entire day.

I cry when I get emotional at all, so there were many very happy tears.  We posed in the church.  I love the next photo, minus everyone upstairs.

We had a fantastic wedding party.

We had the cutest ring bearer and flower girl.

We then got hitched.

We took pictures with our families.

We danced our first dance to this song.

We dance the remainder of the night and fun was had by all.

Five Things on Friday

It's Friday, finally!  It is just me, or has this been one of the longest weeks ever?  Maybe it's because I'm counting down the days until I start my new job... Let's get this started!

1. First up, a oldie but a goodie song to get you pumped for Friday.

2. Sean and I are going to a friend's wedding tonight.  I still need to figure out what dress I'm going to wear.  Maybe I can contemplate that all day.

3. Tomorrow is our first wedding anniversary.  It's hard to believe that a year has already flown by.

4.  Did I mention a couple weeks ago Sean and I gifted ourselves a Keurig for our anniversary?  We've used it every day since we got it.  Definitely worth the investment.

from my Instagram feed (and yes that is a piece of Pyrex holding the K-cups)

5. It's going to be another busy weekend for me.  Sunday is Juniper's baptism and I'm excited to see my family again for a second weekend in a row.  On Monday, my mom and I are going to ValleyFair.  She's staying at our apartment on Sunday night and then we're headed there Monday.  I'm looking forward to it!

And a bonus one!

6. I jogged at the gym yesterday (and it was fantastic), but on the way to the gym there's a Goodwill that I regularly shop at.  There was SIX pieces of vintage Pyrex there.  I bought four of them.  All brown in color.  The two I left there because I had one of them already and the second one was kind of scratched on the bottom and definitely had been dishwashered because the glazing wasn't very shiny.  Super excited about the new Pyrex.  I'll post pictures of it soon.

Beginning - 30 Day Challenges

Well, the first day of my 30 day challenges are complete. The squats were easy, simply because I don't mind doing squats. It is the push-ups that I know are going to kill me.

Much to the dismay of Boots, I'm headed off to the gym now. I leave you with a cute kitty picture.