Pilates owned me!

Oh sweet, baby Jesus!  I was the only one to show up to pilates tonight!  And the instructor knows I come every week and know the flow of most beginner exercises, so we went at a faster pace and higher reps.  Ouch!  Jello legs!  And she always throws in some back stuff too, which always makes me feel sore on Tuesdays!  So thankful for Pilates!  Even though I won't be getting my 20 days of exercise in this month, I am glad I am sticking with Pilates on Monday nights.  It really is my "happy place". 

Well, on the job front.  I don't know.  Last week was a frickin' roller coaster and toyed with my emotions so bad!  I didn't eat as bad as I would have in the past, but I did amp up my sleeping so as to avoid real life!  Oh snap.  But basically my aunt/recruiter from the temp agency told me to have a conversation with my boss, then my pal in HR told me something unexpected about the job, and then when I went to have the conversation with the boss, her reaction threw me off so I had to improvise and scrap my aunt/recruiter's plan.  The coversation with the boss was vague.  In the end, she said she "pretty much knew what she wanted to do" she just wanted a few more weeks to be certain.  So I take that as yeah she wants to hire me, she just wants a few more weeks to make sure I'm solid, but it could totally be that she wants to hire someone else and wants to be certain of that.  In the end, I'm at a point of "eff that!".  The emotional toll was ridiculous.  I've been there since the beginning of the year and was just now learning how to do some of the things.  Crazy.  30% sure I'm just going to run away and join the circus.  Yeah, I'm a runner - from my problems!  bahaha, I crack myself up.  I'll be honest here (because I don't feel like I can be in my real life).  Stability is awesome and all, but I like/borderline love events.  Just all the planning and the day gets there and you're going for a million hours straight putting out fires and helping people.  Love that rush!  I was hoping I'd have been hired on at this place before now so I could put in some hours for the temp company at a conference this week.  I miss them so!

On the car front - this is like my most weak area in life.  I pretty much HAVE to look for a car on Craigslist.  For $2000.  People are ridiculous!  One was all like "this car is great and drives perfectly, so don't try to low ball me on the price...here are the issues with the car" and they listed like 8 issues.  Wow!  And on that one 2 of the issues were #1 no air #2 windows don't roll down.  Sounds like a real winner - they would take you to jail just for having your kid in the car WITH you! 

I can't go to a dealership because I DON'T HAVE A FULL TIME JOB!!!  Yeah temp agencies don't win you gold stars on applications.  In April, I saw the car I wanted the most out of the whole wide world (this was like a 7 year old car for under $10,000 - not super fancy), I put the name of the temp agency, which does not indicate that it is a temp agency.  And of course the dude is the one person in all of the dealerships I visited who recognized the name and turned me down. Supid Julian. (his name - called him out!).  My dear friend, who's mother died recently (and father died a few years ago) said  that she would definitely sell me her mother's car for a down payment and monthly payments.  I can't get my hopes up tho, things like that almost never work out in real life! 

I had a trip on my calender this past weekend and maybe I should have been responsible and stayed home, but I needed a freaking break from reality.  I went to (drum roll please)....CLEVELAND!!!  Oh it was so fabulous!   I have a couple of friends in the city and they all wanted to chill, nothing major.  Lovely!  Friday night I watched the Olympics (poor Morgan Uceny!) and caught up with a friend.  I stayed with that friend and we had some iced coffee and more good conversation Saturday morning.  Then I went to meet up with another friend and we went to lunch.  It was sooo off of my normal routine!  I usually eat like 3 times before 2pm, but that is when we had lunch and I was so hungry! I definitely ate all of my food, which had not been the norm lately at restaurants. 

And guess what?  Cleveland was cold!  I wasn't smart enough to look at the weather, but assumed it would be blazing like the rest of the midwest.  I had planned on wearing a dress, instead I had to go buy a sweatshirt at Target!  But it was lovely to not be hot all the time.  We met another friend in the evening, had dinner at a Mexican place (2 pitchers of margaritas between 3 people!).  I either held my liquor incredibly well or was pretty dehydrated because we were there for hours and I did not have to pee and walked out just fine.  Probably both.  The rest of the night was us around a bonfire with beers for them and mixed drinks for me, but I cut myself off pretty early.

Sunday I met up with the friend I stayed with the first night and we went for a fantastic walk!  We walked a little short of an hour and covered over 3 miles with her dog.  Why hadn't I gone on walks/hikes with that friend when we lived close to each other a few years ago?  Guess I just wasn't open to weight loss - or sweating.  Then we went and sat by the beach for a few - Lake Erie is pretty!  Here are some pics!

Friend and her dog

Us after our quality walk

Lake Erie - Rocky River Park - I think

 Have a beautiful week my friends, I will try and keep my head up!  You all do the same!

Bleck.

Well life has been sucking lately! 

I had a jam packed weekend and with my car breaking down and not being good enough to drive it to work (but being able to get rides), and my temp job telling my recruiter that they were going to be considering other people for the position (and they will consider me to, but not only me). 

Today I just wwanted to stuff my face and sleep forever.  And run away.  I thought about that too. 

But I borrowed SwimSis's car and drove to Pilates class.  So sad it's not 5 mins away anymore, but I am glad to have it.  It was hard to focus between all of the crap I was thinking.

I was going to write a bunch of lovely beautiful things with flower, hearts and rainbows, but this blog is just not that right now! 

Back to trying to improve myself/ignore my problems! :/

And I have been doing so much work at work that I just read a few blogs from last Monday/Tuesday - yikes!

I hope to return with news of great weight loss, a solid job, and working car.

ha!  If only the stars aligned!

Late Night Bloggin'!

Well, I would love to tell you all about how July was for me as well as the trip to take TeenSwimSis' weight loss camp, buuuuut I'll save that for some other time.

We moved today (yeah mid-week, really sucks!) and on the way to the new place my car had a little breakdown.  Oops!  Could potentially be my fault for not getting the oil changed in a timely manner.  Bigger oops!  But the jury is still out on that one.  I was VERY proud of myself that (1) I did not bawl when my car broke down and (2) I did  not call my dad bawling!  He gets sooo annoyed.  Oh and of course today would be the one flipping day I forget my cell phone at home!  Geesh!  I was about 1-2 miles away from a friend's place, so I made it there and the car died when I was pulling into a parking spot.  Thank goodness those friends were home!  Then I don't know SwimSis' #, (she's had the same # for years, I just don't remember it).  All I know are my grandma's phone # and my dad's, which was my # growing up.  So I called my grandma and got SwimSis' #.  I'm sure the entire family knows by know that my car broke down...that's how fast word travels!  Coach was kind enough to pick me up, well he drove my car (and '89) and I drove his 2013! :)  

That was so random that I wrote that (it is currently 3:11am!).  And here comes some more randomness!

We came back to our current apt and I was packing and hanging out with SwimTot while SwimSis and Coach took a couple car fulls over to the new place.  She was kind of annoying and getting in my way.  "Anna (that's what she says when she calls me Aunt), let's place dress up.  This will be so gorgeous!" I could only hang on for one round of dress up, especially when I was trying to pack, not get stuff out! 

So I put her to work!  I told her to get a laundry basket and gather up clothes that were scattered about (that is the nicest way anyone could ever describe being messy!).  So she goes to work and I'm doing my thing.  A couple of hours later I went with SwimSis to take more stuff over (we're just moving the the next suburb over) and I got a pop on the way back so I could stay up and pack, but more importantly, finish editing this craaaazy long, crazy important application for work.  Thankfully we will submit it tomorrow.  So I'm tired-ish and get things together for tomorrow.  I laid out my clothes for Friday on Wednesday night.  And I find my undergarments, shirt and sweater.  But where are the pants?

WHERE ARE THE PANTS I AM GOING TO WEAR TO WORK TOMORROW?????

Oooooh crap.  2am, new place (where my clothes are) is 30 min round trip.  No freaking pants for tomorrow.  My options are the skirt I wore today or sweatpants! Noooo!  I realized I stuff 2 dresses that were in my dirty pile into my nightstand (pshhhh, boxes?).  One was my bridesmaid's dress from SwimSis' wedding, the other way my dress from her bachelorette party.  Plain black dress.  But it has white fuzzies on it from a ridiculously comfy blanket I took a nap under the last time I wore it.  Okay, okay I can make this work!  Unfortunately, the only sweater I have to wear over it is gray and I don't have any accessories, but I will have to make it work!

I am so pale!  That's me, my dad, TeenSwimSis, SwimSis and SwimTot!

haha best shot of the dress!  We did a couple jumping pics!

That was from TeenSwimSis' confirmation in May.  And the last time I wore the dress.  And I haven't washed it/dry cleaned.  I need a personal assistant!  Oh and I'll throw in one from SwimSis' bachelorette party!

 I hope to have a real blog update soon, not just one inspired by misplaced pants and caffeine.  This weekend I have a zillion social events (which in my world is just one a day!).  If not this weekend, I'll see everyone on the new work week!  (ewwww, who says that on a Friday???) 

"Write down a list of vegetables that you like"

In February 2009, I decided to give meat up for Lent.  It was more of a challenge kind of thing and something hard to prove to people that I could do something others couldn't (yeah, sometimes the whole God thing gets lost on me, but I'm working on it!).  I did not prepare whatsoever or do any research.  Duh, no meat means you eat...uh...idk!  The first day of Lent, I had cereal for all of my meals (100% seriously).

One of my co-workers was a vegan and was VERY excited that I was going meat free (I did keep in eggs and dairy, I would not have survived vegan!).  She told me she would cook something for me if I wrote down a list of vegetables that I liked.  So I sat down with pen and paper.

"Mushrooms"

Ummmmm....potatoes?  Corn?  I kind of like those.  Oh, and lettuce.

I ended up writing a short list of veggies that I had before and could tolerate, but my list of veggies I hated were nearly as long (I'm looking at you tomatoes and cucumbers!).

I went 40 days w/o meat, but I literally day dreamed about meat every day!  And some meat substitutes were horrible while others weren't that bad.  That co-worker never did cook for me.  Perhaps it is because she asked if I liked spicy food.  I said "Uhhhh...I like salsa a little bit".  She replied  "I'll take that as a no".

And lately, I have been  buying veggies more and more when I go to the store.  Last week I decided to renew my love of squash (after I got burnt out the first time-everyday for weeks on end got to be a little too much). After review, it was DEFINITELY the veggies in this post.  That was an awful food week.  I'm not making either of those things again!  I had squash/zucchini, bell peppers, and onions slow cooked w/chicken thighs.  Love! Last week I bought a few things to make stir fry, but not enough to make the amount/type I wanted.  And then SwimSis used my chicken for dinner yesterday.  Sure she bought more, but that was rock hard in the freezer - and did me no good!  I went to the store today and bought more chicken and 1 more pack of veggies.  When I got home, I was on the interwebs too much (oh fb!) and then I got to chopping!  I was just in a mood to not to cook all of this up, so I gave into the slow cooker/crock pot - again!

I got out the 3 packs of veggies that I had purchased on separate occassions.  They are somewhat pre-chopped and were all on "manager's special".  I had 2 packs of "grilling vegetables" (zucchini, yellow squash), red onion, red and green bell peppers and one pack of stir fry veggies (bok choy, pea pods, carrots, broccoli, onions, bell peppers).  I threw in the stir fry veggies, chopped up the grilling veggies a little more finely.  Then I chopped some carrots, not peeling them though (why do we peel them?  Seems like a bit of a waste to me!  I did peel a few odd looking spots, but just chopped the rest).  Then I went into the fridge to get an extra yellow squash and zucchini when I saw the bok choy I bought last week!  Someone (SwimSis) had likely shoved it to the back of the fridge where it froze.  The leafy greens were good no more, but the stalks were pretty much okay.  I chopped that all up and the crock pot was REALLY full.  I had opted not to put the chicken in the same crock pot quite a few chops ago.

Crock O' Veggies

I went to get some teriyaki sauce from the fridge when I saw a massive mountain of mushrooms (yay mushrooms!) that I had completely forgotten about!

Lots of Fungi!

 I ended up squeezing a few more mushrooms in with the veggies and  some in with the chicken in a separate, but small slow cooker.  And the lat mushrooms SwimSis grilled up with bell peppers to have w/ tacos - yummy.

I am glad to see I have evolved as a vegetable eater.  A couple of years ago I would not have eaten onions, pea pods, bok choy, etc.  I like cucumbers now, but tomatoes will always be the worst thing ever!  I know I will overcook them in the crockpot, but I'm hoping they will still be yummy!

How has your eating evolved?