is how i am feeling today. you know when you are all mixed up and it seems like nothing is going as planned and instead of graciously accepting that change you fight it with all your might. that is topsy turvy. actually, i am really in the mood to chuck it all and run away to the bahamas, live on the beach and catch my own food to eat. it has been one of those weeks. but i don't think the bahamians would take to an english bulldog using the beaches as her potty. whatever...
so as not to bore you with my whining (too late, you say? well, too bad) i will give you the cliffs notes version of my week.
1. the mysterious smell that we had under the house wasn't just the dead possum, it was also a busted sewer pipe. use your imagination.
2. there was no show and tell thursday last week because all i got to "make" was dinner. and who really wants to see a picture of a pork chop?
3. aunt flo is visiting, hence the whining and attitude.
4. david's bridal actually had the EXACT skirt i was trying to order - but they said they didn't have it and i had to order another - in the clearance rack for fifteen dollars. i love paying full price when the discounted item is actually sitting on the rack twenty feet away.
5. my computer decided that the companies that i process payrolls for didn't have to pay any federal taxes last week. and i didn't catch it until this week.
6. my mother and i have had 2 huge arguments in 3 days. the joys of being a parent caregiver will be reserved for another day. probably when i return from the bahamas.
7. i am frustrated with myself for not handling all this junk better.
8. i was a dummy and totally hurt a friend's feelings by being selfish.
9. i have not been doing anything i was supposed to (walk, food journal, etc.) this week for my journey to health. i think i am at a rest stop. with really nice bathrooms and good vending machines.
10. my sister is going through a difficult time and i can't be there to help and i am not sure what to say to make her feel better. so i feel like a bad sister.
pity party over. thanks for coming. there are no party favors - unless you are interested in an overpriced bridesmaid skirt.
be brave, friends...
topsy turvy...
weigh in wednesday...
so i think i burned a few calories yesterday with my tirade because today when i stepped on the scale i was 2.5 pounds lighter. my blog friend, well i call her my friend because i read her blog all the time, wrote a song called a good day this week. that is exactly how i felt this morning after i saw that i actually lost.
i am going to keep true to my "only report good things" promise, but i have to admit i am almost ashamed to have lost weight this week. i haven't really been good. without getting specific, there was cake, too much pepsi and not enough walking involved.
but... i did walk once this week. and my puppy olive loved the beach and was so obedient. i had salad for lunch today. on saturday we went for a great bike trip. and by trip i mean we rode around in circles trying to figure out how to get to false cape. but it was fun and we had a great time with friends. and i have drank enough water to fill our swimming pool three times. okay maybe i am exaggerating on that last one, but that is what it feels like.
on to my goals for this week...
walk each day with hyperactive, add olive
clean out the pantry and remove all sweets
start a food journal where i write down everything... and maybe post it on here...
be brave, friends...
tuesday tirade: i couldn't leave well enough alone...
at least that is what my mom always told me and today i think it applies.
as i was running errands this afternoon i was lamenting because i did not have a tuesday tirade ready. and since i made such big promises last week i knew i had to deliver... you can only imagine the pressure.
so my friend is getting married in 2 months and she asked me to be in the wedding. the friendship is the good part of the deal, the squeezing into a dress... not so much. today was the special day. we met up at the bridal store this evening and we were told to try on the separates for size and fit and then we would order the proper size and color combo. sounds easy, right? that's what we thought too until we went to check out.
after i tried on a collection of various skirts and tops...
sidebar- WHY in the heck do they have a MILLION mirrors in those places? i really don't want to see what i look like in the back. i am happy living in the land of my delusion where i look perfect in the dress. and to not have ANY mirrors in the actual dressing room is just cruel. you have to actually leave the room to see how hideous you look. thank you david's bridal for that reality smack in the face...
back to the actual tirade (see you waited 2 weeks and not only do i give you one tirade but i give you a tirade and a half)
so as we are checking out the lady says, "oh, these are on sale." and i think SCORE!! and then i realize the expression on her face doesn't really reflect my excitement. "well, they might not have them in your size," she responds. okay. so you are telling me that i spent an hour of my life embarassing myself coming out of the dressing room with half zipped up dresses just to be told i couldn't get the dress.
at this point, i am trying not to get angry because ari, my friend and the bride, is so patient and understanding. so i go and get three more options. and they didn't have any of those either.
i am not kidding. i wish i were kidding. then i had an idea... search by my size and the color ari wants and i will get whatever you have. "we can't do that," she says. WHAT, you can't search in your computer by SIZE? do we not live in the twenty first century? i can surf the net while i wait at the bank, my gps can tell me right where i am at all times, i can chat with friends in denver on my computer in virginia for pete's sake!!! you can't search by size???
so now i am on the hunt for a dress, actually a skirt and top like the ones in the pic. white on top and tropic blue on the bottom...
so apparently i couldn't leave well enough alone. i should have just written a nice litte post about how great life is and how i didn't have a tirade in me... but noooo i had to wait all day for something tirade-worthy.
when will i ever learn...
be brave, friends...
tell someone you love them...but don't send veggies!
it all started a few years back when my mother crossed over into the grandma category as far as gift giving goes. you know those gifts i mean... the sweater with an embroidered cat who is missing one ear, new underwear or socks, or a collection of weird figurines. so a couple of christmases ago my sisters each opened up a package with EIGHT creepy vegetable figurines with dangling arms and legs. i really did try to keep my composure - while surveying the packages to make sure there was not a similar one for me. but i couldn't hold it in anymore. as i began laughing my sisters realized that i had been spared. of course, mom didn't understand why we were laughing at those adorable veggies that only cost her 14.99 per set! i am not sure when my sisters hatched their plans, but the following tax season i found all sixteen of those vegetables expertly hidden in my files and drawers. my secretary was startled one day as she opened up a drawer to be greeted by a smiling eggplant. these precious veggies have been hidden at thanksgiving gatherings, sent in the mail, hidden in flower arrangements and placed in luggage, tackle boxes and shoes. well, today i received one in the mail as a valentine's day gift from my wonderful sister, rose. i am sure it will not take long for it to make it's way back to houston. if you are headed that way, let me know so i can send a few veggies with you. and don't let the picture fool you. they aren't that cute in person. trust me.
show and tell thursday...
so mel finally got around to deciding the design of her scarf. it is the one reason i am thankful for the cold. i finally got it off my design board and actually sewed it. she looks pretty happy and i think it turned out okay. i think i am going to put a few of these up in my etsy shop. i will let you know...
be brave, friends...
3: weight loss wednesday
i know some of you missed the tirade yesterday. sorry about that. i promise to have a good one next tuesday. but for today...
let's see. i walked... one day this week. i say this sheepishly because my roommate and best friend is shaming me - she has walked every single day and has even gotten others in her office to join her. whatever...
so yeah, focusing on the good stuff...
i made the meal plan and stuck to it about 80% of the time. the other 20% i substituted one meal for another. i am still doing good on the pepsi front, but the sweets are still killing me. so, for this week...
1. clean all of the sweets out of the house
2. walk every day
3. do arm exercises every other day (i am in a wedding in april - sleeveless dresses...)
oh, and on the actual scale... i weigh the same. considering superbowl sunday was a bit of a party day, i think nothing gained is a great thing. oh, yeah... i am wearing pants today that i couldn't fit into last year this time - a size smaller than what i have been wearing!
be brave, friends...
i am loved...
my sweet online friend, melb gave me an award a while back and i just figured out what i am supposed to do. it is my first award so you gotta give me some slack...
the friends award is given to blogs that are exceedingly charming. these kind bloggers aim to find and to be friends. the hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. please give more attention to these writers. i am so fortunate to have met melb online. she is an amazing lady who challenges my writing and asks questions that make me think. i am supposed to give this award to 8 blog friends, so here goes...
jen, my bff and the one who can make me laugh until i pee my pants
petey, my cool niece who lives in okinawa
casii, who looks way too young to have a teenager
jennifer, who also has a new puppy and is so artistically talented it will make you swoon
chiara, who inspires me with her dedication to working out.
mandy, who can write songs like nobody's business
danielle, a crazy woman who has a cutie pie little girl
karen, who will probably by celebrating the steelers' win for the next twelve months
so there you have it. these ladies are awesome! read their blogs and give them love...
be brave, friends...
oh, to live by the sea...
is a marvelous thing indeed. for my entire life, this is what has been at the end of my street...
during college in chicago i ached for the smell of the salt air and the feel of sand under my feet and it didn't take long to make my way to the shore each time i came home. my seventeen year old brain could not fathom that there were actually people who had never seen the beauty of the ocean. this is the place that calms me. where i am reminded of my smallness. the one place i go when i am confused or hurting or happy or longing to be closer to a God who loves me enough to know that i needed to grow up two blocks from the shore.
today was olive's first visit to the shore. and i do believe she loved it. i am not sure she felt the calm but she was definitely excited about the kids in the playground and all the other dogs that were there. and she really didn't understand what all those crazy birds were cawing about. i wonder that myself sometimes...
