Where have I been?

Well, I've been in a 10 x 10 room with a big window...my office. Work has not slacked up yet, so I pretty much eat, work, workout, and work, sometimes I get some sleep, but not often.

I did get the chance last weekend to go to a Charlotte Bobcat's game with Ashley. It was fun, I had never been to and NBA game, so it was something new I got to do. Jason was able to go with us this time and sit with us, which he was happy about. (THANKS Sassy!)

Hopefully things will start to pan out better at work and I can get back into having some time to blog, tweet, relax, oh...& Sleep :)!

Love ya!

Does Life Ever Slow Down?

Well, work is EXTREMELY busy for me now. Being the lead on an application upgrade project is stressful to say the least. However, being the first company in the industry to complete the upgrade will be very rewarding, that is if we can get all the bugs figured out. I'm positive we can do it, it will just take us a little longer than we had previously expected. Working late, of course has its many disadvantages.

First, it takes away from my time with Jason. We are both very busy and active, so this causes us both stress. We like to see each other and spend time with each other (yes, we still like to go on dates with each other). It has caused me not to cook as often, which is something I'm not the happiest about. It seems that I eat more when I go out to eat, which isn't good for all the hard work that I've put in to keep the weight off. I also just feel crappy in general when I eat things that aren't that good for me. I guess the old saying, 'you are what you eat', is true.

Working more hours also takes a major chunk of my gym time away *pouts*! Yes, I'm pouting about this, because the gym helps me de-stress. When I've had a bad day, or I know that I'm going to have a hectic day, I love going to the gym and being able to run. It relaxes me and especially in the mornings, it gets me ready for the day and gives me energy.

Jason is also playing softball this season with a friend. (They won their first game last night!) I missed it unfortunately, but it was because I was catching up with some friends/ex-co-workers that I haven't seen in a while.

Football season is also starting. I LOVE FOOTBALL! Next Thursday is our first home game. (GO WOLFPACK!!) We have a blast spending time with our friends, tailgating, and of course going to the games. However, it takes up most weekends, and is an all day event. So house work and work work that doesn't get done during the week, gets crammed into getting done on Sunday *sighs*. But that's typical fall for us! Hopefully we will get one or two weekends here or there to relax a little.

I am still however looking forward to November (the 20th to be exact!). Yes, I'm super excited about it! Not only does New Moon come out in theaters, but I also get to meet some lovely ladies in person for the first time! They are staying at the house, and I'm sure we will have a blast! (I think Jason's scared of having a house full of "Twilight people"!) It is one of the girls birthdays too, which means, there must be a cake! I know exactly what I'm going to do! (Not telling yet though, its going to be a surprise!) I also love playing hostess, so that will be fun as well! Several of us have been trying to get everything decided and planned for several months, trying to decide who can meet up, where we can meet, and all that fun stuff. So now that we've decided, I'm getting more and more excited!

Well, I'd better get back to the busyness that is life!

<3

Changes

Last night Jason looked at my blog and asked “What’s with all the chess stuff on your blog? Is it some stupid Twilight thing?” So it made me start to think…(Yes…it is a Twilight thing…do not judge first, please read!)

This past New Year I decided that it was time that I become comfortable with who I am and start doing things on my own. I’ve always depended on someone to make tuff decisions, well any decision really, and to just tell me what to do when I don’t want to deal with something. Independent thinking wasn’t something I was very keen on. I went straight from listening to and doing everything my parents told me to do (yes, all through college) to getting married right after college and never wanting to upset my loving husband. After getting married, well, y’all know my world for the most part crashed around me when my father passed away just 9 days after getting married and I felt like I had to take care of my mother then. The first 6 months of being married sucked, really, as we spent every weekend driving 3 hours each way to our home town to make sure my mother was taken care of. I was afraid even then to upset her or Jason. I know that Jason put up with a LOT from me and my family during this time. It was extremely trying on us and, I feel, it only made us stronger. I started thinking about everything I’ve gone through and decided that it was time that I step up and deal with everything and make myself a better, stronger person because of it. (I know…it took me long enough.) I’ve pretty much always depended on someone else to always be there to take care of me.

During this time while I was thinking (thinking phase), I was introduced to the Twilight Saga. As I read the books, it took me back to when I was younger and I would read constantly. I had long since forgotten how I could lose myself completely in a good story (Jason, I’m truly sorry for being completely oblivious those few weeks.). When reading the first book, Twilight, I saw how Bella & Edward could not seem to be apart, and for the most part in the beginning of my relationship with Jason (right out of high school for me) I was the same way. The longest we were ever apart for the first 4 years we were together was about 2 days. When I read New Moon, the 2nd book, I wanted to cry through most of the book…the sense of loss that Bella felt made me remember my own loss and it really made me start to think. Eclipse, the third book, where Bella had to make very hard decisions that would hurt people she loved, made me think of the decisions that I had to make and then stick by, even though I knew it was what was best and what I needed to do. Breaking Dawn, the last book, hit me the hardest. Bella went from being the weakest member in the family to one of the strongest. This made me think for WEEKS about myself and how I wanted to grow and become a stronger person. I pretty much kept to myself this entire time just thinking. I read an interview with the author of the Twilight Saga, Stephenie Meyer, where she explained the cover art for Breaking Dawn. Meyer said: “It represents Bella and Bella. ... Bella starts out as the weakest player on the board, and she ends up as the one who decides the outcome of the story. She becomes the most powerful player, and I really liked that metaphor. I liked seeing her evolution in one picture.” I then had a light-bulb go off in my head …I understood what I needed…

Confidence and independence… So, I started doing it and doing all of the things I’d always really wanted to do but was too scared to do! First off…I got my ears pierced again…something small, but it was big for me. Planning a trip, without my husband. I hated even driving to Hickory or Morehead City alone, two places I knew very well. I felt I had to have him with me or I couldn’t go. So, Lyndsye called and asked me to go to Forks, I decided I was going! Lyndsye and I had to plan this trip out…Jason (my wonderfully prepared hubby wasn’t going to be there)…it took some time, but we did it!

I’ve also met a lot of new people this year, through Twitter and my love of Twilight. I’ve made some great friends, who some I’ve had the opportunity to meet already this year and others I hope to meet in person soon. I’ve even met awesome lady here in Raleigh…who I get go have non-work related lunches with and maybe hit up a concert with…it’s refreshing to go to lunch with someone and not talk or think about work! Also, meeting other people with similar interests and understanding has been great! I hope I get to meet more of these wonderful ladies in person soon!

Changing my appearance…I’ve worked out for a couple of years, but since the beginning of the year, I’ve been working extremely hard with my trainer and own my own. (I love running!) Dying my hair & cutting it…to match my new feeling inside I wanted to show it on the outside. Surprise…I haven’t been a natural blonde since about 8th grade! I found a color a little closer to my ‘natural’ color and went for it! I like the new do and the new color! What’s next…something I’ve wanted since the day I turned 18…a tattoo! Jason isn’t sure about this, he doesn’t like them and would like me to wait and think about it longer, but it’s something I’ve wanted to do for years. I have the opportunity soon to go do this with a very close friend, so I’ll keep you posted about it!


These changes I’m sure have shocked my wonderful husband a little…I know the shocked look on his face when he walked in and saw my dark brown hair, the physical changes are just part of it. However, he has been wonderful to me throughout this entire process so far. I know that I’ve kept the majority of my thoughts and reasons to myself, it’s just something I needed to do for me. There are a lot more reasons but they are for me and my growth as a person and for me to use to grow my relationships.

This is me… the more independent, confident, wife, daughter, and friend!

Slack...I know...

I know, I know...I've been uber slack lately about blogging...but hey, life gets hectic.

Well of course I've been working out a lot! Actually since I've been getting acupuncture on my hip the past few weeks, I've been able to run again without pain! So I've been running and adding in more cardio work by using the Cardio Wave & stair machine. I've found that I can actually read while I'm on the Cardio Wave and the stair machine...how people run on a treadmill I'll never figure that out...but I've enjoyed reading while on the machines...it relaxes me even more and gives me more time to read.

Cardio Wave

Jason has really been enjoying playing golf with his friends and just anything golf. (Even watching golf...I'm not much on watching golf...) Since he's been playing golf so much, Jason has been trying to teach me how to play golf, well teach me how to swing first. Most of you know that I'm not the most coordinated person, so yeah...it's not the easiest for me. I also get frustrated easy so that doesn't help. But I've gone to the driving range with him twice, and it was fun. (Just don't go when you're arms are already sore...it makes it worse!) We did get to go golf my speed (putt-putt) for a date night though...I had fun!

Of course I've been working too. We have finally made some great headway on the upgrade for the application that I support. We are in the process of implementing it, which takes a lot of documentation and work since we have to ensure that our system is fully validated. But we can do it and we will be the first for this version of the application!

In the past few weeks I've also gotten 2 new baby cousins! (One got here today!) My dad's side of the family just seems to keep growing. I can't wait till we have a chance to go back to Hickory for a visit! I miss getting to see my family but I think they understand that Jason & I have a life, home, and work here in Raleigh, that keeps us busy.

I've also been trying to cook more. I even came up with my own Rosemary Garlic Cream Sauce recipe that was AWESOME with some Mushroom Ravioli (my favorite thing to eat!) Jason really liked it too! I've come up with recipes before, but trust me, they don't always turn out that well.

So life is busy, but we get along! The next few weeks are also busy but we have a few fun things snuck in...like Lyndsye coming to visit, going to see my nephew (baby Allan) and a slip-n-slide party at my college roommate's place!

Have fun...life's short!

Beach & Such...

Well, sorry I've been so slack about posting, I've been busy at work and in life in general. Jason and I did get to take a short break this week however thanks to our friends Nick & Heather for inviting us down to the beach for a long weekend. Andrew and Leah also got to come with us and we were all glad we got to stay and miss a few days of work! We had a very relaxing time just sitting on the beach and chilling out. I haven't been able to do that in a long time.

The first day on the beach, we did have an issue with some structurally unsound umbrellas, the nice breeze had other plans for this umbrella! But overall the weather was nice, the guys got to play golf together and of course us wives got to go shopping!


Southport was nice, I hadn't ever been there to go shopping before. I don't know why because there is a Christmas store...yes, I went to buy Christmas stuff in June. (You can never have too many Christmas decorations!) I also bought an uber cute flag for our mail box (which I'm planning a makeover for...I'll post pics of that once it is finished.) While we were there of course it was the lovely host and hostess' 1 year anniversary! We celebrated their day with them by going to dinner at Elijah's in Wilminton (it was tasty.)

While we were shopping at the Christmas store, I saw a display in the kids section that made me laugh and think of one of my friends...she doesn't like squirrels, and they had a whole display of squirrels, so I took a picture just for Gigi!


Heather also found some great ideas for their little girl's room (she's on the way). I think it will be cute, with the 'bugs on the wall'... or with a big silver tree in the corner like this one.


Laying on the beach also allowed me to catch up on some reading that I've been wanting to do and get tan. I got to read the first book in the Mortal Instruments series City of Bones, which I thoroughly enjoyed. And of course immediately started on the second book, City of Ashes, when I got back (although now I don't have much time for reading). They are good books, and I'm enjoying reading them.

Now its back to hitting the gym, working, and working some more.

Note to self: Find a way to get a beach house or some type of vacation house...or how to work from a chair in the sand :)...

Running...Well, Not Running

Well, I was unable to run in my race on Saturday. Not because of the weather or because I was afraid I couldn't complete the 3.1 miles, it was simply because I hurt my hip somehow and the doctor said no running for 2 weeks.

Now if I was still in high school or college, I would have taken this news with great excitement, but now I just thought 'this sucks'. It was all because apparently I've put too much stress on my hip (which apparently isn't normal to begin with). So I'm trying my best to listen to the doctor and not run. I have tried the elliptical machine and the Cybex Arc Trainer, but I just don't feel that I get the same workout as I do when I run. I think it also is weird when your arms are moving with the same leg, it just feels weird. (Maybe that is thanks to Mrs. Freeman who constantly told me that you always move with opposite leg/arm.)

"Low impact" activity, also keeps me from doing other exercises, which bothers me as well. But I'm really trying to be a good patient and listen. I can't wait until next week when I go back and have my hip looked at again...hopefully she will say I can run again, just not to push myself too hard (I'm bad about pushing myself even when it hurts).

Hopefully then I can sign up for another 5K and actually get to run in it. I'll keep you posted! :)

Being Vegetarian

Okay...most of you know that this year for Lent my husband and I gave up meat. We did this hoping that it would make us eat healthier than we had been. However, I think we were actually doing better before!

About a year and a half ago, we started going to WeightWatchers to eat healthier and loose weight. We both did very well on the Points program. I became a lifetime member last April and I've been able to keep the majority of the weight off, which I really think is harder than loosing it. However, we fell back into eating foods that we knew were high in points values (high fat/calories) and decided we needed to do something to get ourselves back on track. We continued to exercise, but not as much as we had been when we were trying to meet our goals.

Just before Thanksgiving I started working with my trainer, Johnathan, but I wasn't really watching what I was eating like I should have (especially over Thanksgiving & Christmas). After the first of the year, I really got into working out and I was watching what I was eating better and I started to see results quicker. Then I started to slack off with watching what I was eating, and I quickly stopped seeing results. Then we got to Lent, hoping this would teach us to select healthier options. However, I don't think it really has. At most of the restaurants, the vegetarian choices seem to be high in fat and fried. We have been cooking at home a lot, but we noticed that we have stopped eating a lot of fresh vegetables. Our normal dinners would consist of grilled chicken, potatoes/rice, and green beans/steamed vegetables. However, now, everything seems to be potatoes and cheese. (Items actually higher in points than what we would normally eat!) So even though I don't really want to eat as much meat as before, I'm looking forward to more balanced meals... :)!

Only 16 days left in Lent...

Another Crazy Week Down

This year seems to be flying by faster than last year, and we're trying to keep up with everything. This week at work was busy and next week promises to be even busier. There is a long 'to do' list sitting on my desk waiting for me on Monday. I plan on making it disappear by the end of next week (permitting that there are no Code Blue items that come in!)

I've started reading the second book for my book group. We are reading "Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West". It's an interesting book so far (I've been so busy this week I haven't had time to get very far.) It is about why the Wicked Witch of the West from the Wizard of Oz the way she is. I did finish re-reading Breaking Dawn this week, and I did miss a few things. I'm glad that I re-read it :). I think that is my favorite book of the Twilight Saga.

Jason and I are also going to try something new on Sundays. Jason is calling it "Disconnected Sundays". We are so connected with everyone else, sometimes we forget to connect with each other. So we are going to try our best to resist being online all day on Sundays and just spend some quality time with each other. (I'll let y'all know how that goes!) We will have to leave our cell phones on as we don't have a house phone, but we aren't going to let ourselves Tweet, text message, or check our emails!

We are still looking for a vacation to take together also. We were looking at the calendar and I think there is only one weekend free between now and my trip to Forks with Lyndsye. I also don't want to travel too far from home at the end of May/early June, because I want to be with my sister and brother-in-law when my little nephew makes his first appearance. Then beginning in late August we start our Wolfpack Tailgate Marathon. There is a home game every weekend in September. October is also busy due to conferences for work. We just never seem to slow down! But we will find a time and a vacation this year!

Wish us luck!

YEA!!

Today, in a class at the gym, we were asked to do hand stands! Now if you ever saw me run or in gym when I was younger you would understand that this is not something I would EVER try. (Somehow I could pull off being 'graceful' when I was dancing, but that isn't the case with walking :)!)

I've been taking this class, Power O2, for about a year now (off and on). When I first started, it was the hardest workout I'd ever attempted to do. I say 'attempted' because I was out of shape and the slowest person in the class. We had been asked to do handstands in the past, and I just kind of laughed at the trainer. In September, I finally got up the nerve to actually try it for the first time, and I was able to do one with someone holding my legs. However, I wasn't able to keep myself up there very long. Of course since last September, I've started working with a personal trainer, Jonathan, who is great! He pushes me to do exercises that I never thought I would be able to do. (Granted, I may not be able to move without pain for a few days after, but it works.) I've been working hard outside of my training sessions also trying my hardest to get in shape. So this morning, when we were told to do handstands, I was actually excited to see how I would do. I was able to hold it for awhile and it was fun! I was able to do several of them, and that made me happy! :) It kind of made me feel like the hard work was starting to pay off.

He also asked us to walk on a rope thing (not too far off the ground), but that didn't go so well. I apparently have NO balance! But I was happy to be able to finally do a handstand and not be scared :).

Lent

Lent is considered a time of penance and discipline. It recalls the 40 days that Jesus was in the wilderness being tempted by Satan (Matthew 4:1-11). (You can read more about it here, if you'd like.) Jason and I try to give up something that we feel is a 'staple' in our lives each year. This year, its meat! Jason was thinking of something that he hadn't gone without in a long time. Since I've known Jason, I must admit, that I too have started eating more meat. (I didn't really eat red meat often before I met him.) I love vegetables and don't care too much if we don't eat meat at every meal.

I think this will be one of the harder Lenten seasons that we have done. In past years, we have given up things like soft drinks, candy (I love Easter candy!), and fried foods. However, since we are trying to be healthier, we figured this could help us as well. We've gotten the whole working out thing down, and I'm impressed with how well that is going for us. I've had so much more energy and I feel better in general. Since we do workout so much, we both understand that getting protein will be the hardest part, but we are up for the challenge. We are still going to allow ourselves to eat dairy products and eggs. Since these things are in most products (like bread), it would be very hard to rule out things.

Luckily, we have several friends that are vegetarians, so we've gotten some really good recipes. (I'm going to add a new section for recipes/menus as we go along). I've also noticed lately, as we have been trying to think about substitutions and preparing for Lent, that more and more restaurants are offering more "meatless" options. I even saw a Garden burger at a fast-food restaurant.

I think the hardest meal will be lunch, we normally take our lunches to work with us. However, it normally consists of a sandwich with some type of deli meat on it. Now, I guess if it is a sandwich, it will be peanut butter & jelly.

I'll keep you posted on our progress!