I'm just your average, everyday, divorced 38 year old girl -- overweight, tragically unhip,
and trying to make a life for myself. I live with two furry beasts, Dave and Abby, whose
feline mission in life is to choke me with their fur. Nothing special.
Friday night. It's raining. Again. Un-freakin-believeable! At this rate, this winter/spring is going to be the wettest on record for southern California and we'll all be living at the beach because of the erosion. I am someone who actually likes the sound and smell and feel of rain, so think about that as I tell you that I am thoroughly fed up and ready for the rainy season to stop.
I called my enrollment advisor tonight and left a message asking that I be allowed to postpone the start of my next class from Monday to a month from Monday. I just don't think it would be a good idea to try to do this class and a week long trip to New Orleans all at once. I need to be able to relax after my meetings are finished for the day, not have to go back up to my room and study/write papers at night. I'm only planning to take five courses this year anyway, so if I space them out a little it will still work out just fine.
Tomorrow it's Alcott's basketball game at 4pm followed by wine tasting with my Junior League team at 6pm. It's supposed to rain in the morning (of course) but clear up in the afternoon. Less rain would be good in the afternoon/evening, so if anyone has any pull with the weather folks, put in a good word, would you?
Friday morning. Sorry to have done a Houdini on you, I've just been enjoying the blissful feeling of having no obligations other than work and working out. Yes, that's right, I've walked three nights in a row for 60 minutes each - quel miracle! In any case, I really haven't had too much to say, either, which contributed to my lack of posting.
Something I have been thinking about, though, is money. Gosh, wouldn't life be infinitely easier if we didn't have to think about finances? So stressful. Anyway, I've got to clean things up financially around here before my first car payment comes due because, as my current "budget" stands, I do not make enough every month to allow me to pay for the lovely car I am driving. Now, before anyone panics, I make plenty of money and ought to be able to cover the payment handily if only it weren't for my charmingly large credit card payment each and every month. I know, I know - credit cards are Satan's helper. I know this! I'm working on it, but in the meantime, it's pretty ugly. I'm facing the possibility of having to cancel my cable, my Netflix, and my cell or home phone for a few months so that I can keep my prepared meals because they are the single most important piece of my journey. I can live without cable, movies, and one of my phones, but I just can't do without my meals. Still, I shouldn't have to do without any of it because I (again) make plenty of money. Hence my first hand knowledge of just how evil credit cards are. Grrr.
I'm also starting to stress a little bit over next week's business trip. I have several things that I need to finish up before I leave and the time is ticking down. I'm only working a few hours today and then I'm going to meet with the social worker on my CASA case for the first time. Yes, I've been on the case for nearly three months now and am only just getting to meet her - it's been a really busy few months with work and everything else. Anyway, I'm really excited about it, and am glad to be taking the afternoon off, too. It won't help me finish things that I need to get done before next Tuesday at 8am, however. I also have to do my readings for class on Monday (several chapters of Employment Law information) plus the 3-5 page paper that's due. Then there's the very fact that I'll be in class until 10pm the night before flying out at 8am. Can you say "better pack Sunday night, Denise"? I thought you could!
Blah, blah, blah. This concludes the most boring entry ever. We now return you to your regularly scheduled blog reading.
Some good, some thoughts about The Journey, and a new read
Tuesday afternoon. First and foremost, I want to welcome Kim to the blogging world. She's got a great site with wonderful thoughts about being healthy and taking care of yourself, so please go over, say hello, and consider making her one of your regular reads, too.
Next up is the good news that it's virtually a lock that I'll get an A in my class. Our last class was last night and we got 9.8 of a possible 10 on our group presentation, with kudos (to me!) for the Powerpoint design and the depth of the material presented. The professor also complimented us, after class, on the way that our paper flowed together and was cohesive stylistically. "That would be my contribution," I wanted to say, but I didn't. It doesn't matter if he knows that it would have been a disjointed mess without the intro, transitions, and conclusion, all of which I wrote. Funny that one of my teammates ridiculed the conclusion, essentially saying that it was simplistic. Well, my "simplistic" conclusion helped the entire team get an A on the paper, too (9.7 of 10). I don't think I've ever been as grateful to have a class over and done with as I was last night, and not because of the subject matter or instructor.
Finally, I talked to my friend, Tracy, from 10:15pm (when I got home from school) until nearly midnight and am really inspired by what she's doing with her health right now. At first, I started feeling threatened, because she's been really successful (on the scale especially) of late, and, well, my weight just isn't going anywhere (see my updated progress page for proof). Then I looked at what I've achieved in just under a year - nearly 60 pounds gone and ten inches off of my waist and abdomen - and that's not too shabby, either. I am hovering around the 200 mark and I'm really not sure why I seem to have lost the motivation to get it done and over with, but it just isn't there any more. If it's a question of a snack of MnMs or losing another pound, I seem to be choosing the MnMs. I'm not gaining, I'm not giving up, I'm just not doing what I need to do, and that has me a wee bit worried. Perhaps Tracy's achievements will give me the nudge that I need to get off my duff (literally!) and get this thing done? Let's hope.
I received the email below from Naomi, one of my four readers and want to let you all know.
Hi Denise,
I've been reading (and been inspired by) your blog for a while now, though I'm not much of a comment-leaver. I'm so impressed by the way you've taken control of your life and turned into something that makes you happy--and not just the weightloss stuff, though that's pretty impressive.
I've been trying to do the same in my life--transitioning from the easy-to-follow path from high school to college to first job to well, now what? And for me, part of that "now what?" has been trying to conquer something that I had thought I couldn't do: lose weight and exercise regularly.
In January, I took another step in this goal. I signed up for Team in Training to run a marathon. I'll be participating in the Mayor's Midnight Sun Marathon, in Anchorage, AK, on June 18th, and I wouldn't have believed it if you had told me this six months ago, but I'm having the absolute best time training for it.
Team in Training is helping by providing a coach, a schedule, teammates, and lots of advice and encouragement. In return, I have pledged to raise $4,200 for their parent organization, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The money I raise will go to patients and their families, to help them learn about blood cancers and deal with the life effects of treatment. It will also go to doctors and researchers who are searching for cures. Together, my teammates and I will raise over $700,000 to fight blood cancers.
I'm writing to ask a favor of you, since your site gets so much more traffic than mine. I was hoping you might mention my marathon and fundraising goals on your website, in case any of your readers would be inspired to contribute. I am happy to provide more information about what I'm doing and about the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, but you can also go to the websites of Team in Training or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. You can also read about my training at my blog.
If anyone wants to contribute, they can do it at my secure site. All contributions are tax deductible, and no donation is too small.
Thanks for your time. Keep posting--I need my daily fix!
Best wishes, Naomi
In celebration of Sarah and all of the others out there who are battling the heck out of blood related cancers, please consider donating.
