Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Helicopters Are Scary!

I so wish it were Friday tomorrow.  I am soooo tired.  And I am trying to make a decision about tomorrow and exercise.  I haven't heard from Elli if we are going to Fat Burning Pilates so if that doesn't come to be, that leaves me needing to decide if I go to Aqua class @ 5:30 or not.  It would be great for me to do - no doubt there.  But the though of putting on a bathing suit is just not working for me.  It is causing me some distress. Probably unlike most people, I don't care what other people think.  My issue is what I think.  And that right there is a huge problem and probably a good reason as to why I have mandatory group with this Optifast diet.  I will report tomorrow night as to what I decided.
I have a friendship issue that has been bothering me.  I have or had a friend and her name is Lisa.  Lisa and I used to be extremely close.  We met at work - my first job out of college.  We were so different yet we clicked.  We were young and had some good times.  If we weren't out, we were home drinking rum and coke or vodka and sunny delight.  I can't even imagine that now!  Especially the vodka and sunny delight.  How disgusting is that?!  I have known Lisa for 25 years.  We are still different.  She is a stay at home mom to 4 kids.  She home-schools them.  I can't imagine any kids, much less home schooling them!  Lisa has never wanted for anything.  I was always the less fortunate one.  Lisa is a size 1.  I am a size (well, never mind).  Pretty much nothing in common in those ways but when we get together, we can talk forever.  We have the best conversations and we have always had a mutual and loving friendship.  And then one day, we just stopped.  And for the last 10 years it has been an effort to get together.  Almost to a point of being uncomfortable.  We have usually ended up doing something with all 4 kids.  We still enjoy seeing each other but it has just been different.  But I have noticed the last few years that Lisa does not call anymore.  I believe the last 10 times we have talked, I have initiated it.  She always tells me how much she misses me and sorry she hasn't called, and "I would love to see you".  But we don't.  And we don't talk about it again until I call again.  I wonder how you know when a friendship has run its term?  Is this it?  Do I never call again?  I don't know.  And I don't know if it's a good idea to try and save it or to close the book.  I am so confused.  I thought maybe I should ask her, but it's been years since I have called and actually had her answer her phone.  She is always doing the child thing.  I don't know...it's just been bothering me.  For a long time, I missed her.  But I don't so much anymore.  Is that my answer?
60 Challenge...

Day 15
"A picture of something I want to do before I die"

I want to ride in a helicopter BECAUSE...I am absolutely terrified of them!  I cannot begin to say how they freak me out.  I have always been scared of them and then one day a few years ago I saw one crash.  It just fell out of the sky at a high rate of speed, hit the ground, and burst into flames.  Ever since then I have dreams (nightmares actually) of seeing planes and helicopters crash.  I can get on a plane but the thought of riding in a helicopter makes my chest hurt.  I want to overcome my fear and just do it.  So one day, I will conquer my fear! ♥

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

On Fragrance and Pie Plates (chick chat actually)

Day 69 - Finally hit and passed the 50 pound mark!  Yay! 
Lost: 3.4 pounds Total Lost: 53.2

We celebrated Admin Professionals Day today at work.  I somehow managed to sit through a lunch at Thai One On and drink green tea and watch everyone else eat.  Not fun - I would not subject myself to that on a regular basis.
I only did one silly thing today and that was I pushed the wrong button on an elevator.  How one can push the "Help" button but mean to push "2" is beyond me.  Only me.
Talked to my Aunt in Texas today.  She never, ever complains and I know that not all days are great.  She has Lupus.  I really admire her and hope that if I am ever stricken with a disease that I can have that same outlook and attitude.
3 new scents at Bath and Body Works...love them.  Its so reasonable to smell so good!  For those who know me well, they know I am a big fan of scent!  Anyway...Carried Away, Country Chic, and Into the Wild (which, by the way, you can get for $1.00 right now during the preview).
Am I the only one who is highly annoyed by Sandra Rinomoto who does Property Virgins on HGTV?  I can't be the one and only!
My other annoyance although it's just temporary (but it's a big one) is this royal wedding hoopla.  Honestly, people.  Viewers are actually ordering wedding cakes to be eaten during the ceremony which by the way is at 3 flippin o clock on Friday morning!  I guess whatever floats your boat.  Or your carriage in this case.
I got 2 very cool pie plates today.  I love pie plates by the way.  Some of them are so cool or pretty.  Mom's friend Carola gave me one that says pecan pie and one that says lemon meringue.  The recipes are on on the plates.  Love it!  So there is my little piece of Julie trivia today...loves pie plates.
60 Challenge for today...


Day #14
"A picture of someone I can't imagine my life without"


Monday, April 25, 2011

Celebrating Roxie's Birthday

Day 68 - Hard to believe that tomorrow is weigh-in again.  I am on the downhill side now.  I can't wait for this to be over.  It's the total boredom of the shakes.  Some days I mix one up and just stare at it because I have to gear myself up to chug the thing down.  It gets old.  I have gotten so much support from people and I really appreciate it.  I saw some pics of myself from this past Saturday and was really discouraged.  I sometimes really can't tell a difference, even after 50 pounds.  But I do admit to feeling better and there is a whole lot more I can do now being 50 pounds lighter.  It's all good...

Another weekend is over.  Easter came and went - what Easter?  It was just a regular day for me.  Actually, a rather long and boring day.  But I would take long and boring over work any day!
I just got an e-mail from my Dermatologist.  No skin cancer!  I think even she was surprised because it looked like cancer to her.  I actually had a ruptured, infected cyst.  It still has not healed but I assume it will at some point.
My Roxie had her 11th birthday on Saturday.  She got to do all of her favorite things.  She had a scrambled egg for breakfast.  A long nap.  A walk at the beach in Carlsbad.  A trip to the Flower Fields in Carlsbad.  In N Out Burger for a no-salt burger patty.  And a delicious meal at home topped with her favorite yogurt, Fage.  My favorite too.  And perfect for making home made salad dressings.  Trivial fact...I hate bottled salad dressing from the grocery store.  I will pretty much do anything to avoid it.  I always make my own!
Headed for work right now.  Help me!
Here are some pics from Roxie's birthday...







Tired after a wonderful 11th birthday!


Thursday, April 21, 2011

A night at IKEA

Day 64  As of Tuesday...Total Weight Lost: 49.8 pounds

Nope - still not getting easier.  Food still smells as good as it always has.  But I am more in tune with my stomach as to when it wants food as opposed to when it needs food.  And that right there is very important.  I am over half way through.  My co-workers are being cool.  I love carbs.  Bread, bagels, etc.  We usually have Einstein Bros Bagels in the office about every 6 weeks.  Everyone is craving them but they said they are absolutely not bringing in Einstein while I am on the fast.  I told them not to suffer on my account but they are firm with their decision.  We have an office lunch next Tuesday for Administrative Day.  I have committed to going but I'm not 100% comfortable with that.  But I know I can do it.  And hope where ever we go has some kick ass iced tea!

In my continuing saga of the pain in my ankle and leg...I had to have a mega amount of blood drawn.  A bunch of specialty tests that had to be done at Kaiser Hospital.  So I went down to San Diego after work today.  12 tubes later...I was a bit light headed I think because I was overdue for a delicious shake.  But I always carry a spare in my purse and felt better after that.  I needed water though (cold water) so I went in to IKEA to buy a bottle of water.  Cinnamon rolls, hot dogs, ice cream.  For goodness sake.  Everywhere I go there is food!  IKEA was a good time.  I splurged and spent $9.00!  But for that $9.00 I got a cute red plastic watering pot, glass tea light candle holders, and 72 tealights in apple and berry.  Absolutely did not need any of it.
I really hate PT Cruisers.  Just felt the need to say that.  I have these thoughts and feel the need to blurt them out every now and again.
Here's my 99cent plastic watering pot...


60 Challenge...

Day #13
A picture of your favorite artist or band
"Chicago"


Monday, April 18, 2011

New Computer!

First Blog post on my new computer!  So happy to have it.  Saw Cheri my therapist today.  Well worth my $25.00 co-pay.  We talked about inner strength today.  I have far more than I ever give myself credit for.  I left there with a very good feeling.  Some days I leave there and actually like myself.  What a concept.
I'm a bit annoyed.  Someone that I used to work with (and we were sort of friends) contacted me a couple of months ago asking if Henry's was hiring because her teenage son needed a job.  I told her I would check with Luigi.  I did what I said I would but the timing was bad.  Fast forward a couple of months.  She e-mailed me again asking me about a possible job.  I told her I would check with Luigi again.  I put in a good word for this kid.  I don't know him but I do know his parents and I was pretty sure he would be a good employee.  I probably annoyed Luigi by pestering him about giving this kid a job but I was trying to be nice.  Today I found out that this was actually the kid's second day.  So far, it seems that it's working out just fine.  I'm happy for him.  But here is why I am annoyed...without the connection and my prompting, I am pretty sure that this kid would not be working @ Henry's.  I feel as if I did a nice thing.  And I'm all for the random acts of kindness - pay it forward concept.  But wouldn't you think that my "friend" would have at least sent me an email thanking me for my help?  Just letting me know that her son got the job or whatever would have been nice.  But she hasn't said a word.  I don't know, it just isn't setting well with me.
All of my bloodwork came back and of course, they can't find what is wrong with me.  Story of my life!  However, I was referred to see a Rheumatologist so I will do that on Wednesday.  It's very frustrating to have strange pains and not know why.
Weigh-in and Zumba tomorrow. Oh, and work too. ♥


60 Challenge Day #12
Me and My RC...ahhh the 70s!


Friday, April 15, 2011

It's Finally Friday

I can't begin to describe what kind of week this has been.  Great moments and not so great moments.  At this point I am not sure whether to laugh or cry.
The whole Optifast thing...not too bad.  As of Tuesday I had lost 5 pounds for the week.  I'm proud of that.  I believe that by this coming Tuesday I will have lost 50 pounds.  That's phenomenal for me.  I never thought I could do that.  I thought for sure the only possible way to do that would be to have some kind surgery to turn my stomach into the size of a peanut.  I'm just not a gastric bypass or lap band kind of girl.  You know how you just know when something is not right for you?  I've always known that.  I'm happy for people who do it and it works.  That's great.  Just not my thing.  And of course, I have gone somewhat to an extreme but I'm also learning a lot from my group meetings and have met some really great people.  And my new found relationship with exercise?  Incredible.  And I know it will be the exercise that will save me and keep me on track.
I have been going through some medical issues this week.  Very tiring...the whole waiting game for bloodwork, x-rays, etc.  I haven't wanted to really talk about it thus far but today I will share that it appears that the worst case scenarios are not in play!  I don't have Rheumatoid Arthritis and I don't have Lupus.  At this point, I probably do have some kind of an auto immune disorder but exactly what remains to be seen.  I have some very strange symptoms and as I understand it, it's hard to diagnose in this area.  Wait and see.  I do that a lot.
Totally unrelated to that, I did get the privilege of seeing Dr. Sharma today.  She is my trusty Dermatologist.  I have had a strange reddish thing on my left temple for about 2 months now.  It just refuses to go away.  And it kind of hurts.  So she looked at it today and used the "C" word.  Yep, it looks like some sort of skin cancer.  She did a biopsy.  And guess what?  I get to wait and see!  I'm not too concerned about it.  I know this happens to a lot of people and this too shall pass.  I just want the ugly thing gone.
While sitting in the waiting room at the doctor today, I overheard an elderly gentleman's conversation with the receptionist.  It was short but very, very cute and it went like this...Man: Hi there young lady.  Woman: Hello Sir, how are you?  Man: I'm just fine and I want you to know that I really do like your teeth.  Woman: Why, thank you very much.  Man: So tell me, are those really yours?!  Woman: As far as I know!  Man: Wow!  Made me smile!
I am sitting here at my work computer.  Note to all County spies: I am OFF the clock!  The reason why I am blogging from work is that my computer at home finally crashed and burned last night.  Dead as a dead thing.  Not sure what to do at this point.  I will take it in tonight.  Thankfully today is payday.  I guess if it cannot be fixed, I will be shopping for a new computer.  Oh PLEEEEEZE let it be fixed.  Today is April 15.  I owe the IRS money this weekend.  Hate them.  About as much as a new computer.  Figures.
I tried 4 new things this week.  1.  Fat Burning Pilates  2.  Sculpt Yoga.  3.  Zumba  4.  Turbo Kickboxing.  Loved the Pilates.  Hated the Yoga.  Kind of loved the Zumba (I made it 30 minutes out of an hour).  And REALLY hated the Turbo Asskicking.  I mean Kickboxing.  I made it a whole 7 minutes out of an hour!  Didn't even make it past the warm-up.  The instructor said if we worked our maximum, we could burn 1000 calories.  Really?  I only take in less than 400 calories a day.  If my calculations are correct, by the end of the hour, I would have been as dead as my computer!
So that was just a few tidbits from my week.  I left out the worst of it.  Who needs it?  I'm still plodding along...all will be ok!  But let me tell you something - as I told someone very close to me (and who has to hear all of my bitching every single day and still loves me).  This is such a crap world!  But I'm thankful for my faith, my friends, my family, my pets, and all the little things that make me smile! ♥

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Zumba Pain

Day 55

Weight Loss: 5.0 pounds
Total Lost: 46.4 total

I am paralyzed.  My body is truly hating me right now.  Yesterday I did fat burning Pilates.  Today I did some sort of sculpting Yoga which I was not too fond of.  Grab my ankle how?  And where?  After that...ZUMBA.  The reason why my body hates me!  The class is an hour and I made it a half hour.  I was really proud of the half hour because Zumba is non-stop.  And I was shaking my butt just as good as everyone else!  It was definitely a fun class and I will go back but I know my limitations and I have to work up to the full hour.  But right now...it truly hurts to move.
I'm trying to figure out what happened to my sweet, cute kitten.  What a pain in the ass little brat she is.  She is going through a second round of biting.  We are often having a contest of wills.  She still does really cute things but she is also really pushing my patience.  I keep threatening her with extradition but she gives me the paw and I can hear her muttering "whatever, grumpy lady".
Happy Birthday, Jeanette! ♥

60 Challenge for today...

60 Challenge Day #11
A picture of something you hate

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Weekend Update

Day 53

My weekend was ok.  I'm hanging in there and working toward my goals.  But it never fails, the smell of food is really beckoning sometimes.  I dropped my friend Jeanette off at her house yesterday and drove down the road.  Remembered I needed to send an email so I pulled over into a parking lot and was typing an email and all of a sudden the best smells were coming my way.  Of course I had to pick a parking lot behind Famous Daves BBQ.  It's not even a favorite place but it could have been yesterday!  Figures that would be the parking lot I would choose.  But then I remembered that food smells way better than how it feels sitting on my stomach.  That works.  Usually.  2 more days until weigh-in.  I hope I lose more than 1.9 pounds but if I don't, that's ok too.  I'm just happy with my progress thus far.  And as I often say...I'm just going to keep on keeping on.

So my weekend is over.  Again.  Another long week ahead of me.  I pretty much spent the weekend as a single girl.  Saw very little of Luigi.  I seemed to keep myself entertained and in fact, ran out of time.  There are still things I wish I had done.  I was off work on Friday afternoon so went home to clean the house and do laundry.  So nice to get it out of the way early.  Friday night was perfect because I curled up on the couch with my dog, my blanket, and a book and enjoyed my evening.  Saturday was nice too.  I had to go to urgent care.  I will talk about that another time.  After that I picked up Jeanette and we went to Carlsbad.  We went into the village and she showed me where her antique booth is set up and then we went to Gee Gee's Stamp Store.  Such a cute store.  After that we went to walk on the boardwalk along the beach.  It was a beautiful day and we had a nice walk.  Roxie loved it.  Today I slept in.  I love sleep - I really do!  Then I went to Escondido to pick up Elli, Isis, Becky, and Lil D and we went to Macy's.  Clinique Free Gift time!  Very cute cosmetic bag.  Here it is:

Cosmetic Bag w/ mini bag inside
Lipgloss, eye shadow, blush, mascara,
moisturizer, and eye make up remover
Love it!

Tomorrow I am attempting a Zumba class for the first time.  I heard there is a lot of butt shaking.  Right there...that scares me!  It's an hour class.  How many minutes will I make it?  I'll report tomorrow night.  Until then, good night world.  Work tomorrow.  Ug. ♥

Saturday, April 9, 2011
Roxie on the boardwalk @ Carlsbad Beach

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

News of the Day

Fasting Day 49

Optifast rocks!  I'm lying.

I know I subjected everyone to my rant last week about Haley but can I go there again?!  Why does everyone (including the judges) like her so much?  She is pitchy.  But more than that, she looks like a complete idiot on stage.  And she was doing that left arm flailing thing again.  Get her off the stage!  And I have heard that she and beard guy are sneaking into each other's rooms at night.  Ewww.   Probably not many people know this about me but I HATE beards.  They creep me out!  Really.  I am ok with the really close shaved goatee thing on the chin but if there is any kind of hair even remotely hanging off of someones face, I am horrified.  So there's my bitch for the day...Haley and beards.

Biggest news story of the day - I actually heard this 3 different times.  Prince William says he will not wear a wedding band after he marries Kate.  Who cares?  Ok, America is really, really hurting for some news stories.  But my most favorite news story of the day is the 8 year old boy who got pepper sprayed by the police in Colorado.  Let's see...he threw a TV and chairs at school and was trying to bust through a door with a cart.  When the police came he had a foot long piece of wood with a knife like point at the end and he told the police "come get me f _ _ _ _ _ s!"  Now his mommy is saying that was a bit too harsh.  The police should have talked him down.  Really?  The little f _ _ _ _ _ is damn lucky they didn't shoot him.

Elli took me to her gym today.  It's called CRUNCH.  It was nice - I liked it.  I started with the stairmaster because that is what Elli was going to do.  Darn if those evil machines don't take away my will to live!  It's hard and I was only on Level 1.  What a big baby. I guess I climbed 12 floors.  Felt like 112!  After that I decided to do something more pleasurable...the cycle.  I like the gym so overall, it was a good time!  Tomorrow IF no rain, I am walking on the beach with Jeanette.

And tomorrow is the day before Friday.  Sweet! ♥


Julie's 60 Challenge Day #10
"A picture of the person you do the most messed up things with"
I am such a dork sometimes!


Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Reporting Day 48

Day 48


Had a good group tonight.  We talk about all kinds of stuff related to life.  Food, family, money, etc.  Always something interesting to talk or think about.
I was a little disappointed in my weight loss tonight.  I said "was".  I have been so used to losing at least 4 pounds every week that today kind of shocked me.  But when I put it into perspective and reminded myself that every ounce counts, I was ok.  It's funny how a person will immediately start thinking back to what went wrong.  I'm now thinking nothing went wrong.  Every week is different and I am happy to be going down the scale instead of up!  So hungry today.  I have come to the conclusion that I will always be hungry.  So with keeping that in mind, I have to work with the facts when it comes time to phase into maintenance.
Lost: 1.9 lbs
Total Lost: 41.2

Seems as if I haven't had much of anything interesting to say lately.  Just been so busy at work and concentrating on my program.  I feel the chatty--ness coming out though!  Stay tuned.

And here is today's 60 Challenge...

Julie's 60 Challenge Day #9
A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most


Monday, April 4, 2011

Heffalumps and Woozles

Day 47

About to complete week #7.  I wore a cute denim skirt that I haven't been able to wear in quite a while.  It is actually a little too big.  I was able to put it on and off without unbuttoning it.  That's always fun!  I'm so tired of the shakes being sweet.  I like sweet but 5 times a day for what seems like forever?  Too much.  I have gotten to the point where I really don't need to look at the clock to see if it's time to "eat".  My stomach tells me within 10 minutes either way of 3 hours.  It's kind of freaky.  Exercise has not been in the forefront for me this past week.  I feel bad but I'm not going to dwell on it.  Just will do better in the coming week.  I have a gym date set up with Elli for Wednesday (she goes to "Crunch" in San Marcos) and a beach walk with Jeanette on Thursday.  I like that I have set plans.  Keeps me motivated.

Work was a drag today.  When 4:30 hit, I was out of there in a flash.  I had to go to B of A to take care of an ugly matter with my checking account.  Not my fault.  Well, it is my fault that I didn't notice that something was becoming ugly but ultimately it was the bank's fault.  I was credited back some $ today and now I am a very rich woman.  I can actually go out and hmmmm - buy 3 boxes of Optifast.  A new Coach bag is not an option.  Unfortunately, B of A did not owe me back THAT much.
I had a dream last night that I was on the Winnie the Pooh ride @ Disneyland.  So much fun!  I saw Heffalumps and Woozles.  Love that.  I understand if you have never read the Winnie the Pooh series you won't have the faintest idea what a Heffalump or a Woozle is.  If you've never been on the Winnie the Pooh ride, it's a "must do".  It's like an "E" ticket in my ticket book of life.  Oh my, I really just aged myself talking about "E" tickets.  I remember getting those booklets and carefully planning my route through the Magic Kingdom.  The Matterhorn and Pirates both took "E" tickets.  I think they only gave you 4.  And I remember the "A" tickets.  Always went home with those.  Boring.
Will report in after weigh-in tomorrow...♥


60 Challenge Day #8
A Picture of something that makes you laugh!
(Yep, I took this myself! On the beach in Costa Maya, Mexico)


Friday, April 1, 2011

TGIF

Day 44

No comments for today.  Just another day in the world of Optifast shakes.  Hanging in there.

So today was a rough day for me.  It started out bad.  I've been up since 3:00a.m. and I think I am just over-tired.  I felt emotionally lousy all day.  Around 2:30 I perked up and have felt better since. Sometimes it's a just the simple things in life that make it better. 

I have become a fan of Quinoa.  I know, a little hard to do when I'm not eating but that's neither here or there.  Here's a great recipe for a Quinoa Salad:

4 C cooked Quinoa (chilled)
1 can drained black beans
1 can drained garbanzo beans
1/4 C oil/vinegar dressing (I make my own)
1/4 C chopped cilantro
1 C crumbled feta cheese
Juice of 1/2 small lemon
Seasonings: Salt, Garlic Powder
Mix it all together and let it sit for a few hours for the dressing and lemon to absorb into the Quinoa.  Delicious!  (and super easy)

Book club on Sunday.  No, still have not read the book.  Cutting it close for sure! 

Today was payday.  Why is it gone already?  It hasn't even been 24 hours.  Not so easy come.  But easy go.  It's not really fun to get the money but it is fun to see the vacation balance.

I'm going to start making cards again tomorrow.  I have missed my favorite hobby.  When we moved from the house and I lost my craft room, I kind of lost my focus but I have to realize it's not where you do it.  It's just about doing it and enjoying it - no matter what your space.  I have a spare bedroom here at the condo with great light.  It will work just fine.  My first project will be something cupcake related.  Boy, can't get away from food.  Stamped cupcakes not yummy devils food cupcakes! Darn.

And here is today's "60 Challenge"... Since it's my deal, I can cheat.  Today is supposed to be "A picture of a person I would love to trade places with for a day".  I can't do it.  So moving on to the next day...

60 Challenge Day #7
A picture of my most treasured item