Playing House

Motherhood...

2011-07-09T21:11:00.000-07:00

After 11 months of inactivity, I have decided to return to the blogging world - as a mother. Yes, my husband and I welcomed a baby daughter on May 13th, and couldn't be happier to have her here!
My pregnancy was awful - I was sick for the first 4 months, followed by 5 months of doctors visits to try and diagnose my mystery illness; which, by they way, merely turned out to be pregnancy itself. Due to my "mystery illness" my doctor recommended that I be induced in order to guarantee she would be able to attend the delivery. I jumped at the opportunity to finish being pregnant at 39 weeks and scheduled the induction for Friday, May 13th and this was the first of my 3 mistakes. I will never be induced again - girl scouts honor. I won't go into details, but lets just say that the morning of the induction, magically my platelet count dropped and in combination with my "mystery illness" I was unable to receive and epidural. I was not informed of this little...inconvenience...until I was 4 hours into the induction. Be that as it may, I was not at all prepared for childbirth...mistake number 2...I was sure to call all my pregnant friends immediately after I scarfed down my Burger King double bacon burger and large fry and try and convince them to take childbirth classes no matter how much hooey they thought they were. I didn't want to wait to let them know, lest I lay eyes on my new, beautiful daughter and magically forget all the pain. P.S. I still remember the pain.
You may be wondering what mistake number 3 was...evidently, it was not keeping my cell phone on during the delivery. My mother, clearly worried that I hadn't called her every step of the way, took it upon herself to call the delivery ward of the hospital. You wouldn't think that you could be embarrassed after the delivery of a baby...not at all true. When the nurse entered my room moments after delivery and asked me if I knew "so and so." I felt my face flush as the entire room erupted into laughter when I admitted that it was my mother and shooed my husband out of the room to answer her call. Needless to say, she arrived the next day.
So far motherhood has been pretty decent. In the beginning it was more or less like I had reverted to college - only without the booze. There was no sleep, numerous outfit changes in a day and I tried to read all the books I should have read before she was born in mere days. No matter how hard I tried, historical fiction always beat out the parenting books. Evidently, I felt as if parenting would come just as naturally as the childbirth I also failed to read up on.
After a little trial and error on our part, we have pretty much settled into our new life with the little girl. She is slowly, but surely, starting to sleep through the night and everyday it seems she does something she didn't do the day before. I think I might be okay with this new role...

To Mexico and back again...

2010-08-10T21:18:00.002-07:00

Well we made it...I'm not going to sugar coat it; living in Phoenix we are constantly barraged with the going ons in Mexico along the border and frankly I was just a {smidgen} scared of venturing into the country. But I was pleasantly surprised.

The husband and I landed in Cancun on a Wednesday to 90 degree temperatures and 100% humidity. At first it was a nice change from 108 dry heat of the Sonoran Desert. Waiting for our transport to Playa del Carmen we enjoyed an adult beverage from the over-priced airport cantina under wispy palms, relishing the soft ocean breeze. The transportation representative was reassuring us that it would only be two more minutes before our resort van would be there to pick us up; this would be our first taste to just how different time is viewed from country to country. Two minutes passed by, then ten and fifteen. "Just two minutes more, Senor," we were assured. My drink was gone in the first two minutes and now I was left with a lime and melting ice, but we were not let down and soon we were being ushered to our awaiting van and swept off to our resort, a mere 50 minutes from the Cancun Airport.

Upon reaching our resort we were met with friendly faces and some sort of appletini...I think. Another {short} two minutes and were being led to our room. I was impressed by the room, albeit the bed was a bit hard, but after a scrumptious dinner filled with Italian fare of linguine and clams and a couple more beverages any bed was a welcomed sight.

The next morning after breakfast we made our way out to the Caribbean to catch some rays and enjoy some reading. This didn't last very long as the pages in my book begin to look as if someone had given them a perm. Note to self: Paper and humidity do not mix. I would have to finish the book I renewed from the library, four times to date, another time. This did, however, free our time to enjoy the "tranquility pool" on the roof where little did I know I would incur the most epic sunburn of all time.

Yes, my nose was purple, but that does not compare to the disaster that used to be my chest. It was so burned it was white. I didn't even know this could happen! Regardless, after encountering the dry, freezing air on the plane coming home, my skin has begun to look like a broiled chicken thigh, the kind with the crispy skin.

With a burn of such epic proportions, I felt it was important to try and avoid the sun as much as possible for the rest of the trip, but we were in Mexico. Outside of the water the sun and humidity started to become a little oppressive, so I found myself applying sunscreen every 15 or so minutes and submerging my body as far as I could into the water. I managed to not re-burn the already too burned portions of my body and I am content with that.

Surprisingly I made it through the wedding with only several people commenting on the unhealthy hue of my skin. I must give credit where due and most were quite couth simply stating, "Oh, my, you got a little pink, dear." Indeed I did.

For the rest of the trip I managed to stay virtually unscathed, outside of the infamous toe stub that landed me a date with a paramedic. Just for the record, it wasn't at all serious; I think that all other countries must view Americans as a liability. I feel silly that I was afraid to visit this country - I even ventured off the resort and into the marketplace. If I would have skipped it, I would have missed a very beautiful wedding and missed out on seeing what a wonderful country Mexico really is. Next time I visit Playa however, I think I will skip the resort, stay in the shopping district and visit in the winter.

113 and still climbing...

2010-07-14T18:42:00.001-07:00

It was 113 today; it will be 115 tomorrow and 116 the day after. People often shake their heads and say, "Oh, but it's a dry heat." Yeah? So is an oven - just think, your food warmer is set at 120 degrees. Now comes the time every Phoenician dreams of moving to the north where there are seasons and the summer season temps top out at 100 degrees - and that is HOT. Every summer we dream of moving, every winter we are thankful for the absence of the ice and snow. Nothing beats cruising in your car the day after thanksgiving with the windows down, shorts on and Christmas music blasting. I'm trying to let this luxury distract me from the fact that tomorrow I will wake up to 91 degrees at 5:30 a.m.

The heat is especially noticeable to the husband and I now that we have returned from our vacation in Montana. We cruised into Montana on a rainy Saturday where the temperature topped out at about 60 degrees. For the first half of the week we enjoyed 60s and 70s with rain showers off an on. By the end of the week the temperature rose to a balmy 85 degrees just in time for Boat Float.

What's Boat Float, you ask? Boat Float is the one weekend of the year that puts Big Timber, Montana on the map. Hundreds of miles of river are tackled every year by a horde of drunken sailors during the second weekend of July. I'm pretty sure all 50 states and several different countries are represented as rafts, drifters and hand-crafted boats alike float down the river sounding the universal call of BOOOAAAATTTT FLLOOOAAT! This year I had the pleasure of sailing with some of the finest as three rafts were tethered together creating our own little floating island of fun. We were in want of nothing as our chef prepared bistro style sandwiches with turkey/pesto and ham/tapenade; beer was aplenty and I believe I even saw homemade margaritas!

We pulled off the river after 7 hours and 40 miles to mingle with old friends and taste some home-brewed beer. Sun-kissed and drenched, we stumbled about gaining our "land-legs" and gawking at all the other sailors - most of which are still calling out BOOOAAATTT FLLLOOOOAAATT in desperate attempts to rally the troops - their fallen comrades who aren't answering back can usually be found passed out in the rafts, back of pick-ups or off in a grassy ditch somewhere. It is best to let them rest, because tomorrow is another day of sun, floating and beer.

Only 360 days left until next year's boat float - you stay classy, Montana. I promise we will be up again next year - hopefully having recruited a new batch of boat floaters.

It's not a Diet!!!

2010-04-05T19:21:00.000-07:00

Is it me, or does a brown van driving up the street playing creepy "come and get ice cream" music, scream something out of a horror movie, or Richard Bachman's "Regulators"? A brown van cruises my neighborhood every night around 5:30 or 6:00 and occasionally on the weekends. I think it used to carry seafood in its former life, because, as most cars in Phoenix with any appliques, there is faded paint reading: "come and get your crab"on the sliding door. Regardless, I never see kids running to it like in the movies, and I tend to run from it when I hear it creeping up the street behind me while I take my dogs for their evening stroll. Funny enough, tonight as I sit watching my back-to-back episodes of Friends on TBS (dreading my required hour of gym time that is still glaring at me from my to-do list) I now want ice cream.

Good thing I have my sugar-free raspberry Jell-o *gag* to kill my sweet tooth. I don't want to call it dieting but I am going back to my hometown in July, and have this neurosis that is preventing me from eating any more than three balanced meals a day - no snacking. Ugh, it is miserable and I am always staring lovingly at the candy drawer at work, but at least when I eat I can eat more than an ounce of boiled chicken breast and a quarter cup of whole grain rice without the dreaded calorie counting.

Why is it that you always want to look good when you see people you haven't seen in two years, but when you were living there it was no big deal to drink yourself into a stuper and find yourself being rescued by your brother after you passed out on the catering tables in the back room of the local Legion Post? It is okay to get completely obliterated and have public displays of affection (this was never, ever me) with complete strangers at a street dance after a rodeo, participate in wet t-shirt contests (not me either) and throw drunken scenes in bars with your parents' friends present, but heaven forbid you put on five pounds from the last time you were home...two years ago.

While I feel them judging me for becoming fat, I also sense their disapproving stare, especially in the middle of the summer, and then they say, "I thought you were living in Phoenix, where is your nice tan?" I want to scream at them, "Have you ever sat on metal pool furniture after it has been sitting in direct sunlight for 6 hours in 115 degree heat?" Phoenicians that are tan in the summer are tan by other means - none of which include lounging in that heat. All that aside, I am excited to come home - I miss it; it will always be "home" to me, and besides it wouldn't be home if you weren't ready to run screaming from town at the end of the week :)

I don't want to be that girl, but...

2010-02-18T21:56:00.000-07:00

I'm tired. I took entirely too much school too quickly with way too much job. (Bear with me, my rant is almost finished) I would very much enjoy curling up and finishing my Arthur trilogy without that constant nagging feeling that I should be doing something else. The worst part about the whole school ordeal is that nearly 10 years ago I completed AP English in high school, tested out of English 101 in college and graduated with an English degree. Fast forward 10 years and here I sit, taking English 102 because evidently I need to have that class for my new degree. So as I write my paper on an all too predictable dichotomy of "superhuman" woman protagonist versus the bioengineering misogynistic antagonist, I find myself dumbing it down so the professor doesn't catch on to the fact that maybe I might have spent five years perfecting my bullshitting skills and in turn read my papers with the "I know you graduated with an English degree; this is not your best work" eye. (Is that a run-on sentence?) End Rant.

Recently I picked up running again, probably about 5 weeks ago, and I am finding that when done correctly and in moderation running can be a decent stress reliever. The husband and I competed in our first 5k race of the year last weekend; it was a skirt chaser race...and that is not just a clever name. The women racers were granted a 3 minute head start and all were wearing skirts - my husband still raced past me at just about the 2 mile mark. Regardless, I finished and though I won't mention my time strictly because it is still quite embarrassing, it was a good 6 and 8 minutes faster than my last two 5k's. We are thinking we may do the half marathon again in 2011 if the training holds up; we are both in agreement that running 13.1 miles without training is a very silly decision. Our next race is in Tucson in March, we are boarding the dogs and making a weekend out of it, finally visiting Tombstone and the O.K. Corral!

The husband and I have planned a few getaways this summer, with the first one being a trip home. It will be two years in August since I have been back to Montana, and am very much looking forward to it. I have told my family that there are two things I must do before returning to Arizona...camp and float. I think between my father, sister and brother-in-law I have my bases covered...I just wish I weren't wishing it were July already - nobody in their right mind wishes for summer around these parts. We have another wedding in August, this time in Cancun...I know poor me.

Random Thoughts of 2010 and Other Updates

2010-01-12T18:31:00.000-07:00

Can I just say that I LOVE Mario World Wii. It is a mixture of all the best Mario Worlds AND you can play two, three or four player at the same time, so you do not have to wait turns! Mostly it is me using Luigi, who is played by my husband, as a trampoline or a human shield - its music is even reminiscent of the original Mario World for the NES!

As I attempted to conquer World 8, a thought descended on me...why is that when I get touched by lava I immediately die - not just shrink or lose a power but die; yet I can crawl all over metal that has been submerged in lava and escape virtually unscathed? I know, I know, the entire purpose of the game is to defeat a dinosaur after conquering worlds of walking mushrooms and turtle/duck looking things all to save a princess named Peach (who might I add is constantly getting herself into trouble - I'm beginning to think bitch deserves to be locked in tower, she isn't very smart) it isn't meant to be realistic, but I couldn't help but feel that this game, geared towards children, gives the skewed idea that metal is a poor conductor of heat. It is a core principle in Chemistry and I'm sure they'll learn, most of them do the hard way.

Needless to say Mario World mixed with a little Human Anatomy and Physiology has taken a lot of my time lately and I have been unable to get much of my book marathon complete. I started "Pilgrim's Progress" only to become increasingly peeved at a poor attempt at a Christian Allegory...it wasn't an allegory at all; John Bunyon made no attempt at all to make this a figurative piece of work, it was simply a sermon.

I started "The Winter King" - not on my list, but a very good novel about King Arthur's rise to power in Britain. Quite different than any other Arthurian literature I have read in the past, and I can't wait to read the entire series. I am 8th on the list to receive Bernard Cornwell's final book in his Saxon Stories series from the library, and maybe after that I will start the book marathon training again...I have a hankering to read Lord of the Rings again, and it is on the list. I usually begin strong only to sputter to a halt with Tom Bombadil. I think Peter Jackson was on to something when he left him out of the movie.

Happy Holidays!

2009-12-21T11:10:00.000-07:00

Is it surprising to anyone else how quickly 2009 flew by?!? As we end the year, I want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and all the best in 2010.

The husband and I will be spending Christmas 2009 in San Diego, and wish everyone safe travels wherever this holiday season may take you!

See you in 2010!

Library Adventures...

2009-11-19T08:29:00.000-07:00

So I have decided to put Don Quixote on the shelf for several months and start with something a little less daunting.

I continued to read, but the more I read the more I thought, "Is this going to be reading the same adventure repeated for 987 pages?" I realize this is most likely not the case, but nonetheless I became increasingly annoyed with old Don's madness and decided to return the book to the library. So last night after my monthly trip to the gym, I made my way to the Phoenix Public Library. First, I got lost and yelled at by a lady with 5-inch fingernails. Apparently it is NOT okay to return your books where you checkout...I should have known better.

I finally found the book return and stood in line for a few where I witnessed the best thing I have ever seen in a public library. Now I always think public intoxication is hysterical, it reminds me of the good ol' days, but I think it is 10 times as funny when it happens in a place like a library. Maybe it is just that funny because growing up you are taught that a library is a quiet place and a strict librarian once reprimanded you after a sneezing attack in a library aisle. (dust your damn books old woman, some people are allergic). I digress.

A youngish fellow, I don't want to profile here, but he looked homeless, wandered into the library with an 18-pack of Budweiser under his right arm. "I'm sorry, sir," a library employee said as he stopped him just before the cushy couches in the lobby, "but can I see what is inside your box?"

"Excuse me?" the young man shouted, drawing everybody's attention, "What do you need to see in my box for?"

"I'm sorry, Sir, but you are not allowed to have alcohol in the Library."

At this statement the young man yelled, "These cans are not open! You show me where it says I cannot have closed container alcohol in the library!" The employee asked the young man to follow him over to the desk where he would gladly show him where it said no alcoholic beverages were allowed in the library.

"No!" the young man shouted, "I want you to bring it to me. Here!" (My guess is this had worked someplace before where once they could not find where it was actually written that alcohol was not allowed on the premises they had no choice but to acquiesce) The library employee had security detain the belligerent young man and went to his desk where he pulled out the "rules manual" and read the list of rules regarding food and beverage to the young man. As he read, the young man stood nodding his head, listening to the employee spout off all the things you could not have in the library. Standing by listening, I carefully slipped my opened water bottle into the waistband of my shorts and pulled my t-shirt over the top...these library guys seem tough, I didn't want any shenanigans.

Finally, after the list was cited, the young man calmly nodded his head and said, "Well, I stand corrected." He then calmly left the library. I stood watching, still fearful that I would be asked to leave once they spied my open water bottle; however, no action was taken against me and I was able to successfully return my book.

Feeling a bit dangerous I decided to keep my water bottle hidden in my shorts and made my way to the Children's Fiction section to find the next book on my list. Evidently, books written in 1611 and re-published in 1921 are considered rare books and are not able to be checked out. They do have them on downloadable MP3 files, because evidently children don't need to learn to read now that they have iPods and other such MP3 players. So it looks as if I will be buying the next book on my list from Amazon.

Update...

2009-11-09T14:58:00.001-07:00

So a little over one week ago I set forth on my glorious 100 book marathon. As of today, November 9, 2009 at 2:40 p.m. MST, I have officially read a total of 86 pages. I am beginning to think my reading marathon is going to go the way of the 1/2 marathon I decided to "run" on a whim last year...pathetically slow.

I just made such a big show out of the whole ordeal that I feel I can't turn back now without everyone I know saying...oh, that's just Kristen. Remember the time she said she was going to knit that sweet sweater? Or, remember when she had an inkling that she was the best mosaic-maker on the planet so she bought a bunch of glass and grout and never used it? (In my own defense here, that sweater was turning out to be about 4 times too large due to the fact I can't seem to figure out just how measuring tape works and my dogs ate my mosaic tiles...I'm not even joking...) I'm beginning to think that people are going to start using the phrase "pulling a Kristen" to express lack of motivation to finish projects.

Long story short...I still, in fact, plan on finishing Don Quixote...all 900 pages left...

My New Project

2009-10-31T13:36:00.000-07:00

So, as many of you know, I am back in school...this time for the sciences. Not to toot my own horn here, but I just aced a Chemistry exam containing information I taught myself. (I'm doing it all online thanks to full time work). I should have probably done the Science degree in the first place as I am pretty sure a Bachelor of Arts in English does not even equal a high school diploma in the real world.

Despite my career change, I remain passionate about literature, and to include this passion in my new endeavors, I have decided to begin my own little "marathon training". I have found a list of 100 books you should read before you die. I reviewed many lists I found online, but this one included more books I haven't read in comparison to the many of the books I read during my tenure at the U of M. My intentions at this point are to read all the books on the list I have already read again with the exception of Catcher in the Rye and As I lay Dying for I am neither a fan of Salinger nor of Faulkner and I'm not sure I could stomach reading them again.

First on the list is Don Quixote and no, I have not read it before. FYI, I just heard all ye literature-loving gurus gasp in disgust from here. I just came fresh from the Library with a brand new library card and book in tow and I have to ask, what the hell happened to libraries? Granted the City of Phoenix Library is not the same as the small, haunted library in my hometown, but what is with all this new, fangled equipment? I haven't used a library for pleasure reading since grade school, but let's just say you no longer pull out the checkout card and get an ink stamp with a due date. Now you get a due date, email reminders your due date is approaching, and the chance to click a button and renew from your home to avoid all those nasty late fees. Something tells me these fees are no longer $.25 per week - just a hunch. Had my husband not informed me that I am no longer entitled to buying books just to read once, I never would have been aware of this new and improved literature Mecca.

So now I begin with Don Quixote and plan on moving down the list as printed. My only exceptions are when Bernard Cornwell releases his next "Saxon Stories" in January and when A Dance with Dragons is released, though I have a sneaking suspicion I will be done with all 100 books before I read that one.

Happy Halloween to all and Happy Reading!!

The Massachusetts Wedding...Read at your own Risk!

2009-10-16T15:38:00.005-07:00

Well...I think it has been about 2 months since my last blog posting. Since then, husband and I have traveled to Massachusetts for his younger sister's wedding, enjoyed some cooler weather in the valley of the sun and all in all have enjoyed the end of summer.

The wedding in Massachusetts was very nice and even hurricane Danny couldn't put a damper on my enjoyment of the "festivities," and by "festivities" I mean the endless hosted supply of Jack and diet coke. - Yes, I am the holiday drunk...I'm pretty sure that I will only be invited to husband's family functions when social conventions dictate that I must. My only words of advice to any girl out there trying desperately to change a the in-laws impression of you...do not attempt to channel Ren McCormack's wickedly awesome dance moves while wearing a strapless dress...unless you trying to show everyone your boobs...I noticed my the SIL did not post any pictures of me on her website so I'm sure she is impressed, I know the random groomsman dancing near me was.

Maybe these New Englanders just need a Montana girl to show them how to party...

Needless to say, I was excited to get home; I don't think I ate much of anything solid for the entire trip. The night before the plane took off for Phoenix, I ordered a chicken sandwich with a summer salad, a plate of seasoned french fries and a vat of dipping sauces via room service. I settled in on the bed with a diet coke and Sex and the City on HBO. I probably should have stuck to the virgin diet coke all weekend. I have to go to Connecticut in December for my final wedding of the year...I think I will stick with water - I don't want to be 86'd from New England entirely.

Falling Behind

2009-08-04T12:14:00.003-07:00

Okay, so I haven't been the best about blogging lately. I have come to the conclusion that this may be attributed to one of two possible excuses. The first being that I am extremely busy and just don't have time to sit down and type out pure brilliance. The second, and more truthful, of my excuses is that I just don't have much of a life, and have a difficult time finding things in my day to day worth writing about.

Lately I spend most of my time wishing life, or summer, away. (For those of you that have been to Phoenix in May, June, July, August, September and most of October, you completely understand) I've taken a few trips up north with the husband and the dogs, gone out for a few drinks with friends, and enjoyed a few good books, which is better than nothing. (I'm going to praise Bernard Cornwell here - for those of you that love historical fiction, pick up a few of his books - I highly recommend the Saxon Stories) I feel that authors (not going to mention any names here) that finish their books when they say they are going to definitely deserve some free publicity, not that there are folks lined up to read my blog.

We leave for a family wedding in a few weeks so there will be a 6 day break from the heat; it will also be nice to see everyone, weddings are always...most always...a good time. I should be refreshed upon returning to Arizona, and will hopefully have something good to write about.

Music

2009-06-17T15:40:00.004-07:00

I love driving around in my car listening to radio stations that play a little variety from "80's, 90's, and Today" and catching that one song that brings you back to a time when things were a little less real...and a lot more fun.

I was driving to my dentist's office today and had two such moments. The first was Amy Grant's pre-gospel, "Baby, Baby." Suddenly I was eight, spending my summer in New Jersey, playing in the pool at some obscure relative's house during a family reunion. The second moment happened two songs later with "Champagne Supernova." Now I'm thinking about polyester, shiny shirts and Dr. Martin's, hanging out in my friend's dad's basement playing Lode Runner and chatting on compu-serve. (Back in the days when you had to wait after 9:00 p.m. to use the Internet because the minute by minute cost would put your phone bill off the chart!)

Music in general, in my opinion, is the best way to reminisce. One hit of Alanis Morrisette and I am back to hanging out in a friend's kitchen swearing that it is Jagged Little Pill, not Jagged Little Pig while munching on blue frosting straight from the can. While a shot of K's Choice brings me to my sophomore year, driving up to Bozeman to party with my older sister in the blue/green cavalier.

In college I had to complete a final project in which we were to create a presentation, paper, or really anything creative to explain how music played a role in our lives. I wrote some cock and bull paper, quoting (legally of course) any piece of literature I could find that used music to define an occurrence and put it to a life event that had "happened" - hey, I lead a rather uneventful life - and helped shape who I had become up to that point. It's humorous now that there is no deadline and nearly 5 years have passed that I understand that really music didn't define me, but it certainly laid the soundtrack to one good story.

Humph...

2009-05-15T07:49:00.003-07:00

Well it is summer again in Phoenix. We have reached the 100+ mark and judging by the weather forecast (yes, I am my father's daughter and I love the Weather Channel...don't ask) we will remain there for the rest of the summer. Summer in Arizona is like winter in Montana...never ending. I'm thinking that I should have picked an in between before moving from one extreme to the other. It is just that when you are battling your fourth month in a row of subzero temperatures the Phoenix warmth sounds outstanding.

I first visited Phoenix with my sister in January of 2006. We spent 4 days lounging by the pool in the glorious sun. When I returned to Montana, we flew into Bozeman and landed at about 9:00 p.m. After leaving my sister's apartment for the trip home, I was stuck in Livingston because the highway was shut down due to high winds and blowing snow. That was the proverbial straw, and upon arriving home I promptly packed my bags, said goodbye to the dad and stepmother and hauled my ass back to Arizona.

My first summer in Arizona, it hadn't rained for 180-some days. The sun was brutal and I began to think that maybe I had made the wrong choice. The rain came, it cooled down, and lo and behold, Arizona was fantastic once again! Here I am starting my fourth summer and things aren't so bad anymore. It is true you get used to it. It helps that all your friends and family in the Northeast and Northwest hold all major events (weddings, family reunions, etc.) during the summer. Spending the time away helps assuage the continuous heat.

So when people ask, how can you handle all that heat. It's simple. Spend as much time in it as you can, travel up north, and dole out the cash for the air conditioning bill. You do get used to it.

Ah, the Last Day of April

2009-04-30T15:58:00.002-07:00

Yes, that is a sigh of relief. This month has been brutal. March was fantastic! Wedding, honeymoon, work was fairly stable...but now...eh, not so much.

I'm not sure the industry I work in is going in the right direction. Many folks are cutting back on the non-essentials in life, and I'm guessing sports memberships could be considered a non-essential. (Try telling your Red Sox obsessed husband that baseball isn't essential and you'll get a different answer) But that is just it! Husband will sit at home and watch it on TV (instead of driving the three miles to the baseball park) while working. In fact the baseball field is getting so desperate for fans to come to the games that they are throwing around the option of letting them take in their own food. A baseball game with homemade chow will save you at least $50.00. Take away the two Diamond dogs, a plate of nachos, 4 12 oz. beers and some water for the drive home in the heat...you probably have enough saved to purchase enough food for a week of meals.

People aren't getting enough playtime now. We took too much during the boom years and now we are resorting to working 90 hours a week because we feel there really isn't any room to screw up or slack off because you don't know when it is going to land you in the unemployment line. I am officially refusing to play this game.

I am going to work, yes, but I am going to play too, and I am going to officially stop sweating the small stuff. (Good thing I have those crazy pills) I really dislike the person I have become...all tight laced and such. Starting this month is sloshball...this is the first time I will have participated, but it's like kickball with beer in hand and kegs on bases. Then I'm going to play flag football. It never hurts to meet a lot of people - both for networking and friendship. Apparently husband and I only carry on long-distance friendships and really haven't ventured out much.

We'll see...

Mrs. Fuller!

2009-03-30T13:48:00.002-07:00

I can't believe it has come and gone! Husband and I had quite the amazing and stressful past two weeks. (okay stressful first week, relaxing second week with a stressful ending) As everyone is aware, we were married on March 20th. The wedding turned out flawless and everything was just wonderful - except I forgot that it was Lent and mistakenly neglected to put fish on the dinner menu for my Friday wedding...whoops. For those of you who are interested in seeing the pictures let me know at kris.cuneo@gmail.com and I will forward you the website url.

Jamaica was fantastic! The airport was a little crazy, but what airport isn't when you are jumping out of your pants to get to the beach for a little R and R. The ocean was as blue as could be and the husband and I enjoyed at trip zip-lining through the trees and kayaking down the Grand River just south of Montego Bay. Fortunately for us, we were the only two on the tour, so we and our guides had a lot of fun telling obscene jokes and taking pictures. (I will post a few on the blog when I get them all in order).

The way home from Jamaica was another story. We had a few minute delay leaving Montego Bay and then got stuck with "mechanical problems" in Miami. I was quite tired and ready to go home, so sitting on the tarmac for an hour and 45 minutes was quite trying. Not to mention, an hour outside of Phoenix, there was a medical emergency on the flight and we had to sit in place on the plane once we landed and wait for the paramedics to help the person off the flight. I completely understand having to wait, but we were already traveling for about 12 hours.

Next day, we were running errands when we notice that our car (the one left at the condo) had been broken in to while we were gone and all insurance information and adapters had been taken...Not too bad considering, but I hate the thought of scummy people sifting through my personal belongings. All in all, the last two weeks flew by and were, for the most part, very exciting and fun! Perfection is boring, right?

Pictures to come!

T-minus 9 days

2009-03-11T10:06:00.002-07:00

Well we are past the double digit benchmark of this 15 month journey. Fiance and I have been engaged since December 9, 2007. I never thought it would get to this point; we have 9 days left before we are officially Mr. and Mrs. Company begins to arrive this coming Sunday, which means T-4 days to make sure my house is clean, T-4 days to make sure my dogs are clean, T-3 days to get all the goodies together for the hotel rooms, and T-2 days to finish all the work I have left for school. Someone didn't plan this very well.

Fiance and I had a very productive week so far. Final head count has been given to the caterer and cake lady, photographs are planned out - down to the last detail, all gifts have been purchased for all those who have made this so much less painful than it should have been, and I we are still planning on getting married next Friday. You can't ask for much more. I am down to tomorrow and Friday left of work for, let's count them...16 Days, and just 11 days from the beautiful Caribbean beaches of Jamaica. Bring on the Rum...(Damn, I wish I enjoyed Rum even a little bit). Starting Friday night - well, maybe Saturday, I fully plan on documenting all days in pictures...as best I can for the Wedding Week festivities.

Lazy...

2009-02-23T15:08:00.003-07:00

Yup, that's me. Had a full weekend planned, but after a severe sunburn on the gut and entirely too many trips to the gym this last week, I found myself passed out more than awake. Also, I am playing a little guessing game with myself on whether or not this quasi-case of flu-like symptoms will fully consume me this week, but I guess better now rather than three weeks from now.

One thing I did get out of my bout of laziness was motivation to lie on the couch and watch the Oscars. Somehow whenever Angelina's name is mentioned a sea of awkward comments and actions follow. Miley Cyrus had a good one - she is a tool, by the way, how is she even famous? - when she mentioned that she wanted Angelina to adopt her. Really isn't it enought to be the daughter of Billy Ray - Let's not start on this strange father/daughter relationship. Knowing how my father reacted to certain choices I made at the age of 15, he indubitably wouldn't have let me parade down a red carpet with my ta-ta's hanging out. But I digress.

The second awkward moment of the night was that Jennifer Aniston was a presenter. Period. What is wrong with this woman? Does she seem completely off her rocker to anyone else? And what was with the shots to Angelina during this presentation...yes, yes, I realize that she was co-presenting with Angelina's Kung Fu Panda co-star, but could we have picked a more unbalanced duo? We had the comedic (some may disagree with my choice of words here but...) genius of Jack Black (have you ever seen Saving Silverman? Come on!) with the unexciting, tanning booth addicted, crazy mess that Jennifer Aniston has become. Is Hollywood truly hurting enough to drive gossip by pairing Jen with Jack, when they knew Angie and Jack starred together in a movie that was being presented as an Oscar nominee...I was really turned off by this.

Whatever happened to old Hollywood? Glamorous Hollywood? Classy Hollywood?

T minus 30 Days and Counting

2009-02-17T15:33:00.002-07:00

Today marks 30 days until the wedding, however, I cannot wait for everyone to visit in the coming month. Already we are planning a week full of wedding festivities from golf to concerts and parties. It doesn't stop after Friday, either. Fiance's cutie little niece will be having her 2nd birthday party on Saturday and then we are all going to Spring Training games on Sunday. (Can't beat cold beer, baseball and warm sun on a Sunday afternoon.)

On Monday morning we leave at 5:00 a.m. as Mr. and Mrs. and head to sunny Jamaica for a laid back honeymoon (5 nights), before we return to all the hustle and bustle of everyday routine. We have booked the pooches their own all-inclusive stay at a new boarding house with a built in water park. Bella could not ask for more - except for maybe her couch and her "baby" (which has gone by way of the garbage truck as she was black and nappy, covered with dog slobber)

The wedding plans are complete. The only thing left is to receive all the RSVPs and do a preliminary head count this Friday!! After that we have a run through of how things are going to be done and any last minute changes that need to be made 2 weeks before the day. All in all, I'm glad the "wedding planning" experience is over. I can't tell you how many times I was ready to throw it all out the window and head to Vegas. (Being a mere 4.5 hours - speeding slightly - away from Vegas doesn't help) Now on to the fun part. !!

Who knows, at the rate I am posting, my next blog will probably not be until after the wedding...pictures to come :)

Jamaica!

2009-01-28T07:36:00.004-07:00

Okay, so I know fiance and I have been figuring we couldn't take the time for a honeymoon with the second half of our friends tying the knot in 2009, but we have decided it was very important and booked a trip to Jamaica for 6 days. It's not too long, but it is longer than the 3 day weekend we were planning on taking to Sedona with the pooches.

I have to say, this trip has now brought a whole new excitement level to the wedding. I know those of you who have planned a wedding understand all the craziness that comes along with the opinions of 18 different people. Needless to say, I am very excited for the two weeks I have set aside to be just for me and Chris and our friends and family. I have made it clear to my work that I will be unavailable for two weeks...I have never done that before.

The wedding planning in nearly done. All we have left to do is get the all important marriage license, purchase some gifts, and get ourselves ready. Just a side note...What the hell is with all the side ads on search engines? I have been researching hairstyles and make-up ideas for the day and everywhere it says, lose 15 pounds before your wedding or be a beautiful bride by your wedding by losing 25 pounds. I'm sick of the skinny bride stereotype. Sure, I don't want to be flabby, but that is me...I am a flabby person, and the fiance likes the way I look, why should I change just for the wedding?

Done and Alive!

2009-01-20T09:12:00.005-07:00

Well, Fiance and I finished our first half-marathon this weekend. (I know all you marathon runners may ho hum at this, but I am a fat girl...let me be) My training kinda went by the wayside over the last 2 months, and I am feeling it now (13.1 miles if far longer than I had expected it to be). Yet, we did it, and I have to say I feel a sense of accomplishment, now I just have to beat my time next time! The bad thing is, I can only estimate my time because my race chip must have been defected and didn't record my time. I'm in the process of trying to get this fixed. I don't have any pictures of the during (thank god) but they took one at the very end so maybe I'll try to get my paws on it sometime.

Other than that, 2009 is trucking right along. All wedding preparations are in order and we are at the 2 month mark!!! Dress is being altered, centerpieces are picked out, linens are chosen, cake is designed, invites are out, flowers are done, photographer booked and wedding album paid for, and our wedding rings are purchased. So far all has gone smoothly...(you didn't hear me, but I knocked on wood right there)

I apologize for my blogging delinquency over the past month...I hope you all had a fantastic New Year!!

Tis the Season!

2008-12-22T14:21:00.003-07:00

Well it is three days until Christmas, which means 5 days off - WooHoo! I want to start by wishing all my friends and family a very merry Christmas! We didn't even decorate for Christmas this year, and the only gifts that went out were to the kiddos in the family. Our plans for Christmas day include a "Friends" style dinner with probably entirely too much to drink.

Everything is going well in the desert, and I'm not even going to complain, because frankly, I would MUCH rather be here right now (I never did handle the negative degrees very well, nor the wind)...I love being able to leave the house with a sweatshirt and be comfortable. Fiance and I took the two pooches for a nice long hike on Saturday. The weather was perfect, I think I got a tan! I'll shut it now, because I know the rest of the US of A is fighting a rough winter thus far.

The countdown is officially on...less than three months (88 days) until the big day. We do a walk through on the 8th of January and choose all of our linen colors and our centerpieces. I'm forcing the fiance to come along, though I think he is tired of the planning phase. After the linens and centerpieces are selected, we are finished until the few weeks before the wedding (which is perfect timing because my wedding planner is away in Europe for a month :) - Lucky.

The future SIL and her husband will be down in the next few weeks to participate in the Rock and Roll 1/2 marathon. Fiance and I were training for it, but after a bout of turf toe on my part the training sorta fell to the wayside. Let's just that I am not looking forward the the following Monday after I force myself to finish 13.whatever miles. It won't be pretty.
Merry Christmas!!!

Writer's Block

2008-12-10T17:27:00.003-07:00

The funny thing about a blog is that I feel I need to constantly keep it up to date. I feel guilty when I have not posted in a week. Now I have complete writer's block, but need to sit down and begin my homework, so I figure this is a good place to get those creative juices flowing.

I always intend to do a lot of things when I get home from work, but the sun sets at about that time, and then I am just ready for bed (5:30 or not). I know there is cleaning that could be done, and there is always laundry to be folded; but it is dark and there are re-runs of "Friends."

Maybe I will just be okay with lazing the winter away.

A New Week...

2008-12-02T07:55:00.004-07:00

and counting down the days until the new year. Dad comes on Thursday, so that will be a nice respite from the mundane. I can't help but think that 2009 will be a far better year than this year...let's face it, 2008 didn't put much effort into becoming the "best year ever."

Fiance and I spent last week in California, which was beautiful with pleasant weather. We took a trip to the beach and spent some much needed time away from the sandbox. When we returned to Arizona, there was a puddle of water in the garage..."My, that looks like it could be dripping from our place," I calmly say to fiance; who in defense, shakes his head and lets me know that our condo is further over. As we approached the door, I noticed the floor is bubbled up and looked slightly damp, the baseboard had peeled away from the wall and pooling water soaked our door mat. We went inside, to a seemingly normal house - nothing looked wet or out of place.

Recently the fellow above us put in a new travertine floor (withnosoundbarrier...ahem) so we figure the contractor may have not tightened a pipe correctly when he put the toilet or sink back in or maybe punctured a pipe with his nail gun when he was putting the baseboard back on, thus the water leaking down from his pipes through the wall. So, we call a plumber. Plumber cuts holes in our bathroom wall and finds a bunch of standing water, but no leak. So plumber heads into the outside hall...cuts 5 holes into the wall and ceiling before finding the leak and diagnosing the problem. Thank goodness it wasn't our fault, (and unfortunately it wasn't the fellow upstairs, because we are looking for any excuse to get him to remove his loud ass floor) but we still had to pay for the diagnosis, which is not unlike going to a doctor (in fact, I now know why Joe the Plumber was nervous about Obama's tax plan for those making 250,000 or more a year)...59.00 for the service call, 139.00 to drill the holes, so on and so forth. So we had to foot the bill, and now we must finagle with the HOA and Management company to be reimbursed for our contribution. It isn't only that, but the leak ruined our bathroom floor and cabinetry. It is a hideous vinyl bathroom floor, and we want to replace it before we try to sell it, but right now is not a good time. So I have dried the concrete underneath and have arranged the trash can and plunger to hold the vinyl down until Dad can look at it when he comes and give me an estimate on cost of tile.

Just another day in 2008.

We're Outta Here!

2008-11-25T07:39:00.002-07:00

Just want to wish all friends and family a very happy and safe Thanksgiving! Fiance and I are leaving for California in the morning. It is supposed to rain, but being a Phoenician and rarely seeing a steady rain, this will be the perfect Thanksgiving. I think I may even hit the beach in the drizzle.

Eat, Drink, and Be Merry!!

Flowers...

2008-11-18T07:54:00.005-07:00

Check. Last night I went and finally picked out my wedding bouquets, boutonnieres and corsages. The flowers I chose, I feel are very classic. The maids will be carrying long stemmed calla lilies to be cradled in their arms. My bouquet will consist of green berries, white orchids with a plum throat and deep purple calla lilies. It will be a clutch instead of a cascading type. Fiance's boutonniere will also consist of green berries and purple calla, while the rest of the groomsmen will match the maids/matrons with mini white calla's as their boutonnieres. The corsages will consist of 3 white mini orchids. Hopefully all will come together as I see it in my mind.

I am very excited to see the outcome of the decorations and the cake and the florals. Hopefully I get lots of good pictures from all around. Other than that, nothing is new in the land of sand and saguaros. Thanksgiving is next week, and I couldn't be more ready for a break from it all. A nice trip to the beach should cure all. Santa Barbara here we come...

Thanksgiving, Christmas, Veteran's Day and Conjunctivitis...

2008-11-11T07:42:00.002-07:00

I just want to start out by thanking all the Veterans out there, your holiday is underrated because I am still at work. The next two major holidays are on their way and it is truly my favorite time of the year. (Plus my birthday is squished in there between the two) Last night I dug out my cinnamon flavored oils and let them burn after dinner. The smell certainly does ring in Christmas; however, driving down the road with green grass, sprinklers, windows down, birds chirping, and the first sounds of Christmas music on the all Christmas, All Day radio stations simply does not work. Now, I know I bitch about this often, but one more time - for all the masses that read this blog - A cactus is NOT a Christmas tree...nor has it ever been.

So on Friday, I came down with conjunctivitis (pink eye for the layman :) and you would think I would have been infected with the plague. I understand that pink eye is gross, and somewhat of a nuisance, but does it really warrant the quarantine? My fiance has pretty much not touched me since Saturday, and those at work (because evidently it is gross, but here at work it doesn't mean I get the day off...oh no, it isn't a sickness) make me keep Clorox wipes in the bathroom to open the door with when I leave, dude...I just washed my freaking hands. I know why people don't want to get it: First there is no over the counter treatment, so you have to go to the doctor, which costs money. Then you need to buy a prescription, which can get pricey, depending on the strain of pink eye. I do have to say...of all "diseases" to get, pink eye has to be one of the better ones. First off...you don't feel sick, sure your eye goops and itches slightly, but nothing that compares to a severe allergy attack. Secondly, people don't bother you, and MOST of the time, unless you work where I do, you get the day off of work.

Holiday Season...

2008-10-29T10:16:00.001-07:00

is upon us...I think I may have counted around 7 different holiday commercials on yesterday during Sunday football. (I'm sure this will quadruple after Tuesday and all the political mudslinging has ended)

Still not quite the holiday season in these parts; today will be the first day in about two weeks that the temperature drops below 90. I have to admit the whole heat thing is really starting to wear on both myself and the fiance. Last week the air conditioner "broke" and the fiance was ready to pack up and flee to the autumn weather of Massachusetts; however, after the handyman came and charged us $126 to flip the circuit breaker, Arizona was back to being tolerable.

As most of you know, fiance and I live in a small, one-bedroom condo in central Phoenix. This would be nice for a family of one, but it is ready to burst at the seams with two dogs, a cat and two humans. To make matters worse, our neighbors decided to buy a dog they simply cannot take care of, and it howls through the majority of the evening. It's not especially loud, but heartbreaking to hear. Our neighbor upstairs has decided to put in a beautiful tile floor, and unfortunately for us the carpet that used to be there must have muted the sound of his fender stratocaster for the past two years.

I'm not trying to be ungrateful for what I have - it is a roof over our heads and it is an investment (not a very good one right now, but what is?) I just find it ironic that out of the 1/3 of our complex that has foreclosed, we seem to be surrounded by loud, and somewhat disgusting people. The folks next to us literally have dirt come out of their house when they open the door. It is like living next to Pigpen from the Peanuts. There is always some black goo on the floor outside their door AND they leave their garbage in the hall. For the love of Pete - have some respect for your neighbors.

Little off the topic of holiday season, but hey. So fiance and I have decided to pack up the pooches and the Wii and head to California for the Thanksgiving holiday to stay with my mother. My sister and her beau will be traveling from the Biggest Little City to join in the festivities...Should be fun, just wish it wasn't four weeks away. You go from a little kid wishing away November and December to get to Christmas for the obvious reasons. I go from November to December wishing the days away so I can finally take some time away from work. Funny how your priorities change.

So...

2008-10-20T08:17:00.000-07:00

The confusion sets in. I think there comes a time in everyone's life when they have to decide where they want to go and what they want to do. Yet it seems to me that some people don't ever know where or what this is. I am one of these people. I want to do a great many things, but unfortunately lack the time and funds to proceed - that's the kicker...I watch people with less time and less funds do everything they want to do; just throw caution into the wind and know if they fail, tomorrow is another day and they will work though it. So it comes to my attention that I may just be lazy and scared - the worst combo by the way.

Every time I get down at work, this is my thought process: I should just quit and become a waitress and not have to work set hours, yet I don't know if I would be able to pay the bills, and ugh, in this economy? I do really want to be a teacher, maybe I could just waitress until I can pass my AEPA and get my Teacher in Residence position, that would be good...maybe I'll go to jobing.com and see what is out there. What if Chris and I decide to move? I should just wait it out until we know that, maybe I'll go to bostonworks.com and see what is out there in Massachusetts.

All this time I spend planning a life that doesn't exist instead of working with the life I am living. This, I fear, is going to be a problem, isn't that the first step...admitting that there is a problem? I keep thinking to myself that 2008 has been just awful; full of sickness, divorce, and death; for sure 2009 has to be better. I feel like I may be wishing a good part of my life away for hopes of something better in the future.

I wish there were some antidote for people like me that would prevent me from being able to think about the future and force me to live right now. I'm working on it - every day. I am tired of finding myself down in the dumps because I feel as if this is it...as good as it is going to be. I should feel happy that it can get this good.

Wedding...wedding...and more wedding...

2008-10-08T07:57:00.001-07:00

Planning a wedding is, to say the least, not what I thought it was going to be. Last night we had meetings with a few of the vendors who will be providing the goods at the wedding. While choosing the menu, I found it wasn't what I would want to eat, because clearly I won't have the time. Hors d'oevers are served while we're having more pictures taken and dinner is time for us to walk around and visit with guests. Not that I am complaining, it just seems silly to me that I choose the menu. I should have sent out a survey to the invited guest with a "pick your favorite" and picked the top four favorites.

The one thing I was excited about was the cake design and flavors; because it is a 3-tiered cake, the top level - for fiance and I - is what we want. Apparently carrot cake is not a popular selection for a wedding cake in a consensus of guests. So I went with "I love Chocolate" and "Strawberry-Champagne" for the two other tiers. The bar was another story. Whereas hard liquor is not allowed on the premises, it is a beer and wine only reception (there is a champagne toast, but I just pretend to drink champagne...I spit it out like grade school fluoride when no one is looking). Choosing a wine merely by color is not good enough for me. I am by no means a wine-o, but this is a wedding...not a night of poker with a box of wine. There was no tasting...beer, whatever, throw something lite and regular on some ice and people will drink it. Wine, however, can definitely be an issue. I went with a Chardonnay, Cabernet Savignon, and Pinot Noir. Though I don't know the brands...so let's just prepare for the worst, but hope for the best on this one.

So now it is finding those songs to put into all the most important spots: Bride/Groom, Father/Daughter and Mother/Son. Fiance had mentioned some sweet NIN for the removal of the garter, and maybe Sheriff for the first dance. I threw up in my mouth a little bit. All I think of when I hear Sheriff is Joe Dirt. We'll compromise on this one. That's what we have a DJ for.

I'm now caught up until January (except a few little things that will need to be taken care of before then) January through March will be busy...bring it on.

I thought these were pretty flowers...so I took some pictures. They are in the garden at our wedding venue.

At the End of Every Summer...

2008-10-02T13:28:00.001-07:00

Fiance and I fall victim to the last stretch of temperatures above the century mark and swear off Arizona forever. This summer is no different. As the temperatures continue to climb above 100 degrees, I become especially nostalgic. Dreaming of Missoula: the rain through November, and the snow through May...shit, I even miss the inversions. I miss walking to school every day...even when my scarf became rock-hard with frozen breath (sounds a bit nasty), and the top of my legs were numb and frozen to my jeans, and the smell of the UC at Christmastime. Frankly, I miss my friends, I miss my family, I miss just having some sort of weather. So now it comes time again to start looking at other places to live. Sure we have a mortgage we can't be rid of, two car payments that are outrageously expensive, and two dogs and a cat (who would love a yard). Moving isn't exactly practical at this point in our lives, but for Pete's sake - people are not meant to live in this oppressive heat!

Christmastime and Thanksgiving are not meant to be enjoyed with a Corona at a pool party, and summers are not supposed to be passed away holed up in the house. One thing...I have to give Arizona credit for it's amazing winters...and after Christmas had passed I would gladly spend my days in the lukewarm days of winter...but the summer...no matter what, it never ...never... will be enjoyable. Trust me, I've tried...

Real Quick...

2008-09-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

For those of you who follow my rantings and ravings, and also speak to me on a regular basis, know the fiancee is an actuarial student. Today, he passed his second exam - the one he has been stressing over for the better part of a year...HOORAY!!! I have my original man back, and he no longer has the Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde thing going on. Too bad I have a MT Seminar tonight and will not be able to enjoy his new found freedom and return to sanity. I will be sure to make up for it over the weekend...

Less Negativity...maybe.

2008-09-23T07:37:00.000-07:00

On Friday, I had a miserable day at work. It was just plain frustrating. Instead of letting myself be a duck and letting it roll off, I sat and stewed in it all weekend. On Sunday, I came to a realization that being negative only adds toxicity to your life. I have enough problems controlling my stress levels, the last thing I need is added work drama on the two days of the week that are supposed to be relaxing. (Let's all pretend for one minute that we don't have cleaning, catch-up shopping and other random things we are committed to on days that we don't go to the job that has some sort of monetary gratification) Yesterday, I made it a point to be positive about everything...when I felt myself starting to slip into the "why me" mode, I simply became a duck. I find that it actually helped a little bit. So I went home feeling quite lovely, had a Mexican dinner and went to try to get my fingerprints taken. (for the third time, and this is another story) Well...I'll be back again today, because I failed to read the directions, and forgot a very vital part of the package...my cashier's check. Lord knows you can't trust anyone these days so we need money orders and cashier's checks to pay for things. So I cry out "Oh, for the Love of Pete," and quickly turned to the lady helping me and said, "Oh, that wasn't directed at you."

Now normal me would have gotten into the car and peeled out, heading home at mach 5. (1 701.45 m /s - looked it up...thanks wikipedia!) Instead I channeled the negative energy into normal energy and went to the gym for a wee bit, swam a half a mile and sat in the steam room. I just let all those little beads of sweat carry all the angry out of me. I giggled a little bit as I pictured an angry face falling and shattering on the tile - I think the others in the steam room thought I might have been in there just a bit too long.

For the first time in weeks, I went to bed and fell asleep without staring at the wall for hours letting all the angry little thoughts manifest themselves into some gigantic scenario. Usually I see myself homeless, jobless, friendless and fat. Last night I saw my pillow and crashed. Could it be a lack of the negative? Maybe. This experiment is still in the developmental stages - we'll see how long it lasts. I was up before the sun this morning (5:00 a.m. down here) and ran three miles - easily.

Here is a picture my sister sent me last night of Christmas Eve in 2005. I see I'm drinking beer and have drunk eye. No, my sister doesn't have drunk eye, she is missing one. Maybe I am subconsciously being sympathetic?

It's Official!

2008-09-17T13:37:00.000-07:00

Today Fiancee and I received the good word that my sister-in-law to be and her husband will be joining us for the the half marathon in January. This is good, because I need all the motivation I can get, not to mention I'm extremely excited to see them.

I have been running pretty much every night, and please don't lecture me on the dangers of running everyday, I know what my body can handle. I hope to eventually work up the mileage and the amount of cross training I do. Baby steps, baby steps. I even started a training blog...and to further the motivation - I will not allow myself any new clothes until I have been consistently training.

I was thinking about this half marathon during my run last night when my iPod died. (The stupid thing has a pathetic amount of battery life after charging) I got to thinking, would my iPod last me through a half marathon, because I will be the one they have to come around and pick up in the trolley because I will not finish in the time allowed (4:30). Then it came to me...it is the Rock and Roll marathon and there are bands littering the route...would I really need my iPod? This could be a very amazing thing, since I have yet to find a pair of running earphones that do not kill my ears...My sister and I have strangely formed ears, and the normal iPod earphones just don't fit. I was glad to find out this was a hereditary trait. Seems the sister and I have several unpleasant hereditary traits in common.

Now...it is go time. My motivation is up, my expectations are low...what else could spell success.

I'll keep you posted on my progress...for now, here is a picture of my wee nephew on his first birthday...gotta love the blue frosting.

Summer's gone...

2008-09-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

And I couldn't be happier. My winter is my proverbial summer...hiking, camping, swimming, running, training for half marathons (a goal I set before I decided I was no longer setting goals - and now my future sister-in-law and her husband may be making a trip to Phoenix from the Windy City to run it with us) No worries, I'll be sure to post the pictures.

I had been doing really well, running every other day, swimming in between, but then the monsoon hit...I mean this literally. We lost power and an entire night of sleep and it appears it blew my motivation away in the hundred mile an hour wind gusts.

No update on the wedding planning...I feel as if I have everything done that I can at 6 months out. Plus, there are more pressing matters to attend to. 2008 has not been the best year, and frankly, I can't wait to see it go.

Pictures next time...

Here We Are Again!

2008-09-02T15:00:00.000-07:00

I had this blog sometime ago...and with the inspiration of my dear friends, I have decided to once again start it up. Last time I blogged, I remember writing about becoming a modern-day Pheidippides and a triathlete supreme to boot. I was becoming a knitting extraordinaire, attempting my first sweater and knitting baby hats for all the little babies in my life...those little babies are now one and a half and one year, and my sweater? Half done, wrong size and tangled under my bed in a plastic bin.

Goes to show where life can go. I am engaged now and planning a wedding in March. I say "planning" because I have a sneaking suspicion my fiancee and I will be running off to elope before this year is over. A nice beach wedding sounds wonderful!!! (and not the "beach" on which I currently reside)

As a change to my blog from two years ago; I am not setting any goals - forget what the self-help books tell you. Goals make you think you can do things that are neither physically nor mentally possible. So far I am still an assistant - though no longer at an engineering firm, but a Golf Association...I am going to school to get my certification/Master's degree in Cross-Categorical Special Education...my track record on getting through post Bachelor's Degree programs hasn't exactly been successful, so I'm taking it one day at a time.