November 2009 Archives

I know this is several days late, but since I have so much to be thankful for this past year I still wanted to post my list anyway.  I think it is important to stop life for a moment and reflect on all the good things that have happened and all the positives in your life.  It's important because I think most people tend to mainly remember and focus on all the negative.  I know I tend to do that, anyway.  So here are my top 10...

1.  Making it through the awful allergic reaction I had to a medication back in April that had me out of work for two weeks, left me with three biopsy scars, and had me at the doctor every other day.

2.  After a two year search, finally figuring out why I was always so damn tired.

3.  The medication for my PLMD that helps me sleep peacefully at night and wake up ready for the day.  It allows me to function as a normal human being instead of a crazy sleep-deprived one.

4.  The South Beach Diet which has helped me to finally start losing the extra weight I have put on over two years and have been trying to lose with no success.

5.  My wonderful, amazing boyfriend who went seriously above and beyond during my allergic reaction, the sleep deprivation, and the emotional turmoil involved with the dieting.  It is a wonder how he has put up with me over this last year.  I don't want to think about where I would be without all of his love and support.

6.  A few more "firsts": first real vacation with my boyfriend, first experience at a spa, first trip to NYC, etc.

7.  Four weeks of vacation a year.  I know how lucky I am to be allowed to take this much time off.  I definitely get burned out, and definitely need the breaks.

8.  Being at a point in my life where there are lots of happy and joyful things happening, like weddings and births.

9.  Finally realizing that I should really be shopping the Petites section of clothing stores when shopping for tops.  :)  The clothes just fit so much better and look so much better on me.  It seems so painfully obvious now, I have no idea how it took me so long.

10.  All the things that are really important but I tend to take for granted on a daily basis such as a good job with a good salary, a loving and caring family, friends, my health (my health concerns are minor compared to many others, I somehow avoided getting a cold or the flu that everyone else seems to have had over the last 3 months), and a warm and comfortable home.

I am very, very thankful.

I was just looking over some of the search queries people have typed into google that landed them on my blog.  I found myself adding my own commentary and answering some of the questions and lauging to myself a bit.  I remembered that Chris over at rudecactus.com has sometimes posted some of the more interesting search strings entered that brought people to his site, adding his own commentary, and I loved reading them.  I am a copy-cat so.... I copied his idea.  See my attempt at the same thing below.  I hope you find it at least a little bit amusing, even though I don't do funny very well.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

my bf finishes before i do and goes to sleep -- Well, I'm sorry to hear that.  I'm sure you're not the only one in this predicament, though.  Does that help? 

when did someone do something nice for me?  -- I don't know you and therefore have no idea.  I don't think you'll find the answer via google though (unfortunately).  I really hope it wasn't that long ago that you honestly can't remember.

do something nice for your wife -- I would, really, but I don't have a wife. I will change this to "do something nice for your boyfriend" and hope that is close enough.

do something nice for yourself -- If you insist  ;)

i didn't know i was pregnant erin -- I am sorry, but it still blows my mind that this can actually happen.  Might I suggest you share this information with someone at TLC instead of me?  They have a show for people just like you! 

is thirty considered thirtysomething -- Hmmm.  In my book, yes.  Although now you have me questioning.

pseudo baby --  Pseudo baby?  I'd like a full-fledged real baby, thanks. 

getting engaged while married to someone else -- Me thinks this is a bad idea.  A very bad idea.

can thirty somththing wear ugg boots -- Absolutely!  Well, maybe not.  But I wear them anyway.

thirtysomething enganged -- Obviously a simple typo, but it amused me.  And made me curious about whether or not "enganged" was a real word.  It isn't, but apparently it is a common typo.  Google provided me with several examples.

love letter food popcorn socks -- Interesting combination of seemingly random words.  I do love to receive love letters, food in general, popcorn specifically, and warm socks during the cold winter.  I suppose that's how that search string brought you to my blog? 

Yesterday my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year.  I always have a difficult time coming up with a list and this year is no exception.  I did have one idea that I shared with her: either a blender or a food processor.  I suppose technicially that is two ideas, but whatever.  I have somehow managed to make it to the ripe old age of 31 having never owned either one of these kitchen appliances (am I the only one?) and thought it was high time I had one. 

Neither my boyfriend nor I is a wiz in the kitchen.  We have been cooking a lot more though, and trying new and different things with this new diet I am on.  There have been few recipes that we have recently discovered that called for either a blender or a food processor, but of course we couldn't really make them without the necessary appliances.  So when my mom asked me what I wanted and I mentioned both of these she asked which one I wanted more.  I hadn't really given it too much thought so I didn't really know what to say.  To be honest, neither one would probably get a ton of use in my kitchen, but they certainly seem like handy things to have.  I do know that one thing I would LOVE to make with the food processor is this Oreo and Peanut Butter Pie recipe that I was introduced to by Danielle. (Definitely NOT on the diet, but looks heavenly)

Anyway, later in the afternoon yesterday my mom called me back with what seemed like a great solution/compromise I had not thought of.  A blender + food processor in one.  It is really a blender with a separate food processor attachment.  She saw an Oster brand one on sale for a reasonable price.  I figured it would work well enough for my needs and wouldn't cost a fortune.  I just need something that will occassionally get the job done.  If I find I use one or the other a ton I can always ask for a high quality version of whichever one for Christmas next year.  :)

So what do you think?  Do you use a blender or food processor frequently or do they sit for months on end without being touched?  What are some of your favorite things to make with them?  Does a two-in-one type thing seem like a good compromise or is it better to buy each one separately?

Less than a month ago:

This morning:

It may not seem like much, but to me it's huge.  After two years of struggle it is going down rather than up.  Not where I need to be, but well on my way.

A while back I was shopping at kohls (a recent addition to the favorite stores list) and came across a black vest.  I tried it on, it fit, and I carried it around with me for a while as I continued shopping.  I ultimately decided to put it back.  I remembered I had an older vest at home that I never really wore so why would I need 2 of them?  I pulled it out of the closet about a week ago and threw it in the wash.  This morning I found a shirt I wanted to wear and thought the vest would go well with it.  I tried on the vest and found it to be entirely too large (I wore it anyway).  The reason it was too big is a combination that I used to be about 20-25 lbs heavier than I am now and I also wore everything way too big back when I bought it. 

I took a break at work this morning and decided to order the vest online.  It was super on sale and I found a 10% coupon code.  I bought the one pictured below, but in black.  Now I am thinking the white looks nice.  Ha.

I am looking for your opinion.  Yes or no on puffer vests?  Should I keep it and wear it, or will I be committing fashion suicide if I wear it and return it immediately?  Do you have any fashion guilty pleasures?

-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Related articles:

Petite Fashion

Vera Bradley

Favorite Article of Clothing

I finally (FINALLY!) started to see the scale move in the right direction.  Also have thus far resisted opening the girl scout cookies that were delivered on Sunday.  I bought a box of the new (I think) Dulce de Leche ones.  Anyone had them yet?  What's the verdict?

We bought two new games for the wii:  wii sports resort (boyfriend's choice) and sim city creator (my choice).  Guess which one has kept us both up til the wii (ha) hours of the night?

I decided to try this new Airborne stuff I've heard about a few different times to help fight all the gerrrrms at work.  What's your thought, does it work?

I took an actual honest to goodness lunch break.  That hasn't happened in... I don't remember how long.  (Yes I do.  It was September 28th for my birthday lunch.)

I ran again for the first time since October 26th.  I thought it was gonna suck.  It didn't.  It seems the rest did my slight ankle injury good and I ran at almost the same speed as before the break.

There is something that drives me crazy from September through about February. 

What is it? 

People who go into work when they are sick.  When they are coughing and sneezing all over the place and sound awful.  When they are constantly blowing their nose every five minutes and there is some invisible aura emminating from them screaming for you to run away.

First of all, how productive are you really going to be at work in that condition?  Second, you'll probably feel better faster if you just stay home and rest.  And thirdly, isn't it just polite to stay home so you don't gross out everyone around you and then make them sick too?

In my field it is extremely easy to work from home.  Where I work there is almost never a scenario in which there is something so crucial that it can't wait a day or two or there isn't someone else that can handle it for you if you can't come in or work.  I suppose I am mostly talking about other people in a similar situation to me.  If there is something crucial or you can't work from home, then that may be a different case. 

My boyfriend doesn't seem to worry about this stuff at all.  He thinks I waaay overreact.  We get home from work and as soon as the door is shut behind us I'm asking him, "did you wash your hands yet?!"  He usually gives me a look and rolls his eyes and then humors me and washes his hands. 

I realize this pet peeve is a bit irrational.  A bit over the top and extreme.  It probably bothers me more than most people and I worry a bit too much.  I realize I am a bit of a germaphobe.   I should probably cut people some more slack on this particular issue.  Doesn't everyone have their own little quirks and irriational fears and pet peeves, though?  What are some of yours, and do you agree or disagree with me on this one?

So waaaaay back in mid-October, Candice from Bookish Penguin passed on the One Lovely Blog award to me.  (Thanks, Candice!)

:: to accept the award:: post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link:: pass the award to 15 other blogs that you've newly discovered and remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award::

I am going to cheat a litte, but I wanted to take this opportunity to link to some of my favorite blogs.  They aren't all newly discovered, and I may not hit 15, but I love reading them all.  In no particular order:

PERSONAL

Other thirty-somethings with personal blogs.

Majimo Blogs

thoughts from along the broken road

Delightfully Sweet

Tabi

The Stylish Thirties

FUNNY

I always laugh when I go read the latest posts on these blogs.

Blogectomy

I Do Things So You Don't Have To

The Junk Drawer

MOMMY BLOGS

These women are quite funny and very interesting to read.  I think they are wonderful writers.

Amalah

Finslippy

Girls Gone Child

All & Sundry

This past weekend I went to a wedding that was down near New York City.  I have lived in New York State since I the middle of 1st grade and I have never been into "the city". 

There was one day of the 4 day trip where I had nothing to do, but my boyfriend, being part of the wedding party, was busy most of the day.  I figured I would lounge around in the hotel most of that day.  Maybe watch some tv.  Maybe take a nap.  Maybe do some writing.  I was very wrong.

The wife of one of the other men in the wedding party had planned to meet one of her friends in NYC on that one free day.  To my suprise, she invited me to go with her.  I was super excited, and a bit nervous.  It was a very tiring day but it was a terrific experience.

We arrived at Grand Central Station around 1:15pm.  The weather was a bit cloudy and I was worried that it would rain on us while walking around the city, but it remained decent for the most part and was much warmer than I had expected. 

Soon after we arrived the friend we were to meet called and said she'd be ready earlier than expected and suggested we meet for lunch around 2:15 at Edgar's Cafe on 84th Street.  We had a little trouble navigating the subway, but made it to the Upper West Side eventually.  We had to go all the way up to 96th street and then make our way back down to 84th but we ended up getting on the wrong one to go back down.  So we got off at who knows where, but it was about half a mile away from where we needed to be so we just walked.  I am glad we did  :)  We ended up finding a street vendor selling really nice pashminas for $5 so I bought two.  Also, we nearly got run over by Samantha Bee (from The Daily Show) and her baby stroller on our walk.  She was walking with her husband and baby and it was pretty sweet to cross paths with them. 

Edgar's Cafe was great and I highly recommend it.  I got a nice salad and then saved room for one of the fabulous desserts. I got the Apple Cumb Pie and they warmed it up for me before bringing it to the table.  SO good.  The cafe is apparently located in what used to be Edgar Allan Poe's residence.   

I had mentioned I wanted to see Central Park and we were near by so we headed over there next.  It wasn't too exciting but it was a beautiful atmosphere.  What a beautiful spot to walk or run.  There were LOTS of runners.

Next we hit up the Metropolitan Museum of Art.  So many things to see there.  We were there for at least a couple of hours and we only managed to see part of the first level.  We were getting tired and our feet were hurting, and it was getting torwards dinner time so we headed out.  We went back to GCS to meet up with another friend.  The original plan was to go to dinner in The Village but it was raing a bit and we didn't feel like going far.  We ended up at a fantastic Mexican restaurant and had a great time chatting and drinking $3.50 margaritas.

I should probably mention that this particular day that I took my frist trip into the city happened to be Halloween.  Our waitor in the Mexican restaurant actually warned us to be careful when we left -- because of all the crazies out.  So many people out in costume.  One other thing I learned was that children in Manhatten trick or treat during the day in the stores along the street.  Anyway, it was about 10p by the time dinner was done and so we headed back to GSC to catch the 11:15 train back to our hotel a ways north of the city.  It was kinda fun sitting in GSC and people-watching while we waited.  The most interesting thing was seeing 4 or so men running around screaming in their tighty whities and coboy hats.   

I don't think I'd ever want to live in New York City, but I definitely had a great time in the one day I spent there.  I never expected to be there on Halloween or have it be such a spur of the moment thing.  I have wanted to visit for several years now and am glad I finally had the chance.