So, I quit Jazzercise. But, I have a really good reason. Hear me out before you say, "yeah yeah excuses excuses", because it is a good reason. When I started Jazzercise, I got in on some special deal where it was $50 for three months. I thought that was wonderful and a great value but I neglected to read the fine print. That's only the deal as long as they can take the monthly fee from your bank account automatically. Call me old fashioned, but I don't like that. I don't like it when things come out automatically because I always forget they're coming out and screw up my check book. But, the greedy bitches at Jazzercise give you a discount for doing it that way. Without having the fee withdrawn from my account every month, Jazzercise costs $45 A MONTH! I could get a whole gym membership for that. But, on top of the cost, I've been going for four months and haven't lost any weight or really improved my cardiovascular health all that much. So, there you have it.
I know I have to do some kind of exercise though because it does make me feel better both physically and emotionally. So I've decided to take advantage of the FREE gym I have at work. Not only is the gym free but they also offer sessions with personal trainers for FREE! So far this week I went to the gym on Monday and Wednesday and I have my first appointment with a trainer tomorrow. I am so excited. I was really intimidated by the gym setting because I don't really know how to use the equipment and I don't want to look like an idiot for doing it wrong. I didn't realize this but one of the main reasons people give for not going to the gym is intimidation. That's been my main reason for a long time. It's good to know I'm not alone. Both Monday and Wednesday I just walked on the treadmill because it's the only thing I know how to use at this point.
One thing that really surprised me about the gym this time around is how music can affect your work out. I never got an I-pod because I never knew what the fuss was all about and I never went to the gym so I felt like I didn't need one. My phone, however, has the ability to be an MP3 player. So, I uploaded some songs to my phone and got the head phones that go with it. I didn't realize working out could be fun! I've been jammin' out. The beats really keep me motivated and the songs are so fun and energetic. Before I realize it, my 35 minutes is up. I'm just afraid I'll bust out into song or dance right there on the treadmill. The bonus of having music is not having to listen to the other people around you. I just put my head phones in and get in the zone and everyone else just fades away.
I do need to work on a good play list though. Right now all my songs are just jumbled together. So I could go from Fergalicious to Prince to Flo Rida. It kind of screws up my momentum going from fast to not-as-fast. If anyone has any good suggestions let me know. I'm going to try to work on that tonight.
I've set some goals for myself that I'll talk about with the trainer tomorrow. What I hope to gain from working out is weight loss, increased muscle tone, improved cardio vascular health, and increased flexibility. I also hope that by doing all of those things that it will help me with my infertility treatments. I've read that with polycystic ovarian syndrom that even losing 10% of your body weight can significantly increase your chances of conceiving. 10% really isn't all that much. I'd only like to lose about 20 pounds total and I don't think that is too unreasonable a goal.
I will keep you all posted on my progress. Hopefully four months from now (or sooner) I won't be writing that I've quit this too. Being that it's free and right next door to my office I really don't have any excuse. Yet.
By the way, my dad and Joe are tearing out my kitchen this weekend. I'm scared to death and staying as far away from here as I can. I've posted some "before" and "middle" pictures of the kitchen in the renovation album so you can see how far we come so far. Say a little prayer for me that I don't come home to a completely gutted house.
Thursday, January 31, 2008
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Home ImPAINment
Good grief! I am on a home improvement marathon! This past week has been crazy for me. We ordered our new kitchen cabinets last weekend and hope to get them in about two weeks. We've picked out our counter tops and know what we want to do for our back splash. I had no idea there were so many different choices and finishes and materials... It's very, very overwhelming. I think we made some really nice decisions, even though we've gotten some mixed reactions from the peanut gallery. I don't know why people can't just smile and nod and tell you they are happy for you. We got at least two, "you picked that to go with that?" and at least one, "you should've went with..." Very frustrating especially when you've agonized over the decision in the first place. I just can't wait to see it all in real life instead of in a catalog or on some 4"x4" sample.
We're getting Silestone counter tops which are made out of crushed quartz. The counter top comes in one big slab like granite so once we have our cabinets in, the installers will come and measure for our counter tops and then cut a piece to fit. They will also install our new under mount kitchen sink and drill holes for our new faucet. So we had to go out and find a sink and faucet so the installers will be able to fit them for us. Bright and early Saturday morning Joe and I headed out to Lowe's. We didn't find a sink or a faucet we liked but we did find something else.
Let me just say that home improvement can snowball very quickly. Also, watching HGTV when you're in a redecorating "state of mind" is not a good idea. They make everything look quick and easy and awesome. It's not so awesome when you've got your house torn apart and don't have the right parts to put it all back together. While we were at Lowe's we made a little impulse purchase. We were thinking about how nice our kitchen will look when it's done and started talking about all the other projects we'd like to do and how great those would look. I think we were high off the smell of lumber or something. We decided that we wanted to replace the vanity in our guest bathroom. The one we had was functional it was just ugly. 1980's white, crappy cabinet with an ugly, white marble top. Blech. So we found a really nice looking new vanity with a granite top and a really pretty faucet and started adding things up and realized that it was in the budget. So, we brought it home. We also brought home a new kitchen sink, kitchen faucet, and over-the-stove microwave from Home Depot. My check book has a band-aid on it from the beating it took.
As we normally do when we're doing any kind of home improvement project, we called my dad. Kind of to give him a head's up that we might need his help if something were to go awry and partly to get any tips or advice he might be able to offer. My dad is very knowledgeable about construction and we value his help tremendously and are really glad that we can call him when we need assistance. With that said, the man can be a humongous pain in the ass. I think my dad learned construction from the Mr. Miyagi of construction workers. I know he always does things the "right way" but good lord it takes FOR-ever. We called him when we got home with all our new purchases and told him what we were planning and asked if he had any tips or pointers for us. We answered some of his basic questions and he told us he thought we'd be ok installing our new bathroom vanity. About a half hour passes and we get a knock on our door. It's dad, there to see "what we're getting ourselves into". He poked around a little, looked at the stuff we bought, told Joe how to do some stuff and again gave his approval to do our project. Then he started in on the kitchen.
My dad is going to install our kitchen cabinets for us. Again, we're tremendously grateful for his help. But, we got in the kitchen and started talking about what cabinets were coming in and what we wanted to do. Keep in mind we don't have a huge budget for this kitchen. My dad wants to rip out the drywall and the ceiling and re-wire stuff and knock out walls and put in a new ceiling... My head was spinning. I told him that we can't turn our little kitchen renovation into a $50,000 remodel job. He gets all pissy and tells me that we should've thought about that before jumping in to a project before we knew what we were getting into and that we have to do it "right". I wanted to scream. We've been wanting to re-do our kitchen for 4 years but my dad is the one who encouraged us to really do it. He said our kitchen would be a piece of cake, should only cost about $5,000, blah, blah, blah. Now he's throwing out all that other bull shit. UGH!!! It's so damn frustrating.
Anyway, he left and we got down to business of putting in our new vanity. It looks fantastic and we were able to do the whole thing ourselves. High fives all around for Joe's hard work. Low fives for my supervision skills. I started a new album here on the blog. It's my renovation album and the link is below the family album link. So far I only have bathroom pictures on there but I will soon be posting kitchen pictures so that you can all keep up with our progress. I've also been kicking around the idea of redecorating my living room and family room. Again, HGTV and all of it's amazing decorating shows are a very bad influence on me. I'm really just doing new pillows and curtains but I'm not having very much luck. I shopped a lot today and bought a bunch of new stuff but now, seeing it in my actual house, I'm probably going to take most of it back. I wish I could carry my couch around with me to match stuff up. Oh well, I'll keep trying. Wish me home decorating luck!
We're getting Silestone counter tops which are made out of crushed quartz. The counter top comes in one big slab like granite so once we have our cabinets in, the installers will come and measure for our counter tops and then cut a piece to fit. They will also install our new under mount kitchen sink and drill holes for our new faucet. So we had to go out and find a sink and faucet so the installers will be able to fit them for us. Bright and early Saturday morning Joe and I headed out to Lowe's. We didn't find a sink or a faucet we liked but we did find something else.
Let me just say that home improvement can snowball very quickly. Also, watching HGTV when you're in a redecorating "state of mind" is not a good idea. They make everything look quick and easy and awesome. It's not so awesome when you've got your house torn apart and don't have the right parts to put it all back together. While we were at Lowe's we made a little impulse purchase. We were thinking about how nice our kitchen will look when it's done and started talking about all the other projects we'd like to do and how great those would look. I think we were high off the smell of lumber or something. We decided that we wanted to replace the vanity in our guest bathroom. The one we had was functional it was just ugly. 1980's white, crappy cabinet with an ugly, white marble top. Blech. So we found a really nice looking new vanity with a granite top and a really pretty faucet and started adding things up and realized that it was in the budget. So, we brought it home. We also brought home a new kitchen sink, kitchen faucet, and over-the-stove microwave from Home Depot. My check book has a band-aid on it from the beating it took.
As we normally do when we're doing any kind of home improvement project, we called my dad. Kind of to give him a head's up that we might need his help if something were to go awry and partly to get any tips or advice he might be able to offer. My dad is very knowledgeable about construction and we value his help tremendously and are really glad that we can call him when we need assistance. With that said, the man can be a humongous pain in the ass. I think my dad learned construction from the Mr. Miyagi of construction workers. I know he always does things the "right way" but good lord it takes FOR-ever. We called him when we got home with all our new purchases and told him what we were planning and asked if he had any tips or pointers for us. We answered some of his basic questions and he told us he thought we'd be ok installing our new bathroom vanity. About a half hour passes and we get a knock on our door. It's dad, there to see "what we're getting ourselves into". He poked around a little, looked at the stuff we bought, told Joe how to do some stuff and again gave his approval to do our project. Then he started in on the kitchen.
My dad is going to install our kitchen cabinets for us. Again, we're tremendously grateful for his help. But, we got in the kitchen and started talking about what cabinets were coming in and what we wanted to do. Keep in mind we don't have a huge budget for this kitchen. My dad wants to rip out the drywall and the ceiling and re-wire stuff and knock out walls and put in a new ceiling... My head was spinning. I told him that we can't turn our little kitchen renovation into a $50,000 remodel job. He gets all pissy and tells me that we should've thought about that before jumping in to a project before we knew what we were getting into and that we have to do it "right". I wanted to scream. We've been wanting to re-do our kitchen for 4 years but my dad is the one who encouraged us to really do it. He said our kitchen would be a piece of cake, should only cost about $5,000, blah, blah, blah. Now he's throwing out all that other bull shit. UGH!!! It's so damn frustrating.
Anyway, he left and we got down to business of putting in our new vanity. It looks fantastic and we were able to do the whole thing ourselves. High fives all around for Joe's hard work. Low fives for my supervision skills. I started a new album here on the blog. It's my renovation album and the link is below the family album link. So far I only have bathroom pictures on there but I will soon be posting kitchen pictures so that you can all keep up with our progress. I've also been kicking around the idea of redecorating my living room and family room. Again, HGTV and all of it's amazing decorating shows are a very bad influence on me. I'm really just doing new pillows and curtains but I'm not having very much luck. I shopped a lot today and bought a bunch of new stuff but now, seeing it in my actual house, I'm probably going to take most of it back. I wish I could carry my couch around with me to match stuff up. Oh well, I'll keep trying. Wish me home decorating luck!
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
D-day
Today would've been my due date. I've been dreading this day for almost 8 months now. I didn't know how I would handle it. Honestly, I thought for sure I'd already be pregnant again. Obviously that's not the case.
Overall, I think I did pretty well. Over the past few weeks I wondered what this day would be like. Would I be stuck in bed unable to face the world, would I cry, would I forget, would I tell people what the day meant to me? None of those things happened. I just got up for work like it was any other day. I had a few daydream moments where I wondered what it would be like to have a nine months pregnant belly or to experience labor or to see my newborn child for the first time. But, I snapped back to reality and was able to function like I do everyday. I think I realized that I can't "coulda, woulda, shoulda" myself to death.
If there are any good things that can be gained from that terrible situation, it's that I now have a great job with great pay and great benefits. If I wouldn't have lost my baby I probably would've stayed at my old, dead end job. And believe me, my new job is a million times better. So, I guess that's one good thing that's come out of the bad. At least now when I do get pregnant again I'll have amazing insurance that will cover me and the baby and I'll have actual maternity leave. All good things.
Recently, it was reported that the singer Lily Allen was pregnant and she, unfortunately, miscarried. My heart just broke for her in that situation. I know it was terrible telling the people around me what had happened. Can you imagine having to tell the whole world? That poor, poor woman. I really just feel so awful for her. It really makes me appreciate the fact that I'm not a celebrity. I know how embarrassed I felt so I can only imagine having that feeling magnified times a million for her.
Moving on.... (that needs to be my new motto)
Can you guys freaking believe that Heath Ledger is dead? KA-RAZY! That's right... it's so crazy I spelled it with a "K". I've been on Perez all evening trying to get more details since both Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood are falling down on the job. It seems the police found both prescription and over the counter sleeping pills in his bedroom. It's just so sad and so terrible. He was 28 years old and has a two year old daughter who, now, will never know him. Sad, sad, sad.
Anyway, it's a wine kind of night so I'd like to say a toast to a hopeful future. It's not much but I'm clinging to it for dear life.
Overall, I think I did pretty well. Over the past few weeks I wondered what this day would be like. Would I be stuck in bed unable to face the world, would I cry, would I forget, would I tell people what the day meant to me? None of those things happened. I just got up for work like it was any other day. I had a few daydream moments where I wondered what it would be like to have a nine months pregnant belly or to experience labor or to see my newborn child for the first time. But, I snapped back to reality and was able to function like I do everyday. I think I realized that I can't "coulda, woulda, shoulda" myself to death.
If there are any good things that can be gained from that terrible situation, it's that I now have a great job with great pay and great benefits. If I wouldn't have lost my baby I probably would've stayed at my old, dead end job. And believe me, my new job is a million times better. So, I guess that's one good thing that's come out of the bad. At least now when I do get pregnant again I'll have amazing insurance that will cover me and the baby and I'll have actual maternity leave. All good things.
Recently, it was reported that the singer Lily Allen was pregnant and she, unfortunately, miscarried. My heart just broke for her in that situation. I know it was terrible telling the people around me what had happened. Can you imagine having to tell the whole world? That poor, poor woman. I really just feel so awful for her. It really makes me appreciate the fact that I'm not a celebrity. I know how embarrassed I felt so I can only imagine having that feeling magnified times a million for her.
Moving on.... (that needs to be my new motto)
Can you guys freaking believe that Heath Ledger is dead? KA-RAZY! That's right... it's so crazy I spelled it with a "K". I've been on Perez all evening trying to get more details since both Entertainment Tonight and Access Hollywood are falling down on the job. It seems the police found both prescription and over the counter sleeping pills in his bedroom. It's just so sad and so terrible. He was 28 years old and has a two year old daughter who, now, will never know him. Sad, sad, sad.
Anyway, it's a wine kind of night so I'd like to say a toast to a hopeful future. It's not much but I'm clinging to it for dear life.
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Remodeling
Joe and I have decided to move forward on our kitchen remodel. We're hoping to have everything done by the time everyone starts arriving for Lindsey's wedding. Since we moved into our house, 3 1/2 years ago, we've been talking about remodeling the kitchen and have decided now is as good a time as any.
Since we've been talking about it for so long, we had a general idea about what we want to do. Our kitchen is very small and galley style so there isn't too much we can to do expand it so, really, we're just changing the cabinets, counter tops, and back splash. Sounds easy enough, right? Ha, that's what I thought.
We went over to the Home Depot Expo center in Orlando yesterday. It's a gorgeous facility that is filled with amazing ideas for what you can do in your home. Joe and I quickly discovered we were WAY out of our league. They were talking about putting down an $800 retainer to have a professional designer come out and layout our kitchen for us and to tell us what we needed, etc. Our heads were spinning. We left there frustrated and discouraged and second guessing our plans.
But, we decided this morning to give kitchen browsing another shot. This time we went to our new, local Home Depot and talked with a very nice and very helpful sales person in the kitchens department. He explained everything to us in an easy to understand way and told us all the things he thinks we would have no problem doing on our own. Hallelujah!! This time we left the store happy and ready to move forward. We've picked out the type of cabinets, the counter tops and the back splash that we want. We only have to pick out a new over-the-stove microwave and new sink and we'll be ready to go.
We're very lucky that my dad has experience in installing cabinets so he will be doing those for us. We're going to leave the counter tops to the experts at Home Depot and Joe will do the tile back splash. The whole thing is so exciting and I can't wait to get started. I do remember being this excited to have the new tile put down in my house and I also remember how much I hated the process. I hope it's not the same awful process as last time. I've heard that being without a kitchen really sucks but I'm hopeful that I can not be too much of a bitch this time. I guess we'll see...
Anyway, just wanted to share my exciting news with you all. Hopefully when you're all here in April I'll be able to show off my spankin' new kitchen!
Since we've been talking about it for so long, we had a general idea about what we want to do. Our kitchen is very small and galley style so there isn't too much we can to do expand it so, really, we're just changing the cabinets, counter tops, and back splash. Sounds easy enough, right? Ha, that's what I thought.
We went over to the Home Depot Expo center in Orlando yesterday. It's a gorgeous facility that is filled with amazing ideas for what you can do in your home. Joe and I quickly discovered we were WAY out of our league. They were talking about putting down an $800 retainer to have a professional designer come out and layout our kitchen for us and to tell us what we needed, etc. Our heads were spinning. We left there frustrated and discouraged and second guessing our plans.
But, we decided this morning to give kitchen browsing another shot. This time we went to our new, local Home Depot and talked with a very nice and very helpful sales person in the kitchens department. He explained everything to us in an easy to understand way and told us all the things he thinks we would have no problem doing on our own. Hallelujah!! This time we left the store happy and ready to move forward. We've picked out the type of cabinets, the counter tops and the back splash that we want. We only have to pick out a new over-the-stove microwave and new sink and we'll be ready to go.
We're very lucky that my dad has experience in installing cabinets so he will be doing those for us. We're going to leave the counter tops to the experts at Home Depot and Joe will do the tile back splash. The whole thing is so exciting and I can't wait to get started. I do remember being this excited to have the new tile put down in my house and I also remember how much I hated the process. I hope it's not the same awful process as last time. I've heard that being without a kitchen really sucks but I'm hopeful that I can not be too much of a bitch this time. I guess we'll see...
Anyway, just wanted to share my exciting news with you all. Hopefully when you're all here in April I'll be able to show off my spankin' new kitchen!
Monday, January 14, 2008
Guilty Pleasures
I've been using the term "guilty pleasure" a lot lately to describe my hobbies. But once I realized how often I was using the term I started wondering why. Why should the things that I find pleasurable (gossip blogs, BAD reality TV, Starbucks, Mexican food, etc.) make me feel guilty? I mean, I understand they aren't glamorous or dignified hobbies like volunteering to feed the homeless or reading some really important book but they make me happy. Isn't that the most important thing about hobbies? If you spent all your time doing stuff that you felt like you had to do you would miss out on all the fun stuff that you want to do. I guess my point is that I think it's time for me to stop referring to my hobbies as "guilty" pleasures and refer to them only as hobbies. And girls, have I been having a really good time lately.
OMG- So can we just talk about the Britney debacle for a minute? That girl is batshit crazy! Seriously, what the hell is wrong with her? I've been on Perez all day checking in on the latest in the drams that is Britney's life. How in the world did that girl make it so long seeming so normal? I seriously hope that someone can help her. I mean, if the prospect of losing your children forever doesn't snap you into shape I don't know what will. I just wish she'd go away for like 6 months and reemerge as her glorious former self. I don't think that she's just "white trash" like a lot of people seem to think. I think she has serious mental issues that need to be addressed. I just hope they get addressed before she dies because that doesn't seem that impossible at this point. Sad, sad, sad.
Speaking of sad. I may actually have to downgrade this "hobby" back to a guilty pleasure because this one really does make me feel guilty. I know last summer I discussed my love for the show Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. It was just such bad reality TV and I allowed myself to get sucked in to all the trashy, stripper, drunken craziness. In the end, I was kind of sad but also kind of relieved that things didn't work out with Bret and Jess because I really liked her and thought she was too good for him. But, when I heard that Bret was coming back with Rock of Love II I really cringed at the thought. Well, Rock of Love II premiered last night and guess who was plopped in front of the TV just engrossed with all the drunk, naked ho's? Yes, me and my husband. If you don't watch the show, please don't let yourself get sucked in. No pun intended. Blech. The girls they found this time are twice as trashy and ten times as bitchy. It's going to be a crazy season. I was really disappointed in myself for watching it last night. TV like that just shouldn't be encouraged.
I do have one pleasure that I don't have to feel as guilty about anymore. My favorite drink from Starbucks is a grande vanilla latte. All in all, it is one of their lower calorie drinks. Even with whole milk it only tops out at 280 calories. But, that is a lot of calories in just one drink. So for the past year or so I've been ordering it with non-fat milk. It cuts the calorie count down to 200 calories. Not great, but it's a little savings. I guess this one is a guilty pleasure for more than just the calorie count though because those 16oz. cups of heaven are almost $4 a pop. So, for the monetary aspect I had to cut back to Starbucks only occasionally. Heaven must've heard my prayer though because my mother-in-law sent me a gift card for Christmas. Well, I popped into Starbucks on my way to work today and found that they now offer my beloved Vanilla Latte as a "Skinny Latte". It's non-fat milk and sugar-free syrup and it's freaking delicious!! I actually like it better than the original. And it only tips the scale at 130 calories (90 if you get a tall)! I am so totally pumped! You guys definitely should try one.
I guess my new position is to enjoy all the things that I take pleasure in without letting myself feel guilty for enjoying them. And if you have guilty pleasures, I think you should let go of the guilt too. Life's too short, right?!
I guess I also should give you all an update from my post-op appointment today. Everything is healing up well. I will be able to officially start back up with treatments sometime in February. So, at least there is a light at the end of that tunnel.
TTFN!
OMG- So can we just talk about the Britney debacle for a minute? That girl is batshit crazy! Seriously, what the hell is wrong with her? I've been on Perez all day checking in on the latest in the drams that is Britney's life. How in the world did that girl make it so long seeming so normal? I seriously hope that someone can help her. I mean, if the prospect of losing your children forever doesn't snap you into shape I don't know what will. I just wish she'd go away for like 6 months and reemerge as her glorious former self. I don't think that she's just "white trash" like a lot of people seem to think. I think she has serious mental issues that need to be addressed. I just hope they get addressed before she dies because that doesn't seem that impossible at this point. Sad, sad, sad.
Speaking of sad. I may actually have to downgrade this "hobby" back to a guilty pleasure because this one really does make me feel guilty. I know last summer I discussed my love for the show Rock of Love with Bret Michaels. It was just such bad reality TV and I allowed myself to get sucked in to all the trashy, stripper, drunken craziness. In the end, I was kind of sad but also kind of relieved that things didn't work out with Bret and Jess because I really liked her and thought she was too good for him. But, when I heard that Bret was coming back with Rock of Love II I really cringed at the thought. Well, Rock of Love II premiered last night and guess who was plopped in front of the TV just engrossed with all the drunk, naked ho's? Yes, me and my husband. If you don't watch the show, please don't let yourself get sucked in. No pun intended. Blech. The girls they found this time are twice as trashy and ten times as bitchy. It's going to be a crazy season. I was really disappointed in myself for watching it last night. TV like that just shouldn't be encouraged.
I do have one pleasure that I don't have to feel as guilty about anymore. My favorite drink from Starbucks is a grande vanilla latte. All in all, it is one of their lower calorie drinks. Even with whole milk it only tops out at 280 calories. But, that is a lot of calories in just one drink. So for the past year or so I've been ordering it with non-fat milk. It cuts the calorie count down to 200 calories. Not great, but it's a little savings. I guess this one is a guilty pleasure for more than just the calorie count though because those 16oz. cups of heaven are almost $4 a pop. So, for the monetary aspect I had to cut back to Starbucks only occasionally. Heaven must've heard my prayer though because my mother-in-law sent me a gift card for Christmas. Well, I popped into Starbucks on my way to work today and found that they now offer my beloved Vanilla Latte as a "Skinny Latte". It's non-fat milk and sugar-free syrup and it's freaking delicious!! I actually like it better than the original. And it only tips the scale at 130 calories (90 if you get a tall)! I am so totally pumped! You guys definitely should try one.
I guess my new position is to enjoy all the things that I take pleasure in without letting myself feel guilty for enjoying them. And if you have guilty pleasures, I think you should let go of the guilt too. Life's too short, right?!
I guess I also should give you all an update from my post-op appointment today. Everything is healing up well. I will be able to officially start back up with treatments sometime in February. So, at least there is a light at the end of that tunnel.
TTFN!
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Anticipation Overload
Oh my gosh you guys! I got so excited by an email I received today. It's so silly but I was giggling I was so giddy. I got an email from Victoria's Secret announcing their new swim suits have arrived!!! You know what that means? Summer is in my not too distant future!!!
The weather here has been beautiful but it is teasing me. It'll be nice and warm during the day, making the pool look really enticing. But then it'll drop into the 50's and 60's at night and my poor pool is like an ice cube. Our next pool will definitely be heated! We're usually able to get in it in mid-to-late April so that's really only a couple months away. Seeing that email though, put me in a summer state of mind.
You can call me as crazy as you want to but my little, old pool is a sanctuary to me in the summer-time. I get out of bed on the weekends and change out of my pajamas and into my bathing suit. I slip on a little terry-cloth cover up and I'm ready to start my day. I put on the Jimmy Buffet CD and start skimming the pool and washing off the deck. I get all the pool floats out and ready for my usual weekend company (mom and my sisters). My pool may be old with cracked tile and set in the middle of a yard that's torn up from my dogs running laps around it but when I'm on my pool float looking up at the clear blue sky, I might as well be on a yacht in St. Tropez because I'm in heaven. We'll take lunch breaks to eat sub sandwiches and pass around the newest gossip mags... I'm telling you, it's bliss! I don't even mind getting out every 45 minutes or so to throw another load of laundry in the washing machine. Housework is much more fun when you can lounge in the sun in between.
Back to the Victoria's Secret swim suits though. Another good thing about my pool is that it is completely privacy fenced. So, even though I don't look like Adriana Lima in a string bikini, I'm the only one who will know. Well maybe my mom and sisters will know too but who cares, they love me anyway. I do have bathing suits for when company comes that give me more coverage but when it's just me and Joe or me and the girls, you better believe I'm in a skimpy little two piece. I didn't get a pool so that I can have tan lines, okay?! Victoria's Secret always manages to come up with some really cute stuff so I'm hoping to get a least one of the twenty suits I saw that I just have to have.
It's amazing how one little email can change your outlook on the world. Now when I'm having a bad day all I have to do is close my eyes, imagine myself in that cute little green and white polka dot bikini singing along to Changes in Latitude while floating around on my favorite silver raft. Ahhhhh.....
The weather here has been beautiful but it is teasing me. It'll be nice and warm during the day, making the pool look really enticing. But then it'll drop into the 50's and 60's at night and my poor pool is like an ice cube. Our next pool will definitely be heated! We're usually able to get in it in mid-to-late April so that's really only a couple months away. Seeing that email though, put me in a summer state of mind.
You can call me as crazy as you want to but my little, old pool is a sanctuary to me in the summer-time. I get out of bed on the weekends and change out of my pajamas and into my bathing suit. I slip on a little terry-cloth cover up and I'm ready to start my day. I put on the Jimmy Buffet CD and start skimming the pool and washing off the deck. I get all the pool floats out and ready for my usual weekend company (mom and my sisters). My pool may be old with cracked tile and set in the middle of a yard that's torn up from my dogs running laps around it but when I'm on my pool float looking up at the clear blue sky, I might as well be on a yacht in St. Tropez because I'm in heaven. We'll take lunch breaks to eat sub sandwiches and pass around the newest gossip mags... I'm telling you, it's bliss! I don't even mind getting out every 45 minutes or so to throw another load of laundry in the washing machine. Housework is much more fun when you can lounge in the sun in between.
Back to the Victoria's Secret swim suits though. Another good thing about my pool is that it is completely privacy fenced. So, even though I don't look like Adriana Lima in a string bikini, I'm the only one who will know. Well maybe my mom and sisters will know too but who cares, they love me anyway. I do have bathing suits for when company comes that give me more coverage but when it's just me and Joe or me and the girls, you better believe I'm in a skimpy little two piece. I didn't get a pool so that I can have tan lines, okay?! Victoria's Secret always manages to come up with some really cute stuff so I'm hoping to get a least one of the twenty suits I saw that I just have to have.
It's amazing how one little email can change your outlook on the world. Now when I'm having a bad day all I have to do is close my eyes, imagine myself in that cute little green and white polka dot bikini singing along to Changes in Latitude while floating around on my favorite silver raft. Ahhhhh.....
Wednesday, January 9, 2008
Cashmere Mafia
Since Sex and the City went off the air three years ago there have been questions about what could replace it. So far there hasn't been anything that's even come close to the funny, smart, and sexy dialog, the style, and the connection you made with the characters. Now, finally, there are two new shows that are trying really hard to pick up where Sex and the City left off. The first show is called Lipstick Jungle. It's based on a book written by Candace Bushnell, the same woman who wrote Sex and the City. It's the same kind of idea but there are three women instead of four and they are a little bit older than the SATC gals, in their 40's rather than in their 30's. The other show is called Cashmere Mafia. This show is being produced by one of the guys who produced Sex and the City. There has been a lot of discussion about which one will be best and will, ultimately, survive on TV. Cashmere Mafia is the first of the two shows to actually make it on TV. It premiered on Sunday evening so, of course, I had my DVR set and ready. It's on ABC so obviously they can't get away with the same stuff that HBO can but I was still very excited to see what the show had to offer.
The show revolves around four women in their mid-to-late thirties and early forties. They are all very successful and very well-off. I can't remember their names yet but there is a red head with a tween-age daughter who knows her husband fools around behind her back, a brunette who has two young kids and is married to a man who can't keep a steady job, a blond who thinks she may be gay, and an Asian girl (played by Lucy Liu) who got engaged and broke off her engagement in the first episode. Like Sex and the City, the ladies meet often for lunch and to discuss all the goings-on in their lives.
The show, for me, was just ok. I know I'm holding it up to extremely high standards but it was just ok. The thing that really stood out to me was how crazy the show has made the lives of these women. By about 20 minutes into the show I was asking myself, who are these women that lead these lives? They are all very competitive business women who are on their blackberries constantly. In one scene, three of the women are all consulting their blackberries to see when they can all get together to tell the fourth that her husband is cheating on her. They are running from work to meetings with clients to school to see a kid in a play, to an engagement dinner... all in $700 Christian Louboutin heels.
One of the main story lines of the show revolved around Lucy Liu's character becoming engaged to a man that she works with. I guess they had been dating a year. Well, the day they got engaged they went into work and found out they are going up against each other for a promotion. Who ever makes the most sales by the end of the week gets a huge promotion, the other gets fired. So throughout the course of the show we see Lucy Liu and her fiance competing over the same clients. Surprise, surprise, Lucy Liu wins and gets the promotion. Her fiance then dumps her because he wants a wife, not a business woman who will never be home. But instead of being upset, Lucy Liu goes to lunch with her girlfriends to celebrate her promotion. Huh?! It just seemed a little far-fetched.
One thing this show had that rivaled Sex and the City were the clothes. All of the women are very well dressed and very well accessorized. The men are also very hot, but disposable. I think one thing it lacked is likability of the characters. There were no moments that made any of the women seem vulnerable or "real". They just seemed like very high-powered, unemotional fembots. If there are women out there like that, I haven't met very many.
I guess until the Sex and the City movie comes out in May, this half-assed stand-in will have to do. I am very anxious now to see what Lipstick Jungle has to offer. I hope it's a little better than Cashmere Mafia. My recommendation to you though, watch it. It's fluff but at least you get to look at some really cute shoes.
The show revolves around four women in their mid-to-late thirties and early forties. They are all very successful and very well-off. I can't remember their names yet but there is a red head with a tween-age daughter who knows her husband fools around behind her back, a brunette who has two young kids and is married to a man who can't keep a steady job, a blond who thinks she may be gay, and an Asian girl (played by Lucy Liu) who got engaged and broke off her engagement in the first episode. Like Sex and the City, the ladies meet often for lunch and to discuss all the goings-on in their lives.
The show, for me, was just ok. I know I'm holding it up to extremely high standards but it was just ok. The thing that really stood out to me was how crazy the show has made the lives of these women. By about 20 minutes into the show I was asking myself, who are these women that lead these lives? They are all very competitive business women who are on their blackberries constantly. In one scene, three of the women are all consulting their blackberries to see when they can all get together to tell the fourth that her husband is cheating on her. They are running from work to meetings with clients to school to see a kid in a play, to an engagement dinner... all in $700 Christian Louboutin heels.
One of the main story lines of the show revolved around Lucy Liu's character becoming engaged to a man that she works with. I guess they had been dating a year. Well, the day they got engaged they went into work and found out they are going up against each other for a promotion. Who ever makes the most sales by the end of the week gets a huge promotion, the other gets fired. So throughout the course of the show we see Lucy Liu and her fiance competing over the same clients. Surprise, surprise, Lucy Liu wins and gets the promotion. Her fiance then dumps her because he wants a wife, not a business woman who will never be home. But instead of being upset, Lucy Liu goes to lunch with her girlfriends to celebrate her promotion. Huh?! It just seemed a little far-fetched.
One thing this show had that rivaled Sex and the City were the clothes. All of the women are very well dressed and very well accessorized. The men are also very hot, but disposable. I think one thing it lacked is likability of the characters. There were no moments that made any of the women seem vulnerable or "real". They just seemed like very high-powered, unemotional fembots. If there are women out there like that, I haven't met very many.
I guess until the Sex and the City movie comes out in May, this half-assed stand-in will have to do. I am very anxious now to see what Lipstick Jungle has to offer. I hope it's a little better than Cashmere Mafia. My recommendation to you though, watch it. It's fluff but at least you get to look at some really cute shoes.
Sunday, January 6, 2008
Success!!
Well my surgery was a success! I had a rough little recovery period but am feeling much better today. My surgery prep day was completely awful between the clear liquid diet and the laxatives. I was not a very pleasant girl on Friday. I just wanted everything to be over so I could get home and eat. We were actually talking about what I wanted when my surgery was over. I think we went back and forth from spaghetti and meatballs to Mexican food to a big, fat, juicy hamburger. Turns out, none of the above.
My surgery was scheduled for noon on Friday but, just by good luck, my doctor was running ahead of schedule and was able to get me in a little early. I think they took me back around 11:30. I don't remember anything after they wheeled me in the operating room and had me move to the operating table. The first thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room and talking to the nurse. I kept trying to look at the clock but couldn't make out what time it was. I remember there were two babies in recovery with me. I never found out why they were there but it was sad to be in there with babies. They just looked so tiny and helpless.
Once they decided I was doing ok in the first recovery room, they wheeled me into the second recovery room. They called in my mom and Joe and they came in to see me. The nurse told me all I had to do was keep down some water and crackers and go pee and I could go home. No problem, I thought, I was ready to go home! So, I started in pretty quickly on the water. I figured the faster I could drink water and go pee, the faster I could get home. Well, bad idea. I thought I needed to go so I had the nurse wheel me down the the bathroom. I couldn't pee but I was able to throw up... a lot. So, back down to my spot to try again. That routine kept up for about 5 hours! My blood pressure started to drop and they were about 45 minutes from admitting me. Finally, after 5 bags of IV fluids, I had a breakthrough and was able to use the bathroom. So, they got me dressed, unhooked the IV and called for the wheelchair to take me to the car.
I slept most of the way home in the car but felt pretty good once I got home. I wanted to eat something but gone were my grand ideas of Mexican food and hamburgers. I settled for some Dino Chicken Nuggets we had in the freezer. They were pretty damn good too. After that, it was off to bed for me. I woke up around 3:30 in the morning in quite a bit of pain. I guess whatever they gave me at the hospital finally wore off. So, I took some darvocet and got a little more sleep. That was pretty much the routine all day yesterday. The worst part about it isn't even where they did the surgery, it's the damn gas that gets trapped in your body that is so terrible. It gets caught in my shoulders and feels like someone is stabbing me every time I take a breath. The only way it feels better is to stand up (which is pretty funny when you're hopped up on pain meds) or to lay on your left side, which gets old after 24 hours. I'm off the darvocet today though and have moved over to Tylenol. The gas pains are slowly getting better too.
Like I said earlier, the surgery was successful. The doctor found quite a mess in there. My left ovary was adhered to my bladder and my left tube was pulled into a "Z" shape. So he was able to unhook all of that and get it back to where it should be. My right ovary was pulled down to an area where it shouldn't have been so he was able to fix that too. Hopefully, that'll make things a lot easier for us in the future. It's a miracle any eggs ever found their way into those tubes. I have to make my post-op appointment for later in the week and I'll find out there what our next step is. Hopefully we'll be able to get back into treatment by the end of the month! So, it was a lot to go through but I'm happy it's done and we made some progress.
In other very exciting news, it's finally warmed up here so I'm thrilled!! It's supposed to be in the 80's all week. Anyone jealous? I've got a guest room all ready for you!
My surgery was scheduled for noon on Friday but, just by good luck, my doctor was running ahead of schedule and was able to get me in a little early. I think they took me back around 11:30. I don't remember anything after they wheeled me in the operating room and had me move to the operating table. The first thing I remember is waking up in the recovery room and talking to the nurse. I kept trying to look at the clock but couldn't make out what time it was. I remember there were two babies in recovery with me. I never found out why they were there but it was sad to be in there with babies. They just looked so tiny and helpless.
Once they decided I was doing ok in the first recovery room, they wheeled me into the second recovery room. They called in my mom and Joe and they came in to see me. The nurse told me all I had to do was keep down some water and crackers and go pee and I could go home. No problem, I thought, I was ready to go home! So, I started in pretty quickly on the water. I figured the faster I could drink water and go pee, the faster I could get home. Well, bad idea. I thought I needed to go so I had the nurse wheel me down the the bathroom. I couldn't pee but I was able to throw up... a lot. So, back down to my spot to try again. That routine kept up for about 5 hours! My blood pressure started to drop and they were about 45 minutes from admitting me. Finally, after 5 bags of IV fluids, I had a breakthrough and was able to use the bathroom. So, they got me dressed, unhooked the IV and called for the wheelchair to take me to the car.
I slept most of the way home in the car but felt pretty good once I got home. I wanted to eat something but gone were my grand ideas of Mexican food and hamburgers. I settled for some Dino Chicken Nuggets we had in the freezer. They were pretty damn good too. After that, it was off to bed for me. I woke up around 3:30 in the morning in quite a bit of pain. I guess whatever they gave me at the hospital finally wore off. So, I took some darvocet and got a little more sleep. That was pretty much the routine all day yesterday. The worst part about it isn't even where they did the surgery, it's the damn gas that gets trapped in your body that is so terrible. It gets caught in my shoulders and feels like someone is stabbing me every time I take a breath. The only way it feels better is to stand up (which is pretty funny when you're hopped up on pain meds) or to lay on your left side, which gets old after 24 hours. I'm off the darvocet today though and have moved over to Tylenol. The gas pains are slowly getting better too.
Like I said earlier, the surgery was successful. The doctor found quite a mess in there. My left ovary was adhered to my bladder and my left tube was pulled into a "Z" shape. So he was able to unhook all of that and get it back to where it should be. My right ovary was pulled down to an area where it shouldn't have been so he was able to fix that too. Hopefully, that'll make things a lot easier for us in the future. It's a miracle any eggs ever found their way into those tubes. I have to make my post-op appointment for later in the week and I'll find out there what our next step is. Hopefully we'll be able to get back into treatment by the end of the month! So, it was a lot to go through but I'm happy it's done and we made some progress.
In other very exciting news, it's finally warmed up here so I'm thrilled!! It's supposed to be in the 80's all week. Anyone jealous? I've got a guest room all ready for you!
Thursday, January 3, 2008
Happy (belated) New Year!
Hey everybody, Happy New Year! I hope you all rung in the New Year with as much pomp and circumstance as you could. As much as I was bitching about not having any plans, I ended up having a wonderful New Year! We did a late dinner and drinks (with two designated drivers, natch) with friends and got home in time to watch the MTV New Year's Eve Celebration. We were in bed by 12:15, which is about 3 hours past our usual bed time, so I'd say we were party animals.
I do have a gripe about the MTV celebration. Either we're getting too old and out of touch with what's "hot" or the show really sucked this year. It was hosted by that ho-bag Tila Tequila and she was just awful. It was like an anorexic Muppet speaking broken English. She was neither cute, nor funny, nor charming.... at all. The performances were very lackluster and there were no standout "stars" in attendance. Even my guilty pleasure Flo Rida wasn't that great. They really need to step it up next year.
Anyway. In the latest installment of "Days of My Uterus" I am home from work today. My doctor, Joe and I have decided it would be best to do another laparoscopic surgery to see what's going on in my uterus and fallopian tubes. I'll be having the surgery tomorrow so I'm doing the wonderful clear liquid "cleanse" today. It should be a great day. We're doing the surgery to see what kind of scar tissue I have that was caused by the last surgery I had in 2004. The doctor will also be repairing any damage he finds while he's in there and will place a synthetic membrane in my tube and wherever else he finds the scar tissue so that everything will stay open and clear in the future. Since I finally have insurance to pay for it and since my doctor feels it will increase my chances of getting (and staying) pregnant we're going to go for it. Cross your fingers! He will also be giving me a high-definition, narrated DVD of the procedure so I can have a guided tour of my reproductive organs. I'll host viewing parties if anyone's interested. LOL I think it's pay back for all the times I've made fun of people's flaws while watching our HD TV. I'll post an update once the surgery is complete.
In other news, it's freaking cold here! I really enjoyed the weather we had over the last couple of weeks. We had highs around 85 and it has been sunny and beautiful. Joe and I were even dangling our legs in the pool last week and I contemplated slipping in to my bathing suit to get some sun. That all changed yesterday. The high yesterday was 42 degrees and the low last night was in the 20's. I'm not cut out for this. Believe it or not, we actually got some snow flurries along the coast this morning. I'm glad I'm at home in my warm house today. I don't know how you northerners do it. I know for sure that I'm a 100% Florida girl because this crap is making me miserable. I don't get it when people say they enjoy the brisk air. But, then again, I'm sure people don't get it when I say I enjoy the 90 degree summer days. All I know is that I can't wait for summer!
Well, that about does it. Like I said, I will keep you all posted on my post-surgery progress and all the other craziness that is going on with me too. Stay warm everybody!!
I do have a gripe about the MTV celebration. Either we're getting too old and out of touch with what's "hot" or the show really sucked this year. It was hosted by that ho-bag Tila Tequila and she was just awful. It was like an anorexic Muppet speaking broken English. She was neither cute, nor funny, nor charming.... at all. The performances were very lackluster and there were no standout "stars" in attendance. Even my guilty pleasure Flo Rida wasn't that great. They really need to step it up next year.
Anyway. In the latest installment of "Days of My Uterus" I am home from work today. My doctor, Joe and I have decided it would be best to do another laparoscopic surgery to see what's going on in my uterus and fallopian tubes. I'll be having the surgery tomorrow so I'm doing the wonderful clear liquid "cleanse" today. It should be a great day. We're doing the surgery to see what kind of scar tissue I have that was caused by the last surgery I had in 2004. The doctor will also be repairing any damage he finds while he's in there and will place a synthetic membrane in my tube and wherever else he finds the scar tissue so that everything will stay open and clear in the future. Since I finally have insurance to pay for it and since my doctor feels it will increase my chances of getting (and staying) pregnant we're going to go for it. Cross your fingers! He will also be giving me a high-definition, narrated DVD of the procedure so I can have a guided tour of my reproductive organs. I'll host viewing parties if anyone's interested. LOL I think it's pay back for all the times I've made fun of people's flaws while watching our HD TV. I'll post an update once the surgery is complete.
In other news, it's freaking cold here! I really enjoyed the weather we had over the last couple of weeks. We had highs around 85 and it has been sunny and beautiful. Joe and I were even dangling our legs in the pool last week and I contemplated slipping in to my bathing suit to get some sun. That all changed yesterday. The high yesterday was 42 degrees and the low last night was in the 20's. I'm not cut out for this. Believe it or not, we actually got some snow flurries along the coast this morning. I'm glad I'm at home in my warm house today. I don't know how you northerners do it. I know for sure that I'm a 100% Florida girl because this crap is making me miserable. I don't get it when people say they enjoy the brisk air. But, then again, I'm sure people don't get it when I say I enjoy the 90 degree summer days. All I know is that I can't wait for summer!
Well, that about does it. Like I said, I will keep you all posted on my post-surgery progress and all the other craziness that is going on with me too. Stay warm everybody!!
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