Thirteen Habits I Have To Work On 1…. I decide to work out at home instead of the gym, then don't. It has nothing to do with not wanting to go to the gym. I usually get sidetracked by something else. 2…. Not getting up when the alarm clock goes off. I don't hit the snooze, I just don't get up for another hour or so. 3…. I need to take strength training more seriously. 4…. I need to walk more. I enjoy lots of other cardio as well, but I really need to walk a lot more often than I do. 5…. I need to remember to take my multivitamin. If I'm lucky I remember to take it four or five times a year. 6…. I need to eat more fruit. 7…. I need to eat more veggies. 8…. I have tons of cookbooks that I never look at. I need to start using them and planning meals ahead of time. 9…. I need to vary my diet more than I do already. 10…. I need to start tracking my food and activity again to be sure I'm eating the right amount. 11…. I need to call my sister more often. We don't talk enough. 12…. I need to quit procrastinating on my schoolwork. 13…. I need to think about things before I do them. Then I might not have so many setbacks and extra lessons to learn over! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Mid-Week Update???

So, I'm trying to get back on track here. It may not be easy, but it's going to happen.

I went to water aerobics last night. And before long the class will end because of the end of the semester. But I'll figure out something good to do in the interim. I might take up my tae bo videos again for a few weeks.

I ate out again last night, but it was because I was out of groceries and it would be a REALLY late meal if I cooked after we went shopping. I didn't do horrible, but could have done better. But, I'll make up for it.

My amazon book order is supposed to be delivered today. They tried to deliver it on Saturday, and I called yesterday to tell them to deliver it. I hope they do. I tried to use the USPS's automated system, but the thing gave up on me. I was constantly repeating myself, and apparently it couldn't figure out my Southern accent. I could have told it that.

I showed a gain at my weigh in, but I didn't have any clean slacks and am wearing jeans today. Since it was only a pound, I'm going to call this week a draw. I weighed, but I'm just not going to think about it. I'll move forward, this will be an on-track week, and that's all there is to it.

Taking that into account, I have a specific goal for this next week. Track every day. Exercise every day (excluding a rest day!). Drink enough water every day!!! And if I can do that this week, then I can do it next week. And the week after. And so on and so forth....

Ok, time to get back to work. I'm sure there is something around here that I need to be working on, and if there isn't, then there's a book I need to be finishing! :)

Tuesday's Hell Beginning

The girls have started moving into the office. There are two full-time girls and two student workers. Complete with their phones that won't quit their obnoxious beeping. Ok, so only one of the two beeping phones has moved in so far. The other will get set up later this afternoon probably. It's enough to make me want to cry. :)

Oh well, that's life. I promised the hubby I would try not to take it out on him. I HATE things that beep. I hate them so much that I don't even have an alarm clock that beeps. But at least there is a door to their office. I have no problems closing the door on them. The evil coworker was talking earlier about how it was going to get even louder in here. In the past I've had to put people on hold and scream "shut up" to coworkers because I couldn't hear. I hope I don't have to again, but I might. We'll just see in the coming week.

Otherwise, I'm having a pretty good day. I have to go grocery shopping tonight, which I dread, but that's just part of life. We have to eat! I have water aerobics tonight, and I'm really happy about that. I want to play in the water for a while. :) I think that will go a long ways towards making me feel better.

Well, I hope that everyone has a wonderful day. I'm going to go lose my sanity now!

Just another week...

I was sick all weekend. Still not 100%, but definitly better this morning. I probably won't be doing any cardio tonight, but I am going to hit the circuit training room at the gym. Because I really do enjoy that. And I usually get to do some chatting with some girls from The Biggest Winners program.
Since I was sick, I spent a lot of time sleeping and a lot of time reading, and just a little bit of time watching tv.
I watched the second episode of Painkiller Jane on SciFi, and I'm hooked. This chick is awesome. She kicks ass, and she has just enough of a mental problem for me to fall in love with the character. If you haven't checked this out, and like action with a hint of scifi, you should really catch an episode of this.
I read the Raven duology by Patricia Briggs this weekend. I got turned off of it for about 30 pages fairly early on, but it caught me up again. And I couldn't set it down again. I'm SO GLAD that I had found both books at Hudsons. I would have had to make a trip to BAM sick or no if I hadn't had the second book.
I've also finally gotten caught up in A Game of Thrones. I took long enough! I was hooked after about 5 pages this time when I picked it up. And I remember what had been going on when I last put it down so I don't have to go back through those 70 pages. Sometimes you just have to be in the mood for a book!
I missed the mailman on Saturday since I was sick. So I don't get my book shipment until tonight. As much as I have been wanting to read Dark Legend, I'll probably wait until I finish A Game of Thrones.

Our boss has changed his mind again about where he is going to put everyone in this stupid office. And hasn't thought it through apparently. Of course, he's running from the law, so he isn't here to see the problems with it. AND, they are talking putting people in the breakroom that we've never had to solve the issue. Of course, that leaves me again with no place to eat lunch. This is so stupid. I change my lunch to 11 am to accomidate everyone, and they don't even have the decency to leave me a place to eat lunch. Oh well, I'll get used to it. As it is, I refuse to let it affect my day!
Y'all all have a wonderful week and I'll get caught up on blogs later today...probably...

Edit: My day just keeps getting better. One of my classes for the summer was cancelled. So, now I have went back and chosen new classes. I now have a night class in the summer and the fall, AND the evening walking class in the summer and a morning lecture in the fall. I HATE college...

The test is finished, although I'm not happy with my essay. I'm ready to go home and see what the weekend holds in store for me! Hope it's fun, hope it involves sleep, and getting to read a good book or two.

Y'all all have a fantastic weekend!

Feelin' Better!

Well, I still have twinges of my headache from yesterday, but it's definitely a lot better now. I went home and went to bed. Didn't even wake up to finish fixing dinner for Josh. I had started crockpot meal at lunch, and was supposed to add some stuff to it about 30 minutes before he got hom from Aikido. I didn't. And still slept unil nearly 6 this morning.

My evil coworker isn't here this morning. No one knows what's up because it isn't marked in the calendar. Our boss is out (warrant out for his arrest becuase of some divorce stuff, he's getting the short end of the stick there) so he might now, but didn't check in this morning with anyone.

Ok, I jut got a good laugh from one of my friends. He's apparently having major software issues at work this morning and wants to kill someone. While I hate that he's having issues, his response is amusing to me.

I forgot to make a snack for work this morning, so I'm starting to get hungry. But I promise not to hit the vending machine. There's not much in there I like, and nothing that I have enough change for!

Well, hopefully today will be a good day for everyone! (I'm reading at work, so how bad could it get? Just the big boss walking it, but that never happens!)

It's Just Another Day...

...but I lost those 2 pounds from last week!!!

Ate lunch at home because the hubby and I are flat broke after covering a friend for lunch for the past week. Boy needs to quit spending so much money on DnD Minis...

Made $5 at work today. Some guy whose computer I worked on insisted on buying me lunch, so he left me the money. That's awesome. I can afford to get coffee if I really want it.

I picked up a few books the other night. Our local Hudson's had a book stock in at 75% off. Most of the stuff I found that would interest me was stuff I already had. But I picked up a few books I wouldn't have otherwise and I've enjoyed them so far.

I went and eat at a new pizza place the other night too. It's a new place in dowtown that was pretty awesome. I still could only eat a slice though!!!

I have a test again on Friday and I'm totally not ready for. And I don't think I'll be getting ready for it today because I've recentally developed a killer headache. I hope it fades a bit, but we'll see!

Y'all have a great day!

Monday Update!!

I'm a bit hyper today, but not too bad. As long as I can keep it up through the afternoon and take it to the gym I'll be doing great! And hopefully I can, because I want to do an extra workout at home too.

I quickly read some good books over the past week. I need to slow down and read them again. That way I'll know what's actually there. I read The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason, and Moon Called and Blood Bound by Patricia Briggs. They are good books, and deserve for me to really concentrate on them. Which I didn't really do this past week. Maybe next week I can manage that.

Work is about to get more hellish. I can't say much (made a promise) but let's just say that I'm about to get an overdose of estrogen. Just what I need, and I hate being around women much.

We had some interesting times this weekend. As I was leaving the gym the campus tornado siren went off so I had to go straight back in. When they finally let us go, I drove through some deep water to get back to the apartment. And my husband had the nerve to tell me I should have gotten home before it. I almost tore into him, but had already said that some of our friends were coming over (they live in an old trailer) so I let it go.

Edit:
Now official, 2 full-time women and a couple of student workers are moving into our office. Please pray for my continued sanity.

FRIDAY'S FEAST

Appetizer
When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite?
I really liked black and green.

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move?
5 It would really depend on where I would be moving.

Salad
Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total?
64

Main Course
Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to?
I've regifted a few wedding presents I didn't return. I gave some basic kitchen items to a couple at work.

Dessert
Name something you need from the store.
IcyHot. My husband is nearly out and he has to use it after almost every Aikido night.

I was entirely too bored to come up with something really good for my Thursday Thirteen. And I've been thinking about it all day. So...check out my desk below! I picked a combo of boring and slightly interesting items.

I picked up The Rest Falls Away by Colleen Gleason last night. And read it before bed. I read it fairly quickly though, more quickly than I intended. So I will be reading it much slower sometime in the near future. It was pretty good though.

I WILL be attending water aerobics tonight. Then going to sit at home somewhat bored. Wonder what I'll do??? I'm sure I'll think of something.

I had gained 2 pounds yesterday. But that's ok. I'll lose it again. I also got my measurements done and have lost a lot of inches apparently. That or they don't teach these people how to measure. I think I'm going to start asking my friend Dee to do measurements on me. That way it'll be the same person each time and that should keep it fairly accurate. Once I can get copies of my sheets I'll let you know the actual numbers.

I've picked out a couple more books I want to read in the near future. But I don't have money. Maybe the local library has them. Then I'll just have to actually get there. Possibly Saturday.... I'm still trying on A Game of Thrones, but I'm not getting anywhere yet.

My friend Brandi gave me some pants yesterday. White dress pants. I decided to wear them to work today. I can't decide if I actually like them or not though.

Can't think of anything else at the moment. I've been reading some blogs today, and will probably continue to do some when work allows. We've been just a little busy this morning. I just hope the afternoon flies by!

Thirteen Things on My Desk at Work 1…. A ferris wheel picture frame that I've been two lazy to update the pictures in for about a year. 2…. My laptop and various accessories. The wireless mouse is probably the most important. 3…. A bottle Advil. The other people in the office take more of it than I do. 4…. My desk fan. It's essential!!!! 5…. The Greyhound. It's a ship and it's facecard from the Pirates game. 6…. A medium copper dragon that I got for participate in DnD day. Only here because I don't play DnD Minis. 7…. A Maxine daily calendar that I have been very disappointed in. 8…. A stress apple that I got from my insurance company at a health fair. 9…. A black and gold pom-pom because I have to show school spirit (it's hidden under the counter overhang!) 10…. A USM Student Clinic cup with a Forrest General Hospital bandaid dispenser in it. Also from the health fair. 11…. A stuffed dog, a stuffed rabbit, and a stuffed ostrich. I feel the need for toys at work. 12…. Bottle of water!!! A requirement for a good day. 13…. My Avaya phone and Plantronics headset base. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Hump Day!!!

I don't feel good about going to weigh in. I really want to have lost at least a half-pound so I can get to the 15 pound mark, but I don't think it happened. I'm pretty sure I've gained over the holiday. But, I don't skip weigh ins. I occassionally have to go at a different time, but I do it every week. And lunch today is the time. And I have no real reason not to go. So I go and see the bad news, then go eat at Pizza Hut. But I won't drown my sorrows in pizza. Promise! I actually don't eat pizza much anymore. I attack the salad bar, then have a couple of breadsticks and I'm done.

Even though I don't have news of weigh in, my friend Tee had some terrific and not so terrific news from her meeting. Check out her whole story here, and congratulate her on losing over 5 pounds!!!!

I didn't work out yesterday. I went to the campus post office in the afternoon and hobbled back to work on a knee that nearly made me cry from pain. I decided that working out would not be conducive to me feeling any less pain, so I went straight home from work and went to sleep. Seems like I'm constantly either sick, headachy, or suffereing from pain somewhere. Something has GOT to give.

I do the post-program data collection for Biggest Winners this afternoon at 4. No matter what gain it says I have from the Easter holiday, and the fact that I'm weigh in 9 hours later than normal, I will claim ten pounds lost for the program. It will be cool to get the measurements though. My friend Brandi tells me that she can really tell I've lost. I guess we'll see what the inches say this afternoon. I'm not going to be disappointed no matter what though. I did this to make me get up and start going to the gym, and it's worked. That's the most important thing. I know I would have done better if I had really worked hard on my diet, but I need to handle one thing at a time. Later this month I will seriously start on my eating habits. So I should see some really great changes over the summer.

Well, that's all I've got right now. After lunch I'll update the weight tracker up top. Let's see how far done the 14.5 falls!

Better Days!!!

Well, today I feel much better than yesterday. I just hope it stays that way.

I went to the gym and did a round in the circuit training room, then hit the ab and lower back machines again. I tried to do a cardio workout after I got home, but got sick again. But at least I did something. I've logged enough visits to the gym now to earn a water bottle, but they are out of them right now. I guess I'll get it towards the end of the week.

I'm slightly surprised to feel as well as I do today. I didn't eat last night becuase everything tasted awful. But I took some meds, and they were great. Slept until 7 this morning. I think I'll make it through work today, and then through water aerobics.

I may start babysitting on Wednesday nights. Not really looking forward to it though. One of my friends needs someone to keep his kids on Wednesday nights so he can go to Aikido with Josh. He has a babysitter for Monday nights, but not Wednesdays. So I'll have to start running home for the gym to get there and start watching the kids in time for him to get to his class. Not easy. My class ends at 6:20 and his starts at 6:30. But we'll manage something. :) And I guess I'll learn to live without that evening alone. If it all comes to pass anyway.

Of course, with the possiblity in the air I need to seriously clean the apartment, not that I didn't need to before. And I'll need to start keeping more stuff around the house. (snack-wise) Crap, this almost sucks. But oh well. At least we have a lot of video games that the boys can enjoy playing!!!

I took a look at Kailana's blog today, and found something I HAVE to get my hands on. She had a post up about Colleen Gleason, and her book The Rest Falls Away. I took a look at Gleason's page, and I just HAVE to read this book. I love historical novels, and vampire stories. So a book that basically puts Buffy the Vampire Slayer in a historical setting is a must read for me. Feel free to check out either of their blogs for some more great info.

Well, I'm off to do a little bit of actual work today. Hopefully it will go well. If not, I'll just pretend that it did anyway! Y'all have a great day!

Another Monday...

I'm not feeling so hot today, but I decided that I had to work anyway. I've read a few blogs this morning, but I'm not really capable of great comments at the moment. Hopefully I'll feel a lot better in the morning. (Or maybe this evening so I can work off some of these holiday pounds!)

Jackie has posted a bunch of great pictures of the girls. There are two posts, one of Easter pics and the other has some older pictures. Feel free to check out the girls. They are adorable.

I think I'm going to go eat with my husband and hopefully make it through the rest of the work day. Y'all have a great one!!!

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter everyone! I've done a little catching up on blog reading, but I'm no where near finished. So, don't be upset if you don't see a comment from me yet. I'll get there. Promise!

I had a great time at my parents' house, even if I didn't get to hold my new neice this trip. We had a house-full of relatives on Saturday. The girls were cute on their easter egg hunt. Both Ashleigh and Jayden (my little cousin) decided they would rather pick flowers. I picked up a ton of movies from Daddy, and a Walk Away the Pounds video from my sister that I am excited about. I'm going to try it sometime this week. I also got some cute nailpolish and lipstick from Momma, as well as some cute ponytail holders.

Josh and I came on home last night because we are eating with his mom's family today. We ate at Logan's last night. I finally tried the Roadies (little burger's on their sweet rolls) and they are delicious. I know that probably wasn't the best food choice I could have made, but I wanted a burger. I couldn't finish the three roadies after I ate a salad. (There's the good food choice of the evening!)

This morning I had some cute presents from Josh. I got a cure stuffed husky (one of my favorite dog breeds). He is adorable. I also go way too much chocolate. But I LOVE chocolate. I got a Dove bunny, a big Merlin's hollow bunny (my favorite) and two packs of cadburry cream eggs. Now, just how do I manage not to pig out? I think some of this will end up in the fridge and I'll be eating on it for a while. Cause I'm NOT pigging out on it even if it is Easter.

Well, I'm off on my way. I still have to get ready for lunch and pack a bag because I might work on my essay if things get boring enough over there. It's 2-4 pages, due tomorrow, and I STILL haven't started.

Feelin' Good!

My coworker still isn't talking to me, but she did fix the temp. Still hot as Hades in here though.

Talked to the president today. She is one sharp lady. It was really great to get to meet her. And she's a USM alumni AND a Hattiesburg native. (I don't think I stuttered!)

My really cool looking dress shoes rub blisters on my feet. I have to soak the footsies tonight to take care of that. At least I brought my old worn out crocs today so I don't have to wear those until I get home. I would probably go barefoot instead (which I'm actually doing in the office now!).

I love the little fan I bought myself last summer. It comes in so handy, and sits nicely on the counter!

I got an awesome Thank You comment from Susan. Y'all should check out her blog and read some outtakes!

I have an evening of sitting at home ahead of me, even if I do have some laundry and packing to do too!

I have three days off work. I get to sleep late tomorrow. I get to do all the family visitin' and movie gettin'!

Yeah, I think I'm feeling good about things right now! :)

Happy Easter Weekend! (I may not be online again before Monday, or I might be. Just have to wait and see!)

Thirteen Things I'm Thinking About 1…. Wheither or not I will stutter or stumble over my words when I talk to the prospective univ president. 2…. Will I actually lose any weight this next week? 3…. If I'm going to cuss out Cellular South when I call about my voicemail again. It never works. 4…. If my coworker is going to start talking to be again. She was fine when I ran to the clinic earlier, now she isn't talking to me. 5…. How I'm going to fix the skirt I'm wearing today. One of the front seams is coming loose. And I refuse to give up the skirt so it has to be fixed. 6…. The essay I have to write for Business Ethics. I haven't even started and it is due on Monday. And I can't wait until Sunday this time because of Easter. 7…. How to approach my best friend Dee about charging to make clothes. The lady working at the gas station this morning wants quotes because she loved the tunic I'm wearing today. 8…. While my cholesterol have gone done when I get my test results back next week? I hope so!!! 9…. What I will eat for lunch. It's almost time and I don't have a clue. Other than that I'm going to get something and bring it back to the office. 10…. How to approach my coworker, the one not talking to me, about the thermastat. It is entirely too hot in this office, but she stays freezing and isn't going to want it changed. At least I have a fan. I may just avoid the subject. (It's set on 78 F) 11…. How to not gain a ton of weight over the holiday weekend. Momma's on weight watchers again now, so that should help. But what about the other family dinner and the lack of exercise since I will be spending forever in a car!!! 12…. What book should I read next? And where will I get it? I've read everything I've got (other than A Game of Thrones which I'm still having troule with). And I have no money. 13…. When will Susan Helene Gottfried ever get published because I really want to read Trevor's Song!!! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Jenny 2. Amy 3. Meghan

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

April Partners!!!

This month at the Challenge we are doing cheerleader groups as opposed to pairs as we have been doing previously. We got our group assignments today!!! I'm incredibly excited to hear who I got teamed up with.

My team is full of motivation and successful examples for me. Amber, Christy, and Meghan have all lost a lot of weight. That reminds me that I can do it too! Meghan has lost an amazing 57 pounds!!! These are some amazing people to know and cheer on in April.

Everyone drop by and visit them if you have a minute and check out the awesome work they have been doing!

The Goodness!!!

Ok, this morning was not so much with the goodness but days can get better.

1st off, I had my first WW weigh in of the month. -2 pounds!!! That is awesome, I was convinced I had gained.

2nd, my boss finally got toner for the copier at work. Totally awesome that. I put the toner in so I could make copies. I'm now waiting for it to decide to print those. I give it twenty minutes before I try to kill it.

3rd, I was able to pick up gym clothes during lunch (my sports bra wasn't dry this morning) so I can go to step interval after work tonight if I want to. I'm just not sure if I'll be doing that or hitting the circuit training room. We'll just have to wait and see. Or I might even hit beginner yoga. I haven't done that in a while. I'll let y'all know what I decide to do! I probably won't decide until I actually get to the gym...

4th, I actually made it to my "beginners kickboxing" class last night. She decided to do a cardio variety thing instead. Only four people showed up, but we had a lot of fun.

I've really enjoyed my core training so far. I really like that I've gotten so into activity, even if it is a little bit of a pain sometimes. My sister has decided she's ready to really get into exercising to lose weight again. I'm going to loan her a bunch of my videos since I'm using the gym so much right now. She wanted to borrow my belly dancing videos (not an issue, I don't mind!) and I'm going to take everything with me when I go home. That way if she likes the looks of something else I have, she can borrow it too. I'm even going to loan her Yourself! Fitness since the brother-in-law has an X-Box. You can pick it up cheap right now, so if she likes it she can buy it.

Y'all have a wonderful day, a wonderful holiday (just in case I go crazy and don't post tomorrow), and keep moving!!!!

I came to work...

...But I barely worked! Today has been meeting day for me. It's pretty rare for me to even HAVE a meeting, much less have the two I've got to day. This morning I had a staff council meeting. 9:30-11:00. We didn't have time to actually cover everything on the agenda. Our potential new univ president (meaning WILL BE, but we'll let you meet her first!) will be on campus for interviews on Thursday. I volunteered to ask a question at one of the closed interviews. It's going to be fun (NOT!) I can't believe that I actually did that. I don't like bringing myself to the attention of people quite that high up the ladder! But, nothing I can do about it now. I just hope I have a nice shirt that fits. If not I might have to go shopping tomorrow night.
This afternoon we are having a departmental All-Hands meeting. It's going to be about 70 people, in a room not designed to hold nearly that many. But we have them every so often. It's from 3:30 until 5. So, after I take an hour lunch, that only leaves me working 5 hours today. And I had some weird stuff to work on, so I spent the first hour of that mostly sitting and waiting. And there will be nearly an hour of the day devoted to walking to these meeting, so about 4 hours WORKING, and a little over three of those ACTUALLY working. It's kinda neat.
I'm going to the gym tonight for beginners kickboxing again. I'm excited. I really enjoyed the class last week, so I hope it is just as good this week. Too bad it won't be continuing. BUT, it interfers with water aerboics (just too much for one day) so it's just as well. I really hope I make it to step interval tomorrow. I didn't make it last week, and I do really enjoy the class.
Biggest Winners comes to a close at univ next week. I think my progress has been abysmal. I have lost 8 pounds, but if the guy yesterday at my DEXA scan told me the number from the same column I had been told at the beginning, I have nearly 4% higher body fat than when I started. And I think my measurements might have changed a little, but I don't think they have changed very much. Which is really funny to me considering I have clothes that actually fit now. But, that's just the state of my head. It doesn't HAVE to make sense in there, it just is. :)
So, I'm really excited about April still. I'm convinced it is going to be a good month, even if I have to drag myself kicking and screaming into happiness over it. I will be active, I will eat some really good meals, and I WILL have at least one wonderful evening that is just the hubby and me. Those simply don't come often enough.

Everybody have a great rest of the week!!!

Starting a New Week...

I always hate the start of the week. It's always disappointing. There's lots of work to do, I didn't get enough time off, I need some more rest... They just suck!

Today isn't much of an exception to that. We're short a guy at work (the one that covers the overlap in lunches at the front desk), we're incredibly busy today, and I didn't do so well on the test I finally got a grade on. It will probably take more than a week to get the grades from last Friday's test.

I do plan to hit the gym today, but not for very long. I'm going to go hit the circuit training room for a trip around, then go home and do an ab video. I refuse to do an ab class at gym. They look like torture! And then I will clean. I have cleaning to do because the only housework I did over the weekend was laundry. Of course, we had a LOT of laundry.

I'm really excited to have challenged myself to ab work this month. I've spent today being very consious of how I hold my abs when I'm sitting and walking. And I've noticed something rather interesting. When I walk I tighten my upper abs, but have a tendency to stretch out my lower abs. This is something I'm definitely going to be concentrating on every day.

I'm also going to try once again to read A Game of Thrones. I have tried it three times now without getting hooked. It just keeps switching characters too often on me. If I can't get into it this time I may just give up and give it back. There are too many good, enjoyable books out there to be read for me to spend a lot of time reading something that doesn't grasp my attention.

And the Challenge is...

Core Exercise!!! After rolling the die I have been challenged to work on this portion of my body for the next month, and am quite excited about it. I have a tendency not to work it very much, but that will now be changing. For the next month I will be working this area 2-3 times a week. Some days I will do my Billy Blanks Ab Video, and others I will probably just do a series of ab exercises on my own while watching tv or something. That should give me some good variety. I'll also be keeping up my gym schedule, just because I love my classes. And I shouldn't ignore the rest of my body with this challenge.

I want to give a big THANK YOU to my March cheerleader Janice over at ThinkSlim because she has been wonderful. I couldn't have gotten along without you Janice. And congratulations on keeping up your running schedule. You did wonderful this past month.

I find myself excited to go into April because it means the semester is much closer to ending at school. I have an essay and only two tests left, and I'll be finished with my class on May 4th, although I probably won't get my grade until the 16th or so. But that's ok. I can live with that. Now, if only she would post the grades from the past two tests... I'm dying from suspense here!

I hoep that everyone has a wonderful April, and I can't wait to hear all about your experiences this month!

Another Friday...

This is just another busy Friday. Ok, it's actually a bit more busy. But that's just fine. I'll survive.

I didn't make it to the gym at all yesterday, but I don't feel bad about it. I walked a lot around campus and that will just have to do. I went to the bookstore to see if they had the book I've been wanting to read, Dark Legend, but no they didn't. And the local library doesn't have it either. Oh well. I'll just have to order it off amazon when I get the money, and just try to be patient in the mean time. I also didn't study enough for my test today. But oh well. Today I just don't care.

As for today, work sucks. I HATE the big boss of my department sometimes. The univ is having Founder's Day to celebrate the founding of the university. There is a big speech giving thing that every office is supposed to be allowed to close for and everyone go. Our office has been informed that we are not closing. It kinda sucks. But I'll get over it. And eventually I'll finish reading this chapter so I can take the darned test.

Our office has also lost a temp employee and there are no plans to replace him. So lunch schedules have been thrown off in our office. I went to lunch at 11 today. I dropped some bills by the post office before heading to the gym for a work out. I just did the circuit training room. 20 minutes (or actually a little less than that) But I think it was a decent work out. I got a bit to eat and a low cal smoothie after that and now I'm working again. Or at least I'm pretending to work. At 5:30 I'm meeting some people to walk on one of the local trails. I'm not going to walk for very long though. I still have that stupid test to worry about. And possibly DnD. But at least I will get a little more activity in. My lower back hasn't bothered me today, so I might be over my trouble after Tuesday's over-full schedule. :)

I've really liked all the possible challenges I've been sent. THANK YOU!!!!!!!! There are some fantastic ones there, and I'll have to keep that list around for the rest of the year. I'll get everything updated tomorrow as far as the challenge goes. I'm really excited to see that so many people have been participating and benefitting from the support.

On the financial side (feel free to skip the boredom here, I just feel a need to get some of it out) I entered a financial counciling type program a few years ago with some debt. I just found out that next month's payment will pay off the next to last account in it. Uunfortunately, I still have one left there. And I have NO idea of it's status. It should have been payed off already based on what the guy told me when I started it. And I haven't recevied a statement from them in a while. However, I think the company is still paying on the account for me. After a few moves and a hurricane I have next to none of that original paperwork. I hope I can find out something positive on that next week. I'm certianly going to try to. I hope it's nearly paid off as well because I would love to not have to pay that bill every month anymore. That way I can get rid of the debt in all the other accounts I have. And my husband's debt. I'm thinking of trying to take up PayPerPost again in order to make a little money. That would certianly help out with things. I tried to get on with them a few months back but they kept rejecting my blog. Hopefully things will go better this time and I can be making some extra money! And one of these days I really will get down to the plasma donation center....(more money and some good done)

Y'all all have a wonderful weekend!

Friday's Feast

Appetizer
What are you proud of?
I'm proud of the changes I have started making in my life, as well as proud of my husband for taking up Aikido and becoming more active.

Soup
What is the best thing you’ve ever won as a prize?
The really cool hanging candle-holder thinie I got at Girl's Night Out last year. Since I don't win stuff very often this was very cool. Unfortunately, I don't have a place to hang it in the apartment.

Salad
Name something you do that is a waste of time.
I watch reruns of Angel in the mornings instead of quickly getting ready for work.

Main Course
In what year of your life did you change the most?
2006. I got married. Is there a bigger change other than having children (which I don't!)?

Dessert
Where is a place you consider to be very tranquil?
My bathtub. It isn't very big, or even very comfortable. But I get to just soak there and let the rest of the world just go away.


Feel free to join in on Friday's Feast. Get the info here!

Another Month Down...

Well, it's nearly down anyway. I've lost 1.5 pounds this month. I think I've went too hard on the exercising this month. I've started to get tired now, and think I just need to give myself a little break. So I'm going to tone it down a little on the exercise front for a few days and see what a little rest will do for me.
I've stayed in control fairly well this month on the food front. Nothing major has happened. I'm looking forward to what will happen in April.

Which brings me around to the 2007 challenge. It's time to sign up for April, if anyone is interested. Michelle has the wonderful sign up information posted on the right, so feel free to let her know if you are interested in joining in. She's making some changes to the way it works this month, and I'm excited to see how everything is going to work out.

Also, I have no idea what I should challenge myself to this month. I've done 3x a week exercising, I've done 2x a week strength training, and I've done keeping my food in control on the weekends. This month I'm at a loss as to what to work on. I don't want to set a goal to lose a specific amount of weight because those always backfire on me. So, y'all help me out. Give me some ideas on what I can do, and I'll roll the dice on Saturday and see what I'm doing. Think y'all can help me out here!?!

Thirteen Books I Couldn't Do Without

1…. A Gift of Magic by Lois Duncan - This is the first book I ever read that really had an impact on who I was and how I viewed the world. I was 9 or 10 when I read it for the first time. While I haven't read it in years I still think about it on a regular basis.

2…. The Dark Series by Christine Feehan - These are my favorite romance novels of all time, and there is only one of these stories that I haven't read more than once. While they aren't all spectacular, they are all certainly worth reading.

3…. Dragonflight by Anne McCaffrey - Out of all the dragonrider books, this is the one that touched me the most.

4…. The Harper Hall Trilogy by Anne McCaffrey - I actually picked these up in high school because I was bored in the library. They are my favorite books by her, and I think everyone should read them once.

5…. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis - I had to read The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe in 8th grade, and I had finished the entire series before everyone else read the one book. These are awesome!

6…. Little Women by Louisa May Alcott - I read this book ages ago, and it certianly showed me a lot. I think I really learned how to understand my friends relationships with their sisters from reading this book. Since Jackie is 9 years older than me it was interesting to read this one.

7…. The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis - I had no idea what this book was about when I picked it up, and it was a major departure from my normal reading at the time (high school). It's definitely an eye-opening book.

8…. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens - A lot of people might consider it a tragedy, but this is one of the few books of his I have read. This book had me thinking for weeks when I was finished!

9…. The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne - I read this in high school. I had nightmares for a week!

10…. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams - I read this book because my sister had. It's a fantastic story and I think everyone can benefit from it. I haven't finished the entire series yet, but it still holds me. It even comes up in conversation at the weirdest times!

11…. The Shannara Series by Terry Brooks - My mother had several of these for a long time before I ever read one. It wasn't very long before I was hooked. I've read better written fantasy, but the characters just really grabbed me in these books. I even named a beta fish Walker!

12…. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury - This book had a profound effect on me. It is also the only other book that ever gave me nightmares.

Links to other Thursday Thirteens!
1. Beck

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Thanks to Debbie, whose wesite I got my header from this week.

This week's Thursday Thirteen is my submission to Kailana over at The Written World. She is compiling a list of Blogger's books they couldn't do without. Feel free to stop by her blog and help her out!!!

And The Damage Is...

Well, I finally weighed in for the week. I went at lunch and stayed the same on the happy scale. To be honest, I think I lost .3 or so, but our place rounds to the half-pound. Sometimes I can keep track to the tenth, and sometimes I can't. Doesn't really matter though. I figured I had gained, so I was happy.

I went to both of my classes last night. And walked about a mile or so in between them. I shouldn't have done that. I'm incredibly sore today, but I'm planning to do a loop in the circuit training room sometime tonight. I'm not sure if I will go right after work or wait until Josh heads to the gym though. I just know I need to do that before I go to weigh in with Biggest Winner in the morning.

Otherwise, I'm just tired and sleepy after lunch. I met the hubby at Pizza Hut and we had the buffet. We don't have anything quick and easy at the apartment right now. Of course, I'm honestly not sure when I'll have time to go shopping either. I'll have to figure that out soon though.

Sometimes I hate my husband and our friends. Because my husband just spent twice the price he quoted me on his martial arts stuff, we are going to have to start eating at home. We simply can't afford it. So, I told him we could eat out today, and start in at home tomorrow. So he and our "friends" decide that we are going to eat at one of the places I don't like. I got outvoted. I'm tempted not to eat with them. I do need to study anyway, but that would be mean.

Other than that today is going fairly well. I have a coworker that isn't speaking to me again, but I don't care. My head is a lot better and she isn't going to ruin that.

I'm doing two classes at the Payne Center tonight, assuming I'm up for it. I'll be taking water aerobics, as usual, and beginner kickboxing. I'll just take it lighter than normal in water aerobics to get me though. :) I think it will be fun. I wish they would have scheduled the two Beg. KB classes on a different day though. Oh well. That's life.

I hope that everyone is having a great week!

Well, I missed my weigh in today because I was knocked out in bed. I still had my migraine when I woke up this morning so I went on in to the doctor. He gave me some meds to knock me out and said I should have been in to see him last week. :) I told him I was stubborn.

So that pretty much tells you my day. I think I'm going to weigh in on Wednesday. I think that's when our center is open all morning. I'll have to double-check because I don't want to just miss this week.

My time at Habitat for Humanity was nice on Saturday, other than my head hurting. To be honest, my fore-arms still hurt.

I'm taking beginner kickboxing the next two Tuesday nights. That's going to be fun. It's something that one of the Biggest Winner guys asked for specifically. I kinda hope they decide to offer it as a regular class at the gym next semester.

Well, I hope everyone is still doing well in their goals. I'll try to get caught up on blogs tomorrow, but no guarantees. I have a test Friday so I still have to do some studying for that!

I'm still fighting off this migraine, so I'm FAR behind on my blog reading. But I'm slowly trying to catch up. I'm also slowly re-reading this stupid chapter for tonight. It would be so much easier if she would just let us use the book on the test. But no.... She did finally release the grades for our last test thought. 47/50!!! I missed one multiple choice question, and had one grammatical error in my essay. So I feel pretty good. I hope I do as well on this test. I really need to bring my average on up. Those first two test have really but me behind.

I'm so proud to hear of all the good things happening in everyone's lives. It's great to see things going well for people.

I don't have any fantastic news or anything right now. I'm doing good on my eating, and I really enjoyed water aerobics last night. I might hit the gym tonight, but I kinda doubt it. I meant to go this morning, but this migraine was trying to settle in. We'll just have to see where the day goes!

Y'all have a wonderful weekend!!!

I hate migraines!

Sorry I haven't been active online, but I woke up yesterday morning with the migraine from hell. I seriously hate waking up with them. I would rather feel it coming so I'm prepared, and can maybe do something about it. Anyway, that kept me home yesterday, and today I still have the sick head, but at least it's bareable.

Needless to say, I missed my step workout last night. But I am going to water aerboics tonight!!! But several of the regulars are going to be out, so the class will be tiny. But I guess that's ok. I'll still enjoy the water! (And one of the ladies has already asked me if I was going...) I'm not doing anything after I get home though. Other than soaking in a tub then going to bed!

I finally finished the reading for my test tomorrow. I just took the two study quizzes and discovered that I have to read the meat of the material again. :( But that's ok. This was an interesting chapter. And we have our essay assignment already. It's on "The Mommy Track". I'll be looking into that this weekend and try to get started. And I still don't have my grade on the last test. Don't know when she is going to release those because it tells me that it is graded already.

I have both of my DnD games this weekend, so that will keep me going. I'll just have to figure out the food plans involved. I'm tempted to take myself all my own food. Then I'll know all my options. The hubby can eat whatever is randomly decided. ;) I'm also doing a Habitat for Humanity work day Saturday. It's through our Biggest Winners program, and we are working 8-12. I'm excited about that. I've never done it before. The sucky part is I have to be on campus at 7:30. So no sleeping in for me, and no us hanging out at the store until 1 in the morning. Josh will just have to deal with it.

Well, I hope that everyone else is doing better than me, and I hope you all have wonderful weekends!

When you walk in my office and the lady at the other end of the counter says "How can I help you?" don't stop in front of me and stare while you state your problem. If you are STARING you obviously realize that I haven't said a word. This probably means that I am busy and the other lady will help you quicker!!!

Sorry for the rant, that just annoys the crap out of me!!! Just like the guy that comes in twice a semester to ask me out (while OBVIOUSLY pretending to have a problem). And he knows I'm married. So give it up already!

Sorry, I just needed to get that out.

When you walk in my office and the lady at the other end of the counter says "How can I help you?" don't stop in front of me and stare while you state your problem. If you are STARING you obviously realize that I haven't said a word. This probably means that I am busy and the other lady will help you quicker!!!

Sorry for the rant, that just annoys the crap out of me!!! Just like the guy that comes in twice a semester to ask me out (while OBVIOUSLY pretending to have a problem). And he knows I'm married. So give it up already!

Sorry, I just needed to get that out.

Just Another Week..

Not Really!!! I think I'm still kinda riding on that two pound loss high to be honest. Although I've been having stupid accidents all morning, I'm feeling really good about things.

By stupid accidents, I mean things that luckily don't matter much. For example, I overslept yet didn't really sleep at all. Well, maybe that doesn't really fit. I accidentally poured part of my water down my shirt this morning. But it was just water, and it dried. I stubbed my toe, I ALMOST left my gym stuff at home. And I hung up on a customer this morning. Luckily she called right back and my coworker apologized for me. She told the lady that my face was priceless when I did it. At least she wasn't upset!

As for feeling really good, I WALKED to work this morning. To be honest, I didn't have much choice as I only have enough gas to get to the gas station this afternoon after the gym. But after not walking to work last week, I know I need to get back to it. It really helps to energize me through the day. And if the weather turns bad I know I can always get a ride home. I can call the hubby or ask one of the many guys in the office to give me a lift. And it's faster to get to the gym on foot than to drive all the way around campus. :)

Total Body Toning was cool last night, although I almost didn't go. In the afternoon I was feeling bad, but by the time I got home I was feeling a lot better. We had a sub teaching, and she will be teaching the course for the next two weeks. She approaches it differently, and it was a nice change. We did almost everything on a ball. It was cool. Then I had to wait for my hubby to get out of his Aikido class. It went over. After class his teacher told me I should have just come in, but I didn't want to interrupt the end of their lesson. I just watched and patiently waited the 15 minutes for them to finish. The class that was meeting next door wasn't so patient. They were another martial arts class and needed the mats. I was having fun trying not to crack up listening to them complaining. I'm finding myself wanting to try it out when I'm in better shape. But that will definitely be further down the road.

Tonight I have water aerboics. I'm excited. It SHOULD be Rosie teaching, and she keeps it much more aerobic that Molly does on Thursday. I'm excited to be getting back to that normal schedule. I love getting in the water, and these classes are awesome.

I photographed all my food yesterday, I just don't feel like getting my camera out right now and dealing with it. So I'll get that done this afternoon or tomorrow. You'll just have to wait. ;)

And the damage is...

-2 pounds! I managed to lose those two pounds from last week. I'm excited! It makes me happy!

And, between weigh in, eating lunch, putting the roast on to cook, picking up a package from the realty office for the hubby, and walking back to work (out of gas) I was only six minutes late. That makes for a pretty good morning.

Monday Mornings...

I always forget about something. This morning I forgot to put supper in the crockpot. Crazy huh? Since Josh and I will not get out of the gym until 8, I decided to cook a roast instead of us eating out. Much better for me!!! And probably a little cheaper. I also forgot to bring my frozen dinner to work with me. I'm just not at my best.

Needless to say I will be a little rushed at lunch today. I have to go weigh in at Weight Watchers. I'm not feeling confident about that right now. But it's ok. I'll survive it. If I gained, I gained. It's not the end of the world. I have had two abnormal weeks in a row. It's too be expected. However, this week is gonna be great. I'll be doing a slightly different work out schedule that was my normal, so we'll see how it effects things come next Monday. I hope it's good, and I hope I really like how I feel too!

So, after I run and weigh in, I'll be running to the apartment to zap lunch in the microwave and put a roast on to cook. I was actually planning to come back to my office and leisurely eat and reread Dark Celebration. But, alas, it wasn't meant to be!

I don't know if I told y'all about getting my essay back last week. I got an A, barely. She gave me a 90. 40/40 on my writing skills (I actually can write well when I really want to) and a 50/60 on my ethical analysis. While my analysis was good, I didn't actually discuss captialism, which I was apparently supposed to discuss in detail. I can live with a 90 though. It's much better than my test grades have been. She told us she hoped to have our test grades to us today, but they haven't been posted. I'll let y'all know when I get that. I'm not expecting quite such awesome news on that one.

Well, I'm going to get back to work now. I have a little bit to get accomplished before I can even consider leaving for lunch. :) I'll update this afternoon with news on my weigh in!

Mini Challenge, Sunday Meals

OK, I don't have pictures of everything, but I'll describe what I don't have. Promise!

I slept late, so my day actually started with lunch. I had a small piece of chicken, a half-cup of nibblet corn in butter sauce (Green Giant, really good), and a half-cup of broccoli, cauliflower, and carrots in cheese sauce (Green Giant, NOT good). I ate a little over half the mixed veggies because the cheese sauce tasted funny. It definitely wasn't to my taste. Josh didn't like it either so the leftovers on it got put in the trash. And I drank water with my meal.

For a mid afternoon snack I opened a box of Girl Scout cookies. I really love the Samoas, and was really good! I only ate two, although I left the pack sitting open on the end table ALL evening.

For supper, I got the surprise of my husband wanting to eat at the Food Court while we were out for our shopping. I was planning to cook something, and thus got caught without a camera to photograph my supper. However, I ate something really good. I got a baked potato from McAlister's Deli. It had bacon and cheese melted on top. I was actually a little surprised when I got it (in a good way). It was smaller than they normally are, and had less bacon and cheese on it. But it was REALLY good. And, of course, I had their sweet tea to drink with it. They have the best sweet tea in town. It is considered a sin to eat there and NOT get tea to drink.

And, as a snack in the evening I caved and had something I LOVE, but try to avoid this time of year. I only ate one, and don't plan to eat more than two more of these over the Easter holiday. (In the past I have easily eaten ten or more!)

I also managed to get in all my water by the end of the evening, although I see no point in forcing you to look at more pictures of that glass!

Just Not All Here...

Sorry I haven't really been around. I really meant to blog yesterday, but just didn't feel like it. And I've forgotten to photograph my food today, so I guess I'll do that the next two days! I still have to plan out that food.

I stayed home last night and did some house cleaning and watched Special Unit 2 on SciFi. I really like that show, but don't have many chances to stay home on a Friday and watch it. So far today I haven't done a whole lot, but I do have some good news. I finished putting away the clean clothes, and decided to check and see if any more pants fit me yet. I was able to fasten two pair, but they are still not QUITE comfy enough for work. So I left them hanging up. And, then I decided to try on some that I didn't even think were close enough for hangers. And found two skirts that fit. And one of those is even loose. And then I decided to start trying on shirts. Most of them are still tight (stuff bought when I weighed 180 or less) but several of them have been categorized as wearable! So I'm happy today.

Josh kinda wants me to go to The Gamer Sanctuary tonight, and he's SO close to giving me a guilt trip, although he's trying not to. It's just that our friend Joe is bringing the wife and baby with him, so Josh wants me to go play with Lynn. However, I REALLY have to exercise tonight. My last exercise session was Wednesday, my last GOOD session on Monday. So I really want to do an ab video and a dance video tonight. That won't happen if I go with him. I also have to get the grocery shopping list together too. Because we have NO food, or next to none. It's going to be an expensive shopping trip tomorrow after church. And I do plan on going tomorrow.

Well, I hope that everyone is having a super St. Patrick's Day, and y'all keep up the wonderful work!

Thirteen Things about Cory 1…. I hate when my plans get changed. 2…. Especially if there isn't a great alternative 3…. I didn't get to go to Cardio Variety last night because the teacher was sick. 4…. I did still do a cardio program on a bike. 5…. I love going to the movies. 6…. But it's only worth it if there's a good reason to see the movie in the theater. 7…. Which means I go to the theater for special effects and big fight scenes. 8…. This is SO not was I was planning for this week! 9…. I love to exercise! Especially fun group exercise classes 10…. I hate to be hot. 11…. The ac in my work building isn't working today. 12…. Needless to say I'm somewhat miserable 13…. I still can't find a book I KNOW I have and have wanted to read for the last 2.5 months. Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. (leave your link in comments, I’ll add you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

View More Thursday Thirteen Participants

Yoga....

...kinda sucked last night. I don't think I was ready for that particular class. Which is really ok because I'm not going back to it. I really did surprise myself with some of the stuff I was able to do, and she never had to correct my stance or anything. But my feet hurt like hell by the time I was finished. My feet cramped up something terrible in the middle of class.

Tonight is cardio variety. I don't know who the teacher is, but I'm excited to go to it. I need some good cardio to boost me along. I'm excited about the class because I've never been to it before. It's fun to try new stuff. Especially this week while the classes are so small.

Today in our building the AC is supposed to be out. Which isn't good because I get hot in here with it on! But they haven't turned it off to start working on it yet. They need to start soon so it can be finished. Luckily I have a little task fan on my desk. That should get me through today.

Tonight after the gym Josh and I, and possibly a bunch of friends, are supposed to go see 300. I'm excited because it is supposed to be a really good movie. We also watched Stranger than Fiction last night. It was really good. So, if you haven't seen it yet, think aobut it. It's worth watching!

Y'all have a wonderful day and Keep Movin'!!!

So, I just realized that I haven't posted today. How horrid of me! ;)

I ended up taking Total Body Toning last night instead of the yoga class I had planned on. I'll be doing yoga tonight (already committed myself to it) and I'll either do cardio variety or total body toning tomorrow night. I'm not really sure which though. It just depends on how I feel tomorrow. Probably will depend on if my butt still hurts from TBT!

Other than that I'm doing really good. Just sitting around work doing nothing since it's spring break. OH! I did go to the clinic this morning and found out I have psoriasis. I've suspected it for a while, but I went this morning to find out. The assistant at the pharmacy half-way tried to get me to committ to going to kickboxing with him Thursday after work. I'm not sure if I'm up to that though. But we'll see what happens then!

Y'all have a wonderful evenin'!

Weigh In

Ok, so my short post to let everyone know about my horrid weigh in. I was rather pleased to only see I had gained two pounds. So I'm still in the wonderful arena of more than 10 pounds lost (barely). And I obviously didn't do too much damage this past week. I can come back from 2 easy. But I was expecting to see 5 or 6, and that was going to be hard. I honestly don't expect to see it all gone this week, but give me two weeks and I'll be really good again.

I also wanted to toss in an update on my Lent challenge. I bombed it this weekend. I had a Pepsi and three Dr Peppers while I was home. But I'm not letting it upset me. It happened. And when there wasn't any tea there, and no cold water, what could I do? But I'm back on track now and don't expect any major problems.

And on my March challenge for weekends, I was within bounds. I didn't go anywhere near as crazy as I have been in the habit of. And I gave myself a little bit of leeway considering I did have a baby shower to go to. Where I ate a LOT of wonderful strawberries...yummy!

Let Down...

Ok, so I'm actually feeling pretty good right now. But I'm sure that will change.

I went to my sister's baby shower this weekend. It was a surprise to her, she didn't realize I was coming up. So that was cool. I got to spend some time with my beautiful nieces. That was fun. Abby was a wonderful little thing, and I found out that Ashleigh is afraid of the vacuum cleaner. A girl after my own heart! I also got to teach her how to pick flowers.

I really enjoyed the quality time with my parents. And they gave us some movies. So know I have stuff to watch if I can actually sit still long enough. I have trouble sitting still through a 1 hour show right now. :)

The bad thing about the weekend is that Josh didn't go with me. So it was a long 4.5 hour drive each way. But I had my mp3 player and sang my heart out!

I'm seriously dreading my weigh in at lunch today. I ate horribly this past week, and my week was off on exercising. But I'll live. Hopefully the damage won't be too bad, but I'm not expecting good news. I don't really expect anything good next week either. I know my food will be fine, but the exercise will still be abnormal. I hate Spring Break because everything has weird hours. I have yoga scheduled for tonight, total body toning tomorrow night, and Cardio Variey for Wednesday. Not my usual, and I don't think my body is going to agree so well with the lack of cardio. BUT, you do what you can. I might can get some cardio at home, but I'm not expecting much. I'm barely at home as it is.

The highlight of my day will come after the gym though. I'm going shoe shopping tonight. I need new tennis shoes, and I plan to get them tonight if I can find a pair I like. The tennis shoes I've been wearing are still in great condition, but I want a pair of shoes just for the gym. So I'm going to retire these, and get me a new pair of everyday shoes. Shoe Carnival is supposedly have a big sale, so maybe I can get a really good deal!

And one last thing before I go, and this might not interest everyone, so feel free not to read it. I have a horrid case of athlete's foot that I haven't been able to get rid of. Does anyone have any home remedies to recommend, or a suggestion on an OTC aid. I've been using a prescription cream I got a while back, but it's not really having any effect.

INTERVIEW!

Ok, I'm not really feeling up to blogging much today because I have a serious migraine, AND I'm at work. However, there is one thing that I just have to go ahead and post.

Lizza at Weight Loss Tips e-mailed me at the beginning of the week and asked me if I would be willing to do an interview for that site. While I'm really still just beginning in my weight loss journey, and personally don't feel like I'm doing well at all, I was still very excited about this opportunity. Well, my interview has now been posted, complete with Dec 2006 and March 2007 pictures. I seriously don't see a change in those pictures, but hey, I'm my worst critic!

So, I REALLY want to thank Lizza for the opportunity to share my beginning with all the readers there, and for what a great opportunity it is. It made me think about a few things, and made me get a current progress photo done. So, everyone head on over to Weight Loss Tips, and read some of the amazing stories over there. They have some real inspiration going on there!

What A Day!!!

Well, today has been interesting. With my out-of-wach routine this week and being sick, I managed to gain weight since last Thursday, but I'm not going to let it get to me. It's been a bit unusual lately.

I went to the eye doctor this morning and found out that my eyes are only slightly worse than they were last time, although it's enough to change my prescription. BUT, the stupid people hadn't told me that he was only taking cash now, AND they told me they didn't take my insurance. So I finally manage to run around and get the cash to pay them. Then I call the insurance company. She called them and doesn't know what happened. But I've faxed her my receipt and they are supposed to give me a partial refund.

Then I went to pick out frames. And I picked out some awesome ones. They're a brown color and they have some awesome fancy work on the top edge. I can't wait to get them back and start wearing them later this month. And, unfortunately, I'm going to have to order some new contacts since my 'script changed. Since I still have a lot of my old ones though I think I'm going to start wearing them during water aerobics. By the time I get them soaked in pool water, I probably shouldn't be wearing them too much longer anyway.

Then I went to the Social Security office to finally get my name changed. I've been married 10 months and am only just now doing that!!! And I got lost downtown. I never go into downtown, so I always get confused with all the one way streets. But I did see a lady that used to work at the university. Actually saw her twice while I was downtown, once at the SS office and then again walking back to my car.

Last night I ended up not going to yoga. Got drug into Step Interval. I really did enjoy it though. I'll go again as long as someone I know goes with me. It was fun, but I don't think I could handle it without a friendly face laughing with me.

Tonight, thank goodness, I get to go to water aerobics. It's going to have to do me for a week, so it had better be a good session. I can't believe they aren't going to have that during Spring Break. The majority of the people in the class are univ staff, and we all have to come into work today. I missed my Biggest Winners meeting at lunch because of the SS office. And I'm not missing water aerobics tonight to go to the other time for it. So I guess I'll just have to remember to pick up the info sheet next week. And I had really wanted to go to the one today because it's on cardio training. But it's better to get the cardio training than to just go and learn about it.

I hope that everyone has a wonderful day, and y'all Keep Movin"!


--And yes, she's still being that way!

4:07 PM Update: I think I'm going to have to start bringing a cooler to work. For hte second time in less than two weeks a bottle of water I brought to work has disappeared from the fridge. And the disturbing thing is, some stuff (food and drink money) has disappeared from a couple of the techs offices. I've stopped leaving anything other than some spare change out in my area, but that doesn't really make me feel much better.
Also, on a lighter note, my friend Brandi brought be another pair of jeans she has seriously outgrown. YAY! I have more pants! It doesn't affect my work choices much, but it does give me something else for weekends. I hope they will fit me now instead of me having to wait. I think I'm going to try them on after water aerobics tonight. I really hope they fit now. I would LOVE having another pair of jeans to wear! THANK YOU BRANDI!!!!!!!!!!

Afternoon Update

Well, my coworker still isn't talking to me. She's still acting like a bitch. BUT...I'm feeling better. I've spent most of the day doing online training while sitting and hoping the phone doesn't ring. And she's just been surfing the web. I think the training will definitely help me come eval time when I have more certificates than she does. :)

HUGE THANKS to all everyone for the wonderful comments. As I've periodically checked my e-mail this afternoon the comments have really helped. I've finished all the online training I'm going to do today, and still have 30 minutes left. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the time, but it certainly isn't going to be worrying about her.

But, I am going to hope she's better tomorrow. Because if she doesn't get out of this mood soon I'm going to have to report it. It's actually affecting our work already and that is a bad thing. We can't afford to have any bad service out of our office right now!!!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful evening, and I'm going to try not to kill myself in yoga tonight!

I Just Don't Feel Like It

Sorry, but I don't much feel like blogging today. I was on the Gulf Coast yesterday for the USM Staff Council, and then worked last night. Needless to say I didn't get my Water Aerobics fix last night.

And today I just really don't feel great. Nothing but my coworkers influence. She was in another of her pretending I don't exist and not talking to me phases when I got back yesterday. And it's the same today. Since I did nothing to her I don't know what the problem is. And I can't find out because all she will do is mumble when I talk to her. Needless to say it isn't making for me having a good day. And will probably only get worse.

I read and caught up on everyone's blogs this morning, sorry I didn't comment on but a couple of them. I'm just not in the right mindset today. I was feeling great when I left the apartment, just a little sleepy. It's amazing how one person's bad mood can affect others so profoundly. Then again, she's the only person I have a lot of contact with throughout the day. Everyone else is just a few seconds here and there.

Oh well, maybe tomorrow will be better. If not, then I guess I'll just suffer!

Weigh In Day

Well, I went and weighed in at Weight Watchers over lunch since I have to work late tonight. I had lost 1.5 more pounds. Which is really awesome!!!! I was very happy with that number.

While I was out I decided to run home and check the mail and pick up a box of Kleenex for my desk at work. And I had MAIL!!!!


Joy sent me the above BEAUTIFUL necklace. My picture certainly doesn't do it justice. Joy, THANK YOU! You have me pegged. I absolutely love this necklace. It's beautiful, and definitely to my taste.

I woke up incredibly sick this morning, so sorry for not really making the rounds on blogs today. I spent the first part of the day miserable from being sick, and the second half miserable from preparing for a test. I don't think I did well on it, and don't really care. So far I'm doing good on staying on program. I decided to do my ticker up top just for a daily thing instead of just weekends. If a day goes slightly off kilter though, I'm not gonna complain. The goal is still just on keeping weekends in control.

I've started reading A Game of Thrones but can't really say much about it yet. I've only read three pages, but will hopefully make a dent in it this weekend. Josh will be doing some practice early Saturday evening, and I think I might just take the time to read. I think he's planning to play some Magic tonight, and I think I'm just going to sit at home. While I'm feeling a lot better, I really don't want to get stuck at The Gamer Sanctuary. It's really hard to keep from drinking soft drinks there because Greg hasn't been keeping water in the machine!

I hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend, and try to make good decisions!!!

Thirteen Things about CORY 1…. I've actually been scared to start this meme, even though I've thought about it for months. 2…. I paid for meetings at Weight Watchers for over 3 months before I ever really bothered much with actually trying. 3…. I've been working for the same place for over 5 years, and only make $1 more than I did when I started. 4…. I'm trying to get my bachelor's degree, but changed my major 5 or 6 times in the past 7 years. 5…. It feels like I will never finish. 6…. I got married in May, gained more weight than anyone thought I had, but I think I'm almost the size I was then. 7…. I rediscovered Water Aerobics this year and can't figure out why I quit in the first place. 8…. I LOVE the color purple, but hated it growing up. 9…. I still HATE the color pink. The only pink I am willing to wear is for breast cancer awareness. 10…. I LOVE to read, and am currently on a Christine Feehan kick. 11…. Although I occassionally go on my romance novel kicks, there are times when I refuse to read one too. 12…. Cindy's blog is actually the blog I found out about this meme on. 13…. I'm sure I will list a lot of weird stuff through this meme before long! Links to other Thursday Thirteens! 1. Annie 2. (leave your address in the comments and I'll list you here!)

Get the Thursday Thirteen code here!


The purpose of the meme is to get to know everyone who participates a little bit better every Thursday. Visiting fellow Thirteeners is encouraged! If you participate, leave the link to your Thirteen in others comments. It’s easy, and fun! Be sure to update your Thirteen with links that are left for you, as well! I will link to everyone who participates and leaves a link to their 13 things. Trackbacks, pings, comment links accepted!

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Biggest Winners

Well, I went to that Masters Class last night. And it KICKED MY ASS!!!!! We did a warmup, and then Kickboxing, then lower body toning. By the time we finished that, my legs were so weak that I had a lot of trouble holding several of the yoga positions we did. I couldn't even do a proper tree pose or pyramid pose! But I guess that just means that they worked us good. My friend Brandi drove me home, thank goodness, because I couldn't have walked there. Luckily a soak in the tub took care of a lot of my trouble and I am feeling good this morning. My legs are only a little sore, but I still wimped out and hitched a ride from the weigh in this morning to my office!

I went to weigh in this morning with happy news. I had lost another 6 pounds this week! That puts me up to 13 pounds lost by the Biggest Winner scales. I hope the weight watchers scales start to catch up with it this week. They just don't weigh me quite so nicely, as can be viewed by my weight loss ticker! But that's ok. Steady wins the race, and that's what counts!

I'm incredibly nervous about my ethics test tomorrow. I really want to bring up my average, but I don't know that it will actually happen. And if it doesn't, I won't let myself down. I do want to say that I'm REALLY proud of Michelle for getting started in school again. I think that's great. And I'm slightly jealous because she's still going to get her bachelors degree before me!!! But that's ok. At least she will have it, and that's great.

Well, I'm just wishing for the day to be over soon because I want to get into the water at water aerobics! And Joy, I hope you're able to find a class somewhere so you can try it out. It's really cool because you can do stuff that can't be done on land, and it's really easy on the joints!

Everybody have a great day and Keep Movin'!

Water Aerobics was awesome last night. Rosie was teaching again (YAY!) and she kicked my ass! I loved every second of it. While I do like that other girl that's been doing it, she teaches a very different class.

I'm going to "Masters Class" tonight. It's supposed to cover Yoga, Stretch, Toning, and Kick Boxing. It's gonna be awesome too! And my friend Brandi is going, so that helps! I'll get to spend some quality laughing time with her.

My friend Dee dropped her new laptop off with me today. She got it in the mail from her parents yesterday, and had to do all kinds of stuff on it. We finally got her Office trial uninstalled, and she left it for me to install her copy of office while she's in class. And she didn't leave the power cord. I hope it isn't going to be very hard to fix. I don't have much knowledge of Windows Vista yet, so it will suck. And while she was here she asked me to lunch. I told her I had plans to go to a class, but I think if she come here right after class I will see if she still wants to go. I don't get to spend much time with her anymore because of her wacky work schedule. While I really wanted to go to that class this week, I'll get over it if I can do lunch with her. Especially since she sounded REALLY disappointed to hear I already had plans.

As for everything else, life is normal. I have a huge bruise on my forearm from hitting a car when I was bringing in groceries the other night. I usually make Josh do that, but it was while he was at his class. And NO ONE knows how to park at our apartment complex. I managed to spend a lot of money and have a freezer full of goodies to cook this week. And I think we will actually have enough money in the bank for all of our bills. That doesn't happen often so I'm really thrilled. I think we will even have money to make some larger payments again next month!!!

Everyone have a wonderful day and Keep Movin'!

In Other News...

I got the problem with the gym not having a record of my husband fixed. They had him listed under my maiden name. They're getting that taken care of, and we have his member number now so he can get in.

I went to pick up the raffle prize I won from Saturday at the race. It's a $25 gift card to Olive Garden!!! Now Josh and I have to go eat there! He's been trying to put it off because they stay busy. I think I want to go for lunch on Saturday. But we'll just have to wait and see what happens.

Weigh In Day!

Ok, the exclamation point (and my tracker) should clue everyone in to the good news I received last night. I lost 2 pounds! So I finally get to put a star on my bookmark at WW. I was very proud about that.

I didn't stay for the meeting because I had to hit the circuit room and go shopping. I only did one round since I had other stuff to do, but I felt good just having done that. And I saw a friend from home there. I grew up with a guy named Jamie. He's a little over a year older than me, and grew up just a few miles down the road. He ended up moving to Hattiesburg after I did. And amazingly, all these years later, we are both still here. It was cool to see him. We didn't talk other than to say hello and how are you (we were kinda busy) but just that was cool. It made my day!

I spent a lot of money at Wal-Mart on groceries and stuff. They didn't have my conditioner (I've used Thermasilk for a while now) so I had to switch to another one. I got Garenier Fructis length and strength conditioner. My sister said she liked it, so hopefully it will work out well.

My hubby went to his first martial arts class last night. I don't have a clue what martial art it is, but he said he likes it. It's apparently going to be difficult for him, but he's really excited. Expecially since the guy invited him back. (It's an invitation only group and our friend Shaphen got him a one-nighter, with no guarantees.) He'll be going back to that on Wednesday night.

He also had a bad experience at the gym. They couldn't find his records. I'll have to go today and get that straightened out. I'm not happy about it. Especially since they have taken the fees for his memebership out of my check this month. Not happy at all!

Well, I'm off for my day. I'm feeling good about the world and can't wait to go to water aerobics tonight. I hope everyone has a wondeful day, and Keep Movin'!

Monday Mornings...

Always seem to suck at the beginning! I wonder why that is... I think part of the problem today is that my entire weekend was out of whack, and I didn't go to bed until after midnight! But I'm feeling good now!

When I really start walking I still feel just a tad sore in the legs from Saturday. But that's ok. I'm not exercising until after I weigh in tonight so I should be ok on that score. I'll be weighing in, and then heading to the gym to hit the circuit training room. If all goes well, I might even try to get two rounds in there. But to an extent it depends on how busy it is. The room is open until 7, so I should have time. And the hubby's martial arts training starts tonight, so I might even stay until he's finished. And tomorrow is water aerobics again, and I'm really excited!

I think I did alright over the weekend, and I'm nearly finished with my essay for class. I don't really like it, but I don't really care either. The topic just doesn't interest me that much, and the teacher is a bitch. I made a 74 on the second test, giving me a 75 average in the class. I can live with that. I did better on the essay question this time but missed more multiple choice questions. I really do intend to study more this time. REALLY! (As long as it doesn't interfer with my exercise!)

I'm not doing quite as well on my water this morning as I normally do, but I'm sucking it down. Instead of getting regualar 20 oz bottles this morning I decided to try out the Ozarka with the pop-top. I drink a lot slower out of it than an open-top bottle. But that's ok. I kinda like it anyway. And I'll keep the bottles so I can try and save some money this week. I really need to buy a couple more sports bottles and bring my water to work, but that takes money. ;)

I am seriously considering donating plasma to start having extra money. But I'm kinda scared too! I hate needles and still have trouble with them even after all the times I've been stuck the past three years. But I really do want to try. Not only for the money (with will help a lot) but also because it will help lots of people. I just have to get over my fear of the needle, and find out the places hours! It would give me a lot of study time too since it takes over an hour.

Everyone have a wonderful day and Keep Movin'!

Run for Love 2007

There were a lot of people at the 5K on Saturday morning. And I even ran a short distance of it! A coworker had brought her children (lots of people brought their kids and dogs actually) and her son ran off. She couldn't catch him so I offered to run and catch him before he got too far off. Needless to say, since I'm not a runner I ended up with a cramp that had me limping for most of the walk. It finally went away for the last few hundred feet. There were about 15 or 20 people that didn't finish the race, and I took up the rear for most of it (after people dropped out) but still managed to not finish last. I was kinda proud of that. Once my cramp went away I was able to walk my normal fast pace and pass up a couple of people. It was wonderful!!!! I can't wait to do it again next year. And beat my time of 55 minutes!!

As for everything else, I'm working on my business ethics essay today. That's enough to drive me nuts. I still went a bit overboard yesterday, but not very much! And I had the points for it. I'll be a lot more on-target with everything today. And I'm happy to say that this morning I'm not even feeling the walk anymore!

Everyone have a wondeful Sunday!

All Kinds of Stuff!!!

I want to start with wishing Lisa Jane a late happy birthday! She discovered that she has a waist again, among other fantastic things yesterday. So everyone can feel free to go celebrate that wonderful gift with her.

I discovered that I actually have muscles in my upper abs. I know this because they hurt when I move too much today! After water aerobics, yoga, and water aerboics again in three days I feel those muscles, as well as the ones in my arms and upper legs. It's great. The abs only hurt of a twist too much, and everything else just feels. I LOVE IT!

I'm going to miss lunch with my hubby today so I can go get fitted at the circuit training room. It's either that or be home late again tonight. He hasn't enjoyed me being late three days in a row. So I don't want to do that too him again. Also, I want to spend the evening with him. We currently have NO plans (a rarity for a Friday night) so I'm excited. Of course, that will likely change. But I hope not...

I'm all geared up to be really active for the next week. On Wednesday there is a special activity class at the gym. They are calling it a Masters course and will have Yoga, stretch, toning, and kickboxing all during that hour. It means I will miss beginner yoga, but I really want to try this out. It's supposed to be a big, special class. (And we get extra points for it on the Biggest Winners program. So it will be good for my team!)

I know I've been sounding all hyped and feeling good about myself here lately. But at times I have been feeling real discouraged too. The school pharmacist told me she could really tell I was losing inches yesterday. And I know I have lost one or two because I can fit in that pair of black pants. But that's the only old thing I can fit in again. And it's a little discouraging. Sometimes I wonder if the changes are really there or if people are saying it to make me feel better. I hope they wouldn't, but then again...some of these people don't know me THAT well. They've only known me in passing until the past couple of weeks. But I'm really getting close to some of these people now. So I really don't think they would be doing that. My head just keeps getting in my way! :) I'm really feeling great today though, even with the sore tummy! I have some great energy (although I had trouble getting out of bed!) and I'm excited about the Run for Love tomorrow. I have no plans to run the thing, but I know a lot of people that are participating. It's going to be fun to walk around campus with them and just chit chat. I think it will be a wonderful way for me to start my morning. And my first on-program weekend!

Everyone have a wonderful weekend and keep movin'!!!

Joy's was so great that I had to take the quiz and find out...

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Genius Monk. Where You Lived: Argentina. How You Died: Dysentery.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

FRIDAY'S FEAST

Appetizer
Where on your body do you have a scar, and what caused it?
I have a couple of scars on my right wrist. One is on the inside where I cut my wrist on a broken picture frame when Daddy was showing me our new house (prior to it being fixed up for us to live in) when I was four. It was actually in my bedroom! The other is one the back of my wrist and goes up onto the back of my hand. It's from a brownie pan when I was a preteen. I also have scars on my knees from multiple bicycle and four-wheeler accidents.

Soup
What is something that has happened to you that you would consider a miracle?
I found my husband. I honestly didn't think there was anyone out there for me.

Salad
Name a television personality who really gets on your nerves.
Which ones don't? I generally hate tv personalities.

Main Course
What was a funny word you said as a child (such as "pasketti" for "spaghetti")?
Uhhh, that would require that I actually remember my childhood. Sorry, I don't.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: I have always thought ______ was ______.
I have always thought that bokd where the coolest kind of entertainment. Then I discovered sex.


If you are interested in participating in Friday's Feast, you can get the questions here!