Wednesday, May 12, 2010

Fitness, Fitness, Fitness!!!

I've talked about getting back in shape for about a year now and seem to keep dragging my feet at actually getting there. It's not that I don't want to work out or be healthier, it's that it physically hurts to work out! Not because I'm so obese that I can't run or do exercise but because I've gotten so out of shape that my body just doesnt' want to work out and pretty much rejects whatever exercise I try to do. That's all about to change....

Alligator and I are going to start working out with a personal trainer. Some of our friends at the office work out with him now and he seems to be doing a good job of getting them in shape and working them out pretty hard. Alligator and I are pairing up because we figure we're pretty alike in our lack of physical activity for the past oh....5 years!

Yesterday we had to fill out health histories that detailed our short term, long term, and ultimate goals. I thought maybe sharing them here, on my crazy world blog, would help keep me committed and make me take them more seriously.

So here are some fitness goals for the short term:
  1. I'd like to get back to a routine that I enjoy doing and will continue doing for a long time.
  2. I'd like to get back to running
  3. I'd like to lose some weight
Here are some longer term goals:
  1. I'd like to lose a lot of weight
  2. I'd like to make working out  a  habit and also enjoy doing it. 
  3. I'd like to get back to running
And here are some ultimate goals (you know like DREAMS!)
  1. Get back to lifeguard sized self
  2. Have an established routine of working out 4 times a week or more. 
  3. Maintain a healthy lifestyle
  4. Enjoy running again
I know they kind of all spin off of each other but I figure they come in stages.

Here's hoping I don't get rushed to the hospital on day one of training and that by this time next year, a lot of the goals on that list are accomplished!

Monday, May 10, 2010

Mother's Day Success

I didn't take pictures of the stuff I made for yesterday (epic fail) but the food went over and well and all in all it was a great meal!

My sister ended up making stuffed mushrooms and a strawberry cake. They were both delicious and I was glad that she brought stuff for people to eat too!

I made cheese tortellini with spinach and mushrooms, tiramisu cheesecake, and bruschetta. The bruschetta wasn't that great. At least not to me. I don't like strong cheeses and topping it with gorgonzola definitely took it to a level that I'm not comfortable with! If you like strong, awkward tasting cheeses, then I'd definitely go with it, but it just wasn't for me.

All in all, the day went okay. It wasn't too great but it wasn' too terrible. I imagine the day was really difficult for my sister, but she seemed to handle it okay. She said that she slept quite a bit over the weekend and that it's possible she was using sleep as a coping mechanism. Something I totally understand. There was a good stretch of time when I slept quite a bit during the days. I can't even imagine how I passed some of my classes as I usually opted for sleep instead of studying. I'm glad the family survived the weekend, nonetheless.

I hope that your weekend was filled with Mother's Day fun as well. hopefully if you made bruschetta it tasted better than mine!

Our most basic instinct is not for survival but for family.  Most of us would give our own life for the survival of a family member, yet we lead our daily life too often as if we take our family for granted.  
~Paul Pearshall

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Distaste

Yesterday was a pretty good day. My family made it through my sister's birthday and managed to celebrate with dinner and cake. (I say made it through because if you read this, or if you know me, you know that this has been an extremely trying year for my family and my sister in particular). It seemed like things were going to be okay. Like maybe life was on the way back up and we could start looking forward instead of feeling trapped in the present.

Last night, as I was preparing for bed, I remembered something that a dear friend had told me about. She has a friend who's husband is currently battling brain cancer. For a while, things seemed somewhat hopeful, and now things seem less so. His family is faced with an absorbent amount of hospital bills and the final cost of his treatment is still unknown. The family has 3 children, one of which is old enough to understand what is happening to her dad and the ramifications to the family. My friend wanted to do something to honor her friend and to raise money for the family. Given the time of year, she decided that a crawfish boil would be the perfect way to raise money and have fun. She put in a considerable amount of effort in finding people to assist her with the boil and in creating and distributing fliers that advertised the event. She even went as far as sending invites to mutual friends on facebook so that she could reach as many people as possible and hopefully raise a good deal of money for the family.

Yesterday, my friend was faced with the decision of whether or not to cancel the crawfish boil. Not because she didn't want to do it and not because he was incapable of coming, but because the number of invites wasn't enough to make the boil worth wild. The most disappointing part of the story is that most of the people she targeted and wanted to invite for mutual friends of the family and of hers. Friends who through this ordeal have vowed to be by his side no matter what he needs but have failed to make good on their empty promises. Friends who if they found themselves in need might look to this family and my friend's family for support because they consider them to be a "good group of friends".

I do not the family who is suffering through this tragic time. I do not know the so-called friends who are not showing up to the crawfish boil. But I do know that if I were in the same situation, I would want people to help my family get through it whether that be financially or emotionally. And I do know that even though my original plan was to be at the crawfish boil, I am still going to donate to the fund for this family because I would hope that people would find it in their hearts to do the same for me if I needed it. Needless to say, these people whom I mostly just hear about and hardly ever have to see in person have left a grave distaste in my mouth.

On to second terrible and sickening piece of information. Last night, a family near and dear to my heart was burglarized. I don't know why people choose to burglarize other people. I don't know why no one is ever walking by at the right moment to catch the dirtbags who are doing it. And I don't know how you find peace again and go back into your house trusting that you're safe. I just don't get it. These people, these slimy, douchebag people have also left a distaste in my mouth.

It's not every day that I'm disappointment by mankind. But yesterday and today seem to be the days for feeling like mankind is just pissing on itself. I woke up mad that people are so two-faced and downright unconcerned for people around them.

This too shall pass, I am sure, but it sure makes you want to go beat the crap out of some of these people!

Adulthood......booo

There are times in my life where I absolutely love being an adult. I love having my own house and my own cars and making my own decisions about things that are going to affect me and the husband instead of things that my parents think are going to turn my life into some kind of muck.

I love being able to drink at a bar if I want to or being able to go to a sporting event and have a drink because I'm a responsbile adult and I know when to quit and when to have more fun.

I love that my friends are starting to have babies and become parents (my beautiful bff from high school is about to pop today!) and that our friendships are changing as our lives and needs change.

And I love that my husband and I are starting to find our way into our own little family. Dependent on each other in ways we never were when we were younger and more considerate of each other as the years go by.

What I do not like about being an adult is some of the decision making that comes along with being one. For example: A/C went out at house. Hubs took the reigns and found what he thoguht was a reputable company to do the work. It's been 5 months and we just NOW finished getting everything taken care of because we ran into several issues. While we're overall happy, we're pretty disappointed in the fact that we feel like we got taken advantage of. But that's a discussion for another day....over drinks.

Example two: needing to talk to your boss about making changes in your job description/life. Grr. I love my boss, don't get me wrong. But it's hard to bring these types of things up to anyone...period. But there are some things in life that just have to happen. Whether you're ready for them to or not....and in the end sometimes the result is better than you thought it would be.

We shall see.
"Bravery is the capacity to perform properly even when scared half to death"
-Omar Bradley

Monday, May 3, 2010

Too much hotness?

I used to say that Brad Pitt and Jennifer Aniston would make ugly babies because they're both so ridicuously good looking. Obviously now we'll never know. But I think this picture falls in line with too much hotness too:

These men are soooo good looking! *drool*.

Anyway on to me....
I'm feeling a LOT better since the allergic reaction from who knows what. I even mowed the yard yesterday and did some other yard work. Which is impressive because I'm allergic to everything outside. So you guys should be proud (feel free to leave comments telling me so, too!)

Other than said crazy allergic reaction, not much is going on. School is busy, but winding down. Work is crazy as always. And life is just....pleasant.

Hubs and I went and looked at Tahoes this weekend. Good LORD are they expensive....thinking I'll have to reevaluate my priorities and decide what kind of car I really want. Current prospects are the Mazda CX-7 (because I like that it's a SUV type car but not huge and my mom has the CX-9 and I love it.) and a certified pre-owned BMW. Because let's face it, those sucker lose $20k driving off the lot!

"We are ruined, not by what we really want, but by what we think we do; therefore never go abroad in search of your wants; if they be real wants, they will come home in search of you; for he that buys what he does not want, will soon want what he cannot buy."
-Charles Caleb Colton