In Review... Looking Forward...

I can't say anything spectacular happened in 2008. I've had a couple less than stellar moments involving work and my family. These things were out of my control and I just tried dealing with them as best as I could.

This next year I am expecting to see a couple of changes in life for the good. You could call them goals but these are already works in progress.

1. Keep losing weight. So far so good. Need to start hitting the whole thing harder.
2. Hoping to get engaged this year. LJ's business is doing well so it seems more likely to happen now. We've already talked about it. Yes, he knows about my imaginary wedding. He is planning the imaginary honeymoon. Now can we get to the REAL ring?
3. Figure out what I am going to do workwise. I don't want to get put in a position that I am not comfortable with.
4. Still need to figure out what to do school wise. I am getting transferred with work so I think that is going to make it even harder b/c of the location.
5. Need to get a real budget and stick to it. Money will be getting tighter next year. The economy is affecting me too ya'll.
6. I already work with a charity organization, plus my world vision kids but I want to start something else.
7. Start paring down my stuff. I have too much stuff. Or at least organize it better. Ebay anyone?

Thanksgiving in the woods - better late than never!

This year for LJ's birthday I actually planned ahead. I bought him tickets to go see his family for a week in the potato state. Compared to last year's fiasco of a 6 hours before the flight I figured this should be easy breezy.

First off when you have way too much time to think of stuff to bring you end up bringing everything but the kitchen sink *even though I considered it*. The flights weren't actually 2 bad. Well, except on the way back when I didnt realize we were supposed to make 2 stops during the flight. I actually brought a nice coat with me this time so I wouldn't freeze my keester off. It was so nice that while I was running across the street on some shopping venture some ladies yelled out to me ask me where I got it from.

You know you are loved when everyone knows that you are eating healthy even through one of the unhealthiest days of the year and they make the whole Thanksgiving dinner out of Cooking Light Magazine." LJ's grandpa almost had a heart attack over the idea but everyone enjoyed the meal. As light as it may have been it was pretty tasty. I had been bugging LJ to take me to Canada since we were already so close but that didnt happen. This ended up being a working vacation for both of us. Not with my real job but with helping the family. We at least got to see everyone in the family.

LJ's sister and I actually got to bond a good chunk of the time I was there. Everyone has made her out to be a super villan but once you get to know her she's not bad. She's a nice girl that has just made a few mistakes. Not saying she has necessarily learned from all her mistakes but she is really young and honestly at her age I hadn't either. So who am I to judge? In all this bonding time with LJ's sis and her mom I tried to get some dirt that I hadn't heard before. Either they were being nice and not selling him down the river or there really is no dirt. The only comment that LJ's sister made was that LJ was adament about not getting into a serious relationship until he was completely financially established *not in the middle of his start-up company*, yet they know he is serious and ready to settle down with me. There must also be some level of trust b/c other information was shared with me about other people in relation to the family that I probably wouldn't have heard otherwise.

Oh did I forget to mention that I went to my first Black Friday sales. Actually not as bad as everyone makes them out to be. Doesn't help that I didnt go to bed till 11pm to get up at 2am. That's what happens when you are out in the sticks. Last but not least I did not gain any weight over the week I was on vacay including thanksgiving and a prime rib dinner. I count that as a success.

Hoity-Toity

"There comes a day that you won't put up with cheap wine, cheap furniture
or a cheap gym, has that day come?"

This is what the front of the folder says to the gym I just joined. By doing this I am facing 2 things in my life that I normally shy away from: a) the fact that I am over-weight and b) that feeling I get that I am not good enough to go to the hoity-toity gym.

So why am I putting myself in a place like this? What I learned from Dawn is that you can't run with the turkeys if you want to fly with the eagles. In my business status is everything. Also, said gym is where a lot of people hang out in the business. Not that I really want to meet work people while I am sweating up a storm or gasping for air (depending on the work-out). I still have a little bit of anxiety from coming from a place where I could barely afford to go to a gym to now going to the nicest gym in the area code. I wonder.. can people spot someone who was/is poorer than the rest of them? Like a poordar?

When I went to tour the gym everyone in their seem to be like a size 2. On a fat day. Fortunately this gym has a women's area. Which I think is a good idea but at the same time women are a lot snarkier than men when it comes to appearances. I am the gym people so I can quit being so fat so back off people.

I think the worse part of this whole thing is that I am being so judgemental about myself. I just need to get over it. Wish me luck.

P.S. I am still down the 14 lbs I lost within the last 2 months.

Week 3+

So... beside a couple of trips and falls into a vat of meat I think overall I am doing pretty well. Down 12.6 lbs. I think really my saving grace is that my bf has been helping me with the cooking and shopping. I still haven't gotten to the point of working out yet. My mom keeps telling me I need to go to the gym. I know Ma! Ya think I don't know?

The only thing I have learned is that if I do it at my own pace I have a greater chance of success. It's like telling someone of my sedentary lifestyle to go run a marathon on a sprint after the first mile I am going to get discouraged. So leave me alone.

I did some retail therapy today. On giftcards. Nothing better than shopping when it's not costing you a dime. I haven't been shopping as much lately just b/c I need to do a better job at watching my expenses before they get out of control. I will cut down on some of my luxiuries. Just not today, or tomorrow. Or next week for that matter. Another thing that I got for free was a 42" flat screen that I have no idea what to do with b/c I already own 2 other ones. Albeit that this ones is bigger than my other 2, but... egh.... I am not that impressed anymore.

Either my scale is broken....

Or I lost 10 lbs. I am not sure though. Lets hope for the latter; I havent been eating this rabbit/shark food for nothing.

The Man Spot

So, I started a new diet with the suport of my friend "Maria Torres" and have been working at finding new way to eat healthier while eating out. My new diet is the "Suzanne Somer's something something something". Anyway, its basically a lot of veggies and a good chunk of protien and basically no carbs. You know the saying, "You never know what you have until you don't have it anymore"? Man, I never thought of myself as a carb person, but I sure do miss them. I dont ever crave a piece of toast or a bowl of pasta, but a hamburger with no bun? Ludicrous!
Which moves me on to my next point.... I have been eating "no carb" burgers and the only place to get a decent one is from Carl's Jr. I had just gotten my car washed and I didnt want to get the line on my window so I walked in. OMG, the guy to girl ratio 25:1! I guess Carl's knew what they were doing when they put a tart like Paris Hilton to eat a burger and wash a car in their advertising! Now I know where all the boys hang out. ;)

Speaking of restaurants.... the bf and I came to a conclusion about one of our favorite restraunts, Spires. Its a booty call restaurant. Let me 'splain....It's the place where you go that is available when everything else is closed. This place is like Denny's if you got stuck in timewarp 30- 40 years ago. The people who work there are old enough to be my parents/grand parents. Everything/everyone is gloomy. They wear the same drab black & white uniforms. There are no pieces of "flair." Kind of like the sad drunks in Moe's Bar in the Simpsons. There are colorful characters from time to time. Like when the trannies have their monthly meetings there. I am not talking about the passable trannnies I am talking about the 5 0'clock shadow trannies. We went last night b/c it was the only place i could think of that was open late that I could get a new york steak and salad. As we were walking out we saw a handsome late 30 something guy walking in. Not only was he handsome, he was well dressed and was driving an expensive European car. Spires is no the kinda place you would see this guy at unless he was there for some other reason. Was he there to meet his secret lover? Was he there to meet with the trannies? Was he there to meet with one of the trannies that was his secret lover? Who knows.You only go in the darkness of the night, God forbid someone see you there in the day light. You don't invite your friends with you , you don't tell your family about it. You just go eat and leave. Don't ask any of your friends about it b/c they will either say they have never heard of the place.