Well, this week nothing majorly exciting happened. Just a few changes made, a few bad decisions made in weakness, and some new plans made and began taking shape.
I found that my body did NOT like the low carb menu at first but the 2nd and 3rd day were okay. However my lunch food volume needs to be increased b/c the thought of being hungry shortly after I ate led to me cave when a co-worker invited me out to lunch and to the failure to pack a lunch the next day. Even though I lost some of my control at lunch two days in a row, I stayed on track with my other meals. My energy level was much better this week and my weekday sleepies subsided. GOOD NEWS though is that I walked by a WHOLE BASKET of chocolate chip cookies yesterday without eating any of them! THAT was a HUGE success for me!
When one of my co-workers mentioned walking at lunch time I began investigating where we could walk b/c parking lot walking sucks and our entire complex doesn't have any sidewalks. Luckily I found that the City of Raleigh has a great Greenway system that we can access at 2 different places within 5 minutes of the office plus a really nice neighborhood with sidewalks and parks so we can have a variety of scenery. We plan on starting out with just a couple days a week but if it works out I may try to get out everyday that the weather permits.
I have another co-worker who takes the stairs up every morning instead of the elevator. I'd like to try that next week but will have to put all my stuff in the backpack so I can pull myself up with the handrail while crawling past the last couple floors before I get to the 8th! ha ha But I'm going to give it my best effort! All part of my new health plan - better cardio and improved glutes - ha ha
Now one of my neighbors sent out an email about forming a walking group too for after work. If they're willing to wait until I can walk then I will try to join them too but 7:30 may be too late for them so I don't know if that group will work for me.
Then to finish the week out I ran by my new part-time employer today and picked up the catalogs and my new business cards to start back into the cabinet design business for the 3rd time. For 17 years I was a cabinet designer with the exception of an 8 month hiatus where I ventured back into the world of commercial design and the past year. However my passion has always been cabinets and I always seem to return to that industry. Last year as my 'life changing event' was coming to a close and my new life just beginning, I took on this position as a CAD designer for an industrial engineering firm. It has been a great learning experience and I just had my 1 year anniversary at the company but I miss using my creativity to design great living spaces and the interaction with the clients. So the perfect situation came via one of my co-workers and now I am part of the Heritage Kitchen & Bath team as a part-time designer. The guys that own the place are really nice and this is going to be a REALLY great business venture for all of us.
So, lots of good things are still happening in my life and the changes continue. Have a great weekend and I'll let ya know if anything exciting happens. If not, then it's a weekend of continuing the work on my kitchen, planning my home office, and reviewing these cabinet spec books.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Monday, March 5, 2012
Monday but no Schmunday...
So today started out kinda crazy, but crazy in a funny way, not a bad way. I woke up at 5:58am without my alarm, realizing that my alarm was turned off for some reason. First thing I said was "Thank you Lord for waking me up in time to get to work on time." Little did I know what was in store for me. Made my cup of coffee and set out to take Dixie to the doggie restroom. As soon as I opened the door I could see irregular lighting shining in my front door. When I stepped out I was blinded by some of those bluish colored headlights from the top of the hill. As I got closer with Dixie I could hear the car running. I made the safe assumption that they were a) warming their car up or b) waiting to give someone a ride. I couldn't see if anyone was in the car or not because it was dark. And seeing as how I was in my pjs, with bedhead under my coat hood, no mag light, nor "protection" with me, I chose to stay on my normal route.
As I proceeded through my morning routine I periodically glanced out the window noticing the lights were still there. Well, there was nothing I could do about it with nothing but my towel on so on to finishing the routine. Walking out the front door for work, yep, you guessed it, the lights were still there. Only now it was 7:12 so it was light outside and the car had officially been there for at least 1 hour 10 minutes. So I drove up there and approached it as I saw someone with the seat slightly reclined. First I knocked on the window, no response, then I knocked again, no response. By now I'm thinking "Oh Lord, please don't let this guy be dead and me be the one to find him." So I resorted to pounding on the window with my fist. THAT woke him up. He looked around then looked at me when I said "Hey, you okay?" The most dazed and lost look on his face. He had the "Where the heck am I?" look as he looked around my neighborhood. Then he realized his car was running so he cut it off, headlights still on. So I tried one more time asking if he was okay, once again, no response. He kinda slammed his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes so I left. I immediately called the police to come check it all out.
I sure wish the police would call you back and give you an update but apparently he left before they got here. One of my neighbors saw the police looking around but the guy was gone. Oh well, made for an interesting Monday for me. It's not everyday you find someone passed out in your parking lot with his car running and lights on. He is very lucky that he was conscientious enough to put the car in park before passing out or he would have rolled down a 8-10' embankment, nose first into the ditch. At least I would have known he needed help if I had seen that! ha ha
So part of my 2012 health plan is trying various foods and changing my menu up every week or every two weeks. In the past I have had very successful weight loss for a while then my body adjusted and I got bored, which led me back to my old habits of fried foods, soft drinks, and cookies. Today I began a week long endeavor of fewer carbs and low fat where possible but my main focus is "sugar-free/low carb." I won't say today was easy because it wasn't but my body will adjust as long as I continue. I will say that by eating so many less carbs that I didn't have the 3pm sleepies that I usually have so we'll see if tomorrow plays out the same way.
The problem with new foods means figuring out once again how they all fit in the lunch box. I struggled this morning getting it all in there. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
After work I had to run home for my monthly HOA board meeting so that meant very little time for fixing a salad for dinner, even with all the veggies washed and ready to go. So I chose a low carb, whole wheat tortilla, spread a wedge of Light Swiss Laughing Cow cheese on it, lined it with baby spinach (lots of spinach), then layered some deli style turkey slices on it. Stuck it in the microwave for about a minute, rolled it up and enjoyed. Served with a glass of low sodium V8 juice and you have a VERY easy and much healthier than some other choices I could have made meal.
Now that I am settled in from the meeting I think it's time for dessert: sugar free jello and sugar free squirt whipped cream (just a tad for looks). I even poured the jello into a 9x13 dish so that I could have the cool squares like the restaurants. You gotta make it pretty sometimes so that you enjoy it :)
Now it's time for a little relaxin before bed. Here's hoping Tuesday is as exciting as today was, well, maybe a little more exciting! ha ha
As I proceeded through my morning routine I periodically glanced out the window noticing the lights were still there. Well, there was nothing I could do about it with nothing but my towel on so on to finishing the routine. Walking out the front door for work, yep, you guessed it, the lights were still there. Only now it was 7:12 so it was light outside and the car had officially been there for at least 1 hour 10 minutes. So I drove up there and approached it as I saw someone with the seat slightly reclined. First I knocked on the window, no response, then I knocked again, no response. By now I'm thinking "Oh Lord, please don't let this guy be dead and me be the one to find him." So I resorted to pounding on the window with my fist. THAT woke him up. He looked around then looked at me when I said "Hey, you okay?" The most dazed and lost look on his face. He had the "Where the heck am I?" look as he looked around my neighborhood. Then he realized his car was running so he cut it off, headlights still on. So I tried one more time asking if he was okay, once again, no response. He kinda slammed his head back on the headrest and closed his eyes so I left. I immediately called the police to come check it all out.
I sure wish the police would call you back and give you an update but apparently he left before they got here. One of my neighbors saw the police looking around but the guy was gone. Oh well, made for an interesting Monday for me. It's not everyday you find someone passed out in your parking lot with his car running and lights on. He is very lucky that he was conscientious enough to put the car in park before passing out or he would have rolled down a 8-10' embankment, nose first into the ditch. At least I would have known he needed help if I had seen that! ha ha
So part of my 2012 health plan is trying various foods and changing my menu up every week or every two weeks. In the past I have had very successful weight loss for a while then my body adjusted and I got bored, which led me back to my old habits of fried foods, soft drinks, and cookies. Today I began a week long endeavor of fewer carbs and low fat where possible but my main focus is "sugar-free/low carb." I won't say today was easy because it wasn't but my body will adjust as long as I continue. I will say that by eating so many less carbs that I didn't have the 3pm sleepies that I usually have so we'll see if tomorrow plays out the same way.
The problem with new foods means figuring out once again how they all fit in the lunch box. I struggled this morning getting it all in there. Hopefully tomorrow will be better.
After work I had to run home for my monthly HOA board meeting so that meant very little time for fixing a salad for dinner, even with all the veggies washed and ready to go. So I chose a low carb, whole wheat tortilla, spread a wedge of Light Swiss Laughing Cow cheese on it, lined it with baby spinach (lots of spinach), then layered some deli style turkey slices on it. Stuck it in the microwave for about a minute, rolled it up and enjoyed. Served with a glass of low sodium V8 juice and you have a VERY easy and much healthier than some other choices I could have made meal.
Now that I am settled in from the meeting I think it's time for dessert: sugar free jello and sugar free squirt whipped cream (just a tad for looks). I even poured the jello into a 9x13 dish so that I could have the cool squares like the restaurants. You gotta make it pretty sometimes so that you enjoy it :)
Now it's time for a little relaxin before bed. Here's hoping Tuesday is as exciting as today was, well, maybe a little more exciting! ha ha
Saturday, March 3, 2012
Everybody Struggles
Happy Saturday! Today started out rainy, and apparently stormy around 3am, according to a couple friends and my mom, but I slept right through it. Other than doing my normal Saturday laundry I was being pretty lazy. My eyes felt puffy and achy early in the afternoon so I never got started sanding and scraping my kitchen trim again. I did however try cucumber slices on my eyes like you always see on tv. That does NOT work. In fact it made my eyes burn so I turned to a cold washcloth instead. Maybe I cut the slices too thick? Either way the cold water was MUCH BETTER!
So I piddled around the house all afternoon and just felt kind of blah. I realized that I knew exactly why I was feeling like this, all those brownies and fudge sauce and other indulgences from my birthday celebrations. I ate the remaining brownies with fudge sauce for breakfast with a big glass of milk. I know but don't judge, it was skim! So the longer I sat around the more guilty I felt about all that I had eaten. That made me decide to head down to the lake again since it had quit raining and walk at least one lap around. Even if I strolled around it would be better than nothing and I would cover 2 miles.
Turns out the park wasn't that crowded since it was still cloudy and rainy looking. I started out slow, then started speeding up the further I went. Major thanks to Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, the 70s Disco, Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, and yes, as much as I hate to admit it, even Colt Ford for helping me get up to full speed and into "the zone". At the end of lap 1 I decided to keep going, then at the end of that lap I was still in "the zone" so I kept going. I made it around 3 times, 6 MILES total! I was in disbelief that I made it that far. I stayed in the zone until 1/4 way through that 3rd lap, which is the point that one of the white geese decided to jump out at me. The freakin thing chased me WAY off of the walkway path. I know the people behind me were laughing because I was too. I was trying to figure out if I had enough energy to run away from it if it started chasing me. It was headed towards me with it's neck out stretched and was honking at me! Quick flashes of lying face down in the mud with a goose biting me were going through my head! Luckily it lost interest before I ran into the trees! Slowly I got back up to speed again and I even felt good enough to try a little jogging on the lap 3 before I began my cool down.
I came home and fixed a spinach salad as my main dish with a side of salsa chicken. When I got up from the chair my body was screaming at me so I went ahead and took a long hot shower. I suspect that I may have to spend the night on the sofa because I am not sure I will be able to move when it's bed time!
The moral of the story is that uncontrolled eating of high fat/sugary food after trying to eat right makes you feel miserable both physically and mentally but you can overcome it when you do have weak moments. We all struggle with temptations and slip up from time to time but the key is to realize what you have done and figure out what triggered it so that you can work through the weakness. Then get yourself back on track with your next meal and scheduled exercise time. Don't let it drag you down and back into the same rut you used to be in that got you to that low point. That's the end of my lesson for today :)
Well, I guess I'm going to try to get up and get some Crystal Light lemonade if I can make it to the kitchen! Have a great night everybody!
So I piddled around the house all afternoon and just felt kind of blah. I realized that I knew exactly why I was feeling like this, all those brownies and fudge sauce and other indulgences from my birthday celebrations. I ate the remaining brownies with fudge sauce for breakfast with a big glass of milk. I know but don't judge, it was skim! So the longer I sat around the more guilty I felt about all that I had eaten. That made me decide to head down to the lake again since it had quit raining and walk at least one lap around. Even if I strolled around it would be better than nothing and I would cover 2 miles.
Turns out the park wasn't that crowded since it was still cloudy and rainy looking. I started out slow, then started speeding up the further I went. Major thanks to Miranda Lambert, Eric Church, Jason Aldean, the 70s Disco, Run DMC, the Beastie Boys, and yes, as much as I hate to admit it, even Colt Ford for helping me get up to full speed and into "the zone". At the end of lap 1 I decided to keep going, then at the end of that lap I was still in "the zone" so I kept going. I made it around 3 times, 6 MILES total! I was in disbelief that I made it that far. I stayed in the zone until 1/4 way through that 3rd lap, which is the point that one of the white geese decided to jump out at me. The freakin thing chased me WAY off of the walkway path. I know the people behind me were laughing because I was too. I was trying to figure out if I had enough energy to run away from it if it started chasing me. It was headed towards me with it's neck out stretched and was honking at me! Quick flashes of lying face down in the mud with a goose biting me were going through my head! Luckily it lost interest before I ran into the trees! Slowly I got back up to speed again and I even felt good enough to try a little jogging on the lap 3 before I began my cool down.
I came home and fixed a spinach salad as my main dish with a side of salsa chicken. When I got up from the chair my body was screaming at me so I went ahead and took a long hot shower. I suspect that I may have to spend the night on the sofa because I am not sure I will be able to move when it's bed time!
The moral of the story is that uncontrolled eating of high fat/sugary food after trying to eat right makes you feel miserable both physically and mentally but you can overcome it when you do have weak moments. We all struggle with temptations and slip up from time to time but the key is to realize what you have done and figure out what triggered it so that you can work through the weakness. Then get yourself back on track with your next meal and scheduled exercise time. Don't let it drag you down and back into the same rut you used to be in that got you to that low point. That's the end of my lesson for today :)
Well, I guess I'm going to try to get up and get some Crystal Light lemonade if I can make it to the kitchen! Have a great night everybody!
Friday, March 2, 2012
Birthdays are Meant to be Special
So, as most of you know, yesterday, March 1, was my birthday and what a spectacular birthday this year has been! So many great friends and family to make me feel so special and loved. I cannot thank all of you enough for all the nice things you did for me and the nice words you sent on Facebook, in texts, and by mail.
It all started on Monday when my mom called and asked what I wanted for my birthday supper and did I want to celebrate on my actual birthday on Thursday or wait until Friday. So I chose Friday because I get off early those days and can take a nap and be all relaxed and rested up by supper. Another reason is because on work days I don't eat dinner until about 7pm and that is WAY too late for some. ;) On Tuesday I checked at the weather and saw that it was forecasted to be 77 degrees and sunny. Well, who can stay at work on your special day with a forecast like that when it is supposed to be the middle of winter? Since it was last minute I couldn't take the whole day off but a friend coerced me to at least take 1/2 a day and come horseback riding with her. Oh what a great time we had from the "appetizer" to the quiche with a candle in it, the wings, and on to the "dessert." We then set off to the barn for a wonderful 3 hour ride. There is something to be said of sitting in traffic on Trinity Road horseback with cars while waiting for the light to turn green so we could cross Highway 54. Not something you see often in Cary. Boy the looks we got! ha ha Citified horses don't freak over cars, trucks, or trains but a leaf blowing in the wind send them to the other side of the road! ha ha
Then it was out with Miss Appel to the mexican restaurant where we gorged ourselves on chips, salsa, queso, quesadillas, and even wonderful leche cake while sipping our larger than normal sized margaritas. Then I giggled all the way up to my bed time about her grandmother calling easy pant her "pants with the rubber in the waist." It made me reminisce about my Grandma Woowoo calling the house electricity "current."
Today work ended up being so busy that instead of leaving at 11:30, I left at 2. That means I only claimed 2 hours of vacation yesterday instead of the 5 I actually took. YAY me - It was a good day to be at work since it turned out to be cloudy and nasty. And when you work in a cubicle with no direct line of sight to a window you don't know what it's like outside anyway!
So tonight was the family birthday celebration. My sister has been taunting me for 2 days by sending me photos of the bag containing my presents, not to mention the text messages saying she had been shopping for somebody and the hour countdown to present time! So I FINALLY got my paws on that bag tonight and it was full of awesome goodies, including a classic "Red Solo Cup" with a candlestick type base si it is more like a goblet.
After indulging in my requested dessert, which was fudge brownies with chocolate chunks topped with vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge sauce (the thick gooey kind), we played Mexican Train Dominoes as a family. Well, if you've never played the game, it can be interesting and VERY competitive. Twice Deddy forgot to clang his last 2 dominoes together and my sister called him on it so he had to draw another tile. There were lots of things said like "Mexcian Freakin' Train" (said through gritted teeth) and Halle-freakin-lujah, birds flew across the room periodically, and I even saw a knife appear a couple times. It can be dangerous playing competitive games with my family! ha ha I did manage a groovy dance rhythm when Terri pushed the train button. Chugga chugga, chugga chugga, chugga chugga. woo woo, chugga chugga, chugga chugga, chugga chugga, woo woo- ha ha ha
Overall a typical Massey family gathering, except there were 2 family names who ALWAYS get mentioned but didn't tonight. Oh wait, that's not right, one did get mentioned because a couple of their kids were in the photo mama brought out. I almost missed it! Well, one family didn't get mentioned! ha ha ha
Lots of great times with family and friends over the last couple of days and a couple more planned out over the weekend. Thank you again for all the birthday wishes! Now it's back to focusing on the healthy eating and working out because before you know it it's gonna be bathing suit season!
It all started on Monday when my mom called and asked what I wanted for my birthday supper and did I want to celebrate on my actual birthday on Thursday or wait until Friday. So I chose Friday because I get off early those days and can take a nap and be all relaxed and rested up by supper. Another reason is because on work days I don't eat dinner until about 7pm and that is WAY too late for some. ;) On Tuesday I checked at the weather and saw that it was forecasted to be 77 degrees and sunny. Well, who can stay at work on your special day with a forecast like that when it is supposed to be the middle of winter? Since it was last minute I couldn't take the whole day off but a friend coerced me to at least take 1/2 a day and come horseback riding with her. Oh what a great time we had from the "appetizer" to the quiche with a candle in it, the wings, and on to the "dessert." We then set off to the barn for a wonderful 3 hour ride. There is something to be said of sitting in traffic on Trinity Road horseback with cars while waiting for the light to turn green so we could cross Highway 54. Not something you see often in Cary. Boy the looks we got! ha ha Citified horses don't freak over cars, trucks, or trains but a leaf blowing in the wind send them to the other side of the road! ha ha
Then it was out with Miss Appel to the mexican restaurant where we gorged ourselves on chips, salsa, queso, quesadillas, and even wonderful leche cake while sipping our larger than normal sized margaritas. Then I giggled all the way up to my bed time about her grandmother calling easy pant her "pants with the rubber in the waist." It made me reminisce about my Grandma Woowoo calling the house electricity "current."
Today work ended up being so busy that instead of leaving at 11:30, I left at 2. That means I only claimed 2 hours of vacation yesterday instead of the 5 I actually took. YAY me - It was a good day to be at work since it turned out to be cloudy and nasty. And when you work in a cubicle with no direct line of sight to a window you don't know what it's like outside anyway!
So tonight was the family birthday celebration. My sister has been taunting me for 2 days by sending me photos of the bag containing my presents, not to mention the text messages saying she had been shopping for somebody and the hour countdown to present time! So I FINALLY got my paws on that bag tonight and it was full of awesome goodies, including a classic "Red Solo Cup" with a candlestick type base si it is more like a goblet.
After indulging in my requested dessert, which was fudge brownies with chocolate chunks topped with vanilla ice cream and homemade hot fudge sauce (the thick gooey kind), we played Mexican Train Dominoes as a family. Well, if you've never played the game, it can be interesting and VERY competitive. Twice Deddy forgot to clang his last 2 dominoes together and my sister called him on it so he had to draw another tile. There were lots of things said like "Mexcian Freakin' Train" (said through gritted teeth) and Halle-freakin-lujah, birds flew across the room periodically, and I even saw a knife appear a couple times. It can be dangerous playing competitive games with my family! ha ha I did manage a groovy dance rhythm when Terri pushed the train button. Chugga chugga, chugga chugga, chugga chugga. woo woo, chugga chugga, chugga chugga, chugga chugga, woo woo- ha ha ha
Overall a typical Massey family gathering, except there were 2 family names who ALWAYS get mentioned but didn't tonight. Oh wait, that's not right, one did get mentioned because a couple of their kids were in the photo mama brought out. I almost missed it! Well, one family didn't get mentioned! ha ha ha
Lots of great times with family and friends over the last couple of days and a couple more planned out over the weekend. Thank you again for all the birthday wishes! Now it's back to focusing on the healthy eating and working out because before you know it it's gonna be bathing suit season!
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