Track On Back

I am surrounded by warm fuzzy things...

Truly, I am. Skye is laying on the couch next to me, and Spaz is laying on the pillow on the end table (correction, her throne) at my feet.

This past weekend Collin and I did our weigh in. Thankfully we managed not to gain anything over the holidays, but the downside was we didn't lose any lbs. I know I have lost some inches; everything is getting to be baggy. I know that though the scale doesn't show it I am getting rid of the bad weight. I realized that we had kind of fell off the wagon where food is concerned. We had started to allow ourselves to eat fast food, and a bunch of other junky stuff.

The scale was a wake up call, and it magically coincided with our monthly dinner planning. We discussed that we needed to get back on track with our (I hate this word, but there isn't much else to describe it with) diet (and yes imagine me saying that with as much disdain as possible...) and had fun planning some great protein and veggie rich meals. Some will be completely experimental and I will try to share them on here, even if it is just a photo and a quick blurb from the phone.

We both tried a week using this FANTASTIC app on our phones called MyFitnessPal. It is a calorie and activity tracker that you can use to set goals for yourself. It is a great tool. But sadly it doesn't work with my OCD personality or my weird rationalizing brain. I caught myself making poor food choices because "I had the calorie allowance" to have whatever it was... Not good. So, while I could be staying within my calorie goal I would ingest some completely unhealthy fatty and sugary foods. The app does track all the nutrients but the main point is the calories. As for the clash with my personality issues this would be something I would have to do for the rest of my life and I really don't need to add another obsessive impulse to my repertoire.

Hey, one of my fuzzy things left... I need to feed them soon. I have dinner going on high in the crock pot... This is one of those experimental things... I was supposed to just make chicken and veggie soup... I added some corn, bell pepper, and black beans along with a merry myriad of spices (and some heat) to give it a little more of a southwest flare.

Taco Salad!

Ooooo, I have avocado...

Resurrecting the Lost

Even if I wanted to I couldn't sum up the last few months in one post.

I can tell you that I am happily heading into a healthier and happier new year. I am sure the rough seas are not completely behind us, but c'est la vie!

I refuse to make any promises or "resolutions" to post on here more frequently. That always seems to be a death sentence for what would otherwise be more frequent postings.

Collin and I are finally at the stage in our training that we are starting to do some jogging with our walking. It feels great. This is what I think I have been missing. I love the high I get from running. My posts will probably start to have a lot more about our training and how it is progressing.

I still intend to post random juicy bits of insanity and hilarity. I need to really start using my phone more... I don't know why I haven't been posting random short blurbs on here with it. Lazy I guess. No more lazy. It is time to live. Before the world ends... LOL!

For anyone unawares, we did get a dog... Just not exactly the way we planned. But that is another story for another time. I am sure I will eventually find the time to post the nuggets of drama from the past three months. Just not tonight. I am tired. I just paid bills for the month. We ran (just so you know; i will refer to our interval jogging/walking/running stuff as running; it's so much more compact...) two miles tonight, and lord only knows what cruel torture our trainer has in store for us tomorrow morning in the freezing effing cold.

That's it for now... Until next time; be it tomorrow, the next day, or April... LOL, no seriously I hope it won't be that long.

From This Paper Bag

I could rule the world!!

I am fairly certain that is what Spaz thinks whenever we bring a paper grocery bag home...

So, as a month, September was a bust. Between hubby mama drama and being sick for about three weeks I really don't remember much of it.

Collin and I are going to start going on weekend adventures. By adventures I mean explore and meander around town. Yesterday is a sample of what I mean.

We went out to Cornelius to WalMart (always good for meandering), tried on some fashionable items (you can see this on my facebook if we are friends), and bought a wicked zombie poster. Then we wandered (in the truck) back into Hillsboro and went over to the Dollar Tree. That was interesting. We did find some toy guns that shot plastic balls that we wanted to get. I was thinking we could be like Mr. & Mrs. Smith in the house with them... When we got to the register and saw the insane lines at the two open check stands we just humbly placed the toys in a nearby basket and left. We began to head home but went to REI first. With the changing seasons we thought it would be a good idea to get some nice gloves to wear for our walks (especially the early morning ones!) and also checked out some other gear. Collin really wants to invest in a CamelBak. I do too. They would be great for when we really start getting into long distance running.. But that is still a ways off. I also found a cute lidded camp mug that is perfect for work for tea and cider and other hot beverages of my choosing (we have a hot water dispenser at work). After REI we went home. End of adventure...

Or is it just the beginning?

Collin starts his classes tomorrow. Just nine months to a better paying job (we hope!). Collin will be getting his CCNA (CISCO Certified Networking Associate) certification through PCC. I am so proud and excited for him to be following his ideal/dream career path. He is truly a nerd wizard. So for the next nine months I will get two evenings a week to myself... Yay...? Yes, it will be nice.

In other news, Collin and I are seriously considering adding a new member to the family. We have discussed it repeatedly and given it tons of thought, and we are ready to take this next step and share our lives (and love!) with another. We are thinking adoption. And hopefully all will be said and done by December. We will have to be moderately selective, because there are restrictions where we live. Ideally we are wanting to adopt a Labrador between one year and three years old. We are being very responsible about this, if we weren't we would already have adopted this adorable black lab named Clyde that we saw on the Oregon Humane Society's website a week and a half ago. We know when the time is right we will meet/find the right dog. And I am adamant that it be a shelter dog.

I know, that was slightly a cruel joke for some of you, but if you really know us you know that we are not interested in having human children (at least not anytime in the near future). I would rather continue to spoil my nieces, nephew, and all of my friends' awesome kids.

Well, it's off to make dinner. This should make you salivate: I will be making chicken, boiled potatoes, and steamed carrots and broccoli with a nice chicken mushroom sauce. Yea, I am that awesome.

Puppies!

Chocolate apple juice

I was in the kitchen stirring stuff in a glass...
Collin: chocolate milk?
Me: no...
C: what then?
Me: chocolate apple juice...
C: ....

That just happened.

What's The Filet To Carcass Ratio

This was a serious question my boss had to ask the CEO today... Yea, that's why my job is AWESOME. I seriously love it. We curse ourselves constantly. Criss and I that is. Back in May she told me that we would use the typically slow summer months to get me cross-trained to be back up on international and lab orders.... For the most part we have been successful in getting me cross-trained, but it has never once slowed down. This is good for work obviously.

Friday afternoon managed to be pretty dead and my monitor was dying like the matrix was caving in on itself, so we decided to FINALLY do the great monitor swap... I say finally because we have had the new monitor for Criss since I started. I got her flat screen and she got the newish one that had been waiting. During the swap we decided to take advantage of the opportunity and totally clean and rearrange our desks. My desk looks awesome now.

Monday was fairly calm as well, and that was when we shot ourselves in the collective foot. Criss mentioned that maybe (like the weather) we were finally hitting the summer period and slowing down. WRONG. We have been pretty freaking busy since then.

Now to get to the fun, juicy, personal stuff. I will kind of be working backwards from most recent to around the last posting.

Tuesday I had my first root canal. It was just so wonderful I got to have it split into two appointments (part deux is on the first... Yay...). It really wasn't too bad. The endodontist my dentist referred me to is amazing. He also (after the initial consult and me telling him my dental visit anxiety was about a six on a one to ten scale) gave me a nice little .25 milligram pill by the name of Triazolam to take an hour and a half before the appointment. I honestly had more anxiety about taking the pill than the appointment because I have never taken any prescription drugs of this nature (it's an awesome little sedative; google it). I honestly only remember bits and pieces of the rest of the day, here's the highlight reel:
While waiting at the dentist's office I really wanted to lay on the love seat in the waiting room and my argument to Collin was that if they didn't want me to lay on it they wouldn't have it there.
Collin flipped someone off on the way home.
Once home (around six something) I decided I wasn't tired and for some reason ended up on Food Network watching Iron Chef America.
I woke up at 7:30pm and ended up going to bed... I don't remember getting upstairs or anything...
Collin apparently tried (futilely) to wake me and see if I would eat something since I hadn't eaten a meal since breakfast at 5:45am and had only had a couple small snack at work.
Next I knew my alarm was going off and I had to get up for work.

Yeah, all that on a Tuesday to boot, and we all know how much I freaking HATE Tuesdays.

The 21st we celebrated our sixth anniversary; Collin gave me a new frying pan and candy (sticking close to traditional gifts, which has been our thing).

Last Saturday we walked eight miles. Awesome.

On the 16th my beautifully awesome older sister hit the big THREE OH (30 for those of you who went to Taft). I went and saw her a few days prior at work. I surprised her with flowers and balloons, including one that said over the hill... They didn't have any turning thirty balloons.

During that weekend (which was a four day weekend because we both took Thursday and Friday off) K also came to see me finally! It was great. I wish she lived closer (but soon enough, all things in due time)! We also went to IKEA and got a nice cabinet for our booze and the printer.

Let's see what else.

We got our big kid phones (aka "smart" phones) a couple weeks ago. Collin got the Droid X2 and I got my Samsung Charge (which I totally heart). We also learned that through Collin's work we get an uber discount on his phone line (which is the primary).

We rearranged the living room.

I am thinking I am going to start posting on here the random dreams I have been having lately, along with the random awesomeness that Criss and I conjure at work.. We are insane geniuses. I noticed while at the copier today that I need to give the truck a bath. I learned today that Meth Spirits are not what you think. It's actually a form of ethanol with additives that make it poisonous so people won't be inclined to drink it. And in New Zealand they use it to prep animals for sterile procedures. Yea, I learn cool shit like that at work.

I am sure there is more, and I hope there will be more but now I would like to watch an episode of Mad Men before bed.

Peace out bitches, and welcome back to my insanity.

If I Had A Taco Salad

What a weekend; mostly good with just a slight overshadowing.

 

Saturday the group met for the “Magic Mile” in which the runners see how fast their mile is. While they tortured themselves we walked two and a quarter miles around the track (nine laps). I can’t wait to get to the point where we are in good enough shape to run, but I don’t necessarily envy them on Magic Mile days… At this point we are pretty sure we are going to do the Mt. Angel Oktoberfest 5k as our first “race” (I use the quotes because we will be walking it…). I am excited.

 

After the wickety walk we cleaned ourselves up, had a delicious scramble made with the left over BBQ fajita mixture, and then went to see Grams (Collin’s grandma). She is doing amazing. We almost made it out of there without her asking about the Camry (which used to be her car) but alas, she asked and we had to tell her. I think she was pleased that we donated it to a good cause. From Grams’ nursing home in Canby we made the dreaded drive down to the Tron (aka Silverton).

 

When we arrived, for some unknown reason, mom was wandering around outside near the road like she was looking for something. I thought one of the dogs had got out or something. She was happy to see us. We gave her a birthday card and flowers. The three of us walked into the house (I am not even going to go into the state of the house or the yard; all I will say is it was shocking and depressing). Mike was “asleep” in the living room. As mom walked in she announced that we brought her Mother’s Day flowers… Yea, it was kind of painful but nothing new. We are aware that her memory is steadily deteriorating. Mike didn’t even acknowledge our presence and given the lateness in the day we are confident he was not necessarily sober. It was frustrating for me; I know it was even more difficult for Collin. After some uncomfortable and awkward small talk we left.

 

We had a great lunch at one of our favorite places and then moseyed back this way. There were some other minor events on the car ride home but none of them were note worthy.

 

Sunday was spent doing chores and cleaning. It was nice though. I always love the zen-esque serenity that comes over me after cleaning. I made an amazing lemon herb chicken in foil packets on the grill and steamed a nice herbed veggie mix in these wicked awesome Ziploc steamer bags. Oh, and I also managed to slice my left index finger while slicing the lemon… Yeah that hurt. It seems fine today and I don’t think it was quite as deep as I first thought. After dinner we watched Sucker Punch; which I must say is a very interesting and vibrant movie. I would love to own it on Blu-ray and have a 70” Quattron TV to watch it on. The graphics are just so artfully explosive.

 

The one thing that soured the day for me was the night. I was content and happily exhausted (take from that what you will) and was ready to slip into the blissful black coma of sleep but I never quite made it over the edge. In turn, I feel like I didn’t hardly sleep at all, and I was plagued with constantly waking up. So frustrating.

Today, for being a Monday, was a pretty good day. We are going for our walk after dinner. I need/want/crave it. I am sadly no longer "under the radar" at work it seems... The owner was talking to me today... About his concern with regards to my weight. I know, I know, most people are screaming, "Inappropriate!" But seriously, the dude is a million years old and he truly does care about his employees. It was hard not to laugh though when he started asking about the "when" I put on the weight... I know he was trying to psycho-analyze me, it was adorable. What was even better was his reaction to the fact I walk two to three miles a night on the weeknights and five miles on Saturdays. I really don't care if he believes it or not. Considering the type of people I have worked for in the past, his attitude towards his employees (for the most part) is refreshing and completely opposite from my previous job. Some of his tips are bound to be helpful, but I will pick and choose which pieces I will use. Again, he is 85 and still kicking ass and taking names so he must be doing something right. It was adorable when he admitted that he eats ice cream TWICE a day. His biggest thing is a mostly to completely gluten free diet.

I hope Collin gets back soon. I iz hungry for dinner (chicken salad wraps and green salad).  It doesn't help that I am watching Food Network... Not a good way to curb the hunger pains... 

I need to go wash my face. 

Random statement right?  Probably thinking something bad right? WRONG! I don't like keeping my make up (==eyeliner) on after work. 

Hell yes add booze to that coffee and ice cream.... Mmmm, this is so wrong... Booze soaked pound cake with almonds and ice cream. Okay, I think she has a problem, she has a charge account at the liquor store... 

FACE!

Let's Play a Game

I play this game everyday at work. It keeps the job interesting... It's called "You Can't Win." Yea, it's a super fun game where every avenue of possibility leads to FAIL.

Don't read into that, the job is still awesome.

I should have gone to the gym tonight. I am tired and restless all at once. My legs want to run but my head says it's sleepy time.

Collin and I are steadily increasing the distance of our walks. On weeknights we are walking two to three miles; on the weekend days it's closer to five to six miles. It feels great and I feel great. I am hoping to see some results on the scale next weekend too.

We bought a nice propane grill a few weeks ago, and I heart it. Since it is "summer" (the weather until the past week hasn't really exhibited summer but this is Oregon) most all of our hot meals have been done on the grill. I love experimenting on it.

I really have to pee right now, but if I go up stairs I don't think I will come back down tonight... This is a laptop though so I could take it up there with me.... I am a GENIUS!

SUCCESS! Empty bladder and the blog action continues.

Not much has happened since the last post... There have been some moments but nothing to earth shatteringly important. We did have to put another few hundred dollars into the truck... Yay! He needed a new catalytic converter. AND I got to see an old friend from way back in the day.

Work has been so busy time has just flown by. It's good for job security. I have learned so much, and as far as I can tell people love me... It's kind of weird. This is definitely a great job to have until I get everything in order for what I would REALLY love to do.

Bear with me on this because it may seem outlandish (and before you decide to be a nay-sayer remember I would never deny you your dream), but I want to be a tattoo shop manager and eventually owner someday. I DO NOT WANT TO ACTUALLY TATTOO (I think). The blood thing kind of freaks me out a little. I think it would be awesome to just own and run a nice, respectable, clean shop where talented artists can do their work. Plus it would be a space where I can display MY ART (and my fellow artists art). It's a far off dream like many of my dreams but it's what I think I would really enjoy doing when I grow up.

Here's one funny anecdote from the past month (it actually occurred Monday of this week):

Collin and I decided to walk to the Walgreen's near our place and so I had on my purple sak pak that I got as a freebie from Arie's Apparel. When I was putting on my shoes Collin came down the stairs and saw the purple thing on my back and thought at first I was wearing a tiny purple cape (in hindsight this would be awesome, like an homage to the "Purple Dude" I used to see going to the chiropractor across from the collection agency in Salem). It was a hilarious moment that soon passed. Then as we made our way to the store I was joking aroung like I was going to weave down the sidewalk with my arms out (kind of Supergirl-esque) saying, "Weeeeeeeeee!!!!!" Natuarally, we let our imaginations run wild with this and we made up a whole background story about why I do that in case someone were to stop and ask. And now we have yet another weird retard (differently abled for you sensitive types) scenario in our inside jokes.

Okay, thank god  I went pee when I came up here... Spaz just scared the beejeezus out of me. I thought I had closed our bedroom door all the way and she just pushed it open. I thought it was Collin (which still would have startled me) but I think it being her scared me a little more because she doesn't have opposable thumbs and she cannot reach the doorknob, and, like I said, I could have sworn I closed the door all the way....

I am in another blackhole with certain friends again it seems. And it really kind of pisses me off. I see what will happen already, in about a week or so I will get a call or a message about how this that and the other thing and blah blah blah. Then down the road another favor will be asked that I can't do anything to help with and then it will be the perpetual silent treatment all over again. WHY? Why do I let myself be suseptable to this kind of bullshit. At least now in my life I can recognize it. Oh well. I know who really cares about me and that's all that matters.

Spaz is going to hate in a couple minutes when I kick her out of the bedroom so I can go to sleep. Luckily the group is meeting a little later tomorrow so we don't have to be up before 6:30. Tomorrow should be a fairly busy day. After the walking we are going to go see Collin's Grandma (today was her 83rd birthday) and then we are going to *shudders* swing down to his parents (his mom's 60th birthday is Sunday). That will be a blast I am sure. I am excited to see Grams though. Love that old bird.

Some things to look forward to: Collin and I are taking a couple days off soon for a nice four day weekend. It will be great, even if we end up having dental appointments during some of that time, it will still be great.

I am going to go to bed now. I was trying to kill some time so my wonderful (yes for once that IS dripping with sarcasm... Okay not so much but maybe a little) husband would be up here to come to bed at the same time. One because I enjoy climbing into bed together, and two I don't want him to wake me up right after I fall asleep, thereby disrupting my natural sleep cycle and turning me into super MEGA bitch wife... LOL

Good night.