Hibernation Station

Apparently like everyone else in the world, I do not make resolutions at the New year. I did for a bit but discovered it never really worked. The change of a calendar date does not motivate me in the same ways that it seems to motivate others. That said, I make resolutions/changes throughout the year based on my need to change something at any given time.
In December, I had had it with my pants being snug and decided the WW program I had done was not working and I needed to make an adjustment, probably to move more. It went well for about two weeks. And then the holidays arrived and I started to travel.
Whoosh! (That's the sound of my significant motivation flying out the window. And my $50/month!)
I am limited due to the joint situation and the trainer I had wasn't really meeting my needs, so  very qucikly I was bored with the treadmill. When I got started again in january, I really lost my excitement at the gym. Plus the flood of all those resolution people was rather annoying. So, I opted to look into some pool programs. DC has an especially awesome Aquatics program that I found out is extremely cheap! I found an Aqua Zumba class and promptly registered. I have been twice now. It's fun and definately a good workout. And I'm glad I did it.

Since the class isn't everyday and I am not 100% sure about the gym, I try to supplement with some walks. I love the crisp fresh air, especially after sitting at a desk all day. It's just so nice! Today I woke up very early for me and had no real reason to be at my desk before 8:30, so decided to bundle up and head out for a brisk walk to kick start the day. It was pleasant for the first 3/4 of a mile, but lo and behold, as soon as I was at the farthest point from my house, it started to sprinkle. Not too terrible, but I needed to walk a little more quickly. Then the sky opened up and I swear, chunky rain started to pelt me! If I had the ability to run, I would have sprinted home. It was awful! I felt like I was being stung. By the time I got home, my eyelashes, eyebrows and any exposed hair from under my hat were completed covered in iceicles. Not cool.
I spent the rest of the day warming up. In fact, I still have on 3 shirts and a hoodie!
So the very LAST place I want to be tonight is in a pool with water. The class itself won't be bad, but I cannot stand the thought of being shivery cold again today. I just can't do it. Blue limbs once a day is good enough for me.
So, here I am publically outing myself and not going to work out. I'm not eating sugar or flour these days---does that help make it better? I'm going to tell myself today that it does and hibernate until tomorrow morning.

Birthdays, friends, and joy.

This week I took an impromptu rewards travel (read:free) trip to my beloved Seattle.
I planned it out two weeks out with some pals and made it happen. And I realize once again how lucky I am to work where I work. Not only do I have great co-workers/friends, but I am also able to take my work with me. Though if I'm being honest, I have to use some vacation days STAT!
So off to Seattle I went. Headed to my happy place. To spend time with some of my favorite people. Exploring some of my favorite places. Yay!
As the plane was descending into Seattle and I looked out the window, tears sprang to my eyes. After 8 months, I had forgotten how beautiful it is. I had missed the water and mountains and greenery more than I knew. So in true Chris Schulte fashion, I teared up. On a plane.
Em picked me up and there I was just working from her house, like nothing had ever changed. Sam and Craig were floating around, which was awesome. So many of my fav people in one house! Amazing!


Playing Hoot Owl Hoot! Best game ever!

 

Friday was date day with my favorite Seattle little lady before she went to spend her birthday weekend at her dad's.


Playing My Little Pony adventures.

 That meant her mama and I had a big girls weekend to play.
The rest of the weekend I went with Aubs and spent some time at Pike's Place Market, downtown Seattle having a girl's fancy dinner and mini-bar crawl. Sunday was time in my old neighborhood- enjoying Simply Desserts, the Fremont Market, and just the vibe. I lived in such a  great neighborhood! And there is so much I miss.

Cocktial time @ Wild Ginger

Mardi Gras parade @ Th Fremont Market.

Simply Desserts cake! Yummy!

Monday was Em's birthday. And as a mama with a munchkin with a birthday in proximity to hers, her birthday sort of falls off the radar, but we made sure to not let that happen this year! Kaisa, too! (she and I went mama present shopping on Friday during our date day, it was all her idea!). We started the day with yummy pastries and good coffee. And after some pushing Em decided what she wanted for a birthday dinner-- Quiche Lorraine. And due to the change fothcoming in my diet (no suger, etc), I decided that although we were sweeted out (from the weekend of celebrating), I needed to make these--

Peanut butter oreo blondie brownies- courtesy og pinchofyum.com

AMAZING!!

Other pals were able to join the birthday celebration.
Although not for my birthday, it was such a treat to spend the evening with good friends, good food and laughter.
I sometimes forget how lucky I am to have so many great people in my life. Near or far - I am surrounded by good friends, who are really more family than just friends.

Little Ballerinas

Another round of Hoot Owl Hoot!

Dessert time.

Laughing about Face Juggler. Hysterical!

Links to the incredible meal--
Quiche- http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Chef-Johns-Quiche-Lorraine/Detail.aspx
Brownies- http://pinchofyum.com/peanut-butter-oreo-blondies#comment-18828

No sugar? No flour?

Um, yes. That's right.
No more refined sugar. No more flour. Sigh.
That is the latest plan to find a solution to the mystery that is me and my disease. One more doctor  takes the list up to 8 professionals who have used this phrase or similar to describe me. A mystery. Sigh. As I have said before, I understand it but it is very annoying. I mean, I get it. I don't fit into any mold. I don't fit into the box. But to be told by a professional (or many in this case) that I am a mystery is just disheartening. The glimmers of hope kind of disappear for a brief moment and clouds of doubt creep in-- will this ever go away? Am I going to end up in a wheel chair? Will anyone ever figure this out?!! Blah!

So, the latest step in my healthcare regime was to establish care with an acupuncturist in DC. I have found amazing success in the past getting acupuncture along with the western methods. I enjoy a happy medium of two ways of thinking. I think it means I get the best of both worlds. As with any new doctor and establishing care, I have to go through an entire list of things I've tried, times I feel good/bad/indifferent. The only consistent thing in my case is the inconsistency. Nothing seems to have a rhyme or reason. And since I have tried eliminating items from my diet before without much success, we ended up here. Where I was really hoping to not ever be. No sugar. No flour.
The sweet treat, bread-lover in me is so sad. If I could live on sweets and bread, I would. I LOVE them! Not to say that I don't like veggies or fruit because I really do. A lot actually. But to remove treats and bread is rough.

No more pizza. No more sweets. No Treats. Double sigh.
Adidos...



Tonight, I will clean out the cupboards and toss out the things that are open and might be tempting. Other items will be put into a bag to take the favorite family.
And I will order pizza for dinner and have a cupcake for dessert.
I guess my time as a chubby bunny will hopefully come to an end.
And I can discover some new recipes...
Silver linings.

Stalker turned Baker?

 

 

There are moments in my job where i really think a trained monkey could take over for awhile and I could go drink beverages with umbrellas on a beach some place. One of those moments happens to be right now. And not just this second, but in general since December really. There have been some intense moments, but for the most part I am in flux. Waiting to hear back from a site. Waiting to hear about the direction the client would like to go. In general, I am waiting.

While waiting there isn't a whole lot I can do. It's a delicate balance of working too much in one direction only to be told at a later date that the other direction is where we need to head. While I never mind working hard, in this case, to do too much work is a waste of time. During this phase, I spend an awful lot of time on the phone and on hold. Waiting.

Since there is little I can accomplish during the 5 minutes I am on hold, I have a handy list of websites, blogs and quick reads to entertain me (but not take away my focus) until the person I am waiting for finally picks up. I have found some really fabuoous ides, places, and things along the way while on hold. That's fun, I guess. But if I'm really being honest, I'd rather just have answers and stop waiting! That is not realistic, so in the meantime I wait. (and stalk.)

Because I live (and plan events) in DC, the world revolves around the schedules of the important people and events taking place. Unfortunately, I am not that important person. I fall way down on the list of priorities. Thus, my other talent in the last few months has been to become a professional stalker. I mean, seriously. I even have a schedule of when and how I reconnect with a person I need to talk with. No joke.

My life in a nutshell-- waiting and stalking.

I guess, really, the two talents should go hand in hand. As any good stalker knows, patience is essential. Patience and something for the stalkee (is that even a word? I don't think so, but I like it, so we'll go with it.). So, as I was saying, something for the stalkee to recall them and want to talk with them. I am convinced I will win with handwritten thank you notes and homemade baked goods.

 

S'more brownies and Crack (golden graham s'more bars). Yum!

With that in mind, once I finally settled on a meeting date with an important contact (after her important role in the Inauguration, of course.), I determined I would bring her baked goods. A not-so-subtle bribe just to remember me and put at the top of the call back list for the next time.

Yeah, that seems like an awesome plan. Until you leave the treats on the kitchen counter. Whoops.

My fellow stalkers just shook their heads in shame. Sad.

 

And now circling back to where we started- my time waiting and checking out blogs...today, while on hold I checked out a new favorite and what should the topic be, but brownies and stalking. Check it out-- http://melssweetlife.com/. My favorite line:  if you ever find yourself in a stalking situation, don’t forget to bring baked goods.

 

I could not have said it better myself! Which I guess means, I may need to take some baking courses to improve my odds of success. I guess there could be worse things in life! ;)