54 more days

the official countdown begins until my next 'real' vacation which is the week of labor day... it was definitely weird being at the beach without actually camping at the state park, but it's a good thing we didn't because there was some major rain, thunder, and lightening on friday night... they still had fireworks though so that was nice, even if we had to sit under a pavillion to watch them, but other than that - eric and i had a successful, last-minute trip to the ocean (pics to come soon)... :o)

we left at the crack of dawn on friday morning and were on the beach by 10:00am... we stopped for breakfast at this diner we usually go too and also made a pit stop at wa-wa for their iced-coffee - i've raved about it before but seriously, it's like the best thing ever... anyway, we headed to the park, changed at the bathhouse, and then hit the beach with our chairs, umbrella, and loaded cooler that wasn't very sand-friendly... there were some clouds in the morning but after lunch, it was sunny and warm for the rest of the day and both of us agreed that we were very lucky since the forecast said showers... it was nice to relax, read a good book, and watch the porpoises swim up and down the coastline... for dinner - we went to this local seafood restaurant (again, another oddity when you're used to using a campstove!) and i had the jumbo shrimp stuffed with crab imperial - it was delish! dessert was ice cream from this quaint little shop and that was our day! :o)

on saturday, we were concerned about the weather again but after breakfast - we packed-up and hit the beach agreeing that if it turned - we'd hit the road early... needless to say, 6:00 rolled around and we were still on the beach! ha! after a few raindrops decided to fall though, off we went to the bathhouse to shower/change and hit the road (after getting another iced-coffee of course)... the drive home took less than 2.5 hours and there was no traffic, guess everyone's coming home today... :o)

yesterday, we did stuff around the house/yard as well as go for a short ride since once again - rain was in the forecast... i picked some huge squash and zucchini, and our tomatoes are going to start turning very, very soon... i made another batch of pesto and we had for the dinner last night over some whole wheat pasta - yummy... movie of the night: the fifth element - talk about a blast from the past (1997!)... :o)

today has been relatively quiet - i did some treadmill work but forgot my iPod so i found it incredibly difficult to stay motivated while running... i think i did about 40 minutes jog/walk, then some abs, then called it a day... tonight i have to run up to my mom's and pick-up my sister's cat, since they're leaving for their trip this week, and i'm also hoping to pick more blueberries - i miss having them on my cereal and in my yogurt... :o)

happy monday...

heading to the beach

eric and i have been talking about going to the beach for weeks, but the campground we normally go too was full and all the hotels/motels were booked (or too expensive)... last night he goes, "let's get up at the crack of dawn and just go for the day" and i was all for it (considering it's less than a 3-hour drive)... but today he found a motel room, in lewes (which is right down from the campground), that had a cancellation - though the room isn't cheap, it's near downtown and in walking distance of the ocean... how lucky is that?!?! now all we need is for the weather-gods to be nice and keep the rain away! but either way, it will be good to have some downtime at the ocean - this will feel more like a vacation that what i had last week... :o)

work has been quiet today and they're sending people home at 2:00... i had a NSV too - there was an email sent around saying, "come and enjoy fresh cupcakes" so i went and looked at them and decided to pass... they were bigger than big and full of icing - knowing i would only have a few bites, i figured it would be a waste... GO JODI! anyway, i offered to stay and do the weekly stat-posting so hopefully it won't come too late - not that i have anywhere to go but i wouldn't mind having an extra long afternoon... i have a hair appointment later and then it's off to eric's to start packing the car and going thru my list of what we'll need for our roadtrip... :o)

i hope you have a wonderful and safe 4th of July... :o)

happy thursday...

weigh-in

since this is MY blog, i am allowed to bend the rules a bit... i knew i'd be going out to dinner last night so i weighed-in yesterday morning and was happy to see a 1-pound loss... slowly but surely, i'm getting down to where i was a few months ago - not sure why it's taking so long but a loss is a loss... even if i DID count this morning's weigh-in, i would've maintained for the week so really - either one is pretty good... :o)

my friend, mike, and i have been doing birthday dinners since we were 16 (that makes this year lucky #21)... i'm not sure how it started but we've managed to keep it going this long and i'm very thankful that he's still in my life... between him and his wife, gail, they have been such great friends, through all my trials and tribulations, various jobs, and boyfriends... and even though i never thought he'd be married and have 3 kids (esp. before me) - he has always been there for me, regardless of how stupid my problem or issue was... it's good to have a person like that, in your life, and i feel blessed... as for dinner - we went to this nice seafood place and i ordered the scallops (1st time ever) with kale and garlic mashed potatoes... mmm mmm... even though i did NOT order dessert, i did have a 'javatini' that was TO DIE FOR... coffee + alcohol = yummy! :o)

work has been quiet but busy - my boss gave me a newsletter to do so between that and the appendix, i've been formatting charts/tables for the last two days... i'm hoping the rest of the week is quiet esp. since we have off friday and we get to leave early tomorrow - i'm looking forward to the long weekend even though i was just on vacation... maybe i'll actually go somewhere, weather depending of course... :o)

time to catch-up on your blogs, have a great day! :o)

happy hump day...

only 1 day left

my last day-off is halfway over and that makes me sad - i hate to admit that i'm bored but i am, and that's what happens when you don't plan anything... okay, i had planned on going to the pool but now it's cloudy - not sure what plan B is but i know plan C is to hit the 5:30 spin class... plan D is to make pesto for dinner because my herb garden is doing really good and as you can see by the pic, the basil is doing extraordinarily well (eric thought it would be funny to show just how big the leaves were by using his beer bottle)... :o)

my doctor's appt. went okay considering all she did was take some blood... the doc wasn't there so i couldn't ask him anything - maybe when the results come back, i'll have a better idea if it's my levels that are off or just me (ha!)... i also hit the big thrift store on the way back and grabbed a cute skirt and jean capris - every monday the store is 25% so i definitely got a good deal... :o)

my extended weekend was good - i got to hang out with my girlfriend and her kids on friday, that's always fun since i don't get to see them very often... on saturday, my mom and i went to this small art/craft show in shepherdstown, wv - i made the mistake of wearing my new birks and god were my feet/legs killing me saturday night (i suppose they're more comfortable when they're broken in?)... on sunday - eric and i went for a ride but it was pretty cloudy most of the time and i was cold (imagine that!)... for dinner, we made mac'n cheese because eric was inspired by the challenge i was watching on the food network (he says he doesn't watch but i know he does!) - it was pretty darn good and i'm sure, not very point-friendly but whatever... i think i did okay this weekend so i'm hoping to see at least another pound gone on wednesday...

well, that's it for me... i just downloaded the new coldplay album so i may put that on and go thru some old magazines before i put them in the recycle bin...

happy monday...

TGIF

happy friday, y'all... max refused to let me sleep-in past 9:00 so after a few snuggles, i got up, made some coffee, and prepared breakfast... since fridays are my bagel day - i had one with lowfat provolone cheese, 1 egg, spinach, and turkey bacon - yum yum... this should hold me off for a few hours and then for lunch, i'll have cottage cheese with blueberries and a nectarine... i forgot to mention that on tuesday night, my mom and i went to pick blueberries at this small farmette... there were 6 horses, chickens, ducks, dogs, and a cat running around so it was quite funny at times... i somehow managed to pick 6 pounds and the berries are HUGE - so i saved one container to eat this week and froze the rest... i will probably go back and pick more next week since they are so tasty when in season and VERY good for you --> low in saturated fat, cholesterol and sodium; also a good source of dietary fiber, and a very good source of vitamin C, vitamin K and manganese... :o)

i called the doctor's office this morning since my synthroid RX has run out of refills, and they said i should come in monday and get my blood taken... i'm hoping my levels are okay but will mention my small weight gain and recent "i'm in a funk" episodes - could be nothing but we'll see... so much for having a stress-free monday (and last vacation day!)... :o(

plans for today: not sure yet - i have a shelf in my walk-in closet that needs some straightening so i may tackle that shortly... i may also call my girlfriend and see what she's up too, haven't seen her or the kids in quite some time... eric will be coming over later for dinner and then we may go see a movie (probably 'the happening')... i may also attempt the pool today but it will very hot and humid, and that doesn't always make for a pleasant experience - there's nothing worse than laying in the sun and having the sun melt your suncreen... :o(

one more thing - roni has a really good video post today, you should definitely check it out...

happy friday...

weigh-in

i'm a bit late with posting my weigh-in but since i'm on vacation, i think i have a valid reason... though i'm down 1 pound, it's not the 3 pounds that i saw last week but i blame it on going to pittsburgh... no matter how good my initial intentions are, they somehow get thrown by the wayside... such is life and am back on track - went to the gym today and did 45 minutes on the treadmill (30 mins of that was hard running) and then did about 45 minutes of weights... as for the rest of the day - i went to the pool for a few hours (first time this summer) and that's about it... :o)

pittsburgh was good - eric managed to make good progress on his motorcycle trailer so as soon as he gets the title, we can start using it for long trips... we hung out with his mom and dad, as well as numerous siblings since they seem to pop-in at various times... their cherry trees were loaded so i made a cherry cobbler for dinner on sunday (along with beer can chicken x two!) and used his mom's cherry stoner - pretty cool i have to admit (saves a lot of time!)... it was a big hit, to say the least, and i'm happy to say i wasn't offered any to take home with me... speaking of on the way home - we didn't even make it to the turnpike when a hole in eric's muffler pipe decided to blow... talk about loud! luckily there was a midas closeby so they replaced it and 2 hours later, we hit the road (again)... there were also some big storms rolling thru so i nabbed a few pics of the rainbow we saw while driving... :o)

on tuesday, i met my niece in harrisburg for lunch - i don't get to see her as often since she lives w/her mom and is busy with work and school... we had mexican (ugh!) and then shopped at ross and target which is always fun... i admire my niece so much - she was born with royally f-d up legs - one was amputated below the knee and the other has never grown properly so she'll be using crutches for the rest of her life... this disability, however, has not stopped her from doing what she wants to do - she was a cheerleader in HS and now drives a car! AND she turns 21 this december which makes me feel incredibly old! anyway, i love her to pieces and i'm so proud of her! :o)

i had to work yesterday, which was fine, though it put a damper on my vacation momentum... i was busy helping my boss with a project and also got to interview the potential designer (who is from indiana)... she seems very nice and has done some great work so i'm hoping my boss wants to offer her the position - just don't know how soon she can start considering she's out of state... and that's all i'm going to talk about work for now (and until next tuesday when i go back)... :op

as for the rest of my vacation - i have no plans... the weather seems iffy for most of sat/sun, my mom and i might go to this art/craft show and eric is dying to try-out the new mufflers on his bike (he said it's even louder than before!)... i also told him that as much money as he's put into this thing - i should be wearing it on my finger! ;o)

time to catch-up on everyone's blogs and continue my much-needed R&R... i'll leave you with some pics from last weekend - enjoy!

happy thursday...

TGIF

1hr30m to go til my (short) vacation begins... i'm very excited to be getting out of town this weekend and to be taking a break from here - i've spent most of the day prepping the other designer on things she'll have to handle next while i'm out... she's still 'learning the ropes' but i have confidence she'll be okay (gotta learn eventually, right?)...

for lunch, i had my beef ramen noodles - it was a tad better since i added some snap peas but it could still handle a bit more 'bulk'... i know, what do you expect for $.33 but still! i also had a great weight/cardio workout so i'm energized for the rest of the day... eric and i will be going for sushi tonight - i plan on ordering some california rolls and sashimi without the rice this time - i've never done before that but thought i would give it a try... yea, i know sushi is low in points anyway BUT i also know going to pittsburgh for 3 days means unexpected food and drink... god help me! ;o)

thanks for the tortilla suggestion, sarah - i did put them in the microwave for 15 sec but didn't use a damp paper towel... maybe that will solve my problem next time, or heating them in a pan might help too - thanks, pinky! :o)

enjoy your weekend and happy friday...

p.s. the scale was down almost another pound this morning - i hope it stays like that til next wednesday!

remember ramen noodles?

sorry about this sucky photo but i just wanted to let you guys know that i tried the new lower-fat and lower-sodium ramen noodles today... besides being cheap (3 for $1), it wasn't bad for a quick lunch but i would definitely add some frozen veggies and/or protein next time... i used the microwave and after 3-minutes, i had a hot lunch and if you're WW counting points - it would be around 4... i also picked-up the beef and shrimp flavors so i'll let you know how they taste... click on the link above for more info... :o)

i made some enchiladas last night (been craving mexican) but they were a disaster! i used corn tortillas, since they're great for oven-baked quesadillas (and only 1 point for 2), but for this recipe - they were crap! they cracked as soon as i put them in the casserole dish! ugh! i made them anyway but can anyone recommend a good but low-point brand of flour tortillas? the lowcarb versions seem mushy to me but maybe i should try the whole wheat or multi-grain kind... any suggestions? :op

happy thursday...

p.s. my scale was down 2-pounds this morning so whoo hooo carrots! :o)

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...

TGIF

happy friday the 13th indeed... it's been quite the day - between metro problems getting to work, there was a huge power outage downtown so my building was out of commission... i hiked-up 12 flights of stairs to find people waiting in the dark, wondering what was going to happen - we have an off-site office but for someone like me (design) that doesn't do much good... after a quick word w/my boss on the way out, i headed back uptown to hangout with eric though he was in meetings most of the morning... i sat in his office, had my bagel & coffee, and read the latest oprah for the remainder of the morning... by noon, metro was back to normal so i went back home and proceed to go straight to the gym! had a great 60-minute workout on the treadmill - went almost 5 miles and burned almost 600 calories! yay me! :o)

after the gym, i ran to this local thrift store that is absolutely huge - it's a madhouse on the weekends so it was nice to actually look thru things and not be run over by carts or small children... found a cute pair of brown, linen shorts and a pair of brown, leather birkenstocks that amazingly were only $6.99... i also picked-up a nice, nonstick skillet for eric since he never seems to have enough pans in this damn kitchen... as for the rest of my day - i watched some tv to watch the news coverage of tim russert's passing - we're a big fan of his 'meet the press' show on sundays so it's quite a loss for news world as well as the DC area... he was only 58! scary! :o(

weekend plans consist of going out to see my dad tomorrow - it's his birthday and he'll be 76 - hard to believe... we're going to have a pizza-party and then i'm bringing his favorite chocolate cake with peanut butter icing (sort of PA thing)... being the cake is only 9" round - the pieces will have to be small, so that makes me happy - it's bad enough we're having pizza but i certainly don't need to overdo things w/cake and ice cream too... ;o)

and i just want to take a moment to thank all of you that left comments on my post wednesday - i was in such a horrible mood and i know it happens and we've all been thru it, i just hate feeling that way... i hate feeling defeated and letdown but realize, it's part of the process we have to go thru in order to be successful at anything... there will ups and there will be downs, i just thought i was getting pretty good at accepting the downs - maybe not... either way, i'm going to continue and hopefully, my body will respond again and my weight will start going back down - i don't want to starve myself or do something rash because i know that's not THE answer, so i'll also be working on my patience... :o)

have a great weekend, everyone! :o)

p.s. i've thought about getting a trainer but they are rather expensive in my area - i've learned how to switch-up my weight routine every 2-3 months and i also vary my cardio as much as possible... maybe when i get promoted, i can afford something new but not right now...

weigh-in

christ, i can't seem to win lately - i was all high & mighty last week about getting back on plan and counting points, and what happens... i gained .2 pounds this week (i know it's minor but it's still a gain!)... i was doing really well up until saturday and then i bought chips & onion dip for when eric came over... and then because my mom gave me freshly-picked strawberries, i just HAD to make shortcake (because i've had it EVERY strawberry season since i was a kid)... i went to spin class on saturday but then i lost the momentum somewhere - i stopped counting, etc....

it's not THAT hard - i know HOW to do this... i've obviously been successful, or i wouldn't be where i am today, but why does it get harder? it's not like i have a husband, or kids, or work odd hours working against me - i belong to the gym at work and go there 5x week... so why the gain? so why is it bothering me now when a month ago, i could care less? i'm not really expecting answers, i'm just thinking/venting outloud... i've been in a crappy mood for several days and i just can't shake it - i'm tired, i hate my job again, i need a vacation, and i feel like my life is just at a standstill... i know i can work on this stuff but it's like "where do i start first?"... and i'm just tired of thinking in general - my brain needs a time-out...

ugh, i hate feeling like this and i hate complaining, but that's life... sometimes it just sucks for no reason and you just have to deal with it, regardless if you can change anything... ever have one of those days/weeks/months?

happy hump day...

somebody just shoot me

I AM SO TIRED... i hate apartment living, especially after almost 6 years, but what can you do when you can't afford to buy anything in a decent area... my neighbor decided to watch tv/movie around 1:00am and since i'm extremely sensitive to sound, i don't think i went back to sleep til almost 2:30... i have no qualms about banging on the wall/floor/ceiling but couldn't tell if it was next door or below me, so i had to suffer thru it... and since i was wide awake - i realized i was starving so i had a cup'o cereal, in the dark, in my kitchen (why be pissed-off and hungry?)... i need to get some earplugs (only had one!)... as a result, i am in the WORST mood today and to add to my crankiness - my train was offloaded this morning because of 'door' issues... seriously, i feel like packing it in and going home! :o(

the weather has been ungodly hot - mid 90s with the heat index over 100, maybe even closer to 110... i met my friend for lunch yesterday and was surprised to find her at a table outside - this girl hates the heat so i'm not sure what she was thinking... i hate 2 light beers, a normal amount of chips (not my usual 2 baskets-full), and a chicken salad with maybe half the dressing... not bad i thought... i made a pit stop at whole foods prior to meeting her and picked up some walnuts, almonds, pine nuts, and natural peanut butter - need to go there more often because their prices were really good! as for the rest of the day, i didn't do ANYthing - it was too damn hot... :o(

saturday, i made it to spin class but there was a new/sub instructor and he sucked - his music sucked and he was very unmotivating... but instead of leaving, i stuck it out for 45 mintues and am glad i did... my mom and i changed our plans, because of the hot weather ,and hit some yard sales instead... i also put in her window a/c unit and did some other odds & ends around the place - always makes me feel good to help since i know she can't do everything by herself... eric came over saturday night and i made chicken lime burgers for dinner (from trader joes) along with a nice salad and strawberry shortcake for dessert (yes, the cake was made from scratch!)... :o)

i'm hoping the rest of my week is better than today so i'm keeping my fingers crossed... at least we're supposed to get a break in the weather by wednesday so that alone will help (i hope anyway)... i so need a nap...

happy monday...

TGIF

i'm happy that this week is almost over, it was rough coming in this morning esp. after having yesterday off but at least it was an easy day... the storms were pretty bad on wednesday, so much so that i had no power from wednesday around 6:00 til sometime yesterday... my home phone didn't work (because i have vonage) and my cellphone's battery had died so in order to have an alarm - i had to go sit in my car for about 20 mintues and let it charge... the parking lot and surrounding area was pitch-black so it was a bit creepy to say the least... yesterday, i had to shower and get ready by candlelight, that was amusing... good thing my shirts and pants matched... ;o)

the retirement party was good - they had it catered so i did the best could considering the choices... had a pulled-pork samich, some boardwalk fries (with vinegar, thank you very much), a tiny spoonful of baked beans, and a big plate of fruit salad... i had a tiny piece of yellow cake too so overall, i think i did really well and yes, i counted every single point! yay me! my brother and i got to spend time w/my dad but only long enough to feed him lunch because then we had to go... we're going back out next weekend though for his 76th birthday - we're going to have pizza and chocolate cake with peanut butter icing - his favorite... :o)

it's going to be a hot one here this weekend, close to 100 sat/sun they say... my plans are to relax tonight and then head to spin-class tomorrow morning - it's been a while so i feel the need to get back into a routine... after that - i have a few things to do for my mom around her house and then we're going to an arts festival which may be a crazy idea considering the weather... heat doesn't bother me as much as the cold but we'll see, i may be kicking myself around 2:00... on sunday, i'm meeting a friend for lunch and we're going for mexican - i'll need to make some healthy choices for sure if i want to see loss next week... :o)

have a good weekend, everyone, and happy friday!

p.s. i updated my blogroll list (sidebar) so you can now see who's in my google reader...

weigh-in

okay, okay, OKAY - I GET IT... the scale should be either staying the same or moving down but not going up each week (.2 pounds)... as much as i've needed to 'doing my own thing' for a while, it's time to regroup and refocus... i don't see what i was doing as bad or throwing in the towel but nonetheless, i seem to be creeping closer to 160 and would rather be closer to 150... i didn't think i could feel the difference but i can (in general, not in my clothes thankfully) so first thing this morning - i logged onto eTools, entered my weight, and started tracking again... so far, so good... :o)

so that is the bad news of the day... the good news is that my boss presented me with an achievement award for doing such an outstanding job on the annual meeting... i certainly wasn't expecting it so that was pretty cool - i hate getting this kind of thing but know i worked my ass off and will putting the check right into my savings account.. she said, "treat yourself to something nice" and my thought was, "i need to get out of here and take a vacation, that's what i REALLY need"... i didn't touch my tax credit money either so this will be a nice addition... i could also use a spa-day so maybe i'll plan on doing that sometime soon... :o)

my bro-in-law retired so the park is having a BBQ/retirement party for him tomorrow... my brother, his g/f, my mom, and i will be going out for the day so it should be fun, as long as the weather cooperates... i would also like to squeeze-in a visit with my dad... they say it will be close to 90 for most of the weekend so summer is definitely coming!

game 6 of the stanley cup is tonight - i'm not a super huge hockey fan but considering the penguins pulled a great win the other night, i feel it is my duty to cheer them on... GO PITTSBURGH! :o)

happy hump day...

more good stuff

for all you fiber one fans out there (that includes myself), i read on hungrygirl.com that they are coming out with two, new flavors... i LOVE their peanut butter ones but they will soon have oats & apple streusel AND oats & strawberries with almonds - sound yummy, right? keep an eye out for 'em in your store and if you happen to pick some up, let us know how they are! :o)

work has been quiet today - boss left around 1:00 so i went to the gym around 2:30, had a good weight-workout, and have been goofing-off ever sense... i know i shouldn't brag (sorry!) but it's nice to not be overwhelmed and stressed-out these days... oh, i did accomplish one thing - i upgraded to Mac OS X Leopard - seems pretty cool so far... still can't believe i've converted to being a mac person, how did that happen... ;o)

happy tuesday...

p.s. congrats to the penquins for winning last night in the 3rd overtime! go pittsburgh! :o)

okay, i feel better

i'm seeing red

so this is the newest thing in my life - meet mr. subconjunctival hemorrhage (sometimes called red eye)... he decided to pay me a visit on saturday morning and i can't, for the life of me, seem to remember inviting him... anyway, it doesn't hurt but it looks awful - my doctor said it will go away on it's own and not to worry about anything... i have to thank eric for taking such a great shot and i'm also giving myself some kudos for that nicely-shaped eyebrow! ;o)

red-eye and all, we did some yardsaling on saturday morning - we had gone to one neighborhood and nothing was set-up but on the way home, we came across another one that was pretty awesome (they even had a map with all the house participating)... love that! i found a cute j.crew skirt and black sweater set for $6, a white cardigan for $2, a small food processor for eric's house for $3 (since his died), some free tupperware containers, AND the bargain of the day - a mini-umbrella for my work bag that cost $.25 cents! yee haa! we met some really nice people and lots of neighborhood cats and dogs that were hanging out... :o)

after that - we ran home, took care of the yard, and then watched the LOST finale in the afternoon since we had some pretty bad rain storms... eric made shrimp scampi for dinner (thank-you darlin, it was yummy!) and then we watched 'knocked-up' saturday night... yesterday, we took the bike to solomons island and back so i can't complain - it was a pretty relaxing weekend... :o)

the weather is nice here today so i plan on getting outside for my hour workout... i'm feeling the need for some sun, warm weather, and a big mood-improvement... i feel like i've been doused in honey and the covered with 'blah' crumbs - not sure why... i'm hoping that going outside will lift my spirits, at least for the rest of the day anyway... :o)

happy monday...

weigh-in

i'm back up again this week (2 pounds) and have no good/bad thoughts about it really... i had a lot to eat/drink this past weekend and know that i really need to make more of an effort to exercise on sat/sun... it's hard to believe that one year ago, i was getting up early every saturday morning to train for that 5K... and i was jogging at least 5-6 times a week - i'm lucky to get in 3 runs, if i'm lucky... it doesn't bother me honestly but i know i should be doing more and/or doing something different - just can't seem to find anything that i'm dying to try... oh well...

work has been blissfully quiet this week, so much so that i've been able to work on my website and update my samples... i found a cool script that will be perfect for my online portfolio, i just have to redo all my files basically - nothing major (not!)... i know the sh*t will be hitting the fan soon though - my boss said that there are at least 12 research publications in the pipeline for this summer so it should be interesting (esp. since we're down one designer)... i better make use of my free time as much as possible... ;o)

not much else has been going on, sorry to say, my life is pretty hum-drum at the moment... june will be busy though - my bro-in-law is retiring so there's a party for him next thursday at the park, my niece's bday is on the 12th, my dad's bday is on the 14th, and then my sister will be leaving for their cross-country vacation... i will not only be cat-sitting during that time, but my brother and i will be taking turns visiting my dad every other weekend thru the end of july... i'd like to get in a small vacation with eric but we haven't made any plans yet so i guess we should do that soon, huh... still can't believe may is almost over! my how time flies!

happy thursday...

summer is right around the corner

what a great weekend - the weather was beautiful, got plenty'o rest, went to see 'iron man', got my hair cut, went for not one but TWO bike rides, exercised 1/3 days, and had some friends over yesterday for a cook-out... we were truly blessed here in the DC area because the weather was gorgeous all weekend, though a tad hot yesterday but who's complaining! our garden is looking pretty good too, eric put up a fence so the bunnies stay on their own side but i'm sure something else will find a way in... they always do... ;o)

eric & i decided to head east on sunday so we got the map out on saturday night and planned our route... we took the bay bridge, towards ocean city, and then found some great back roads heading north, then around the top, and back down the other side... it was wonderful being outside, driving thru small towns, and seeing new things (one advantage of riding and not driving) so it was worth the sore butt later... we also stopped at a state park halfway thru our ride, took a small hike, and had a picnic lunch overlooking the bay - talk about nice... couldn't have asked for a more perfect day... :o)

it was definitely hard getting up this morning, work has been pointless today but i HAVE managed to be productive - i've learned how to use a new script for my website portfolio... might as well take advantage of the downtime cus i'm not sure how much longer it's going to last and being lauren's gone, i can't imagine it will last long... janet mentioned that we need to work on my new job description - i'll believe it when i see it...

anyway, enjoy the photos and the rest of your day... :o)

yummy in my tummy

i haven't bought frozen meals in a long time but giant had heathly choice on sale this week (5 for $10) so i picked-up two cafe steamers and thought i would give them a try... i had the beef merlot today for lunch and it was fantabulous - there were huge pieces of beef, potatoes, green beans, and carrots plus a lovely merlot sauce that you poured ontop... and maybe i'm just a bit slow but i noticed they are now including WW points on the packaging (or perhaps i just never paid attention!) and this was only 4 points... i will be having the chicken with roasted red pepper alfredo sauce tomorrow and i can't wait - they're definitely worth a try... :o)

i jogged for about 40-minutes today, it felt good to be back on the treadmill... i've been making a point to get outside at least one day a week and since i had done that on monday, i opted for some tv-time and the trusted treadmill... i'm no soap opera fan but they sure do make the time go by much faster - i wish holden and lily would just stay together and be happy! ;o)

i watched most of american idol last night even though i'm not a fan - i just wanted to see who would perform and who would win... i was quite surprised to see george michael - i remember going to see him in HS and what a show that was... i think concert tshirts were still under $20 back then... i also watched last week's LOST online (in HD to boot!) and it's getting pretty good but that's expected since next week is the season finale... :o(

tonight i plan on taking a bath, reading some of my fitness magazine, and then watching a show i taped-off PBS last night about depression... it's always good to learn more about something that has affected my family (my dad and myself) so i'm hoping it's good...

oh and one more thing - i forgot to mention that i bought myself a new monitor for home... check out my new 22" wide-screen LCD - talk about awesome! it's so nice to have a bigger screen, like i have at work, because i can see more of what i'm doing (and the colors are much brighter too)... eric had to be a copycat and buy one for himself since they were a great deal online ($245 w/shipping at compusa.com)... so thank-you federal government! :o)

happy thursday...

weigh-in

even though i haven't been focusing on losing weight lately, the scale says i have (-1.2 pounds) so that's promising news... being out-of-town for the weekend always throws me for a loop but i guess i did better than i thought... my friend had a kitchen full of food, ranging everywhere from the healthy to the unhealthy, so it was easy to grab a handful of jellybeans or peanut M&M's everytime i passed the kitchen... she has lost an incredibly amount of weight and looks amazing, using no specific plan or exercise routine - she just made herself a priority and got healthy... as we all know, it's easy to put everyTHING and everyONE ahead of yourself so i am so proud that she made this change... her mom has also lost a lot of weight so it's definitely catching... :o)

my reunion/bridal shower weekend was good, though the weather wasn't the best, at least i got to spend some time w/my old roommate, her 11-year old daughter, and meet her fiance... the reunion wasn't much of anything - only 8 people from the class of '93 showed up which is pretty pathetic... we all walked around the small campus, checked out the remodeled dorm, fitness center, and classrooms - funny how things improve AFTER you leave... nikki and i also got to visit with our favorite nun, sister ave, who taught 2D design our freshman year... she was ecstatic to see us and had fun showing us off around the home, "look who came to see me" she kept saying - that alone was worth the trip back to scranton... we also drove by our old apartment and passed-by many establishments (bars) that were favorites when we had been in school... ;o)

sunday was the bridal shower - i had no idea how things were going to work out since neither her fiance or i knew the real plan for getting her there... but luckily, after having a late breakfast at a real PA diner - her mom convinced her to stop by a local hotel/bar for a drink... she was totally surprised and shocked so i'm glad it all worked out... it was also THE fastest shower i've been too - might've been 1.5 hours long including lunch! not that i'm complaining but still, that's a record! :o)

so that was my weekend and i can't tell you HOW much i'm looking forward to being in town this weekend and not having any plans... eric and i had talked about doing 'rolling thunder' in DC but he said we had to sign-up and he'd rather be out of the city and away from all the traffic... so we're planning on packing a nice lunch on sunday and hitting the country roads - can't ask more than that...

work has been quiet but i'm still trying to finish some last-minute conference stuff... we had a meeting yesterday and my boss was like, "i'm so beyond this meeting, i don't even want to think about it anymore"... can't argue with her on that! we're taking my coworker out today for lunch since her last day is friday - i'm really going to miss her and am NOT looking forward to how things are going to be when she's gone... being the other designer isn't as experienced, i feel i will be taking over more stuff and having to be teacher for a while - which is fine but she's very slow... such is life... i need to update my website/portfolio and start looking for a job again - i'm tired of things here...

happy hump day...

just because i feel like it

this meeting stuff is so close to being over, i can smell it! i just have to post some pictures (probably won't happen until monday) and then i'm D O N E... yesterday was quite stressful for me - i was emotional, i had a headache, i skipped the gym, i was missing eric, and had to stay late to update the website... thanks everyone for waiting til AFTER 5:00! to make myself feel better, i had pizza for dinner - not the best choice but i don't really care... i wrapped my friend's shower gift, packed for the weekend, watched last week's LOST, took a bath, and went to bed... :o)

so far today has been much better - it's been quiet and i'm hoping the rest of the day stays exactly the same... the weather is nice here so i'm going for a walk/jog later and then when 5:00 comes around - i'm audi for the week... tomorrow, i'm helping my mom in the morning and then it's off to allentown to see my old roommate... saturday is my 15-year college reunion in scranton which should be fun, and then sunday is her surprise bridal shower back in allentown... man, i'm tired already just typing all that but it's all good - we haven't seen each other in over 4 years so i'm looking forward to spending time w/her and her daughter... :o)

to end this week, i thought i would share some random links... enjoy!

– it's about time that a plus-size model wins ANTM
– is it just me or does rachael ray look weird in this photo
– take a shot at designing your own pair doc martens
– health.com has a new look, check it out here
– look at some of these then/now photos, some are hilarious

have a great weekend! :o)

weigh-in

this blog has become less and less about weightloss these days (esp. since i keep gaining/losing the same 2 pounds!) - not sure how many of you have noticed or even care and will continue to read regardless of what i talk about... i apologize for all the work, work, work stuff but sometimes - life just gets in the way and though i know i shouldn't apologize (since it IS my blog), i sometimes feel like i've let things slip... i've gone from posting everyday to a few times a week, and who can remember the last time i talked about a health-related article, new food product, or exercise... i know that i'll never be a roni (where does she find the energy with a job, a kid, a hubby, and multiple sites) so who am kidding... doing this stuff is a priority for her, more like a responsibility - i'm not just feeling like it's my priority anymore... does that make sense?

BUT on the flipside - i know that i'm not the same person as i was 3 years ago... my outlook has changed, my thinking has changed, my eating and exercise has changed - so i guess it's just natural that the blog changes too... it's been obvious that getting to my goal weight hasn't been life or death situation so that says to me, i have gone down a different path... i no longer beat myself-up and curse because the scale says i gained 2 pounds, i no longer feel guilty if i don't exercise, and if i want a margarita on the weekend - i'm gonna have it... i've learned to listen to my body and considering my schedule has been f*cked-up for the last two months - i'm pretty thrilled that i haven't gained 10 pounds... my body is happy where it is right now and i'm happy too... :o)

we have all started this journey and had a goal in mind - how we got there didn't matter because it was the online support that kept us going... though i don't comment as much as i used too - i still read what's going on out there because it's just a part of who i am... i know that when i'm not feeling strong - there will always be a post, somewhere, that will motivate me again... there will always be someone venting about the same thing, which is always nice, and there's always that one person that says something funny and my worries are forgotten... :o)

so my point is - you guys are great and i just wanted to say thank-you... i'm not going anywhere but i just felt the need to put it out there... i don't know where this new path is going exactly but i'll figure it out soon and share as i go along - cus that's what we do... :o)

happy hump day...

here comes the rain again

quick post - it's cold and rainy and i hate it... where's the sunshine that we had on saturday? nothing worse than a crappy-weather monday but at least it's almost over... i had a good weekend - got to my sister's late friday night and proceeded to eat: 1 corndog w/mustard, 1 piece of pizza, a few ranch wheat thins, and then a small bowl of ice cream with cashews! what! i don't know what came over me, it was like being a kid in a candy store... saturday, i was all ready for a healthy day - i had a bowl of cereal and some coffee and then what happens? my bro-in-law brings a box of fresh donuts (some kind made w/potato flour) so i split one w/my niece and they were amazing... i'm so NOT a donut person but they were there and i couldn't resist... i SO hated myself for everything i ate but what can you do, i did it, and i'm moving on... :o(

my visit with dad was okay - he was a bit irritated but we did our usual routine: lifting weights, walking the halls, giving him a shave, and watching some tv... he was napping when i left so at least he was getting some rest... stopped at the outlets on the way home - couldn't find any good bargains besides a cute pair of low-wedgies at naturalizer... i had the night to myself so i planted some flowers for my balcony and called it a night... my brother and i took mom out to lunch yesterday to this italian place near his house - his lasagna was amazing so i'm definitely getting that next time... i chose the spinach pasta with asparagus, artichokes, olives, beans, onions, and peppers - it was good but not as good as his! i hate that! they gave all the moms a free cannoli and the waiter gave us two - maybe he thought i was a mom as well? it was tasty regardless... ;o)

work was pretty quiet today - i have some major website updates to do tomorrow so i was doing a lot of revisions and prep-work for that... i did 40 minutes on the elliptical and had to stop because my foot was hurting - not sure what's up with that but i'm not liking the fact that i'm having issues again... i really don't want to think about surgery, again, so perhaps it's time to see a different doctor... after work, i hit the grocery store, made a spinach and egg samich for dinner, and made a fresh pot of coffee... my goal tonight is to watch some season finales online, take a bath, and hit the hay... :o)

and before i forget - pastaqueen was on the today show today, check it out here!

happy monday...

it's finally over

well today is the last day of the meeting and i'm SO very happy about that... the reception/dinner went well, the beach boys were okay but nothing spectacular - every song sounded like the one before and they looked rather bored on stage (imagine singing the same songs for almost 50 years!)... anyway, all the signs/banners/booths that i designed looked great and people were raving about the little buttons at the reception... i did okay with food/drink - had 2 glasses of wine and 2 bloody mary's which isn't bad considering it was a free-for-all... today will be a long one considering we didn't get home til almost midnight - hopefully when my boss gets back in the office this afternoon, she'll let us leave early... :o)

weekend plans consist of going to my sister's tonight and then spending some time w/my dad tomorrow... i will be coming home tomorrow night so my brother and i can take my mom out for mother's day on sunday (don't forget!)... eric will be in pittsburgh so i'm sans-boyfriend this weekend and will be next weekend too since it's my college reunion and friend's bridal shower in allentown... busy busy busy...

anyway, here are some pics that i took so enjoy (and yes, this is the newest dress)... :o)


































have a great weekend, everyone... and HAPPY FRIDAY... :o)

weigh-in

the weightloss gods are being very kind to me this week, the scale showed an .8 pound loss this morning... i have been counting zero points and haven't exercised since saturday's spin class... work has just been too crazy and stressful but since the meeting starts today - it will all end very soon... i can't tell you how much i am looking forward too getting my life back into a normal routine - my body has been missing exercise (and so have i)... and my sleeping patterns are starting to go back to normal as well - waking up at 6:30 is such a dream! ;o)

i went over to the hotel yesterday afternoon to attend a stage/presentation run-through, as well as to check on a few other things... i took some pics of booth and didn't realize til last night, when i was going thru them, that the panels were put on the wrong sides... so i frantically sent an email and thankfully, someone else had caught it and the problem was resolved... *whew*... i'm now printing a banner to be used for tv-interviews - we bought one of those large format printers so it's come in very handy for last-minute projects... besides some web-postings and updates (and then the major website redo on monday) - i'm done with this damn conference... :op

since i was done w/my hotel stuff a bit early yesterday, i ran a few errands, and then did some more shopping... i found another cute dress at marshall's and decided to take back the one i just bought at penny's last week - i like it but i don't LOVE it so back it goes... i had 2 other red/black dresses in my closet and i feel the need to expand my colors a bit... the new one is chocolate brown & light teal and i'll be wearing it tomorrow for the reception/dinner... :o)

that's about it for me right now... since my boss will be attending the meeting, i'm going to enjoy her not being here and get caught-up on everyone's blogs...

happy hump day!

do i have mulch in my teeth?

work has been quiet this morning but i know this afternoon will pick-up since some projects of mine are being reviewed and finalized as we speak... tomorrow will be a short day though since i have to head to the hotel for a stage/sound/video review in the afternoon, and i'm looking forward to getting home a bit early... i desperately need to wash the pollen off my car and i have some things i need to return to marshalls and pennys... i got some cami-tops at pennys and i don't like them - they're not very soft and they're too fitted, so back they go...

friday night, i went to burlington coat factory and was disappointed to find their shoe section sucks BUT i did manage find an awesome, black, fitted rain coat on sale... i also stopped at trader joes and bought myself one of their yummy, margarita pizzas - yes, that was my dinner and i'm sticking to it! i was in of those 'moods' so i added some fresh spinach before baking and it was very tasty... :o)

saturday, i had a great spin class in the morning and then headed over to eric's where we proceed to mulch all 7 areas in his front/back yard (36 bags!)... i also mowed the grass which is always fun... yesterday, we went for a nice ride in the morning and then i headed to home depot where i bought $60 worth of flowers, veggie plants, and herbs... i only got to planting the flowers and herbs (basil, rosemary, cilantro, oregano, and sage) so we'll have to work on the garden another day... since we both had stuff to do - i ran home and proceeded to swap my bedding, flip my mattress, swap my bathroom curtain/rugs, and do laundry... i took a break and ran over to kohl's, thinking they'd have some nice shoes, but they didn't so off to target i went where i managed to spend $100 (when all i needed was cottonballs!)... no magazines were read but i did watch last week's LOST online and that my folks, was my weekend... :o)

happy monday...

TGIF

i'm so glad it's friday esp. since i don't have any major plans this weekend (always a good thing) and i will need lots of R&R before next week... there's already been talk of redoing the website after the conference is over, so i have that to look forward too, as well as work to do while the conference is in progress... hey, at least i get to enjoy the exhibitor reception on thursday (free booze), the reception before dinner (more free booze), and the dinner itself (even more free booze and the beach boys)... can't complain, can't complain... ;o)

went for a nice jog/walk today down by the reflecting pool - several ducks were out w/their little ducklings, all in a row, i just love seeing that... some weren't any bigger than my hand (i had to inspect up-close) and looked rather fluffy for being so small... it was pretty hot out there so i'm guessing it's in the mid-80s, again - can't complain... :o)

weekend plans as of now are to mulch eric's flowerbeds and that's about it... i know he wants to go see 'iron man' but i think it will be too nuts at the theaters (better to wait a week or two)... he also has to prep for some speaking engagement and conference so i'll be on my own sunday, which is fine... i'm still on a quest for new shoes and i also need a new raincoat/trenchcoat so i'll be paying a visit to burlington coat factory... i did buy some shoes off chadwicks.com but now wish i didn't because i probably won't like them (at least shipping was only $1)... i am about 5 magazines behind too so maybe i'll just in my sweats all day and read - sounds like a plan! :o)

hope you have a great weekend... :o)

i rarely do this

but i thought it would be fun to steal this idea from snackie, who stole this from someone else... it's been a rather slow and quiet day here but i'm sure something will come up, it always does... a few of us girls are taking my coworker out to lunch so i MUST chose something healthy... they only had their dinner menu online (WTF) so i'll have to decide when i get there - i would prefer to make my decision ahead of time but what can you do... anyhoo, onto the game - feel free to do your own, just fill-in-the blank where you see the underlines... :o)

1. Jodi is a great shopper.

2. But I am also very thrifty.

3. Just once, I'd like to be messy.

4. I wish I'd never tried smoking when I was younger.

5. I regret that I once flew to WI to meet someone i met online.

6. I love to do laundry, clean, and go grocery shopping.

7. People that drive with their blinkers on make me really fucking mad.

8. Survivor is Stoo-pid.

9. As a special treat, I often like to treat myself to a spa-day.

10. You will never see a picture of me eating mushrooms.

happy thursday...

p.s. i think i did pretty good at lunch today - salad with balsamic dressing, grilled tilapia with lime, rice pilaff, and grilled asparagus... yummy! :o)

the $4 dress

a few of you requested that i take a picture of this infamous dress, so that's what i did... i also took a pic of another dress i picked-up tonight at penny's (on sale for $14.99) - i've never been one to buy loud or printed dresses but suddenly, that's all i'm drawn too... guess i'm feeling more comfortable in brighter colors these days (another plus to losing weight!)... i also found a pair of brown capris, a pair of tan dress pants, a pair of workout shorts, 2 workout tanks, and 2 cami's that are a much needed item anytime of the year... i didn't have any luck w/shoes though so that will be another trip... such is life... :o)

weigh-in

i have one for you today and that is HUH? how in the world did i lose anything this week? though less than a pound (.4 to be exact), it's still a loss and it was still very unexpected... so i what did i do? treated myself to a starbucks latte and a piece of their lowfat chocolate chip & banana coffee cake... i'm sure i gained that .4 pounds right back but whatever - it's been a long and very busy day! :o)

i was here til almost 7:00 last night - a blueline for the last printed piece came back from review and the proofreader found all these errors (editorial not design)... i about cried because at that point, there should be minimal changes... and since we're on such a tight deadline - i had to make the changes, have them reviewed, and then prep a new disk to give to the printer this morning... after that, i went to macy's to try and find some chocolate brown capris, which i did, but i might return them if i find others that i like more... this morning, i met the printer at 8:00 and we headed to baltimore to see my program cover being embossed - i love 'behind the scenes' stuff because you learn so much and appreciate how much goes into a printed piece (plus i love the smell of ink)... i got here around noon and it's been nonstop ever since because my boss is off-site and i had to handle some things in her absence... hence the starbucks run at 3:00 pm... :o)

tonight i'm going to hit the mall after work - i'm trying to find some shoes since i took most of mine to consignment, and i also need to keep searching for capris... once i have something stuck in my head - like finding pants - i can't concentrate on anything else... it's such a challenge for me... wish me luck!

happy hump day...

p.s. note to self: don't EVER buy coffeecake at starbucks again! what a waste of 8 points! :o(

how many slices can i fit in my mouth?

begin rant...

UGH, I AM SO FULL! they had a pizza party for my coworker today (the one that's leaving) and it was from ledos - my favorite kind of pizza in the whole, wide world! it's rectangular, with a plain sauce, and provolone cheese so it's easy to put-away more pieces because they're so damn small... i also had a cookie... what is wrong with me? i feel so out of control these past few days - who am i kidding?! i've been out of the WW-loop for a while and it's time to reign things in (again)... i have a little more than a week til this annual meeting is over and then i can bring the focus back to ME and not just work... i know it seems silly that i can't do both at the same time but when my schedule is messed-up and i'm working crazy hours, everything just seems less important... one bad day of eating - soon turns into a week and then one missed workout - soon turns into 3... what happened to the girl that was jogging 6x week and keeping track of everything? ugh! she got lazy, that's what, and i don't like her so i'm going to have to kick her out... :o)

end of rant...

my weekend was good - i found a few things at the yard sale but i also got super sunburned which is bad... i'm usually very good at wearing sunscreen but forgot and am now paying for it on my neck and chest... eric got two stereo components for his garage so we hooked that up on sunday and it sounds great - i told him he needs to move his office out there now... we watched two movies: 'the departed' (which is good even the 2nd time) and 'into the wild' which was amazing but very sad - i highly recommend it... we had hamburgers on the grill for dinner and s'mores (which is my fault but i wanted to celebrate the first burger grilling of the summer)... they were very tasty... ;o)

i'm wearing a dress today that i picked-up at goodwill with my mom a few week ago - it's a knee-length, plaid, linen dress with a belt and when i put it on this morning, i wasn't impressed... but i wore it anyway because i hate changing outfits once i've made a decision... well, i've gotten like 10 compliments on it today - how funny is that... and to think i paid like $4 for the thing, that just cracks me up... so maybe i will keep it afterall... ;o)

guess that's all - tomorrow is weigh-in and i'm not looking forward to it... there will be a big gain for sure but that's okay - i need to have a starting point... i have to go on a press-check in baltimore in the morning and the CSR was like, "should i get donuts for the trip?"... i said, thanks but no thanks (i sure hope he was kidding!)...

happy tuesday...

i can see the light

at the end of the tunnel... i accomplished a great deal today - got my last, printed piece to the printer and now it's just a matter of approving the bluelines next week and we're good to go... there was also a meeting with the production company who's handling everything at the hotel - their graphics sucked and no one seemed to care... i mentioned the logo being wrong and they were like, "we only modified it a little"... a little? why modify it at all - it's the conference logo, you dumbasses! how would they like it if i just 'modified' their logo because i felt like it... stuff like that just makes me SO mad! anyway, i'm now researching photos to promote the '59 pink cadillac convertible that we're having in the exhibitor hall, along with $350 cutouts of elvis and marilyn monroe... i mean really! AND they're having a photographer there if you want your picture taken... maybe it's just me but i think we could've spent our money on something better - LIKE GETTING ALTON BROWN! :o)

went for a nice, slow jog today - i just can't seem to pick-up the pace outside but then again - i haven't been doing it regularly enough to make any improvement... either way, it was nice to be outside - got to see some doggies which is always nice... :o)

weekend plans: eric and i are meeting up w/his old roommate, wife, and kids for dinner tonight - i think we're doing indian but i'm not certain... we also have some time to kill so it's drinks after work until 7:00... tomorrow, we're going to a HUGE community yard sale - i usually go with my mom but he said he'd like to go so we're taking truck and hopefully will find some good bargains! the rest of the weekend will be spent washing my winter clothes, packing them away, and taking out all my spring/summer stuff... happy happy, joy joy! :o)

have a great weekend, everyone...

weigh-in

two steps forward and one step back, as they say... 2 pounds magically reappeared this week - okay, maybe not magically but i wasn't expecting it regardless... exercise has been sporadic - no spin class or 6-hour yard work this past weekend... and i've also been eating a lot of bagels for some reason (bread is my downfall) but i'm not going to let this gain derail me... i'm hoping that after this week is over, my daily schedule will be back to normal and thus, i can make exercising top priority again... i didn't go to the gym yesterday or today because of my workload but i will make a point to go tomorrow, regardless of what's on my plate... i made a big pot of turkey chili tonight so i have lunches for the rest of the week - i've also been eating a lot of fruit so my goal is to, once again, get off what i gained... :o)

like mentioned above - work has just been extremely busy... i have two more pieces that need to go to the printer this week and several signs to finish, including our booth which is taking forever because of the file sizes... i have also yet to hear from the printer about the our trip to baltimore, so i can see the embossing of the black-tie program, but am hoping it won't be til next week when things are slower... we shall see...

i learned on monday that a coworker, whom i used to be pretty close too, put in her 2-weeks notice last friday... she doesn't have another job lined-up but is instead going to key west and living in a house she rented for a month... she feels that getting away from everything and everyone will help her focus on what she wants to do w/her life and career - i can't say i blame her but personally, i could never make such a move without having some sort of plan... she offered eric and i a place to stay, if we wanted to visit - not sure if we'll go but it's a very nice thought! :o)

well, i'm off to finish some laundry - getting ready to swap my winter/summer clothes this weekend so there's much to do... i have about 10-15 pairs of shoes at work that i need to bring home too, i hate carrying them back and forth everyday so i've just kept them under my desk... shhhh... ;o)

happy hump day...

let the grilling begin

just thought i'd share some pics of our dinner last night... that norman! guess the grilled shrimp was a bit too enticing for him... i also made some whole wheat couscous but used chicken broth instead of water - it was awesome! too bad the weather is far from awesome today but it's good to have a day just to do nothing (okay i did some grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning but that doesn't count!)... :o)

hi ho hi ho

the weather is gorgeous here today, good thing i was able to enjoy most of the day after having worked a few hours this morning... since i went to bed early and was up early - i made it to work by 9:00 and was done w/my project by noon... go me! i probably didn't HAVE to go in but i feel better knowing i'm staying ontop of things and alleviating more stress next week... it doesn't help that my boss in vegas for the weekend - not that we're not busy or anything but whatever, my time is coming, don't you worry! ;o)

i went for a jog/walk yesterday and managed to jog the whole way down to the lincoln memorial - not sure how far that is from my office but i would say somewhere around 2 miles... i must check online... it was very warm but it felt great to be outside, esp. after staring at the computer all morning... :o)

i headed over to eric's this afternoon, he's been working on his truck and when he's done - we'll be finishing the backyard... when he went to the auto parts store, i grabbed dinner at the asian market and now have shrimp marinating (lime juice, olive oil, ginger, garlic, and red pepper flakes) in the fridge along w/veggies for some cabobs... you gotta love grilling when it's in the high 70s! we also got some margarita mixer so i'll be enjoying that as well - i totally deserve a relaxing night and i'm looking forward to not doing a SINGLE THING tomorrow... :o)

enjoy the rest of your weekend, everyone...

weigh-in

i'm down another .6 pounds this week bringing me to an even 153 (4 more pounds, baby!)... i feel i have been doing really good with food and am getting as much exercise as i can, considering my workload, so this weigh-in means a lot... :o)

work is going better this week - i have about 10 different projects going on at once and they're all progressing at different levels... i was able to send about 100 signs/panels to the exhibit vendor yesterday so that was a big load of my back but there are still more to do unfortunately... i was also told to 'design' our booth panels which is fine but the last time i checked, i didn't see editor/writer on my resume... ;o)

my weekend was good - i had a good spin class on saturday morning and then headed over to eric's... we made use of the nice weather and though he's supposed to break the new harley engine in easy - we took it out for an afternoon ride thru the country... my dentist has been raving about a new mexican restaurant so we checked it out and had a really great meal... this was definitely my cheat meal for the week because i had: chips, fresh salsa, a cheese-filled poblano pepper, 3 fish tacos, AND a margarita on the rocks... YUM YUM! :o)

on sunday - eric and i tackled his back yard... what started out as just weeding and mowing, soon turned into redoing 2 of the flowerbeds and rototilling the area where he wants to put grass... i think we were out there for like 6 hours which was great because i got lots of exercise (love to mow grass!) and was able to enjoy the nice weather... the robins were going crazy after we were done because there were freshly dug-up worms everywhere (we even found some cool salamanders under a rock)... in the end, it was a good and relaxing weekend which is just what i needed! :o)

as for this weekend - i might be going out to my sister's but we'll see what happens with work... as long as i can keep things moving along this week, i may not have to come in... and if i do, that's okay too because in less than 3 weeks - all this will be over! whoo hooo! :o)

happy hump day...

so glad this week is over

work pretty much sucked yesterday, i was an emotional mess for some reason (meds?), and even had a few crying spells in my office... i lost a battle with a design i wanted to use in the final program - my boss and the woman in charge of the conference said it wasn't anything against me, my talent, or all the hard work i've been doing... it was a decision made by someone 'higher-up' and i just had to accept it... i was so hurt and so frustrated since i'm always trying to improve on what we do but sometimes, you just gotta move on regardless of how personal the work may be to you... i could've just locked myself in my office all day but i took my hour, had a great weight-workout, and called it a day at 5:00...

today was much better, thank god, and i made progress on some other stuff - thought i would have to work this weekend but i don't so that makes me VERY happy... i took my hour and went for a long walk down to the mall - it was gorgeous here today, sunny, and in the low 70s... too bad sat/sun are going to suck so i'm glad i took advantage of it... :o)

not sure what the rest of the weekend may hold - i told eric we should take a roadtrip somewhere but with the forecast, i'm not sure what we'll do... we haven't gone anywhere or done anything in quite a while and i'm feeling antsy... i also feel like i need to get away from here and from work and just have fun... we'll see what happens - he's hanging out w/the boys tonight so i'm home doing laundry and taking pictures...

as promised, i attempted to take pictures of some of the dresses i've purchased lately - sorry for the blurriness and half-body shots but there are only so many places that i can put the camera and have the timer work... my fav is the blue/black lace one and it will be perfect for my friend's wedding in july - i'll wear the green/flower one to eric's sister's wedding which is also in july... i have NO idea when i'll wear the red one but it was a steal at ross for $13.99 and i had to get it... anyway, max was enjoying himself and said i looked "very purrrrty"... ;o)

have a great weekend everyone... :o)

weigh-in

this past week was not perfect by any means, for tracking or exercising, but the scale said otherwise - i lost 3 pounds and accomplished losing what i gained last week and then some! whoo hooo! i really REALLY want to keep this momentum going because it feels great and i'm SO close to my goal... as long as i can keep things together at work, i will make more of an effort to get away from my desk for an hour and exercise... work will always be there when i get back... ;o)

i took today off because i had a doctor's appt. in the morning and a dentist appt. in the afternoon - my heart murmur is just that, a murmur, and nothing serious or anything for me to worry about... a lot of people have them, he said, and they're going to monitor it once a year to make sure everything remains in-check... the doc also took blood and will get the results in a few days to see if the synthroid level he has me on is right - he asked if i felt better and i said i felt fine, like i did before... i wasn't feeling bad or having any symptoms before the medication so maybe i won't feel anything after everything has levels out - who knows!

after i got home from the docs, i did 40-minutes on the treadmill, hit the shower, and then picked-up my mom (i take her along when she's not busy)... i headed to the dentist where once again, i was commented on how nice my teeth and gums are (note: i NEVER floss!) and i also have no cavities! since i rescheduled my hair appt. for later in the day - we had lunch at chipotle and then went to coldwater creek to exchange a jacket she got me (i needed a size small which still amazes me)... i tried on some dresses, since i now have two weddings to go too this summer, and found a knock-out dress with black lace over light blue satin on sale for $29... i also got another one that is cream with flowers, very flowy, and on sale $19 - the best part is that the dresses are in a size 8! i've never had dresses in a size 8! EVER! wow! i literally stood in front of the mirror, in both shock and awe, because what i was seeing was not what i'm used too... as much as a bitch and moan about gaining/losing - i think i've finally realized that my body HAS changed and all this hard work IS paying off... i'm glad no one else was in the dressing room because i probably looked really strange in front of the 3-way mirrors! ;o)

after shopping - it was off to get my haircut, then i dropped off mom, and headed to panera bread to meet two of my girlfriends for dinner... their new creamy tomato soup is to die for, if anyone's curious... i also ran to kohl's because my mom had a 30% coupon and i ended up getting another dress (for work) that will look adorable with black capri tights and ballet slippers... can you tell that when i go shopping, i GO shopping... :o)

hard to believe i have to go back to work tomorrow but it was a productive day and i'm ready to dive back into meeting material... unless there's a miracle, i will probably work on saturday - i just know things are going to start flying and flying fast so it's better to get what i can done now, and worry about the last-minute stuff later... i don't mind really because i can dress casual, play loud music, and not worry about people bugging me... :o)

happy hump day...

easy does it

i've been lazy today and considering the weather (cold and cloudy) i think that's justifiable... it was gorgeous here yesterday - sunny and in the high 60s - but i was indoors for most of the day doing spring cleaning... i cleaned my sliding glass doors and two windows in the LR which consisted of wiping down the blinds, cleaning the glass, washing curtains, and putting up my summer ones... i also cleaned the entire kitchen and bathroom, vacuumed, took a load of clothes to consignment, and dropped of a few bags at goodwill... it feels good to have this done esp. since i neglected the windows last spring and it's nice having less clutter in my bedroom... i'm usually at eric's every weekend so it was nice having some 'me' time, even it was to do some much needed cleaning (which i enjoy, yea i'm weird like that)... :o)

i haven't exercised since thursday - was a bit sore on friday since i started a new weight routine... thought i would hit the sat morning spin class but after working a lot this past week, i needed to sleep in... food has been okay - had thai friday night and we made pizza in eric's cast iron skillet last night... talk about total yum! i highly recommend this if you're into making pizza at home... tonight i'm making turkey kielbasa with veggies and brown rice - looking forward to a warm meal since it's so cold... :o)

i expect this week to be busy at work - hopefully i can continue to stay ahead of the curve and not flip-out on some staff members that THINK they have say over design... i'm sure a lot of places are this way but seriously - let me do my job! god forbid i try something different and new (and better looking in my opinion)... okay, end of rant... ;o)

enjoy the rest of your weekend...

weigh-in

hello... my name is jodi and i'm a non-pointaholic... for some reason i thought i was okay not keeping track of what i was eating but i was wrong... so very wrong... though i know the scale said i gained (2.8 pounds!), i know it's not real and i know it's only temporary... either way, it was enough to get me back on eTools today as well as to the gym for a good 45-minute workout... i ate out not once or twice last week but FOUR times so i'm sure that didn't help either but it's over and today is the beginning of a new week... i'm not sure i can lose 5.6 pounds like kim did but i'll try my best to at least say bye-bye to what i gained... :o)

work is busy and getting busier - some days are really good and i'm productive as hell but other days are just filled w/meetings and dealing w/vendors that seem to think they can change artwork and think you won't notice... um, right! nice try! here is just a tiny list of what i still have to design: 100+ signs for the exhibit hall, various booths (including ours), final program, exhibitor guide, product demo theater program, powerpoint slides, dinner menu, video to be shown on plasma tvs, and a bunch more misc stuff... i also have to do the materials for the black-tie event (that limited staff is allowed to attend) and finalize a 100+ page research report... OY VEY! CALGON, TAKE ME AWAY!

i'll try and keep up with everyone as best i can...

happy hump day...