half over

work has been extremely busy for me this week which is good, but there's no end in sight until this damn annual meeting is over next month (may 7)... the final program will go to the printer on monday, and i haven't even started on the hotel/exhibit signage... and then there will be a dozen or so last-minute projects - all of which will need to be done ASAP... gotta love it... the only light at the end of the tunnel right now, is looking forward to our honeymoon... =)

eric FINALLY bought our tickets for paris on sunday - that's as far as we've gotten but at least i know that i'll be driving around france may 14–29... we'll spend a day or so in the city and then it will be off to the countryside where i hope we just take our time, soak-up the scenery, and get some much needed R&R... we'll spend some time w/his host family (from college) but that's all i know right now... if anyone has some suggestions on places to stay in southern france - please let me know... i'm not looking for 4-star hotels - B&Bs would be nice... =)

work, honeymoon... that's about all that's been going on for me... besides going thru photos of my dad and starting to assemble things for the memorial service (may 2)... my sister was telling me about how much some newspapers charge to list an obituary - one is costing more than my dad's cremation - how insane is that!?!?! i'm in the wrong business, that's for sure... i spent some time w/my mom and brother on sunday - he found more pictures so we reminisced for a while and made fun of my mom's hair at the time... not that mine was any better, but you know what i mean... fun times... =)

eric's been away at a conference, but will be home tonight... i haven't watched any of our shows this week (breaking bad, LOST, and justified) so we'll have much to keep us busy... =)

 well, that's it for me... hope you're having a good week...

happy hump day...

thank-you

for all the well-wishes, kind thoughts, and comments... even though i have boughts were i get incredibly sad (like having to read my dad's obit), i have enjoyed going thru old photos, and remembering all the fun things we used to do when i was little... being that i was like an only-child (my brother is 14-years older and sister is 12-years older), he would take me everywhere with him... sometimes i'd ride in the back of his truck with my dog, sandy, and not have a care in the world... he'd take me to mcdonald's for breakfast on the weekends (occasionally) and then get yelled-at from my mom... he'd also take me to the local restaurant after school and we'd get milkshakes and grilled cheese samiches - no wonder i have a weight problem! i'm thankful to have memories like this and so many more... =)

work has picked-up because of our annual meeting (less than a month away) so that has helped... we worked in the garden today and planted 3 kinds of lettuce, spinach, green beans, snap peas, and a batch of volunteer potatoes... next week, we'll plant the tomatoes, peppers, and herbs... i cannot WAIT to have our first salad with lettuce from the garden - there's nothing like it... =)

tomorrow i'll be hanging out w/my mom and then having lunch with my brother... she made her annual easter candy (coconut and peanut butter) and he didn't get his share last week, so we're making a special trip... eric is going to atlanta for a conference tomorrow as well, so i'll have a few days to myself - always nice since that gives me ownership of the remote... ;)

we've also been talking about our honeymoon and need to get moving... eric's been looking online and will hopefully be able to use his amex points, esp. since he charged 75% of our wedding (which we paid-off in a month)... so far, we're looking at flying into paris on may 14th and then coming back on 29th and then we'll have memorial day weekend to recoup... i cannot wait! =)

hope you're having a great weekend and enjoying the sun...

loss for words

donald kessler
june 14, 1932 - april 6, 2010

my father finally lost his battle with Alzheimer's this morning, he was 2 months shy of turning 78... my sister had called on friday to say that his health had quickly deteriorated during the past week and that his lungs were full of fluid (from pneumonia)... the meds hadn't helped and he had also stopped eating so we pretty much knew at that point, it would be soon... my brother, my sister, and i spent the day with him on saturday - they had him on morphine to keep him comfortable - i'm not sure if he knew we were there or not... i'd like to think he did... eric and i spent the morning w/him on sunday and i had my chance to say goodbye... i can't even remember what i said, but it was hard - that's all i know... my sister was able to visit with him yesterday and the nurses were amazed that he was still going (esp. after not having any fluids or food for 3+ days)... his heart finally gave-out around 4am, and now he can finally rest in peace...

we are planning a memorial service for early may (since he's being cremated) and then he'll have full military honors before being buried... still seems odd to say, but that is reality...

i may not be on here as often... i'm still in shock and trying to stay busy, without crying... yes, im at work, but only because staying at home would be worse...

not-so-happy tuesday...

half-way thru

the boss is on vacation this week so i'm pseudo 'in-charge' and will try my best to keep things running smoothly with the new website... since eric wanted to get into the office early this morning, i was here a bit early too and took advantage of the quiet morning by getting some small stuff off my desk... perhaps i shall start my own vacation countdown --> only 11 more days... :)

my weekend was busy but productive... eric suggested we throw the frisbee around after work on friday night and i told him that we should definitely do that more often... it's not like we stand around and throw it back and forth - we do a lot of running so i got in more than 30-minutes of cardio for sure... saturday morning was spin class and then we took the harley downtown to his friend's house for brunch (french toast and mimosas! yum!)...as for the rest of the day - i had to run to old navy for a gift card and picked-up some clothes for eric since they were on sale (and a pair of cargo shorts for myself since they were only $12 and too damn cute!)... then it was off to the grocery store and then home to clean and do laundry... i was determined to get everything done since sunday we were going to see my dad and i knew that i wouldn't want to do anything when we go home... oh, i also had to bake a cake and decided on making 3 so i could give one to my sister and one to my brother... i think i finished with the cakes around 9:00 so it was a long day indeed!

yesterday was my dad's 77th bday so my eric, my brother, and his girlfriend drove out to see him for the day... he was having a 'good' day and was awake for most of the time, even saying a few things here and there that we could understand (most of the time we cannot)... my sister brought pizza so we were able to hang out for a few hours and spend time together as a family - the chocolate cake with peanut butter icing was a big hit (my family's favorite)... the weather was nice too so all in all, it was a very good day... after we got home - i put on my workout clothes, went downstairs, did my 3rd belly-off workout, and then 30-mins of pilates... not a bad way to end the day, in my opinion... :)

happy monday...

weigh-in

i'm thrilled to report a maintain for this week - i truly feel that i would have seen a small loss had i not gone to my mom's last night for dinner... and had a glass of wine AND some strawberry shortcake for dessert (that's it for the year though!)... either way, i'm just happy that the scale didn't go up again so maybe there's hope at the end of the tunnel after all... i've run twice this week, outside, so that's progress - today was perfect, not too hot and not too sunny... :o)

things have improved a bit since last week - i finally talked to my boss about taking some time off and wouldn't you know the week that i wanted - she's interviewing a potential designer and needs me there... if this person was from DC, i would've had complained but she's out-of-state so her needs come before mine obviously since we REALLY need someone... needless to say, i'm still getting time off next week (minus wednesday) and won't be back in the office until july 1... and then it will be a short week because of the holiday - can't beat that! i haven't made any solid plans besides going to pittsburgh this weekend with eric and then meeting my niece for lunch or dinner on tuesday... eric and i had talked about camping but being it's summer, spots are nonexistent and to just 'get a room' by the beach would cost an arm and a leg... we'll think of something i'm sure... :o)

saturday was my dad's 76th birthday so my brother, his girlfriend, eric, and i made a trip to see him and met up w/my sister and my 2 nieces... we hungout with him for a while, listening to stories from my brother and laughing about all the funny things he used to do when we were young... then we had lunch and an awesome birthday cake (made my moi), with ice cream of course... i'm pretty sure he knew what was going on but it's so hard to tell these days - one moment he's good and the next, he's yelling about something or just plain irritated... welcome to world of dementia but i love him to pieces... :o)

happy hump day...

1 year closer to 40

today is my birthday (big 37) and so far, nothing traumatic has happened... i haven't read my annual "if you were born on this day" horoscope yet but will and i usually make a copy to put on my bulletin board, just to keep track of things that happen throughout the year... seems corny but that's just what i do... i'm sure you're wondering if i have any BIG plans for later and the answer is, no... i saw eric on sun/mon and we decided wednesday would be a good night for dinner (schedule reasons) and plans w/a girlfriend on thursday had to be rescheduled... am i pissed that i don't have plans? not really - birthdays are just another day in my book, no use getting my panties all in a bunch... if i was turning 16 or 21 - that would be another story... ;o)

i apologize for not posting - since last week, my life has just been a whirlwind... i was at here til almost 9:00 last thursday working on this black-tie invitation, and in tears for most of the time because the mailroom printed them wrong... i was able to save most of them but the fact of the matter is, they fucked up a pretty important job... friday, i went to my sister's so we could meet the funeral director and go thru all that stuff - it went surprisingly well though some stuff was just plain creepy... she also took me to lunch at this old, victorian house that has been converted into a bed & breakfast and i bought myself a new, silver ring at this tiny giftshop on the way home... :o)

while i was out there, i was able to spend some time w/my dad - he's doing good though i've accepted he no longer recognizes who i am... we did some exercises with hand-weights and i helped him w/lunch, also took a few strolls in the hallways as well as worked on a sudoku puzzle (okay, that was all me)... on the way home, i stopped at the veteran's cemetary and got all that taken care of - it really is a nice spot though it was quite cold and windy when i was there... i feel better knowing we have all this done, i can concentrate on making more of an effort to see him on a regular basis and now that spring is around the corner - i won't have to worry about snow!

food/exercise are slowly getting back on track and i'm certainly not expecting a loss tomorrow... but no worries - that's the least of my concern right now...

sorry for the lack of comments, i'll try and catch-up with everyone soon! :o)

happy tuesday...

weigh-in

i maintained this week so weigh-in was better than expected... i'm not feeling very well (achy, etc.) and got a call from my sister about my dad, they were taking him to the hospital, said it could be his heart... i'm not sure what they found, since i'm still waiting to hear back from her, so i may be heading out of town pretty soon... i got her voicemail this morning as i was waiting for some coworkers at a site-visit - so between that and not feeling well - it was a pretty shitty morning... :o(

i talked to my boss about possibly taking some time-off, she was more than understanding and said to do whatever i needed to do... i also called the veteran's cemetery near my sister and got the ball rolling with that (we needed too anyway) and it wasn't as bad as i thought it would be... granted, no one wants to talk about death before it happens but he said it's much easier to get the paperwork done now vs. later... he was very nice and very helpful so at least that aspect will be taken care of...

not sure when i'll be back or have an update, so say a little prayer for us...

update: my dad is doing better, it wasn't a heart attack but think it could've been a mini-stroke - won't know til the blood results are back... being he fell out of his chair last night (because they are idiots and left him unattended) they think that could've jarred something as well... my sister sounded relieved in any case so for now, things are okay... thanks for the well-wishes - it means a lot! :o)

TGIF

4 miles
42:20 minutes
475 calories

was going to shoot for distance but decided on speed this time, not too shabby me thinks (i can't do both yet but i'm working on it!)... there's nothing like a good workout before the weekend, and before going to dinner w/the boyfriend later tonight... my plan is to split an oven-fired pizza with him and have a nice, big salad and one glass of wine - totally doable, right? i managed okay at bob evan's last night with my mom but had 2 of their yummy rolls along with 6 fried shrimp, potato encrusted halibut, and a baked potato... no dessert though so yay me! :o)

i was here til almost 7:00 last night, waiting for some web-shit to be done, so i had to move dinner back with my mom and thus, i didn't get to watch LOST... eric didn't see either so we may either find it online and watch it later or just watch it next week - for those of you that DID watch it, how was it? don't give anything away though! ;o)

eric and i are also heading to my sister's this weekend, or rather to spend some time w/my dad... he was in the hospital a few weeks back and doesn't seem to be recovering very well - it could be the dementia escalating, or his heart wearing out, or both but i feel it is my duty to see him as much as possible... my sister wants to hold a family meeting between the 3 kids soon so we can discuss final plans - not like we're expecting anything or want to think about it but she's heard it's better to deal with stuff now rather than later when you're an emotional wreck... my dad was such a vibrant and funny man when i was younger, so it's very hard to see him in the condition he's now in - weak, quiet, mumbles his words, can't feed himself... one would think i was his granddaughter because of how much he's aged, but the eyes totally give us away... they are something i'll always love about him and thankful that he gave them to me... :o)

sorry to end on such a crappy note but just thought i'd share... as much as this blog is about losing weight, it's also about a lot more... thanks for listening...

have a great weekend...