I made a LIST? Oh reeeeally...

Remember my list?  Yeah, neither did I so I figured it was time for a refresher.  Nearly six months after I first posted it, let's see how it's going...
1. Drink more tea and water, less coffee and soda.
2. Do something active every day.
3. Learn to knit
4. Bake an Apple Pie for DH.
5. Go tent camping (sans tent if necessary)
6. Have a garage sale
7. Practice my Spanish. 
8. Eat healthier
9. Lose weight and then maintain a healthy weight.  As a fellow blogger once wrote, "Le Sigh".  Enough said.
10. Go mountain biking with the hubster
11. Stretch more Ok I'll admit this one I did actually forget about.  Whoops. Good thing I'm revisiting this list.
12. Walk 10,000 steps each day.  Ummm... no. Not yet anyway. Where is that pedometer, anyway?
13. Run (ok, jog) a 5K. I ran (ok, jogged) a 3K so I'm making progress!
14. Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier I was doing really good with this for a while but have gotten off track (as is evidenced in the fact that I am blogging when I should be in bed... oops)
15. Try a new active hobby Badminton! Trail riding!
16. Blog more I'm crossing this one off but keep me honest.  I'm blogging more these days, right?  It feels like it anyway (in a good way).
17. Host a BBQ or party (or both!)
18. Watch less TV  I'm not even close to crossing this one off.  Give me time.
19. Be a tourist at home
20. Volunteer I definitely haven't forgotten about this one. There's a call for volunteers in my neighborhood to help with the Halloween parade.  There's organizations such as Big Brothers/Big Sisters.  There are schools that need helpers.  I've researched quite a few paths I could take but haven't followed up yet. 
21. Keep my car, house, yard clean and organized Who knew?  I have a neat freak within.  And I love it (and I don't see Eric complaining. hah).
22. Have a date with the hubster at least once a month This has been easy and fun.
23. Embrace new friendships, nourish old ones I've been focusing on being good to those people already in my life.  I don't think I've embraced new friendships enough to warrant crossing this one entirely off yet.
24. Listen more, interrupt less Easier said than done, but I've made so much progress I'm crossing this off
25. Forgive.  I've forgiven. Even more importantly, I've let go.  Some people just aren't good for you.
26. Spend money wisely; learn to be cheap and proud of it! I'm much better than I used to be, but I haven't reached the 'cheap and proud' part yet.
27. Learn to drive a stick shift once and for all. Eric keeps promising he'll teach me.  Ahem.  I'm waiting.
28. Stop and smell the roses I was out walking our dog one evening and saw some fabulous roses my neighbor's yard was boasting.  I stopped and while she was sniffing the ground searching for good doggy smells, I was inhaling the roses. 
29. Suprise the hubster with something fun
30. Think about "Be the change you wish to see in the world" and work towards that end. I've been thinking about this a lot.  Operation Beautiful.  What goes around comes around.  Being good to myself and others.  All good things.

Clearly, I've make some progress.  And clearly I have quite a ways to go until I turn 31 in March. 

To be continued...

Now, I'll leave you with a few pictures.  This is where I (like my toes?) was last weekend with my family.   Whiskeytown Lake in Redding, California. We go RV camping & boating there every summer.  Absolutely pristine waters, and since we went so late in the year this time, we virtually had the entire lake to ourselves. Awesome.

And this is our doggy, Midnight.

Happily exhausted after a day of swimming, sniffing, running, and doing all things doggy.

Daddy's Girl.

My First Sticky

Have you checked out Operation Beautiful yet?  I'm a believer!  I left my first sticky on a bathroom door at Target today.  I felt like I was brightening someone else's day, and it certainly brightened my own.  It's important to support others and be kind.  It's also important to treat yourself the same way.  My note said, "SMILE! You're beautiful! Don't let anyone else (including yourself) tell you different!"  If only we would treat ourselves as we would a friend, life would be so much easier.  I vow to start doing this.  Quit the negative talk.  Focus on the positive. And be happy.  Just another penny for your thoughts....  what would YOUR sticky say?

Note to self: get out, get out, GET OUT!

I went on a hike with my Dad last weekend in Muir Woods.  The beauty of the trail literally had my jaw dropping at times. 

It's times like these I realize how much I miss being active in a fun way.  What I mean is, the gym ain't cutting it.  Maybe eventually it will, but for now I need to save the fee and get out in nature.  I love being outside.  It's relaxing, energizing, and FUN.

Little Things...

Caitlin, over at Operation Beautiful, has gotten me thinking about little acts having big effects on people.  Little things can make a difference in others lives.  Good or bad.  Large or small.  Somewhere along the way, I've lost track of being purposefully good.  Of smiling at a stranger.  Practicing random acts of kindness.  I still do those things naturally, but they have become fewer and farther between.  I'm recommiting myself here and now to act... better.  Treat people how I want to be treated.  Give a penny, for crying out loud. 

Year One: Check!

 Happy Anniversary to Us!

August 16, 2008

I love him more every day.

PCOS, Thyroid, Babies... Oh My!

I've been diagnosed with PCOS which sucks, but hey, at least I know what's wrong and hopefully how to fix it. I also have Clinical Hypothyroidism... who knew? At least now I know why I sweat my butt off and barely show any weight loss. So... got me some drugs (which I'm not thrilled about but hey, I'll give it a try) and a plan. Trying to stay positive and know that everything will balance out.

Eric and I want two kids. Soon. Like, as in, this could be my last year as a non-mom soon. I hope the PCOS won't make conceiving next year too difficult. We'll see. I'd say I'm officially baby crazy. It's not so much as I want a baby to cuddle (which is definitely there, don't get me wrong) I am just super stoked to meet our kids. To get to know their personalities, to show them the world. Cheeseball, I know, but there you have it. I'm not looking forward to the sleepless nights, but they say it's worth it and I choose to believe that.

In other news.... it's almost our anniversary! Man, this year has gone by quick. I'm so happy and love being married to him. Eric mentioned that he'd heard the first year is supposed to be the hardest and said, "This hasn't been hard at all, it's been easy." And it has been easy. Maybe the first year you have kids is the hardest...no sleep, new stress, etc. Huh. Hopefully we'll be able to find out.

We're going to Disneyland the week after our official anniversary as a belated celebration. Being big kids at heart, it'll be a perfect for us.

That's all for now... I'll leave you with a pic

This is our neighbor's cat who lives about 6 houses down from us. She is now regularly hanging out and has no fear whatsoever of our dog Midnight. Initially we thought she was a stray (she's definitely not well cared for...we'll just leave it at that) so we've been feeding her. She still goes home at night, but I think we've got a surrogate cat now...lol

Best Friends Trip!

How could I forget the big news?!

Val and I are going to NEW YORK!!!! Girls trip in October to visit some friends. I've never ever been and have been dying to go. I'm so excited. I can't wait to see some of the fall colors, visit Central Park, Times Square, and hopefully see a broadway show. After hearing about the trip, our other BFF Moni might come too!

Would it be lame if I sing "Oh Happy Days" now? Ok, ok, admittedly I don't exactly know the words to that song, but if I did, you can bet I'd be singing!

Jillian made me do it!

I came to the realization last night that I wasn't going to burn any calories simply by owning a copy of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. Funnily enough, I was a-thinking I was going to have to actually work out and get off the couch and do it. Huh!

Anyway, so I did it. I did L1, D1 (Level 1, Day 1). My arms felt like they were going to die. My neck was straining, my knees were shaking. It was humbling how out of shape I was.

It felt great.

My New, Old Best Friend

Inspired by many of the blogs I follow, this morning I decided to get out and enjoy the fresh air and get me some exercise. Pulled out my trusty old mountain bike, who hadn't seen any action in years, wiped her down, gussied her up with some new gizmos (my fav is the wireless spedometer) and was off for a day of creek trail riding.

It was the perfect morning. It's been in the 70s and 80s today with a gentle breeze. At first I was huffin and puffin a little bit, but by about 10 minutes into the ride, I was more interested in counting the number of turtles sunbathing in the creek than feeling like I was going to die. My cardio came back to me. I was golden. Yay!

My first ride was about 6 miles. When I got home Eric decided he'd join me on my afternoon ride (yes, I was jonesing to go back out and 'discover' more of the local terrain). So, off we went in a different direction. This one was less creek, more vineyards and farmland.

I swear the next time, I'm bringing some cash and my ID and we're stoping at one of the hundreds of wineries in Sonoma County. Eric brough along a Twisted Lemonade...lol.

We ended up going 6 miles round trip. 10 miles in all today. Not bad for my first time out in years, and for being as out of shape as I am! I think I've found a new hobby. Eric had a great time too, you could tell. Lots of goofing around and we had fun chatting the whole time. We took a few rest breaks. I think the highlight was riding a long the trail at a leisurely 8 MPH and being passed by a runner! LMAO! I can't wait till next weekend. I'm setting my sites on another local trail to try out. I promise to bring my camera next time, too.

All in all, a great day, good exercise, and actually pretty romantic once Eric came along.

I'm a happy girl. All thanks to this girl. :)

Shout out!

My first offical shout out to an awesome blogger. Ellie, over at Vintage Victuals, does amazing things with food. I've been cooking up a storm thanks to her. Warning: The pictures alone will make you hungry.

Tonight, the hubster will be treated to the Taco Burgers. Perfect Friday night dinner, doncha think? Maybe even with some garlic fries. He has been a good boy lately. He deserves 'em.

Costa Rican Goodness

I've done great with certain things on my to do list (let's keep it simple from here on out. To Do List = TDL, mkay?). So anyway, I have given up coffee. Haven't had a drop since April. :::cough:::

Ok, well thats not entirely correct.

My coworker just got back from her honeymoon in Costa Rica (awesome honeyoon locale, dont you think?) and presented me with a kick ass bag of Costa Rican goodness (aka Cafe de Costa Rica). Which automatically made my sense of smell 1000% heightened.

I sit maybe 12 feet from the coffee pot at work. The smell is incredible. (I sound like a junkie! lol!) After nearly 2 months of no coffee, no caffeinated beverages of any kind, I had about an inch of coffee in a little papercup this morning.

It was divine. It was a perfect amount. So maybe I'll ammend my goal and just lessen the caffeine in my diet. I was up to 2 cups a day, which for me was way too much.

In other news, I talked my gym into lowering my outrageous monthly fee to a reasonable amount, so I'm headed back tonight. I am so so so tempted to start tanning again there, too. It made me feel so good physically, and mentally. But I'm defintely wary of the whole you-could-get-skin-cancer-dummy risks involved too. Oh yeah, there's that.

And as I promised more pictures, I'll leave ya'll with a pic of me and the BFF a girl could ever have. That's Val on the left, and yours truly on the right being the nerds we are.

I've got another one!

Another "to do" to add to my list...

Remember to freaking blog once in a while! Sheesh.

I vow to blog once a week. At least. And to add more pictures. No pictures=boring blog.

Hold me to it!

There outta be a word!

I'm just geeky enough to be amused by this website.

I looked up my word, trafficky, to no avail. Ok, how about trafficy? Nope. I should email them, dontcha think?

Trafficky - ie "Let's take the back roads, it's too trafficky right now on 101." Get it? You know you love it.


In other news...

I'm working on my 30/30 list. Haven't had any caffeine (#1) since Thursday. Woot!

Working on #12 "Walk 10,000 steps everyday" one. Got my trusty pedometer. Been wearing it all morning and *gasp* I've walked a total of 158 steps! That's it?!?

Better wear my running shoes tomorrow.

My big @ss to do list!

Thirty things to accomplish in my 30th year, in no particular order:
(a work in progress)
1. Drink more tea and water, less coffee and soda.
2. Do something active every day.
3. Learn to knit
4. Bake an Apple Pie for DH.
5. Go tent camping (sans tent if necessary)
6. Have a garage sale
7. Practice my Spanish
8. Eat healthier
9. Lose weight and then maintain a healthy weight
10. Go mountain biking with the hubster
11. Stretch more
12. Walk 10,000 steps each day
13. Run (ok, jog) a 5K
14. Go to bed earlier, wake up earlier
15. Try a new active hobby
16. Blog more
17. Host a BBQ or party (or both!)
18. Watch less TV
19. Be a tourist at home
20. Volunteer
21. Keep my car, house, yard clean and organized
22. Have a date with the hubster at least once a month
23. Embrace new friendships, nourish old ones
24. Listen more, interrupt less
25. Forgive
26. Spend money wisely; learn to be cheap and proud of it!
27. Learn to drive a stick shift once and for all
28. Stop and smell the roses
29. Suprise the hubster with something fun
30. Think about "Be the change you wish to see in the world" and work towards that end.

And then she was thirty...

Today is my 30th birthday! Woot! I'm blessed to have made it this far in life, relatively unscathed and healthy.

I'm thinking of 30 Things to do in my 30th year. What do you think? I'll post back with the list soon. :)