2 is better than 1

might as well start-off with a confession - i had TWO donuts today... why? because they were there... i know things even-out in the long run and i've been to the gym twice this week (and will be going today), but still - i am struggling with eating enough of the good stuff... we've been doing green monsters in the morning, but i was feeling crappy, hot, and big last night so eric goes, "lets grab a gyro" on the way home... i didn't argue - the last thing i wanted to do was make dinner... then all i wanted to do was lay on the couch (even though i have a good excuse)... i hate complaining/whining/bitching, but some days are just - hard... :(

i've started contacting in-home daycares and that hasn't been going too well (shocking)... most places are full (MD has a law where you can only have 2 infants in your home under the age of 2) and/or tell me to call back in oct/nov to see if they have an opening... that just makes me uncomfortable... 1 woman wasn't sure if she could wait until january to fill the spot, but seemed very nice so we may go talk to her... and 1 place is literally 3 blocks from our house (in the same neighborhood) so we're going to check-out that place tomorrow night... that would be the most ideal situation because if eric had to go into work early - i could drop-off the baby, come home, and still walk to the metro to get to work... we'll see what happens - i still have about 8 people that i haven't heard from and who knows if i will if they don't have an opening... :(

lets see, what else has been going on... eric and i finally went to see 'inception' on saturday - it was really, really good and we both agreed that we need to see it again... so much going on, but also so very interesting... highly recommend it...

eric also made progress on his office in the basement and moved his desk/computer down there on sunday... there's still much to remove from the soon-to-be-nursery so i'm hoping we make more progress this week/weekend... i'm going to look at furniture tonight and then will make my decision - i like what i've found online, but just want to make sure i'm buying good quality...

i'm pretty sure that i mentioned having my couch & chair redone - the place that i had THOUGHT was going to do it, told me that he still had a job to finish-up, then would be going on vacation, and then still had some other jobs ahead of mine... i spoke w/him back in june and he never told me this, so i was pretty pissed... luckily though - i kept the info from another place that i had contacted and they was more than willing to take the job AND matched the estimate from the other place... we will be dropping everything off on saturday so bye-bye to our LR furniture... we will still have another couch, but i want to get rid of that and buy and oversized chair & ottoman, along with some tables... i'm tired of not having anything that matches (eric thinks otherwise, but he's a guy and could care less) and we need more storage/shelf space... so this has been my project this week - trying to find a nice sofa table and end tables that match... :)

that's about all the updates i have for now... i have my weekly OB check-up tomorrow and then my sonogram on friday... maybe i'll have a better pic to show you since their equipment is much better than my doctor's...

happy hump day...

sucker spelled with a capital S

i've been enjoying a nice, quiet saturday since eric is off at some security/networking thing - been able to clean the house and do laundry without being disturbed... i've also been watching the food network nonstop and catching-up on my blogs including bitch cakes who is killing the WW program right now... go sheryl! :-)

while i was flipping thru channels, i came across the new informerical for mari winsor's slimming pilates... i'm a sucker for these stupid things because i find them (a) amusing and (b) a good way to kill time between programs... i've used her DVDs before and really liked them, but they are outdated... and since i will probably be looking at one (and possibly two) foot surgeries - i will not be able to use the treadmill or eliptical during recovery... since pilates is mat-based, i feel this would be a good way for me to stay semi-active and get back into a regular, exercise routine... i miss taking pilates and found out my gym no longer has a class during the week (just yoga), so this will be the best option... i will give you guys a review once i've had a chance to use it... :-)

eric and i went to see 'book of eli' last night - i thought it was okay and if some of the patrons in the theater hadn't been so rude and annoying, the movie might have been better... i do love seeing gary oldman playing the 'bad' guy and what's to say about denzel - he's just amazing... :-)

well, eric just got home and it's been snowing since this morning... so much for only getting a 'dusting' - i think we have at least 3-4 inches... i also just made a wonderful green monster (coconut water, light orange juice, spinach, banana, mango, and a tbsp. of flaxseed)... yum-o! :-)

happy weekend!

i bought a pair of these sketchers, shape-up sneakers today - thought they'd be good for my walks to and from the metro... eric knows someone that has a pair and loves them, so i figured 'what the hell'... anyone else have a pair?

today has been yet another lazy and relaxing day... i ventured to kohl's to see if i could find some pants (none fit - ugh) and ended up buying a brown, cable-knit turtlenck and some new undies (which eric is happy about)... then i went to target and was shocked to see their christmas stuff almost wiped out! guess i waited too long, but i did get another bin and will consolidate my decorations once they are taken down... they were having a great sale on lean cuisine meals too ($2.25/ea) so i stocked-up for the week - so nice that they have the WW points on the box... i'm terrified to step on the scale but have too - it's time to face the facts and start working-on getting this weight off... yet again...

eric and i have been watching a lot of movies lately - inglorious bastards, the davinci code, angels and demons, and the hangover... so far, all have been pretty good - you can never go wrong with a quentin tarantino movie, but have to say - i still prefer his older ones...

well, we're going to head-out and grab some thai for dinner - perfect for such a cold, winter's day... hope you're having a great weekend...

happy saturday...

i can't find my car

it has been snowing here since last night - almost 24 hours straight... as of about an hour ago, the ruler in our backyard said 18" which is crazy - DC hasn't had snow like this in years! it's broken records, left and right, and will continue to do so until tomorrow when it finally stops... we have decided to not start shoveling until then so for now, we'll be staying indoors and letting nature take its course... :)

yesterday was my last day at work until the 29th... i hit the MVA, bright and early, and got my new driver's license which took less than 40 minutes! wow! after that - i hit target, kohl's, the grocery store, baja fresh, the mall, and target one more time (but a different one)... i was able to finish most of my shopping, but still have a few small things to pick-up this week - so glad i was home before rush hour and before the snow started... last night - i disassembled my centerpieces and washed the mason jars,  next will be going thru the lanterns and linens to see what i can resell... :)

eric and i watched the movie "9" today - very interesting... might watch 'the davinci code" and "angels and demons" later - tomorrow, it's football... yay! can't wait to make chicken noodle soup... :)

hope everyone is having a great weekend... :)

happy saturday...

drugs are good

the antibiotics are working, i think anyway - am feeling MUCH better and more like myself (doctor gave me levaquin)... so much so, that i had the energy to write our wedding thank-you's last night (while listening to christmas music, via pandora, on my iphone)... and speaking of christmas - those cards will get done this weekend, as well as some shopping and football-watching since last sunday i was busy with mom... it's always good to have at least ONE day to do nothing... :)

so how incredible was the 'biggest loser' on tuesday? i knew danny was going to win and thought he looked amazing (and about 20-years younger)... and am i the only one that thought rebecca looked a tad creepy with the shorter, blonde hair? that's what eric said anyway, but she looked incredible and totally deserved the $100k... wonder how next season will be, it's back to the couple-thing again...

eric and i have been catching-up with some movies lately - we watched 'district 9' and 'terminator salvation'... i have to say 'district 9' was pretty cool, though nothing like i was expecting, and i really liked the news-focused storyline...

food/exercise have been okay (food) and nonexistent (exercise) since i've been sick... watching the total-gym demo, on qvc, made me wish i had a house that was big enough to have my own gym... then i would never have an excuse to skip a workout... :)

happy thursday...

you don't scare me

happy halloween eve! anyone have big plans? eric and i will be staying in and handing out candy to trick-o-treaters tomorrow night... this will be my first year at the house so i'm pretty excited... no one seems to be having a party, which i'm totally fine with because it's one less thing i have to worry about... and with the wedding less than 21 days away - i didn't need to be worrying about finding a costume to wear... there's always next year! :)

i have to say, i'm not digging this new blogger layout/template - one used to be able to upload more than one pic at a time and now, it's back to the old-fashioned way? WTF! or maybe it's just me (but i doubt it)...

eric and i watched 'slumdog millionaire' last night - what an awesome movie! i highly recommend it and the music was excellent... we may try and go see 'paranormal activity' tonight but will see how crowded the theaters will be after work (i'm in the mood for something terrifying)... :)

let's see, what else... my boss has been out sick all week, leaving me in charge and helping the other two designers... i just hope and pray that the "sick" bug stays away from me and if not, that i get it before the wedding...

the wedding plans are coming along as best as they can... we are meeting w/the coordinator tomorrow to figure out which option is going to work with our final count (136) - we can either go w/the tent and expect to pay $5-6k extra OR see if we can squeeze everyone into the Inn and on the 3-sided porch... each has it's plusses/minuses (esp. money) so that's what we need to figure out... more wedding updates can be found here... :)

food/exercise - not great but not terrible... totally slacked on the workouts this week but HAVE to make it priority starting today... i'm not worried about fitting into my dress or anything, but i'm just feeling lazy and know that's not good for me... eric is interested in trying out bally's for a week, so if he likes it - then we can do the morning thing together... sweet! :)

guess that's all for now - will try and catch-up with everyone this weekend...

happy friday!

turnpike, here we come

it's been quiet here all day and i'm glad because my boss is on vacation next week and i have yet another big project coming my way... this one isn't as exciting, unfortunately, but it's an annual publication and it must be done (300+ pages)... :(

since my boss left early and my in-box is empty - i'm hoping to scoot out a bit early... eric & i are heading back to pittsburgh tonight and we'd like to get ahead of the traffic (which is really impossible on a friday afternoon, in DC)... his sister is throwing his parents a surprise party for their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow, so we're staying at one of his brother's house tonight, then will come home tomorrow after the luncheon... i know eric will want to come straight back, but a tiny part of me wishes we could stop by the fair again so i give all those horses one more hug & kiss... :)

as for the rest of the weekend - sunday will be packed with the usual stuff: yard work, grocery store, laundry, and cleaning... i'll need to map-out my green monster recipes and think eric will be joining me as well... i picked more blueberries the other night so they're in the freezer and ready to go - how exciting! :)

did i mention we finally watched 'the wrestler' last week while on vacation? i was pleasantly surprised and think mickey rourke did an amazing job - you sort of couldn't help feeling sorry for the guy... and let me just say - for a 45-year old, marisa tomei is SMOKING HOT... if you haven't seen it - i highly recommend it... :)

have a great weekend, everyone... :)

everyone out of the water!

it's that time again, my friends, shark week begins on the discovery channel (7/27 - 8/2)... hopefully, i can make it over to their headquarters and take a shot of the building - there's usually a shark going thru it and it's quite the amazing sight... so in celebration, they are doing this fun thing called 'shark yourself' - it's definitely worth playing around with... i couldn't find any good headshots of myself or eric, so i used norman instead... i was laughing so hard that i was crying - guess i was in a silly mood this morning... what do you think? kinda scary/funny right? ;o)

my boss is out today and it's been rather quiet - normally, there's something important that has to be done but so far, so good... i will be heading outside for a nice jog around 3:00 and then i may sneak out a few minutes early... eric and i are FINALLY going to see the indiana jones movie tonight... since i have to go see my dad tomorrow AND it's eric's bday - we are celebrating a day early... we'll still probably do something tomorrow night but he didn't want me to feel rushed to get home... as for sunday, it will be wedding #3 and then we are done for the year (as far as i know anyway)... i can't tell you how thrilled i am that this one is in DC and not out-of-state, just sucks that it's on a school night... oh well... :oP

have a great weekend, everyone... :o)

back from the dead

sorry about being MIA - time just slipped-away from me last week and we left for our 2-wedding adventure on friday morning so i didn't have time to post anything... i'm glad to be home though and after driving almost 1,000 miles - i never thought i'd be happy to be back in MD... of course, that does not include being happy about going back to work - there's something about having a 4-day weekend that just throws your system for a loop... but luckily, it's been a quiet day and i'm looking forward to hitting the gym since i haven't worked-out since last thursday... i have some pictures to post but will have to do that later - stay tuned! :o)

so in between all this wedding stuff - eric came down with a bout of diverticulitis on weds and has pretty much been in pain since then (though not as bad now, thankfully)... he learned from his mom over the weekend that his grandfather suffered from the same ailment so it's definitely inherited... eric has a stomach of steel normally but after this happened - he could barely eat and certainly couldn't drink anything (not the best combos for a wedding weekend, if you know what i mean)... but he was my little super-trooper and did his best to put on a good face regardless of crappy he was feeling - i'm not sure how well i could've faked it myself so i just wanted to thank him for being a good sport... :o)

wedding #1 was good... it was my college roommate's wedding - it was outside and i believe the temp was around 95 degrees, if not warmer, and humid beyond belief... i could feel the sweat dripping down my legs when we got there and i'm usually not a sweater... nikki gave me the task of helping the men get ready so that was fun - i've known her dad/brother/nephew for years so it was nice to be included... their ceremony was nice, not too long but very traditional... the reception was in an old mill and luckily - air conditioned! it was nice and small which is something that i'd like to have when i get married... anyway, since we had to leave at the crack of dawn on saturday - we left around 11:00pm but between wired from the day's events AND having the loudest a/c unit in the world - i probably got 2 hours sleep... i was not a happy camper come saturday that's for sure... :o(

wedding #2 was good as well... we had to drive clear-cross the state of PA on saturday morning in order to make eric's sister's wedding at 2:00pm... eric was beginning to feel a tad better so i let him drive for a bit (i had been doing most of the driving at this point)... we got to his parents around 11:30, relaxed for a bit, got ready, and then headed south to be at the church by 1:30... it was in a gorgeous, huge, catholic church and once again - it was hot but not as humid, thankfully... their dad 'walked' jill down the aisle (in his wheelchair) which was quite moving, and the ceremony was definitely more traditional with a lot of singing, kneeling, and the usual catholic stuff... the reception was at the hotel where we were staying so that was convenient, again it was nice and small so it was easy to talk to everyone and hangout... because of my lack of sleep and eric not feeling well - we went to bed around 11:00! pretty sad huh! :o(

we hung out w/some relatives on sunday morning, said our goodbyes and then headed back to his parents til monday... we got to spend some time w/eric's 3-year old nephews and norman's sister, which is always nice (she even caught a mole for us and proceeded to eat it right in front of us!)... the highlight of sunday though was going to see the new batman movie at the drive-in theater... i've been to one before but never one that had FIVE screens - it was crazy... i could literally turn around and watch 'hellboy' if i wanted too... i thought 'the dark knight' was a great movie though around the 2-hour mark - fog started to roll-in so the screen was very hard to see... we may have to go see it again because of this - we laughed and laughed... :o)

happy tuesday...

lazy day

i love rainy sundays because it makes sleeping-in all that much more satisfying... eric made eggs benedict for breakfast - he had told me about this since we starting dating and that was over 3-years ago... it was very tasty... as for the rest of today - i hope the rain stops so we can change the oil in my car and that's about it... after the full day we had yesterday, it feels good to not have any plans (though i do have THREE magazines to read, ugh!)... :o)

i went to spin class yesterday - thought it was canceled but then they announced a sub had been found... she wasn't very good and she certainly didn't do anything to motivate you - i mean really, how many times can you say, "up... and down... up... and down"... i could've done a much better job and have better music too! ;o)

after that, i headed over to eric's and we proceeded to work on the backyard - we raked, mowed, and pulled-out dead stuff all over the place... looks so much better! the goal is to tear-up half the yard this spring (which is now over-grown beds), plant grass, and have a bigger garden this summer so i'm very excited about having more veggies and fresh herbs... we had gorgeous weather too (low 60s) so we took the harley out in the country for about 2 hours, felt great to be out though when the sun was hiding behind clouds - it got a bit chilly! dinner was marinated steaks on the grill, potatoes that had cooked in the coals, and veggie kabobs! mmm mmm... :o)

we also watched a movie called '30 days of night' - i'm a sucker for horror films and have to say, it wasn't that bad... though it wasn't in the same league as say, 'the grudge' or 'the ring,' the special effects were good and the cinematography was pretty nice... think alaska, snow, total darkness, and shrieking vampires... ;o)

enjoy the rest of your weekend...

TGIF

had a huge NSV last night, i went to see the movie 'juno' with a girlfriend and her 15-year old daughter (excellent movie, by the way) and we grabbed a bite to eat beforehand at macaroni grill... i'm sure you know the place - their menu is chocked-full of italian goodies like lobster ravioli, lasagna, fettuccine alfredo, etc. etc.... how can one even WANT to eat healthy when all that is staring up at you? but i'm here to say it IS possible, my friends, i ordered the skinny chicken with a balsamic glaze, fresh broccoli, and asparagus... i did had two small pieces of their yummy bread and a small salad but all in all, another dinner success... i also had a few SMALL handfulls of popcorn during the movie but that's it - no chocolate and no soda... yay me! :o)

i got home after 10 and was all ready to watch LOST when once again, my VCR revolted against me and decided not to tape the damn show... i think one one of the settings was messed up so PLEASE don't say anything! i may wait til sunday to watch it with eric but it will be difficult to say the least... i have no plans this evening besides finishing my book and watching 'how to look good naked'... :o)

my weekend plans are pretty low-key with eric being out of town... i'm going to the gym tomorrow morning and then plan on spending the day with my mom - we're going to a chocolate sampling thing in a little town north of where she lives, it should be fun... then i have to help her take the tree down and put away xmas stuff, which involves going thru the 3rd apartment and up into the attic... fun fun! i also need to install the new CS3 on my mac and home and i'll be good to go! :o)

hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

update: i just ran 5 miles in 55 minutes - that is a first for me (going that far AND going that long)... what a rush! and to celebrate, i'm enjoying my boston cream pie yogurt as a snack - mmm mmm... :o)

this week's been a big blur

holy moly, what a week it's been... today is the first day that i feel like i can relax and not be so stressed out because of work... the website i'm working on is supposed to go live next friday but several of us don't think that's going to happen - should be interesting to say the least... what i do have so far is coming along nicely, as it should be, considering i've been here early every day this week (and sometimes stayed late too)... :o)

on wednesday, eric and i went to see 'no country for old men' - it was a late movie and i was pretty tired but the violence/gore kept me awake, that's for sure... it was good but i think if i had read the book, some of it would make more sense... i'm excited about seeing 'i am legend' next month, with wil smith - i think he's a good fit for sci-fi movies... :o)

my weekend plans are full, at least for tomorrow anyway... i'm going with my mom to a christmas joy/craft day at her church - we're going to make all sorts of stuff like fresh wreaths, jewelry, etc. and it's cheap! they're providing breakfast and lunch so once again i'm going to be tempted with yummy things - just have to see how it goes (maybe i'll eat beforehand)... after that, i'm going to stop by and visit w/some friends that i haven't seen in a while and then it's back to eric's for the weekend... sunday, i'm really looking forward to sleeping-in and watching the redskins game - should be an emotional one due to the death of sean taylor #21 this week... GO SKINS!!!

it's been a while since i've done a top 5, so i'm going to list some holiday things i found to be fun (thanks to rachael ray's holiday issue)... enjoy!

—do the earth some good this holiday and buy 100% post consumer recycled paper christmas cards
—these beautiful jewel bud vases would make great gifts for your girlfriends
—we could all use a little more hope this time of year
—know someone that's always cold? buy them a goose down vest for only $25
—use these adorable coasters at your next holiday party

i hope you all have a great weekend, stay warm! :o)

happy friday...

vacation is only 1 day away

i'm in an easy-going mood today considering the rainy weather today - i was up early, came in to work, and began my day w/a cup of hot coffee and my usual, sugar-free hazlenut creamer... i've made progress on the website project but can only go so far until i get copy - such is the life of a designer... they expect you to 'create' when there's nothing to create with, do they not understand that?!?! anyway, i'm hoping to have at least the homepage done tomorrow since i'll be out for a week, and that will give them time to work on everything else... and if not, i'm not going to worry about it! :o)

plans for this evening include going to see 'bladerunner' w/eric since it's the last night they're showing this special edition on the big screen... i'm not sure if we'll have time to grab dinner beforehand but i'm looking forward to hitting that vietnamese place i talked about a few weeks ago... i know i can have a really healthy and inexpensive meal there, plus have leftovers for lunch tomorrow so who can complain about that...

speaking of food - when i was at the store the other night, i picked-up barilla's new whole grain pasta (3-points a serving!)... so for dinner - i cooked frozen shrimp w/garlic and butter, and then tossed them w/the penne, some olive oil, some parmesean cheese, and dried basil... i think the whole meal came to like 6 points (i also had a side salad) and i was completely satisfied... :o)

i couldn't stay awake for 'life' last night but managed to watch paula deen make an amazing pumpkin cheesecake and pear fritters - i swear, how can she NOT weigh 500 pounds! she also did pecan chicken but i would so chose the cheesecake over that any day! mmm mmm...

happy thursday...