A Day Off

My day off has been PRODUCTIVE!

I got some cleaning done, had a healthy breakfast, got some grocery shopping done, a car wash, made a date with a  local blogger (Tricia) to go to an Austin Blogger Meet Up with Jenna from EatLiveRun, a trip to the bank, Crate & Barrel to use a gift certificate (that is another blog post), blogged a couple of entries already today, a new job…

What? 

 

That is right folks…I got the offer today for my DREAM JOB that I blogged about last week.

I am BEYOND giddy about this opportunity.  LuAnn’s friendship blesses me in more ways each and every day.  First…I couldn’t DREAM of a better friend than her…she listens, she cares, she takes care of me, she loves me no matter how crazy I am, and in spite of all the DUMB things I do…she is the best!  Beyond that she has helped me get part time gigs and even got me this interview with the catering company.  Shows you that friends are there for you in all kinds of ways.  THANKS LUANN!

So here are the details that I know…it will be part time at least until the end of September or mid October.  It will be M-F in the mornings…I am working with the spa right now to see if I can work afternoons and Sundays for them…hopefully they will do it and I won’t have to find a different part time job…FINGERS CROSSED!  Either way…this is my future and I will do whatever it takes to work the 20 hours a week that they can give me right now. 

Today also lead to a new recipe that Lynn at TheNextChapter blogged about the other day…IT WAS GREAT!

Crispy Buffalo Chicken Bites

I am tired and I have to get stuff ready for tomorrow…I already put my overnight oats in the fridge for tomorrow morning…YUM!  I can’t wait to go to the blogger meet up with LuAnn and Tricia…it will be FUN!  I am hoping that Jenn and Marla will be able to join us… :)

Again…HAPPY BIRHTDAY SARAH!  I am glad you had such a great birthday!

Friends, Fun and Music!

On Saturday my gang of peeps, minus Lu, met and had dinner at the Pasta House and then headed over to the Backyard, where we got Lu back, to see Colbie Caillat and Sheryl Crow.

Now…if you know me, you know I LOVE MUSIC.  I mean LOVE LOVE LOVE!  I love finding new music, I love sharing new music, I just love it!  I love when you listen to a song over and over and over and then one day…it is your song.  Something that hits close to home, or helps brighten your day…you know THAT SONG!  I have a million of THOSE songs!

A lot of THOSE songs come from Colbie.  I personally think she is a breath of fresh air.  I love how fun her songs can be.  How serious they can be…I just love her sound.

And when I saw her on stage…I loved her!  She seems so free spirited…she was beautiful!  I kind of have a little girl crush on her :)

  And Sheryl…really…she is just AWESOME!

FRIENDS make the NIGHT! 

We had a great time!

  

I LOVE THESE WOMEN!

So Proud

Today is my niece Sarah’s 15th Birthday!  Do you remember how excited you were to turn 15?  Now multiply that by about…um 15 and that is how excited Sarah is and was about today!

To say I am proud of the woman she is becoming is an understatement!  Life hasn’t always been easy for Sarah and her brother and sisters, but she keeps on going. 

She has an amazing spirit and drive about her.  I only wish I had been that driven when I was her age.  She excels in school, excels in athletics and most definitely excels in life. 

Happy Birthday Sarah Bethany

 

I LOVE YOU!

I am one VERY proud Aunt…thank you for bringing joy into my life…

Now go be a teenager and CELEBRATE!  :)

“To be a star, you must shine your own light, follow your own path, and don't worry about the darkness, for that is when the stars shine brightest”

Do you have a Guilty Pleasure?

I am so excited to be participating in Mamarazzi’s latest and greatest swap!  I get to send a box of my guilty pleasures to a new blog friend that has yet to be determined…CAN’T WAIT!

 Thanks for always hosting such a great swap Mamarazzi…

Interested?  Go check it out…if you want to participate follow the rules and sign up…it could be FUN!

Progress

First…My Aunt Lou passed away this weekend.  Aunt Lou was part of the awesome foursome of my Mema’s siblings.  Mema had 12 other siblings but she was really close to 3.  Those are the 3 that I have the most vivid and fondest memories of.  And of course I am sad that Aunt Lou is gone, but it also brought back memories and sadness of losing Mema. 

One would think after almost 10 years it would get easier…but it doesn’t.  I wish she could have seen the woman I have become.  I wish she could have met Ryan’s wonderful kids.  I wish she could have met mine.  I miss her…

Today is a day to remember what a great woman Aunt Lou was.  I wish I could be there for that, but it is too far away.  So hugs to the girls and all of her family…She was a great woman and will be missed!  (Sorry for the sap first thing in the morning)

Yesterday was my day off and I hit the ground running.  I wanted to be productive and get things done…and while I got a lot done there is still more to do.

What did I do?

I had a healthy breakfast with a new to me apple.

 

I went to the chiropractor

I FINALLY got Time Warner to take my DAMN MONEY…billing address and service address being different REALLY confuses them.  I had to GO to their office and pay my bill.  They “think” that they have the issue taken care of.  Have I mentioned that I DON’T LIKE TW?

I went to my WW meeting.  Lu met me there.  It was good.  Good for me to see and hear.  2 woman hit big goals.  50 pounds lost and 60 pounds lost.  There were tears and hugs and cheers.  I miss that feeling.  I want this weight that I put back on off.  BUT I need to be willing to put the work into it.  I need to quit being lazy and thinking it will all happen on its own…IT WON’T.

LuAnn and I went and had a healthy lunch and then some frozen yogurt :)  It was YUMMY!

 

I got my hair cut…it is so soft!

I dropped off some dresses to be dry cleaned.

I went to the post office.

I went to the grocery store and got some veggies and such…and then what did I do? 

I went out to dinner.  VERY VERY COUNTER PRODUCTIVE!  I did however find a cool website…that I am probably the last to know about.  Restaurant.com and they are having a big sale right now…Ex:  A $25 gift card that normally sells for $10, I got it for $2 last night.  It goes until the end of the month.  When you check out type in the promo CLEARANCE. 

There was also cleaning, blog reading, emails with friends and book reading…I am happy with what I got done yesterday, but there is still more to do.  LIKE maybe I should have gotten up earlier today and gone for a walk before it was 105 again?  Just a thought :)  But alas I am off to work soon. 

Tonight when I get home…I will eat dinner at home and I will take my puppy out to play!

Goals for the week:

• Stopping eating everything in sight!
• Get up at a decent hour and GET out of bed and GET moving (you have a puppy that would LOVE to go for a walk!)
• Prepare good food so that I don’t make bad/easy choices
• Hang up the clean clothes!
• Get to a WW meeting (doesn’t mean I have to WI, but I need the accountability and I need to get back on program)
• Call one person every night who I haven’t talked to in awhile
• Send 5 cards out…lots of thank you cards I could sent out!
• Make time for the chiropractor!
• Possibly get my hair cut.
• Get ready for Sheryl Crow and Colbie Caillat on Saturday…it is going to be SO MUCH FUN!  GREAT FRIENDS and Great Music…thanks LU and Drew for the ticket!
• pictures on the blog again…I need to get back in the habit of taking pictures of ALL the food I put in my mouth!
• Blog about the rest of Boston…

I leave you with pictures from Thomas and Mallory’s first day at school.  Thomas started the 2nd grade and Mallory started Pre-K.

Keep Austin Weird…

there are no words…

ok..maybe a few…put your clothes back on!  :)

Enough is Enough

Ok…two weeks should be more than enough time to settle into a new job.  Should be…but I still feel overwhelmed by everything.  I am trying to get back into a routine.  Trying being the key word!

JOB:

So here is the scoop…for the time being I am working full time at a spa while I wait for my dream job.  I interviewed for a catering company to be their event coordinator/administrative person.  I WANT IT!  I know the interview went really well and they like me, it is just a matter of making room for me.  Hopefully I will know more in the next 2 weeks.  In the mean time I am actually enjoying working at the spa.  I love meeting new people, talking to them, helping them…it is right up my alley.  And the perks will be AWESOME when my first 90 days are up!  I am thinking about keeping it as a part time job even after I go full time at the catering company.  (see that positive thinking?  :))

PETS:

Bailey and Reese are doing well.  Reese is having to adjust to being in her kennel for a few more hours each day.  The good news is the spa isn’t too far from home, so I can come home at lunch and let her out for a bit!  The bad news is she hit a bad phase of wanting to chew blankets and such…so there is NO way she will be left out.  Fortunately for me…she doesn’t do it to my things :)  She has chewed a few of J’s hats and one of his blankets and blankets that are in her kennel.  Going to have to figure out how to stop that…maybe taking her out to play more will help!

Weight Loss:

NON existent!  I have been eating anything and everything that I want.  I wish that I could have kept things going in the right direction.  I was doing well before I left for vacation.  And while I was on vacation I wasn’t doing too bad…but then I got home and I got lazy with my food choices, lazy with getting any activity in, just LAZY in general.  I haven’t been to a WW meeting in WEEKS.  Right now I am unable to go to my normal meeting…so I am just going to have to make it a priority to get to A meeting…any meeting, just get there!

Life:

I LOVE my friends and family!  To those who have checked on me…thank you!  I am ok, just trying to get it all done!  Funny how not working for so long will make you forget how to do normal day to day things!  I am working on being better with my communication…

Goals for the week:

• Stopping eating everything in sight!
• Get up at a decent hour and GET out of bed and GET moving (you have a puppy that would LOVE to go for a walk!)
• Prepare good food so that I don’t make bad/easy choices
• Hang up the clean clothes!
• Get to a WW meeting (doesn’t mean I have to WI, but I need the accountability and I need to get back on program)
• Call one person every night who I haven’t talked to in awhile
• Send 5 cards out…lots of thank you cards I could sent out!
• Make time for the chiropractor!
• Possibly get my hair cut.
• Get ready for Sheryl Crow and Colbie Caillat on Saturday…it is going to be SO MUCH FUN!  GREAT FRIENDS and Great Music…thanks LU and Drew for the ticket!
• pictures on the blog again…I need to get back in the habit of taking pictures of ALL the food I put in my mouth!
• Blog about the rest of Boston…

SO there you have it…I am alive!  I am trying to catch up!  Thanks for reading!

How was your weekend?

Wow…

I have missed blogging.  Life has gotten crazier and I PROMISE I will be back with all kinds of updates…including:

• The Rest of my Boston Adventure
• My new look (have you come out of reader and checked it out?)
• Coming back home
• My new JOB
• Maybe a chance at my DREAM JOB (fingers crossed at 1 PM tomorrow)
• The heat
• Getting back on the Wagon
• My wonderful friends!

You know…all kinds of fun stuff!  I am having to adjust to being back home and starting a new job with lots and lots to learn.  I will get back to blogging soon.

In the mean time…how are you?  I have a LOT of blogs to read in my google reader…maybe tomorrow I can start weeding through!

Have a GREAT day…and remember to smile! 

Boston Day 1

Man was Sunday a LONG LONG LONG travel day.  I don’t know how people in the NE travel without losing their minds!  The 2 hour “beep and creep” as Anika calls it that lead up to the George Washington Bridge on the north side of Manhattan…was enough for me!  That didn’t include all the rest of the trip!  But we finally made it to Cambridge!

First we stopped in Princeton, NJ to check out the campus of Princeton…Anika is an Alum!

 

Cambridge/Boston

Anika lives about a mile from Harvard Square and about half a mile from Trader Joe’s :).  A short bus ride away from the T to take me into Boston…I have been here before and I have loved it every time!  Leading up to the trip I had looked at all different things that I might want to do online…but I have mostly settled on just seeing what happens. 

So day 1 was a day of Cosi’s and just walking around enjoying the weather and the city!

 Have I mentioned just how much I love Cosi’s? 

The Massachusetts State House

 

Walking in and around the Boston Commons and the Boston Garden

I LOVE the Life is Good brand and they are based out of Boston…every time I come to Boston I always swing by the Flagship store…it is a happy place for me to remember that LIFE IS GOOD!

Had to get to the North End so that I could try some Hazelnut Gelato…it wasn’t bad!  And that area is beautiful!

 

One of my favorite buildings in Boston…going to try and go to the top before I leave!

After a trip to Trader Joe’s we had a great dinner full of VEGGIES!  We were in desperate need!

So there you go…day one down.  Day 2 has started off pretty low key…but I am getting up to go have some fun!