A Week Later

Wow, I just realized another week has gone by. I've meant to post almost every day since the last and either I ran out of time or just thought I would keep saving my thoughts for a longer post. Now watch, I won't remember half of what I was thinking I wanted to mention.

First, Aaron started school yesterday. I called him and left a message on his cell phone before school and then his Dad called me to let me know he had dropped him off and everything was a go. Still waiting to here how things are going as I've not talked to him since last Friday. And then he was at a clinic waiting to get a Hep B shot that the state of NV requires for entrance into the school system. I sure do miss him and wish he was calling. I'm trying to give him some time to adjust but it sure is hard to not know what is going on with him from day to day after being so wrapped up in his world for all these years.

Second, I'm up to 3.5 lbs lost now and am doing well. I came in at or under points each day last week and went to the gym all the days it was open. Last night I went to the Yoga / Pilates class and really enjoyed it. Tonight is the circuit training class that is also on Thursday nights. I had originally intended to workout in the mornings, but if I can do the 3 classes after work and not struggle to get to work on time, I'll do it.

Lastly, I finally ordered and received the Youngevity products I ordered. I've been listening to the Dead Doctor's Don't Lie podcast by Dr. Joel Wallach since I heard Trucker Tom mention the show months ago. Since then, I've been making notes on the different products I'd be interested in and I thought would help me with my various issues. With started the weight loss program after the first, I knew it was time to order. I really needed help losing the carbs and getting rid of the cravings. I'm happy to say, that less than a week into taking the products, I'm almost having to force myself to eat as I'm not hungry and definitely not craving anything. I'm actually hungry when I eat.

Here's what I ordered:

Feret Fat Pak
Women's FX
Slender FX
Women's Hormonal
Nuo

So, I'm taking all that plus all the other vitamins and minerals and things that I normally take. I sure take a lot of stuff, but it's all natural and I feel good.

The girls are doing well despite missing Aaron and I'm thrilled that Heather is going to be able to watch them while Dave and I are in Oregon. If only I can get them all groomed and in good behavior before they go visit :)

Progress

It's the 3rd so I figured I'd better update with my progress on my New Year's Commitments. So far so good. I got signed up at the gym last night and went for my first workout this morning. I'm planning on trying out the Hydro Massage table tonight after work.

I technically didn't start WW until the 2nd since the 1st was a holiday and I was home grooming the dogs, watching TV and eating whatever I wanted. So I guess I've only been going a day, but I feel like I'm off to a good start. I was under points yesterday and went grocery shopping today at lunch to be sure my house and work are stocked with good food.

I even checked in with my commitment "buddy" Deanna today with what I did yesterday. I'm hoping having to be accountable to someone will really help.

Dave and I are headed to the Oregon Coast at the end of the month and I'm really looking forward to the trip. We'll be staying at his Dad's brothers' place and from the website, it looks really nice. The only thing I'm skeptical about is the internet/blackberry coverage. What would I possibly do without connection to the internet world for 4 days? I'm not sure, but I guess I wouldn't die as long as I had my Ipod :)

I talked with Aaron yesterday, he's still on Christmas break and his Dad was back at work so he's hanging out at the apartment by himself during the day. He sounded down, but assured me he was fine. I guess they are going to move into a 2 bedroom apartment and get Aaron his own bed, dresser and TV.

Another slow day at work. People are here, but I guess they're computers are running well, because they're not calling. Which is a good thing :)

Packed and Gone

It's Sunday and Aaron left yesterday for his Dad's. Thursday night we got him all packed up. Surprisingly, we got everything he wanted to take packed in his 2 suitcases, the biggest box the airline would allow and his 2 carry ons and wearing all of his coats. He was able to take all his clothes, toys and sports things he wanted. Even the cool new skateboard he got from Dave for Christmas. On Friday, I took off work early and we went to the movies and saw The Night at the Museum which was really good. Then we went to his favorite place for dinner, the Golden Corral. It's a buffet and he just eats and eats and always leaves happy. Then we went to Pojo's which is a local kids place with games and bumper cars and a beautiful carousel.

Bright and early Saturday, I took Aaron to the airport and he flew out on time and arrived safely in Reno, Nevada where his Dad picked him up. While we were at the airport and for the days before he left, we were catching up on episodes of our favorite podcast to listen to together, the Dawn and Drew show. I will miss sharing that with him.

Since then, I've heard from him often and he seems to be having fun with his Dad. It's bittersweet for me, I wish the best for him, but I've really never been away from him and it's hard having him so far away. We were able to record an episode of the Mind and Body cast, which is our podcast before he left so that was fun. I'm hoping to continue the show with him remotely either using his cell phone to call into Skype or Talkshoe to record us together.

I cleaned and organized like a madwoman on Saturday after Aaron left and moved his desk into his room and got his bedding all washed so his room is ready whenever he or a guest might need to use it. Cleaning always makes me feel better. I'm sure it's about the control of the environment and having everything in it's place when I'm an emotional wreck. Whatever th case, the house looks awesome!

Tonight, Dave and I are headed to Michelle and Gregg's for their annual New Year's Eve Party/Gregg's birthday party.

New Year's Commitments

This year, I've decided to do some New Year's Commitments instead of resolutions. What's the difference? I have no idea. I just feel like all the things I want to do, I know I need to do and they're nothing new. I just need to commit to them and DO them.

So here goes:

Health & Body
* take all vitamins and supplements DAILY
* limit caffeine
* limit alcohol
* limit carbs/grains/sugars
* stay away from soda
* eat fresh fruits and vegetables EVERY day
* quit smoking for GOOD
* workout at least 3x a week
* follow the WW plan and count points every day
* weigh myself regularly
* ensure my dogs are fit and well trained (walks & regular training sessions)

Personally
* take time to spend with God and in His word each day
* read more
* use electronics less (laptop, blackberry, PC) - relax!
* watch less TV (cable goes off in Feb)
* podcast more
* blog regularly
* spend more time with friends
* keep in better touch with family
* be financially secure and investing wisely while giving generously
* continue to refine my parenting skills and be a terrific Mom

Professionally
* spend more time at the office so I don't feel guilty about not working when I'm away
* be more committed to projects and taking responsibility for things maybe out of my "ownership"
* learn things that are challenging and perceived as "difficult" (cross-training)

Why am I Here?

Well, the post Christmas depression set in last night. I'm not sure if it's just a sugar low but I sure felt bad. Aaron leaves in 4 days and I can't believe it. He's been with me emotionally for years before I got pregnant and from the moment I conceived with me physically. He'll be 12 in March, so that's a good long time. A lot of those years it was just him and I. His Dad hasn't spent more than a few days with him in over 10 years and I can't imagine how different his life is going to be after Saturday.

So last night I took a bath and tried to cheer myself up by doing some retail therapy and buying some stuff with Christmas checks. Then I talked with my girlfriend Wendy on the phone for quite some time. All the while, Aaron was at friends house playing a new video game that was received for Christmas. I guess I don't blame him for wanting to have fun and not be bothered by stupid things like chores around our house, I just thought he might want to spend some time with me before he left. I also usually forget he's a child and doesn't have adult emotions. Darn.

After I got off the phone and Aaron got home, I read and listened to a podcast for a bit. One of the things I heard was we are all here for a purpose. God has plans for each and every one of us. Well, what's my purpose? I always thought it was to be a mother. I suck at relationships and haven't been a very good daughter and I'm too closed off to be anyone's good friend, so what else is there? When I started podcasting, I thought, ah, this is it. This is my "purpose". But the newness wore off and it became frustrating as I tried to do more complicated things. I still enjoy it, but with Aaron moving away, it takes away a lot of the enjoyment out of it as it was something we did together. I'm still hoping to have him call in and us record using TalkShoe, but that involves a whole other level of technicality. Our most recent episode, I used a single headphone and the volume was so quiet, I had to enlist the help of one of my favorite podcasters Trucker Tom to help me figure out how to get the volume up. I've got all kinds of content, but the technical stuff stumps me. And that's what I do for a living! So what the heck am I here for? What good to I provide the world? I recycle and try to be friendly to the environment but that's about it. I attend church sporadically and don't have enough backbone to speak my mind about my religious beliefs to other people who believe differently or not at all.

So, I don't know. What's your purpose?

Posting Shayna.Minti.com in my blog so this can be feed to their site.

Santa Was Very Good to Me!

Here it is, Christmas day afternoon. The kids have all disappeared with their goodies and Dave is watching football. I turn to electronics as I sip a Fat Tire and prepare taco meat for Dave's birthday dinner.

Santa brought me 3 GREAT gifts from my Froogle wish list. Very cool. I got the memory card for the Blackberry Pearl that I bought myself for Christmas a few weeks ago. Now I can put MP3's and more pictures and video than I can stand on there. Also, it allows me to take 200+ pictures with the built in camera, instead of the 77 the 20mg on board card allows. I can also use it like a thumb drive for moving data around as I do with my ipod. Now I just need the cool Bluetooth headphones Dan sent me on Friday that will allow the Pearl's headset jack to be stereo on nice wireless headphones that you can talk on the phone with also. No more pausing the Ipod to answer the phone if it's all in one. I also got a heating blanket that's low wattage and supposedly not bad for you. Also, the coolest bedrest with a light, heater and massager and cup holder. Sweeet! Dave's mom got me the cutest doggie purse, I can hardly wait to take it to work tomorrow, it looks so real! Bobbi got me a beautiful pink columbia jacket. I wear the dark pink vest she got me almost constantly, but sometimes a girl needs arms :) Dan got me a leatherman, so I don't have to borrow his and Dave's all the time. Aaron promptly read the directions and quizzed me on how to use it. I guess without him around I should learn to fend for myself mechanically :( My friend Heather also got me a cool Fiskar's cutting system for scrapbooking and some cool toys for the girls.

Aaron got a skateboard, some games, a cool tool set and cash. Matt got money, Jeff got all Wii and DS stuff, Dave got a lot of food and gift certs and some wine and the girls got some new toys and treats and a new toy box.

The festivities started on Friday when the girls and I exchanged gifts at work. That was fun. Then the Mad Dogs in the afternoon. Saturday I was pretty sick and just stayed in my jammies and tried to rest up for the next two days. Sunday we all went to brunch at Dave's sisters and ate and talked. Sunday night we went to Bobbi's for an excellent lamb dinner, fancy stuffing and rice and a really good salad. I topped it off with too much toffee cuz boy did I have a stomach ache after all that! Today we did the stockings, waited for Matt to get up and come over and then opened gifts. It's been a nice quiet day.

I'm dreading going back to work tomorrow. I originally had the day off as Aaron was supposed to leave for his Dad's but now that's been postponed until Saturday the 30th.

My friend Cheryl's cute little Bentley is doing much better after his scare earlier this week where he had to be rushed to the vets because of low blood sugar. Chloe is still not eating as usual, but today she is off the 2nd pain med and is definitely acting more lively and not whining nearly as much. Now it's just been she's being a baby or wants something, not for pain, LOL

To all a Happy Holiday!

Snow Advisory

Well, it's finally started snowing. I've been watching the radar and waiting since 11a today. I had to drive back to the vet's last night to get some additional pain killer for Chloe as she was just miserable. I really think she overdid running around in the yard with the first batch of snow we got on Friday. She is doing much better today and I took this picture of her earlier today. Chloe in the snow filled flower pot