So I looked back today and realized I only made it through half a year last year with the blog and cut out about 5 weeks of the resolutions. Since I last posted a lot has happened.
I moved to Colorado where I am loving the snow! I have seen some moose and the last few days I've seen a whole herd of elk. My doggie LOVES it out here and we went snowshoeing with some friends from the school on Saturday. She didn't like the DEEP snow, but was ok when there was a packed trail.
The BF and I split in September. I couldn't ever see myself moving back to Missouri and he never even gave the idea of him moving a thought because his career is too important. Why should I think about giving up my chance at one if he's not willing to think about it either. So, we split, he has a new gf, and hangs out with my sister and her fiance all the time. I'm just glad I don't have to deal with him anymore.
As a teacher there is one bad thing... the treats, candy, and cookies begin before Thanksgiving and NEVER END!!! I fell off the wagon with the no sugar thing when I moved out here. First it was a sweet treat about once every other week. The, after I dropped about 12 pounds in a few weeks I decided I needed to slow the weight loss down and bought a thing of ice cream. That led to eating the cookies and snacks given to the teachers. That led to all sorts of bad eating habits for the holiday season and tomorrow it has to end.
Tomorrow is only New Year's Eve, but I have decided my new year should begin on a Monday. Tomorrow begins the cycle of resolutions again. Starting again with week 1: no more processed sugar.
Surprisingly... I may have a friend joining me in this endeavor of no sugar! So that's kind of exciting...
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Monday, August 13, 2012
Insanity! In more than one way...
Alright, I know it has been forever since I last posted. And I've been slacking a lot on my resolutions, but feel I've made good excuses for them all. LOL.
So, an update on what's been going on. Last time I wrote, I was getting ready to go to Illinois. That trip was fun and somehow in my Kia Sorento I managed to bring home a dresser, a small tv, 5 new pillows, a dog, my bag, bf's bags, box of can goods, two boxes of my Great Grandmother's china, and me and my bf. It was a tight squeeze, but it gave me hope for getting to Colorado! (Should have taken pictures... )
Then, the following week I was asked to judge the local Fair Queen Pageant with the bf which turned into judging the talent show also. It was hard because I knew a few of the kids from substituting but I think I did good on judging them based on what they showed me at the pageant and not what I knew they could do. This meant that I had less time to be backing for the great road trip, and... I missed the entire night of bull riding! That's the one thing I always went to at the fair and I missed it this year because I was judging. :(
Saturday came and we loaded up the car. I mean we LOADED the car FULL! Some of it even ended up going on top of the car and getting tied down. (Again... should have taken pictures...) After driving 12 miles and realizing I forgot to deposit money in the bank we had to turn around (local bank) and head back to town. Took care of that and headed out again. About 3 hours into the trip or so I heard a strange rattling sound coming from the roof of the car. Nervous something was coming untied we pulled over. Everything was still tied tight so we carried on. Awhile later I heard it again, we stopped, everything was fine, we traveled on with the radio up a little more. Then, after awhile it really started to bother us and we figured out that maybe it was the ends of the rope flapping that we were hearing. Tucked those in and we were all good. No more noises!
We stopped in Lincoln, NE for a break and walked around their Capitol Building. It was really cool and really neat to see green grass! It's been so dry even our green grass is still a little crispy on the edges. Lincoln had gorgeous, soft green grass. The puppy sure enjoyed it! We ate dinner at a truck stop and still debated the drive-all-night vs stop-somewhere plans. Decided to play it by ear. We did have a time crunch in that we had to be to town to meet the landlords no later than 2pm but by 11am would be best. They were leaving town for the week and everyone they would leave stuff with was also out of town. We ended up napping once or twice and taking turns (although bf did most of the driving) and when we were just outside of Laramie, WY we stopped for the last few hours of the night. We just slept at a rest area and called it good.
I should also mention that it is COLD outside at night. Coming from a land where it might get down to 85 at night to where it was in the 40's is a HUGE change and blonde me didn't pack any warm clothes where we could get to them! And, I was traveling in shorts...
Morning came, we got up and went potty, walked the dog, and headed into Laramie. Laramie is an important place to stop on the trip because it is the last town before getting to the little town where I'm living and the last place to really stop for groceries/wal-mart. After cramming every nook and crannie with the things we picked up at Wal-Mart we headed on to my new home!
We unloaded the car, set up the air mattress, and slept a long time.
Then, since the bf is here for 2 weeks we decided to hit up every other town I could go shopping in. First up was Fort Collins. Nice town, LONG drive through mountains. Originally I thought mountains would be cool and was a little sad I am in a big flat valley of ranches, but after that drive, I like my valley!
While in Fort Collins we hit up an awesome thrift store! Bought 2, not one but TWO, humidifiers for $3.99 each! The dry air had been killing us! Also got two folding chairs for $2.99 each (brand new and I hadn't packed any thing to sit on), and a bag of crochet thread (more on that another day) for cheap. Then we went to Ross, very happy to see there is one there! A trip to the Dollar Tree! Followed by lunch at a microbrewery (bf's a beer fan) and a tour of New Belgium Brewery! Then, since the dog was now going to be locked up longer than planned, we rushed through wal-mart to get new humidifier filters and a few other things and Safeway to get food. I <3 Safeway!
After trudging back through the mountains following a semi who almost ran three different cars off the road (he wouldn't stay on his side!) we made it home.
Steamboat Springs was the trip planned for yesterday and was interesting. Our list of things was smaller this time and so we really only stopped at Safeway, Walgreens and Wal-mart. We had lunch at what was apparently the town's first Mexican restaurant. Amazing food, but our waitress wasn't the greatest. At one point she made me feel really needy because when she asked if we needed anything I requested more tea to drink (cup was 2/3 empty) and some extra napkins. I feel, and I was once a waitress, that she should have asked if we were ok with drinks and such instead of just always asking us if we needed anything. But still good food. The drive to Steamboat was a lot better and so either there or Laramie will be my shopping places.
We also got to watch the balloon festival thing yesterday morning at 7am here in town. We've seen a lot of antelope, prairie dogs, and birds of all kinds.
This week is my first week of school! Well, for me and the other teachers. Tomorrow starts our teacher work days and all that cool stuff. Then, Friday bf and I are heading to Denver so he can fly out on Saturday. I'll be coming back, scrambling to get everything done and ready for Monday, the first day of school.
I also, began Insanity workouts again today. Started at Day 1 with the Fit test. I'm nervous to compare results to the last time I started it.
So, an update on what's been going on. Last time I wrote, I was getting ready to go to Illinois. That trip was fun and somehow in my Kia Sorento I managed to bring home a dresser, a small tv, 5 new pillows, a dog, my bag, bf's bags, box of can goods, two boxes of my Great Grandmother's china, and me and my bf. It was a tight squeeze, but it gave me hope for getting to Colorado! (Should have taken pictures... )
Then, the following week I was asked to judge the local Fair Queen Pageant with the bf which turned into judging the talent show also. It was hard because I knew a few of the kids from substituting but I think I did good on judging them based on what they showed me at the pageant and not what I knew they could do. This meant that I had less time to be backing for the great road trip, and... I missed the entire night of bull riding! That's the one thing I always went to at the fair and I missed it this year because I was judging. :(
Saturday came and we loaded up the car. I mean we LOADED the car FULL! Some of it even ended up going on top of the car and getting tied down. (Again... should have taken pictures...) After driving 12 miles and realizing I forgot to deposit money in the bank we had to turn around (local bank) and head back to town. Took care of that and headed out again. About 3 hours into the trip or so I heard a strange rattling sound coming from the roof of the car. Nervous something was coming untied we pulled over. Everything was still tied tight so we carried on. Awhile later I heard it again, we stopped, everything was fine, we traveled on with the radio up a little more. Then, after awhile it really started to bother us and we figured out that maybe it was the ends of the rope flapping that we were hearing. Tucked those in and we were all good. No more noises!
We stopped in Lincoln, NE for a break and walked around their Capitol Building. It was really cool and really neat to see green grass! It's been so dry even our green grass is still a little crispy on the edges. Lincoln had gorgeous, soft green grass. The puppy sure enjoyed it! We ate dinner at a truck stop and still debated the drive-all-night vs stop-somewhere plans. Decided to play it by ear. We did have a time crunch in that we had to be to town to meet the landlords no later than 2pm but by 11am would be best. They were leaving town for the week and everyone they would leave stuff with was also out of town. We ended up napping once or twice and taking turns (although bf did most of the driving) and when we were just outside of Laramie, WY we stopped for the last few hours of the night. We just slept at a rest area and called it good.
I should also mention that it is COLD outside at night. Coming from a land where it might get down to 85 at night to where it was in the 40's is a HUGE change and blonde me didn't pack any warm clothes where we could get to them! And, I was traveling in shorts...
Morning came, we got up and went potty, walked the dog, and headed into Laramie. Laramie is an important place to stop on the trip because it is the last town before getting to the little town where I'm living and the last place to really stop for groceries/wal-mart. After cramming every nook and crannie with the things we picked up at Wal-Mart we headed on to my new home!
We unloaded the car, set up the air mattress, and slept a long time.
Then, since the bf is here for 2 weeks we decided to hit up every other town I could go shopping in. First up was Fort Collins. Nice town, LONG drive through mountains. Originally I thought mountains would be cool and was a little sad I am in a big flat valley of ranches, but after that drive, I like my valley!
While in Fort Collins we hit up an awesome thrift store! Bought 2, not one but TWO, humidifiers for $3.99 each! The dry air had been killing us! Also got two folding chairs for $2.99 each (brand new and I hadn't packed any thing to sit on), and a bag of crochet thread (more on that another day) for cheap. Then we went to Ross, very happy to see there is one there! A trip to the Dollar Tree! Followed by lunch at a microbrewery (bf's a beer fan) and a tour of New Belgium Brewery! Then, since the dog was now going to be locked up longer than planned, we rushed through wal-mart to get new humidifier filters and a few other things and Safeway to get food. I <3 Safeway!
After trudging back through the mountains following a semi who almost ran three different cars off the road (he wouldn't stay on his side!) we made it home.
Steamboat Springs was the trip planned for yesterday and was interesting. Our list of things was smaller this time and so we really only stopped at Safeway, Walgreens and Wal-mart. We had lunch at what was apparently the town's first Mexican restaurant. Amazing food, but our waitress wasn't the greatest. At one point she made me feel really needy because when she asked if we needed anything I requested more tea to drink (cup was 2/3 empty) and some extra napkins. I feel, and I was once a waitress, that she should have asked if we were ok with drinks and such instead of just always asking us if we needed anything. But still good food. The drive to Steamboat was a lot better and so either there or Laramie will be my shopping places.
We also got to watch the balloon festival thing yesterday morning at 7am here in town. We've seen a lot of antelope, prairie dogs, and birds of all kinds.
This week is my first week of school! Well, for me and the other teachers. Tomorrow starts our teacher work days and all that cool stuff. Then, Friday bf and I are heading to Denver so he can fly out on Saturday. I'll be coming back, scrambling to get everything done and ready for Monday, the first day of school.
I also, began Insanity workouts again today. Started at Day 1 with the Fit test. I'm nervous to compare results to the last time I started it.
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
Moving
Moving is stressful and I'm too lazy to really force myself to do what needs to be done. I'm just avoiding it all.
Next weekend (this one I'm going to Illinois) I am packing up my SUV and heading out to Colorado with my puppy and the bf. The bf is staying out with me until Aug 18 when he flies back and about a week later? my parents will be heading out with all the other stuff I have.
My sis says that all my stuff won't fit in the trailer/truck mom and dad are bringing, but after going through my stuff in the basement, I really don't have as much stuff as she thinks. Her basement has her stuff, my stuff, and her bf's stuff in it. While digging through the boxes it appears that most of it is not mine. I have found about 5 boxes that she's packed over the years of stuff that needs to find a home, but not right now and so it gets put in the basement, then things get stacked on top, then the stack gets moved, and then things get all combined and nobody opens the boxes.
I have been going through my boxes that I haven't opened in 4 years and most my mom packed so I don't even know what's in them!
Next weekend (this one I'm going to Illinois) I am packing up my SUV and heading out to Colorado with my puppy and the bf. The bf is staying out with me until Aug 18 when he flies back and about a week later? my parents will be heading out with all the other stuff I have.
My sis says that all my stuff won't fit in the trailer/truck mom and dad are bringing, but after going through my stuff in the basement, I really don't have as much stuff as she thinks. Her basement has her stuff, my stuff, and her bf's stuff in it. While digging through the boxes it appears that most of it is not mine. I have found about 5 boxes that she's packed over the years of stuff that needs to find a home, but not right now and so it gets put in the basement, then things get stacked on top, then the stack gets moved, and then things get all combined and nobody opens the boxes.
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| Brings back memories. This one wasn't mine, but it is now officially "old school" |
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| Duck and Frog Soap pumps. I can never choose between ducks and frogs so I have both! |
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| Found these in a box. They were from Goodwill and marked at $2 a piece. They're labeled and I think they're authentic. I think I'm going to hang on to them, but if I wanted to sell them I could probably get a lot of money for them. |
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| My old Christmas Tree skirt! I bought it on clearance one year for like $1. It's a green color |
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| These are from when I was a kid and I'm missing a part for it. Anyone know where I could find one for parts? |
Tuesday, July 3, 2012
Week 27: any ideas???
I'm out of ideas that I can actually do now. I'm flying back to the Midwest next Wednesday and then I'm moving so setting up my aquaponics system isn't possible, I'm not ready to take more out of my diet, I just cannot think of more things to do!
Have I mentioned that I'm completely over this summer school class. It would have been better if I could have been more prepared, but it's hard to come up with activities for the three of them to do. Normally in a class you have a bunch and dragging one along isn't hard. But three of them makes it hard when 1/3 of the class doesn't want to participate. Yesterday we started building kites and so today we're perfecting them and going to watch a video about kites. I'm desperate.
Have I mentioned that I'm completely over this summer school class. It would have been better if I could have been more prepared, but it's hard to come up with activities for the three of them to do. Normally in a class you have a bunch and dragging one along isn't hard. But three of them makes it hard when 1/3 of the class doesn't want to participate. Yesterday we started building kites and so today we're perfecting them and going to watch a video about kites. I'm desperate.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Week 26: Read More
Ok, so it has taken me half the week to figure out what week 26 should be and then it hit me last night! As I crawled in bed and began to read some of my book, (thanks to the sis's bf for the book light!!! ) I realized I want to do this more. So that is my resolution for this week, reading more during the week. Reading for fun too, not just the books or lesson plans that I've been reading all day to plan stuff.
This week I also feel it would be appropriate to mention... THE YEAR IS HALF OVER!!!! I cannot quite say I have 26 resolutions so far, but I do have quite a few and they have become a part of my daily life. So, a recap of how each resolution is going for me...
1. Give up Processed Sugar (again...) I've been cheating a little more this week. For the hike last weekend I bought some granola bars and tried to get the least sugar ones. But, between eating those up this week as breakfast or snacks, and the chocolate that has entered the house, I've been feeling like crap! No joke. I have felt nauseous for the last few days off and on and SO hungry. My roomie thinks it is from eating mixed veggies for lunch with fruit (was eating meat too, but too lazy to cook it the night before) but I wasn't hungry the first few days I was eating these meals. I'm going to blame the sugar.
2. No More Plastic Bags! Almost rock star status on this one!!! I did slip up the other day and forgot that a lot of plate lunch places in Hawaii will give you your lunch, your silverware/chopstick, and napkin in a bag unless you warn them in plenty of time. We were running late to meet someone on the beach so I didn't try to give the bag back.
3. No More Take Out Conatiners Not counting plate lunches! This only counts if I go to a restaurant and want to take leftovers. Haven't really been out to eat lately so not a problem.
4. Portion Control Doing good on this one! I try to eat a more variety of things rather than eat a lot of one thing. And depending on how much water I've had, I'll make myself drink a glass of water or something before getting something else to eat. It also helps that I have a quick breakfast and then I pack my lunch so dinner is really the only time I can really over eat.
5. New Recipe I've been slacking on keeping track of this, but I have been trying some new things. Mainly, mixing whatever I have on hand to make something out of it.
6. Work Out 3 Times a Week Failed a long time ago. But, since the insanity resolution and being in Hawaii I have been working out or exercising in some way at least 3 times a week. Heck, last weekend we hiked about 5 miles and then went swimming in one day alone!!!!
7. Record Measurements Weekly Harder to do since I forgot a measuring tape and my scale is still at home. But I'm losing inches!!
8. Take out Contacts Regularly Doing AMAZING at this one! Speaking of, I need to get more of the hydrogen peroxide stuff that I use. I've just been using regular solution to put them in instead of the cleaner I've been using. And... I went to the eye doctor the other day and my eyes got better again!!!
9. Keeping My Mouth Shut More Umm... I think I've been doing this one. I really get put to the test living with the guy who left for work then texted us that the wine in the freezer opened the door and things were thawing but left the wine in the fridge!
10.Take Vitamins Regularly Doing good with this one. Every morning when I go to make my shake for breakfast I pull out the shake mix and the vitamins then I have to take them before I put them away. But today I ran out of shake mix and don't plan on buying more yet.
11. Water!!! Doing ok. The other day I forgot my water bottle and by the time I got home I felt horrible. When I work out I typically drink about 2 bottles then alone.
12. (none)
13. Enjoy the Little Things I'm in Hawaii, how can I not??
14. (none-chicago)
15. Fish Oil Taking it daily with the vitamins. It seems to be ok. I really think I should have been more sore after doing the first week of insanity, but I wasn't.
16. Chap Stick Used it the other day once, but only for the sunscreen protection. I didn't think 5 miles plus tide pools would really be a smart trip without some sunscreen on my lips.
17. Abs Does insanity count???
18. Budget It is definitely a constant work in progress, but it helps a lot!
19. No More Fries I had my one cheat of garlic fries at Teddy's so I am good now.
20. (skipped?)
21. (skipped?)
22. (skipped?)
23. No more bread, crackers, or pasta Cheated when eating hamburgers. BUT, found a cool thing on I Miss My Collar Bone and I think a lightly grilled pepper would make a nice bun. Plus, since I stopped eating bread/pasta I have dropped inches!
24. Insanity workout program Slacked off for a week since I've been horribly low on sleep and not feeling great. But I picked it up the other day. Would have done it again this morning, but we had to be at school an hour earlier.
25. No more potatoes Going great. Made me laugh yesterday though when one of the boys was in charge of dinner and wanted potato salad as a side but I looked at him. So, we went to the store and he was so proud of himself. He picked up some macaroni salad and informed me that there were not potatoes in it. Then I pointed to it and said "pasta"... he thought he had done good on picking out something I could eat.
26. Read More started last night.
Friday, June 22, 2012
Teaching
So, I have discovered that rather than teach a physics course over the summer with this summer program I want to be an assistant. There are some cool classes that are happening and sadly, I am not part of either. Today I skipped out on the drama class in the morning to go with one of the other classes on a walk to collect plants to make plant shirts.
The drama class is to the stage where all the students are needed and the only thing the other assistant and I do is get after kids who are talking or goofing off. Not really exciting and not necessary to have two of us. So the one teacher was going to take her kids and gather plants to paint and then make prints of on t-shirts. That sounded so much more exciting... so did their trip to a watercress farm, the hike to the waterfall, the hike to the top of the ridge, and the trip to the board of water supply. Mind you the one also made terrariums, and they are watching termites, and they caught crayfish. I'm jealous. Today I joined them and I have to say... my shirt is coming along very nicely! I am going to add more stuff to it.
So I sit in my class, the one that I can control and realize how boring it really is. And I feel horrible! These kids were signed up for this class, all of them have done the programs before and know how fun they can be, but mine is just boring kind of learning. So, I decided to look at what could be fun using what we already know, and possibly bring in things that we didn't cover yet. At the end of all the curriculum I am supposed to cover, there is a project to create a Rube Goldberg Machine. Why not do this now instead of maybe later? I say maybe later because there's more stuff to go through than we can fit in the 5 weeks. So, today we wrapped up our final investigation, we set 3 tables end to end, I rolled out a long sheet of paper, and they began designing. :) For an hour these 3 kids worked hard without breaks designing their project. No whining, no complaining, nothing. I think I did the right choice.
They must design a machine to pop a balloon and they cannot use fire or heat. Apparently I should have added explosions, but coke and mentos can't be too bad right? They plan on containing it in a tube to set off another reaction with alcaceltzer to fill a balloon over capacity. The problem I see? They think the coke will stop at the tablets to cause gasses to fill the balloon... it won't be a gas that fills the balloon, it will be the coke that fills it with the gas and causes an explosion. But, they will get to learn this on their own!
The drama class is to the stage where all the students are needed and the only thing the other assistant and I do is get after kids who are talking or goofing off. Not really exciting and not necessary to have two of us. So the one teacher was going to take her kids and gather plants to paint and then make prints of on t-shirts. That sounded so much more exciting... so did their trip to a watercress farm, the hike to the waterfall, the hike to the top of the ridge, and the trip to the board of water supply. Mind you the one also made terrariums, and they are watching termites, and they caught crayfish. I'm jealous. Today I joined them and I have to say... my shirt is coming along very nicely! I am going to add more stuff to it.
So I sit in my class, the one that I can control and realize how boring it really is. And I feel horrible! These kids were signed up for this class, all of them have done the programs before and know how fun they can be, but mine is just boring kind of learning. So, I decided to look at what could be fun using what we already know, and possibly bring in things that we didn't cover yet. At the end of all the curriculum I am supposed to cover, there is a project to create a Rube Goldberg Machine. Why not do this now instead of maybe later? I say maybe later because there's more stuff to go through than we can fit in the 5 weeks. So, today we wrapped up our final investigation, we set 3 tables end to end, I rolled out a long sheet of paper, and they began designing. :) For an hour these 3 kids worked hard without breaks designing their project. No whining, no complaining, nothing. I think I did the right choice.
They must design a machine to pop a balloon and they cannot use fire or heat. Apparently I should have added explosions, but coke and mentos can't be too bad right? They plan on containing it in a tube to set off another reaction with alcaceltzer to fill a balloon over capacity. The problem I see? They think the coke will stop at the tablets to cause gasses to fill the balloon... it won't be a gas that fills the balloon, it will be the coke that fills it with the gas and causes an explosion. But, they will get to learn this on their own!
Monday, June 18, 2012
Week 25: Potatoes
I so cheated today on my no bread, no fries, and this week's no more taters. But, it was Teddy's Bigger Burger and if in Hawaii you HAVE TO eat it once. Amazing, hand pattied burgers. But otherwise, today I swear off potatoes. I've been avoiding them in general, but no more now.
I won't lie. The no bread/pasta thing kills me. It is just so cheap, filling, and lasts in the cupboard! But, alas, I have prevailed. Have I slipped up? yes, but I try my hardest to stick to it.
Speaking of cheap food. I saw a lady in the store today with a kid and a cart over flowing with food. Then I noticed she also had a binder and handful of coupons. I admire "extreme coupon-ers" and noticed most were printed out from online. Then I took notice of things in her cart. All what I consider "junk food". Tons of processed food, ice cream cones, boxes of fruit snacks packed with fake sugar, flavoring, and preservatives. Then I took notice of the people around me. And I have to say I have become slightly judgmental about people and what they buy. The people who are on their way to/from the gym yet buying chips and "diet" foods packed with fake stuff. What happened to real food? Why do we put so many unnecessary things in food now?
When we got home, one of the boys asked if I had tried the hot pockets with the pretzel bread yet. I told him no, they have sugar in them. He then started looking at everything as he put it away and most of the things contained sugars of some sort and not the natural kinds. It's in EVERYTHING! Rice Crispies are the one that kill me. They, by themselves are so bland, dull in flavor, and I could never eat them without adding a bunch of sugar to them. But yes, they actually do have sugar in them! Why? Plain Cherrios do too. It's sad, and depressing sometimes what we've added sugar to over the years and then we blame obese kids on the lack of PE in schools.
I get looks a lot and comments about how hard giving up sugar would be. Is it easy? No. But it is a choice I make and I won't lie, I cheat off and on in moderation for some things. Other things I've learned aren't worth it because they don't taste the same [oreos :( ] or because they make me horribly sick [ice cream]. But you know, if I get to my weight of extreme measures I would really crack down on what I was eating. And I don't care what diet you want to follow, I don't think foods which are heavily processed and using "fake" ingredients are in any way healthy or good for your body. So, next time you go shopping remember, it doesn't matter how many calories you burned at the gym today, eating some of the crap you want to eat is ingesting more than calories.
And now I step off my soap box and go to bed. I didn't do insanity yesterday because we went out dancing and I wanted to be able to dance without too much soreness. And today was just a really lazy day. Instead of staying up late and doing the workout, I will get up early and do it in the morning.
I won't lie. The no bread/pasta thing kills me. It is just so cheap, filling, and lasts in the cupboard! But, alas, I have prevailed. Have I slipped up? yes, but I try my hardest to stick to it.
Speaking of cheap food. I saw a lady in the store today with a kid and a cart over flowing with food. Then I noticed she also had a binder and handful of coupons. I admire "extreme coupon-ers" and noticed most were printed out from online. Then I took notice of things in her cart. All what I consider "junk food". Tons of processed food, ice cream cones, boxes of fruit snacks packed with fake sugar, flavoring, and preservatives. Then I took notice of the people around me. And I have to say I have become slightly judgmental about people and what they buy. The people who are on their way to/from the gym yet buying chips and "diet" foods packed with fake stuff. What happened to real food? Why do we put so many unnecessary things in food now?
When we got home, one of the boys asked if I had tried the hot pockets with the pretzel bread yet. I told him no, they have sugar in them. He then started looking at everything as he put it away and most of the things contained sugars of some sort and not the natural kinds. It's in EVERYTHING! Rice Crispies are the one that kill me. They, by themselves are so bland, dull in flavor, and I could never eat them without adding a bunch of sugar to them. But yes, they actually do have sugar in them! Why? Plain Cherrios do too. It's sad, and depressing sometimes what we've added sugar to over the years and then we blame obese kids on the lack of PE in schools.
I get looks a lot and comments about how hard giving up sugar would be. Is it easy? No. But it is a choice I make and I won't lie, I cheat off and on in moderation for some things. Other things I've learned aren't worth it because they don't taste the same [oreos :( ] or because they make me horribly sick [ice cream]. But you know, if I get to my weight of extreme measures I would really crack down on what I was eating. And I don't care what diet you want to follow, I don't think foods which are heavily processed and using "fake" ingredients are in any way healthy or good for your body. So, next time you go shopping remember, it doesn't matter how many calories you burned at the gym today, eating some of the crap you want to eat is ingesting more than calories.
And now I step off my soap box and go to bed. I didn't do insanity yesterday because we went out dancing and I wanted to be able to dance without too much soreness. And today was just a really lazy day. Instead of staying up late and doing the workout, I will get up early and do it in the morning.
Saturday, June 16, 2012
Reflection
Man, the weeks are flying by. It didn't help that last weekend was a holiday weekend for Hawaii (King Kamehameha Day) and so this was only a 4 day work week. It seems like yesterday I posted what this week's resolution was going to be and now I already have to figure out a new one?!?!
A lot has been going on and my postings have been short and not too detailed. I've been busy and last weekend really wore me out. I spent Saturday watching the first two seasons of Weeds. Not an amazing show, but I have seen it on Netflix a lot and decided to see what it was like. Then, they hook you with what crazy thing may happen next and two seasons later I finally got off the couch. I have been sticking to the workout though and took a break to do that.
Sunday was spent at the roomie's soccer game and then we went to Ewa Beach Park (Pronounced Eva as in for-eva lol). She had never been to Ewa Beach (the actual beach part) and so we went. In the 15 min we decided to sit and eat lunch before changing and putting on more sunscreen we both fried. It didn't show up until we were home though and yesterday I started peeling. No amount of aloe and lotions could stop it this time. I did take a "before" picture though! Even if it is still almost halfway (next week!) through the year. This is kind of an Insanity before photo.
Monday being a holiday the roomie and I got with our other old roomie and did a hike. It was a short, tourist kind of hike to Manoa Falls. Of all the water falls on the island that I have seen, this one is the least interesting.
Left is a picture of one of 2 or 3 big Ficus trees that are on a little side trail surrounded by a bamboo forest. The picture is maybe a third of what I could see of the tree from the angle I was at. It is crazy to think that these are the cute little office trees that are so popular (and I kill all the time...).
P.S. If anyone knows where I can get panoramic prints for an ok price, let me know!
This week was spent with more teaching of course and I am loving it! Today I was really proud of myself too. I have a student who is epileptic. Because of this he has what I would call a processing delay. He is smart, but it takes time for him to connect things to previous knowledge, to recall information, and to verbalize what he is thinking. Most days I can tell he gives up and kind of shuts his brain off. Yesterday and today though I have been able to get him in on conversations and giving me answers with reasons to back them up based upon what we have done.
I also learned in the morning by watching the other aide that I have somehow gained all the patience my oldest sister has lost with kids. One kid drives everyone up the wall; teachers, aides, the other students, everyone! Apparently he is way better than in years past and that has to be saying a lot because he isn't that behaved this year. The other aide, a recent high school grad, gets so frustrated with him and demands instructions of him as I would have a few years ago. Instead, the one day he was really driving us nuts, I sat back and observed for a little bit. I realized something was bothering him and had been since he arrived that morning. After she got on to him about something he got more upset and within a few minutes kicked a chair so another student couldn't use it as a foot rest.
It's true that we told them not to use the chairs as foot rests, but the manner he went about it was not acceptable for me. One thing to be in a mood, another to take it out like that. So, I pulled him outside and asked what was wrong and what was going on. He said he was fine and was trying to let the other kid know not to put his feet on the chair. We talked about how kicking the chair is not an appropriate way to go about this. Something was still on his mind so I figured I'd either get him to talk about it or distract him from it. After talking to him about whatever came up from a few simple questions he was distracted and back to his usual talkative self. Just before sending him back in the room, I reminded him of some group participation rules and he was good the rest of class. I did have to remind him once or twice to focus and not goof off when working in the group, but he did fine. Apparently not in the afternoon which he spent most of in the office... not sure what happened. Since then, it has been the same. He's pretty good for us in the morning and horrible in the afternoon.
This weekends plans include a brunch with some of the roomies coworkers/classmates, country dancing!!!!, possible stand up paddling, and planning for next week.
In Colorado news, I officially have a teacher e-mail address, my contract was approved by the school board, and I GOT A PLACE TO LIVE!!! It is half of a duplex which the teacher assigned as my mentor is in the other half. It has a huge fenced yard which my dog will love and it is decently cheap! It is a 2 bedroom, one bath apartment. 2 story with the bottom level being at "garden level", or half buried. The kitchen and bathrooms are a little retro with the avocado green in the counters and linoleum, but I'm excited. It also has a wood fireplace (a must for Colorado lol) and deep window sills perfect for plants. I cannot wait! Oh, and the bedrooms are both 15'x10'... that's pretty big for bedrooms. One will be a sewing room/spare bedroom. The living room will probably end up being more an office/tv room. It is hard to judge the size of the living room from the pictures for what will fit and how in there.
Another good thing is that they are currently doing some repairs in it and they will be finishing up around mid to end of July. This means... no having to pay July rent just to hold the place! The drawback? Having to fork out a deposit equal to the rent and another $400. All refundable, but still! $200 utility deposit and $200 pet deposit. The way the utilities work is they are in the landlord's name, but I get a copy of the bill and pay them back for it. It'll be nice to be able to move in the night I get to town and not have to worry about electric, water, heat and all that. I'll post pictures when I get out there probably.
Working out is going good. I can make it most of the way through a workout now. I do have to take breaks during some of the moves. The ones with a lot of up and down movement make me dizzy quickly so those get hard, but otherwise I try to do everything. I may not do it at the pace on the video, but I do it! I'm starting week two of Insanity and I'm actually starting to feel improvements even if they are subtle... like finishing most of a workout, hiking a simple trail with no pain, no knee pain, etc.
Any ideas for this coming week's resolution?
A lot has been going on and my postings have been short and not too detailed. I've been busy and last weekend really wore me out. I spent Saturday watching the first two seasons of Weeds. Not an amazing show, but I have seen it on Netflix a lot and decided to see what it was like. Then, they hook you with what crazy thing may happen next and two seasons later I finally got off the couch. I have been sticking to the workout though and took a break to do that.
Sunday was spent at the roomie's soccer game and then we went to Ewa Beach Park (Pronounced Eva as in for-eva lol). She had never been to Ewa Beach (the actual beach part) and so we went. In the 15 min we decided to sit and eat lunch before changing and putting on more sunscreen we both fried. It didn't show up until we were home though and yesterday I started peeling. No amount of aloe and lotions could stop it this time. I did take a "before" picture though! Even if it is still almost halfway (next week!) through the year. This is kind of an Insanity before photo.
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| 6-10-12 Not fat, but needs some toning... |
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| Ewa Beach looking towards Honolulu. Diamond head near the right side on the horizon. |
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| Ewa Beach looking to Waianae direction |
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| A view near the beginning of the hike. that is a storage shed. Lots of plants... |
Left is a picture of one of 2 or 3 big Ficus trees that are on a little side trail surrounded by a bamboo forest. The picture is maybe a third of what I could see of the tree from the angle I was at. It is crazy to think that these are the cute little office trees that are so popular (and I kill all the time...).
P.S. If anyone knows where I can get panoramic prints for an ok price, let me know!
This week was spent with more teaching of course and I am loving it! Today I was really proud of myself too. I have a student who is epileptic. Because of this he has what I would call a processing delay. He is smart, but it takes time for him to connect things to previous knowledge, to recall information, and to verbalize what he is thinking. Most days I can tell he gives up and kind of shuts his brain off. Yesterday and today though I have been able to get him in on conversations and giving me answers with reasons to back them up based upon what we have done.
I also learned in the morning by watching the other aide that I have somehow gained all the patience my oldest sister has lost with kids. One kid drives everyone up the wall; teachers, aides, the other students, everyone! Apparently he is way better than in years past and that has to be saying a lot because he isn't that behaved this year. The other aide, a recent high school grad, gets so frustrated with him and demands instructions of him as I would have a few years ago. Instead, the one day he was really driving us nuts, I sat back and observed for a little bit. I realized something was bothering him and had been since he arrived that morning. After she got on to him about something he got more upset and within a few minutes kicked a chair so another student couldn't use it as a foot rest.
It's true that we told them not to use the chairs as foot rests, but the manner he went about it was not acceptable for me. One thing to be in a mood, another to take it out like that. So, I pulled him outside and asked what was wrong and what was going on. He said he was fine and was trying to let the other kid know not to put his feet on the chair. We talked about how kicking the chair is not an appropriate way to go about this. Something was still on his mind so I figured I'd either get him to talk about it or distract him from it. After talking to him about whatever came up from a few simple questions he was distracted and back to his usual talkative self. Just before sending him back in the room, I reminded him of some group participation rules and he was good the rest of class. I did have to remind him once or twice to focus and not goof off when working in the group, but he did fine. Apparently not in the afternoon which he spent most of in the office... not sure what happened. Since then, it has been the same. He's pretty good for us in the morning and horrible in the afternoon.
This weekends plans include a brunch with some of the roomies coworkers/classmates, country dancing!!!!, possible stand up paddling, and planning for next week.
In Colorado news, I officially have a teacher e-mail address, my contract was approved by the school board, and I GOT A PLACE TO LIVE!!! It is half of a duplex which the teacher assigned as my mentor is in the other half. It has a huge fenced yard which my dog will love and it is decently cheap! It is a 2 bedroom, one bath apartment. 2 story with the bottom level being at "garden level", or half buried. The kitchen and bathrooms are a little retro with the avocado green in the counters and linoleum, but I'm excited. It also has a wood fireplace (a must for Colorado lol) and deep window sills perfect for plants. I cannot wait! Oh, and the bedrooms are both 15'x10'... that's pretty big for bedrooms. One will be a sewing room/spare bedroom. The living room will probably end up being more an office/tv room. It is hard to judge the size of the living room from the pictures for what will fit and how in there.
Another good thing is that they are currently doing some repairs in it and they will be finishing up around mid to end of July. This means... no having to pay July rent just to hold the place! The drawback? Having to fork out a deposit equal to the rent and another $400. All refundable, but still! $200 utility deposit and $200 pet deposit. The way the utilities work is they are in the landlord's name, but I get a copy of the bill and pay them back for it. It'll be nice to be able to move in the night I get to town and not have to worry about electric, water, heat and all that. I'll post pictures when I get out there probably.
Working out is going good. I can make it most of the way through a workout now. I do have to take breaks during some of the moves. The ones with a lot of up and down movement make me dizzy quickly so those get hard, but otherwise I try to do everything. I may not do it at the pace on the video, but I do it! I'm starting week two of Insanity and I'm actually starting to feel improvements even if they are subtle... like finishing most of a workout, hiking a simple trail with no pain, no knee pain, etc.
Any ideas for this coming week's resolution?
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| And a cute green gecko to end the post. First green gecko I have ever seen here. Most are brown. |
Thursday, June 14, 2012
Week 24: Insanity
Alright, I did workout 3x a week as my resolution before and I failed. This week, I vow to finish the Insanity program no matter how long it takes! (It should only take 60)
Can't write a whole lot right now, I am hot, sweaty, and about to shower before bed. Tomorrow is a long day!
Can't write a whole lot right now, I am hot, sweaty, and about to shower before bed. Tomorrow is a long day!
Sunday, June 10, 2012
The Great Genocide
That's right, the other night there was a massive genocide. The ants have declared war in my room and so I brought in one of the boys (I live with my old roomie and two boys, she dates one and the other is a good friend) to come in and annihilate the ants with a can of Raid.
Now, I am against using chemicals and through my at home business thing they have some products that are safe and can take care of ants. But, the order would take a week to get here and after the towel incident and those bites I could have waited. When they attacked during my workout and I got bites everywhere was when I drew the line. Even when I went in to go to bed last night one crawled up my leg and bit me!!! These are tiny, tiny ants! I couldn't take it any more. A perimeter of raid was laid down and no ant has moved in the room since. They didn't go down without a fight though, I think I have at least 25-30 bites at various places on my body and they all itch so bad!!!
The strangest part is my hair ties... I have a package of the clear rubber band like hair elastic things that I brought with me. After setting them on the counter the other day I noticed an ant on the package and thought to myself "what are they going to do with those" and went on. The next day, Thursday, I was curious and flipped over the package where I could see the clear plastic that is attached to the cardboard back... it was CRAWLING with ants. I washed them out with some soap, soaked them, and then let the elastics dry and smashed all the ants that hadn't been washed down the drain. Last night just before the genocide I noticed up on the counter back area where one elastic had fallen out, the ants were like worshiping this one elastic! They swarmed this thing and looked like they were trying to carry it off or something! No clue why they did such a thing, but they are all dead now.
I like to think I'm educated and know about food chains and ecosystems and as long as they aren't bothering me I'm ok letting ants live. They are important. But when they start attacking me and biting me and making me miserable, they gotta go. And went they did. Battle one goes to the can of Raid!
Otherwise, the workouts have been so hard to do! Today I got the hardcore workout boy in the house to do it with me and he was sweating like crazy after just the warm up. After about halfway through he was taking a lot of breaks too. My calves burned so badly today though that it felt like if I tried using them they would just rip in two. I kinda wish I would have packed a measuring tape to record my measurements...
Now, I am against using chemicals and through my at home business thing they have some products that are safe and can take care of ants. But, the order would take a week to get here and after the towel incident and those bites I could have waited. When they attacked during my workout and I got bites everywhere was when I drew the line. Even when I went in to go to bed last night one crawled up my leg and bit me!!! These are tiny, tiny ants! I couldn't take it any more. A perimeter of raid was laid down and no ant has moved in the room since. They didn't go down without a fight though, I think I have at least 25-30 bites at various places on my body and they all itch so bad!!!
The strangest part is my hair ties... I have a package of the clear rubber band like hair elastic things that I brought with me. After setting them on the counter the other day I noticed an ant on the package and thought to myself "what are they going to do with those" and went on. The next day, Thursday, I was curious and flipped over the package where I could see the clear plastic that is attached to the cardboard back... it was CRAWLING with ants. I washed them out with some soap, soaked them, and then let the elastics dry and smashed all the ants that hadn't been washed down the drain. Last night just before the genocide I noticed up on the counter back area where one elastic had fallen out, the ants were like worshiping this one elastic! They swarmed this thing and looked like they were trying to carry it off or something! No clue why they did such a thing, but they are all dead now.
I like to think I'm educated and know about food chains and ecosystems and as long as they aren't bothering me I'm ok letting ants live. They are important. But when they start attacking me and biting me and making me miserable, they gotta go. And went they did. Battle one goes to the can of Raid!
Otherwise, the workouts have been so hard to do! Today I got the hardcore workout boy in the house to do it with me and he was sweating like crazy after just the warm up. After about halfway through he was taking a lot of breaks too. My calves burned so badly today though that it felt like if I tried using them they would just rip in two. I kinda wish I would have packed a measuring tape to record my measurements...
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Day 1 of Insanity
No, really... I started the Insanity workout program today!
My roomie got a copy from her sister and has been doing it for a month now. After my shopping spree the other day, I feel like I really should do something about that workout resolution. I also have died off on my measurements because I didn't bring my scale to HI with me and I think I forgot to pack a measuring tape too. :( So I started today and as a way to make sure I never loose my log of progress I'm starting a workout log on here more for my own use than your reading but you can read it if you like.
The shopping spree you ask? Well, I dropped into the mall really quick to talk to some people I used to work with and on my way out I decided to swing by Aeropostale. I know, not cheap! But.. when you're not tiny like all the Japanese tourist, jeans can be cheap! Turned out the whole store was at least 50% off too. I walked out with a pair of capris (orig. $44.50), a light pair of jeans (orig. $39.50) and two pair of dark jeans (orig $46.50 each) all for $33. Being poor I used to get my jeans from Wal-Mart and after paying $15 each and a year of wear, they would be wearing thin in the thighs and ripping. My two pair of Aeropostale jeans from at least two years ago are going strong (minus one belt loop on my favorite pair... it ripped.) That was my shopping spree. 4 pairs of pants for less than the price of one. Or, less than the price of 2 from Wal-mart now...
The shopping spree you ask? Well, I dropped into the mall really quick to talk to some people I used to work with and on my way out I decided to swing by Aeropostale. I know, not cheap! But.. when you're not tiny like all the Japanese tourist, jeans can be cheap! Turned out the whole store was at least 50% off too. I walked out with a pair of capris (orig. $44.50), a light pair of jeans (orig. $39.50) and two pair of dark jeans (orig $46.50 each) all for $33. Being poor I used to get my jeans from Wal-Mart and after paying $15 each and a year of wear, they would be wearing thin in the thighs and ripping. My two pair of Aeropostale jeans from at least two years ago are going strong (minus one belt loop on my favorite pair... it ripped.) That was my shopping spree. 4 pairs of pants for less than the price of one. Or, less than the price of 2 from Wal-mart now...
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Week 23: Good bye Breads and Pastas
This week has been pretty big. I started my first teaching job!!! I am teaching summer school where I am a teacher assistant for a drama class in the morning and teach physics in the afternoon. I have 3 students... and one is gone for this week. I have to say it gets a little boring with just two kids. When there is more groups and the kids interact better it gets easier and more exciting.
I decided to do another big resolution this week. The Paleo kind of diet has really interested me a lot lately and seems to be popping up all over. This may be a sign that it is what I should be doing. So, rather than go cold turkey, I am going to try to work towards it. This week I am giving up bread, crackers [no more graham crackers :'( ] and pasta. Now, imagine how hard this is because what are the cheap foods that last in the cupboard? As a college student this is what I would normally go for. How easy is it to live off of peanut butter sandwiches, spaghetti, and ramen noodles? I am going to say that I will have a few cheats. First cheat is Ramen Noodles. Not necessarily out of choice, but I bought a pack of six before I decided on this and they are for my backup when I don't have food or time to cook. Plus, sometimes I just crave soup and noodles are easy and REALLY cheap. The other cheat is (Mac'n'Cheese)2 from the Yard House. MMMMMMMM!!!! Just one plate worth before I leave is all I ask.
So, I bought a lot of chicken, some green beans, some broccoli, and some salad fixings. The other day we grilled and I had the boys grill me up some of my chicken to eat on my salads for lunch. I began drinking a shake from my home business thing which is cheating since it contains dextrose, but it is oh so yummy and fills me up until lunch. Lunch is salads like I said with grilled chicken. For dinner I have been eating my bean soup that I made last weekend and my chicken. Tonight I broke down and bought rice. It is cheap, easy, filling, and can last awhile. I know it isn't ideal thing to fill up on, but I got five pounds of rice for just under five dollars.
I decided to do another big resolution this week. The Paleo kind of diet has really interested me a lot lately and seems to be popping up all over. This may be a sign that it is what I should be doing. So, rather than go cold turkey, I am going to try to work towards it. This week I am giving up bread, crackers [no more graham crackers :'( ] and pasta. Now, imagine how hard this is because what are the cheap foods that last in the cupboard? As a college student this is what I would normally go for. How easy is it to live off of peanut butter sandwiches, spaghetti, and ramen noodles? I am going to say that I will have a few cheats. First cheat is Ramen Noodles. Not necessarily out of choice, but I bought a pack of six before I decided on this and they are for my backup when I don't have food or time to cook. Plus, sometimes I just crave soup and noodles are easy and REALLY cheap. The other cheat is (Mac'n'Cheese)2 from the Yard House. MMMMMMMM!!!! Just one plate worth before I leave is all I ask.
So, I bought a lot of chicken, some green beans, some broccoli, and some salad fixings. The other day we grilled and I had the boys grill me up some of my chicken to eat on my salads for lunch. I began drinking a shake from my home business thing which is cheating since it contains dextrose, but it is oh so yummy and fills me up until lunch. Lunch is salads like I said with grilled chicken. For dinner I have been eating my bean soup that I made last weekend and my chicken. Tonight I broke down and bought rice. It is cheap, easy, filling, and can last awhile. I know it isn't ideal thing to fill up on, but I got five pounds of rice for just under five dollars.
Friday, June 1, 2012
Second morning and it has happened twice!
Ok, so one thing I find when living in Hawaii is how annoying phone calls can be. I'm not talking about chatting with friends, or the general idea of talking on the phone, but the fact that people on the mainland don't know and or don't care about the time difference.
Yesterday it was my sister. She felt she needed to call me at like 5:56am and wake me up. Why you ask? Because she couldn't find her dry wall tape and couldn't wait until I would be up to know if I had seen it around the house somewhere. Thanks sis.
Before that, at like 3 something in the morning the bf texted me wanting to know if I had made it ok and such since I had not texted him at like 2am his time to let him know I landed.
This morning I was woken up at 4:42am by a lady I called last week about a rental property in Colorado. Thanks for getting back to me...
Word to the wise, if you're calling someone in Hawaii, do it in your afternoon.
On a note about housing in Colorado, it looks like I am down to about 2 options. One is a small, one bedroom house. Recently updated, very cute from the pictures she sent, and well insulated (VERY important). It is also only 4 blocks from the school. I'm thinking that may be nice. That one will run me $525 a month + approximately $100 for electric + $55 for water/sewer + $15 for trash. So really about $695 a month. To me that is outrageous for a one bedroom, but it is newly redone... Downfalls are she is also trying to sell the house meaning I may be kicked out if she does, and it is available in July but I won't need it till August and she needs the rent for July.
My second option is a 4 bedroom double wide. Where I'm from, double wide means a few things. 1) It is a trailer. 2) They tend to be cheaply built. 3) The walls are thin and the insulation probably sucks. 4) Tornadoes sweep them away like a broom does dirt. (hopefully tornadoes are not a problem there) And the list continues with the majority being negatives instead of positives. I am trying to get pictures of it, but since the former science teacher sold his house, he is currently renting it and he hasn't gotten back to me about getting me pictures. So, I have no clue what this one looks like. But, it is also only $450 a month (utilities not included) and she wasn't sure on how much the bills run. Very important to know how much it will cost to heat when it is in the -40's.
Oh, and then the lady that called me today wants like $625 a month (not including utilities) for a 1 bedroom. I don't remember much after that since it was 4:42 am and after hearing the price it was ruled out.
My thinking is this. If I can rent a place month-to-month for the first few months, that would give me a place to live while all the seasonal people move out in September/October. Then, I can snatch up a better place, or stay where I am. I honestly think just to save money I'll go with the double wide just to suffice. It'll save me some money and hopefully I won't have to worry about heating it too much.
Yesterday it was my sister. She felt she needed to call me at like 5:56am and wake me up. Why you ask? Because she couldn't find her dry wall tape and couldn't wait until I would be up to know if I had seen it around the house somewhere. Thanks sis.
Before that, at like 3 something in the morning the bf texted me wanting to know if I had made it ok and such since I had not texted him at like 2am his time to let him know I landed.
This morning I was woken up at 4:42am by a lady I called last week about a rental property in Colorado. Thanks for getting back to me...
Word to the wise, if you're calling someone in Hawaii, do it in your afternoon.
On a note about housing in Colorado, it looks like I am down to about 2 options. One is a small, one bedroom house. Recently updated, very cute from the pictures she sent, and well insulated (VERY important). It is also only 4 blocks from the school. I'm thinking that may be nice. That one will run me $525 a month + approximately $100 for electric + $55 for water/sewer + $15 for trash. So really about $695 a month. To me that is outrageous for a one bedroom, but it is newly redone... Downfalls are she is also trying to sell the house meaning I may be kicked out if she does, and it is available in July but I won't need it till August and she needs the rent for July.
My second option is a 4 bedroom double wide. Where I'm from, double wide means a few things. 1) It is a trailer. 2) They tend to be cheaply built. 3) The walls are thin and the insulation probably sucks. 4) Tornadoes sweep them away like a broom does dirt. (hopefully tornadoes are not a problem there) And the list continues with the majority being negatives instead of positives. I am trying to get pictures of it, but since the former science teacher sold his house, he is currently renting it and he hasn't gotten back to me about getting me pictures. So, I have no clue what this one looks like. But, it is also only $450 a month (utilities not included) and she wasn't sure on how much the bills run. Very important to know how much it will cost to heat when it is in the -40's.
Oh, and then the lady that called me today wants like $625 a month (not including utilities) for a 1 bedroom. I don't remember much after that since it was 4:42 am and after hearing the price it was ruled out.
My thinking is this. If I can rent a place month-to-month for the first few months, that would give me a place to live while all the seasonal people move out in September/October. Then, I can snatch up a better place, or stay where I am. I honestly think just to save money I'll go with the double wide just to suffice. It'll save me some money and hopefully I won't have to worry about heating it too much.
Thursday, May 31, 2012
ALOOOOOOOOOHA!
You have to read the title of this post like they would say it at a tourist luau... it makes it much better.
Well, I have arrived in Hawaii. I hope I didn't forget anything, but if I did, it is too late now! The flights were good, not a lot of turbulence or anything. The only hang up was in St Louis when trying to board the plane. Let's just say if I have the option, I will NEVER fly with American Airlines again. I already have my ticket booked for going back or I would say never starting now.
In the 8 or more trips I have made to Hawaii I have done my research and found that you are allowed a carry-on item, a personal item, and if you read the fine print, an additional bag of photography equipment. Those who know me know I own a digital SLR and a bag which it goes in. It is about lunch box size I would say, like 8x12x10 ish. So, when flying I bring my camera bag, my back pack, and my roller carry-on bag. Never have I had problems before. If anything I usually volunteer to plane side check my roller just cause I don't really have to have it with me and it is a squeeze on some air craft to get it in the bin thing. The back pack and camera go at my feet.
This time apparently I was informed that this extra bag of photography equipment is in place of a carry-on, not additional. And also, this has always been the policy. I would like to know how I have done it so many times to be stopped once. So, I ask if I can plane side check my roller bag. All the other airlines slap a tag on it, some send it to baggage claim, others bring it back to the gate, but it has always been free. You plane side check it with the strollers and such.
American Airlines will instead, treat this has another checked bag and will charge you. Mind you, I already checked a bag for $25 and one for $35 so this third one would run me $150. That's right, a bag that will fit in an overhead bin and can be put with the strollers and taken off with the strollers will cost me $150. Obviously that is not an option so I ask about having one bag connected to another, nope. But if I can get one to fit inside another it will work. So, rather than letting me on with three easy to carry and store bags I went on with a roller bag packed to the point of almost sitting on it and a back pack with my camera bag hanging out of because I cannot get it zipped. I might also add that in order for the stuff to fit in the roller I had to expand it... this means it doesn't fit nicely anymore in the bin. Needless to say when I got to my seat I smashed the roller bag into an overhead bin, removed the camera bag from the back pack, zipped the bag shut and stored them both under the seat in front of me. When I transferred flights I clipped my camera bag to my backpack and nobody said a word.
Otherwise, I am as settled in as I will be for the night. I have my own toilet and sink in my room but will be sharing a shower with one of my friends from when I was here. I'll call him B. I am also staying with S and C. S I lived with in my last year of college. I had been friends with B and introduced him to our other roomie and after they started dating, S dated B's roomie, C. If you followed that you get a gold star! More about Hawaii to come, but now I must get some sleep. I have to run to campus tomorrow to do paper work and meetings and such before I start teaching Tuesday.
Well, I have arrived in Hawaii. I hope I didn't forget anything, but if I did, it is too late now! The flights were good, not a lot of turbulence or anything. The only hang up was in St Louis when trying to board the plane. Let's just say if I have the option, I will NEVER fly with American Airlines again. I already have my ticket booked for going back or I would say never starting now.
In the 8 or more trips I have made to Hawaii I have done my research and found that you are allowed a carry-on item, a personal item, and if you read the fine print, an additional bag of photography equipment. Those who know me know I own a digital SLR and a bag which it goes in. It is about lunch box size I would say, like 8x12x10 ish. So, when flying I bring my camera bag, my back pack, and my roller carry-on bag. Never have I had problems before. If anything I usually volunteer to plane side check my roller just cause I don't really have to have it with me and it is a squeeze on some air craft to get it in the bin thing. The back pack and camera go at my feet.
This time apparently I was informed that this extra bag of photography equipment is in place of a carry-on, not additional. And also, this has always been the policy. I would like to know how I have done it so many times to be stopped once. So, I ask if I can plane side check my roller bag. All the other airlines slap a tag on it, some send it to baggage claim, others bring it back to the gate, but it has always been free. You plane side check it with the strollers and such.
American Airlines will instead, treat this has another checked bag and will charge you. Mind you, I already checked a bag for $25 and one for $35 so this third one would run me $150. That's right, a bag that will fit in an overhead bin and can be put with the strollers and taken off with the strollers will cost me $150. Obviously that is not an option so I ask about having one bag connected to another, nope. But if I can get one to fit inside another it will work. So, rather than letting me on with three easy to carry and store bags I went on with a roller bag packed to the point of almost sitting on it and a back pack with my camera bag hanging out of because I cannot get it zipped. I might also add that in order for the stuff to fit in the roller I had to expand it... this means it doesn't fit nicely anymore in the bin. Needless to say when I got to my seat I smashed the roller bag into an overhead bin, removed the camera bag from the back pack, zipped the bag shut and stored them both under the seat in front of me. When I transferred flights I clipped my camera bag to my backpack and nobody said a word.
Otherwise, I am as settled in as I will be for the night. I have my own toilet and sink in my room but will be sharing a shower with one of my friends from when I was here. I'll call him B. I am also staying with S and C. S I lived with in my last year of college. I had been friends with B and introduced him to our other roomie and after they started dating, S dated B's roomie, C. If you followed that you get a gold star! More about Hawaii to come, but now I must get some sleep. I have to run to campus tomorrow to do paper work and meetings and such before I start teaching Tuesday.
Thursday, May 24, 2012
When Everything Breaks Loose at Once!
I have not posted in awhile now because I have been CRAZY busy. Let's see... I substituted a few more days before the schools in the area closed for the summer, I worked a lot and crazy different hours, I went to visit my bf's parents before leaving for Hawaii, I went to Branson with the bf to house sit for someone, and now I am back and planning a party. I work today, am putting together a bachelorette/bridal shower party for a friend who got married quickly and it is tomorrow!!! Going simple, cheap, and easy though so it shouldn't be too bad. This weekend I am also dog sitting and packing for when I leave for Hawaii on Wednesday!!! Have I started packing??? No.
Oh, and on top of all this, I had an interview and accepted a job offer to move to the Rocky Mountains. I will be the only science teacher at a high school in a small town at around 8,800 feet in Colorado! I am excited, stressed, worried, and all sorts of things. But, I don't have time to deal with that yet, I have to make it to Hawaii before I can worry about Colorado.
As far as my resolutions. I have held on to the ones that I have made pretty much so far. I did make an AMAZING chocolate cake and will be making another for the party tomorrow. As far as making new ones? That is a little bit on hold. I have way too many things to be doing and so far, organization is my only new resolution for the next few months. Traveling, teaching, moving, planning and all that are going to try my organizational skills to the max!
Oh, and on top of all this, I had an interview and accepted a job offer to move to the Rocky Mountains. I will be the only science teacher at a high school in a small town at around 8,800 feet in Colorado! I am excited, stressed, worried, and all sorts of things. But, I don't have time to deal with that yet, I have to make it to Hawaii before I can worry about Colorado.
As far as my resolutions. I have held on to the ones that I have made pretty much so far. I did make an AMAZING chocolate cake and will be making another for the party tomorrow. As far as making new ones? That is a little bit on hold. I have way too many things to be doing and so far, organization is my only new resolution for the next few months. Traveling, teaching, moving, planning and all that are going to try my organizational skills to the max!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Week 19: No More Fries
This week it has been hard to come up with something to do for a resolution. I am still excited at how well last week's is going with the budget that Sunday came up on me quick! Today I went to work out with my friend that I used to work out with daily last summer. Our schedules are finally aligned and we have time, but I am also leaving in a few weeks so it will not last. But, in our discussions she told me her goal was to eat healthier (just after she informed me that since she went for a run she could drink beer). She is not going on a diet though, just eating healthier. I told her that it is a lot easier to just start cutting out foods one at a time, not eating things that are bad. She does not want to restrict her self from things, but limit how much she eats of the bad stuff.
To this I have to say, she does not want it bad enough. I think she reads this blog, and I will find out soon I am sure, but it is the same thing I think about anyone who says they just cannot stick to a diet. I figured out the other day that it has been a year and a half since I last touched a soda. And it had been about a year before I touched that one. They make me sick to my stomach and feel like crap for days! I did not like feeling like that and so I put my foot down and stopped drinking them. I wanted it bad enough that I have not had another one and do not even crave them anymore.
I gave up processed sugar. I am currently remembering why I did since I cheated and had a snack sized Oreo McFlurry tonight and my stomach is so upset I feel like I want to puke it up... But people tell me all the time when I pass on coleslaw, or cookies, or cake, or candy, or barbeque sauce, that they would never be able to do it. Yes, you can, you just do not want to like I do not want to give up ice cream. I Miss My Collar Bone wrote about this the other day too and I have to agree with her about the fact that you could do all this too!
Slowly I am working my way to doing a Whole30 program like Paleo Girl (whom I went to high school with!) But I know I am not ready. It is not that I cannot stick to the plan and all that, it is the fact that I have a crazy obsession with bread, cheese, corn, and fruit that I am not ready to give these things up yet. Instead tonight I ate my last french fries. They were nasty, fake ones from McDonalds. I say fake ones because how many of you have lost fries in the car and when you find them days, weeks, or months later they still look the same??? Or... have you ever seen this experiment???
To this I have to say, she does not want it bad enough. I think she reads this blog, and I will find out soon I am sure, but it is the same thing I think about anyone who says they just cannot stick to a diet. I figured out the other day that it has been a year and a half since I last touched a soda. And it had been about a year before I touched that one. They make me sick to my stomach and feel like crap for days! I did not like feeling like that and so I put my foot down and stopped drinking them. I wanted it bad enough that I have not had another one and do not even crave them anymore.
I gave up processed sugar. I am currently remembering why I did since I cheated and had a snack sized Oreo McFlurry tonight and my stomach is so upset I feel like I want to puke it up... But people tell me all the time when I pass on coleslaw, or cookies, or cake, or candy, or barbeque sauce, that they would never be able to do it. Yes, you can, you just do not want to like I do not want to give up ice cream. I Miss My Collar Bone wrote about this the other day too and I have to agree with her about the fact that you could do all this too!
Slowly I am working my way to doing a Whole30 program like Paleo Girl (whom I went to high school with!) But I know I am not ready. It is not that I cannot stick to the plan and all that, it is the fact that I have a crazy obsession with bread, cheese, corn, and fruit that I am not ready to give these things up yet. Instead tonight I ate my last french fries. They were nasty, fake ones from McDonalds. I say fake ones because how many of you have lost fries in the car and when you find them days, weeks, or months later they still look the same??? Or... have you ever seen this experiment???
Mcdonalds Food - More amazing videos are a click away
Those cannot be "real" fries... My favorite are actually Wendy's fries, but no more... No more fries for me. They are horrible things that are made out of starchy veggies and deep fried in crap.
Those cannot be "real" fries... My favorite are actually Wendy's fries, but no more... No more fries for me. They are horrible things that are made out of starchy veggies and deep fried in crap.
Tuesday, May 1, 2012
Week 18: Budget
As I posted a few days ago this week's resolution is to stick to a budget. So far I've been really good about it. I have actually been weening myself into this one so I slipped a few times, but so far this week it has been going smoothly. I am kind of excited and pumped that I have a plan now. I am one to be all about plans even if they do not go as smoothly, I typically have a back up.
Speaking of plans, diet... I need to plan a better diet and focus on my portion sizes a little better. I think I am going to ease my way into my workout and diet journal for next week. It may be a little challenging since I just got tickets to go to my cousin's wedding. With the cost of gas to and from the airport and all that if I cannot hitch a ride, it will still be about even with what I would spend driving on my own only I will save a few hundred miles on my car and my sanity. A couple hours on a plane is better than all day in a car.
But, this will be a diet problem for the fact that I am going to Grandma's. You know the grandma who always has baked goods and all sorts of things that are bad for you on hand to feed you the whole time... she is kind of like that. So, I am going to have to struggle to not eat my weight in sugar and crap while I am there. This summer I did really good with no sugar until I went to visit her at the cabin for a week with my sis. Self restraint will be tested to the max!
Also, EVERYONE should check out this video! I am really really glad that I have switched the majority of my products to safer ones from a company who has never put potentially harmful ingredients in their products and are trying to help reduce the abuse to the planet.
Speaking of plans, diet... I need to plan a better diet and focus on my portion sizes a little better. I think I am going to ease my way into my workout and diet journal for next week. It may be a little challenging since I just got tickets to go to my cousin's wedding. With the cost of gas to and from the airport and all that if I cannot hitch a ride, it will still be about even with what I would spend driving on my own only I will save a few hundred miles on my car and my sanity. A couple hours on a plane is better than all day in a car.
But, this will be a diet problem for the fact that I am going to Grandma's. You know the grandma who always has baked goods and all sorts of things that are bad for you on hand to feed you the whole time... she is kind of like that. So, I am going to have to struggle to not eat my weight in sugar and crap while I am there. This summer I did really good with no sugar until I went to visit her at the cabin for a week with my sis. Self restraint will be tested to the max!
Also, EVERYONE should check out this video! I am really really glad that I have switched the majority of my products to safer ones from a company who has never put potentially harmful ingredients in their products and are trying to help reduce the abuse to the planet.
Friday, April 27, 2012
MORE POINTS FOR ME!!!
Well, you know how I mentioned it was boring at work and such when it gets slow? Tonight while working I decided to get some exercise in. We were not quite slow enough to do some lunges between the self check out registers, but I did manage to get some calve stretches in and do some push-ups off the desk that the register is on. Then I got caught...
One of the guys I joke with off and on who works in some department (not sure where) saw me and made a funny comment. I stood up for myself and was making jokes back and in the quick discussion he told me he was going to give me points for the Life Track thing. Of course I had to inform him that you actually get 1,000 points to give away to others and he really could. Instead he went back and got a slip from the HR manager to award me 250 points. LOL!!! But hey, I got points for working out at work... if you could really call it that.
One of the guys I joke with off and on who works in some department (not sure where) saw me and made a funny comment. I stood up for myself and was making jokes back and in the quick discussion he told me he was going to give me points for the Life Track thing. Of course I had to inform him that you actually get 1,000 points to give away to others and he really could. Instead he went back and got a slip from the HR manager to award me 250 points. LOL!!! But hey, I got points for working out at work... if you could really call it that.
Random thoughts from a day of Substituting
This week I feel I have kept up with the ab/back exercises
and while at work the other night I found out about an AMAZING thing our
company offers to every single one of it’s employees! The company pays for and
offers a service to try and get the employees to be able to live a healthier
lifestyle. This means discounted gym memberships (still not in the budget for
me though), education on nutrition, diet, and exercise. There is a food and
workout journal along with tons of other resources! AND… when you do these
various things you get reward points. When you get enough points (it is a lot)
you can cash them in for products.
Yeah, some of the products are things like an ice scraper
for your car, a pedometer, a calculator/clock/calendar thing for your desk, and
other cheap and cheesy prizes. BUT… they also have a lot of cool things (of
course for more points) like Dunney and Burke purses, Kitchen Aid stand mixers,
Fossil watches, Movado watches, iPods, Blue Ray players, surround sound
systems, flat screen TV… the list is huge and amazing! Now you ask, are points
easy to earn? Yep. I earn points for filling out anything on my food journal,
more for my work out journal, some for keeping track of my weight, more for
reading the articles they post and answering a few questions, logging in the
Dr. appointment I had a few weeks ago, logging in my dentist appointment, and I
even got 250 points for just asking my HR manager about the program.
So of course I sit on my butt to read all this stuff about
living healthier… ironic. But, it is one of the few things I can access from
certain terminals in the store. This keeps me entertained when I cannot leave
my register but have absolutely nothing to do. So, in a way, I get paid to
check it out and participate.
Next topic: next week’s resolution.
I am thinking more and more that next week’s resolution will
be to fix a budget and stick to it. In the past I have not had much to worry
about and when I get paid I pay my bills and depending on how much is left I
either spend it on food and such throughout the time till the next check, or I
put it into savings. This just is not working out so hot for me and to pull off
this Hawaii trip I will need to stick to a plan so I have money to spend when I
get there and will still have some to show after I get back. I had a basic
budget set up for my last paycheck that I got (something I did at work while I
was bored) but then I screwed it up and was supposed to wait for my substitute
pay to come in before paying the credit card bill and screwed it up. So, the
last two days have been “babysitting” days while substituting and so I brought
in my computer and worked out a budget. I have it outlined for what days I
should get paid, when I will pay bills, how much each one will be, how much I
should still have at the end of the month, how much I have for spending money,
and everything I think I should have mapped out. I am still finding some things
that are going to need to be put on there, but it is a working document so I
can modify it as I go along. I also have it set up to where I can compare the
estimated amounts versus the actual amounts that I end up spending and getting
and such.
There is only one problem with this budget still… there just
is not enough coming in! Student loans are killing me! Substituting is coming
to an end and this next check will not be much larger than the last one that
still was just enough to cover the loans. I can only work up to 30 hours at my
other job and I have been getting up in the 20’s for each week so asking for
more hours at work is not really possible. Another job is in order, but with
only a month before I leave to teach in Hawaii there is not time to apply,
interview, etc. before I have to leave again. And once I get my first check
from Hawaii I should be ok and able to put a lot away into savings to cover
what the paychecks cannot when I get back.
Then I remembered that home income opportunity. I did make
about $200 one month with putting in about 5-10 hours of effort. So, that is my
new focus in the next couple weeks. If I can sign some people up I can cash in
the money right away and still will get a check at the end of the month. As it
is now I make about $25 a month doing nothing with it, which still is not bad
for doing no work!
So, if you are interested in green products that replace
what you already use let me know. This means it is nothing extra to add to your
budget each month, but simply switching stores to safer products. They make
around 400 different things so there is always something for everyone! It is
also really scary to find out that Fabreese Air Effects puts 89 air pollutants
into your home every time you use it! Or that Ajax, Dynamo, and Fab Ultra
liquid laundry detergents contain formaldehyde? It can cause asthma and allergies
and is a known carcinogen but they only mention that it is in there on
technical disclosures for workers. They are not required to list ingredients
like food labels are. Corox, Fantastik, Fabreze, Formula 409, Easy-Off, Lysol,
Mr. Clean and Spic and Span contain ammonium compounds or ethanolamine, which
are classified as asthmagens. These things can trigger asthma attacks and can
actually cause new cases of asthma in people who do not have it! Why would you
risk exposing yourself to these things? Especially on a regular basis!
I cannot wait to get my own place again so I can decide what
comes in or not… No sugar, no horrible products, no tempting bad foods, etc. If
it is not around, I will not be tempted to eat it or use it.
Final Topic: Jobs
Job applications SUCK! I have filled out so many of them and
am so tired of having to do them in the first place that I am about to write
one of these to the next job I do not get. http://www.chaosmatrix.org/library/humor/reject.html
Currently I am also working on an application to stay in
this town (that I really want to leave) in a teaching position that I could do,
but it is not the subject I really want to teach. I would also have to take the
Praxis II test for the content area before I could become certified and that is
a lot of money. It is a lot to get a job in a town I do not want to be in and
teaching a subject I do not want to teach. But hey, it is a teaching job right?
At least that is what everyone says now. I really wish I could find all those
people that told me finding a job teaching science, especially physics, would
be extremely easy. Now everyone with experience is getting those jobs even if
they cannot really teach the subject. It is crazy and soon I shall be certified
in 3 states and still jobless. I do not even think I will get to be picky about
jobs and will jump on the first one I get an offer for!
Monday, April 23, 2012
Week 17: Abs
This week's resolution is an attempt to redo Week 6's failure of working out 3 times a week. Instead of requiring a half hour of working out which some days just cannot happen (example: Thursday I will sub from 7:45-3:15 then work from 4-11) I will focus on doing little things throughout the week. This week on a daily basis I will do some form of ab workout. Nothing extreme, but some crunches, sit-ups, planks, something... anything! A six-pack is not necessary, but I have weak back muscles and it sucks. I decided on this resolution Saturday night and this morning when I went to the chiropractor he gave me a list of exercises he wants me to do to help strengthen my back muscles so hopefully my back will not kill me after working. Ironic?
This should also help me when I get to go to the beach and maybe join in on a volley ball game. Oh, and it should help the measurements and self-confidence. :)
This should also help me when I get to go to the beach and maybe join in on a volley ball game. Oh, and it should help the measurements and self-confidence. :)
Saturday, April 21, 2012
Week 16: Chap Stick
Ok, so I know I am absolutely horrible at keeping up with the Sunday posts on measurements. I did take my weight and remember it so I will post that in a minute. But, in my non-posting time I have been busy. I worked all last weekend, babysat the nephew on Monday, went on a bike ride with everyone's "new" bikes, substituted, ordered plane tickets, and accomplished a lot! Where to begin...
First, week 16, NO MORE chap stick, lip balm, etc. My one addiction in life is chap stick. My lips get so chapped and quickly too! They look horrible and so I live with chap stick in my pocket. Now, I also lose the stuff like you would not believe. I swear I have to have at least 15 different tubes and kinds of the stuff running around my life. So, by chance I have broken my addiction. On my way to Chicago I lost my chap stick that I was going to travel with. (Note, found it today in a pair of pants from before I left...) When traveling I can typically keep track of one so I only packed one, or at least I thought so. Turns out I had none to go to Chicago with me. Well, I survived. When my lips got to the point of hurting from being chapped I used some of my amazing lotion on them. This lotion is AWESOME!!!! I could probably write a whole post about the lotion alone. So, I have not used chap stick of any sort since Chicago. It kind of goes along with my no shampoo idea. Without the artificial moisture, your body will eventually even itself out and produce the correct amount of moisture... or that is the theory anyway.
Last weekend my nephew turned 6! It really makes me feel old even if I am not. Well, my bf had been out of town for the party and so the nephew wanted to be sure to see my bf. Monday then when I was babysitting we took him out for dinner then we went for a bike ride. The nephew got a brand new bike for his birthday, with brakes! Which is a big deal since his last bike was just a fixed gear little kids bike, but his new one is a big boy bike with training wheels that can be taken off. After watching him ride, they will be on for a little bit longer for sure. But, it was the first time my bf and I got to ride our bikes together and the nephew was very happy he got to ride his new bike with us. Maybe this week we will go for another ride.
I also got most of my garden planted! The size of the garden had to shrink a little bit, but that will be discussed in a later part of this post. I started seeds awhile ago but they are not that big yet. Work had a sale on veggies and herbs so I went and picked up some plants. Currently planted is: a tomato, a grape tomato, a chili pepper, a bell pepper, mint, a stevia plant, and a row of corn seeds. I plan on adding the tomatoes and the jalapenos that I started from seed along with planting some cilantro. The stevia plant was one that was on sale and I figured some how I could get the sugars out of it and use it for my no processed sweetener resolution. Any ideas for how to do this or things to do with stevia???
And, last but the most exciting... plane tickets. I officially have a teaching job!!! Well, for June at least. The last week of May I will be flying back to Hawaii to teach for 5 weeks and then come back in the beginning of July. Work also gave me the all clear to have my job when I get back. My HR manager and the store manager were alright with letting me still work when I got back, but they had to get the all clear from those above them in the company. This means that I will get to keep my benefits!!! Benefits are awesome and I am using them. I already got my annual exam done and have a chiropractor appointment Monday followed by my first dentist appointment in about 6-7 years on Tuesday. The dentist is something that I have been needing for a long time. I remember going to the dentist either in my Junior year or Senior year of high school and then had my wisdom teeth removed in my first year of college. From the pain and the decrease in overlap of my bottom front teeth after that, my teeth have moved and changed. I digress though....
I AM GOING BACK TO HAWAII FOR HALF THE SUMMER!!!!
First, week 16, NO MORE chap stick, lip balm, etc. My one addiction in life is chap stick. My lips get so chapped and quickly too! They look horrible and so I live with chap stick in my pocket. Now, I also lose the stuff like you would not believe. I swear I have to have at least 15 different tubes and kinds of the stuff running around my life. So, by chance I have broken my addiction. On my way to Chicago I lost my chap stick that I was going to travel with. (Note, found it today in a pair of pants from before I left...) When traveling I can typically keep track of one so I only packed one, or at least I thought so. Turns out I had none to go to Chicago with me. Well, I survived. When my lips got to the point of hurting from being chapped I used some of my amazing lotion on them. This lotion is AWESOME!!!! I could probably write a whole post about the lotion alone. So, I have not used chap stick of any sort since Chicago. It kind of goes along with my no shampoo idea. Without the artificial moisture, your body will eventually even itself out and produce the correct amount of moisture... or that is the theory anyway.
Last weekend my nephew turned 6! It really makes me feel old even if I am not. Well, my bf had been out of town for the party and so the nephew wanted to be sure to see my bf. Monday then when I was babysitting we took him out for dinner then we went for a bike ride. The nephew got a brand new bike for his birthday, with brakes! Which is a big deal since his last bike was just a fixed gear little kids bike, but his new one is a big boy bike with training wheels that can be taken off. After watching him ride, they will be on for a little bit longer for sure. But, it was the first time my bf and I got to ride our bikes together and the nephew was very happy he got to ride his new bike with us. Maybe this week we will go for another ride.
I also got most of my garden planted! The size of the garden had to shrink a little bit, but that will be discussed in a later part of this post. I started seeds awhile ago but they are not that big yet. Work had a sale on veggies and herbs so I went and picked up some plants. Currently planted is: a tomato, a grape tomato, a chili pepper, a bell pepper, mint, a stevia plant, and a row of corn seeds. I plan on adding the tomatoes and the jalapenos that I started from seed along with planting some cilantro. The stevia plant was one that was on sale and I figured some how I could get the sugars out of it and use it for my no processed sweetener resolution. Any ideas for how to do this or things to do with stevia???
And, last but the most exciting... plane tickets. I officially have a teaching job!!! Well, for June at least. The last week of May I will be flying back to Hawaii to teach for 5 weeks and then come back in the beginning of July. Work also gave me the all clear to have my job when I get back. My HR manager and the store manager were alright with letting me still work when I got back, but they had to get the all clear from those above them in the company. This means that I will get to keep my benefits!!! Benefits are awesome and I am using them. I already got my annual exam done and have a chiropractor appointment Monday followed by my first dentist appointment in about 6-7 years on Tuesday. The dentist is something that I have been needing for a long time. I remember going to the dentist either in my Junior year or Senior year of high school and then had my wisdom teeth removed in my first year of college. From the pain and the decrease in overlap of my bottom front teeth after that, my teeth have moved and changed. I digress though....
I AM GOING BACK TO HAWAII FOR HALF THE SUMMER!!!!
Wednesday, April 11, 2012
Chicago Part 2
Sorry, I got distracted after lunch finishing the movie Rango and then went to work on the garden which would be getting planted right now except we had a frost advisory last night and another for tonight. Then I made some awesome pizza's for dinner for the bf, roomie, and their co-worker/friend who is down for the week.
So, Day 2 in Chicago... We set an alarm for about 8:30 and decided if we woke up sooner we would be ok with that, but definitely wanted to be up by then. We were staying at the Congress Hotel which is old and beautiful! But, it is not very sound proof either so when the neighbor was getting up and leaving at around 7am we woke up. We headed down the street for some Starbucks (for her) and some JambaJuice (for me). After that we were pretty much on the route for the Magnificent Mile so onward we went to see the architecture and to check out the Water Tower Building.
Then we headed back to the hotel to check out and store our bags before heading out to Navy Pier where there was a Filipino festival happening.
I was disappointed in their lack of food. What they did have was not worth it...
After eating some lunch, at around 2pm, we were trying to decide what to do next. There were clouds rolling in and it looked like it was getting colder out so our Sears Tower idea was not that great. Maybe if it were free, but I did not want to pay to get in there and then only be in a giant cloud to see nothing. By this time I was just plain worn out! So we decided to just go to the other hotel where my interview was in the morning and veg out. That is exactly what we did.
Monday morning I had to wake up to go to an interview. This was an initial interview for the Hawaii Department of Education. It got me to the next round, as I am calling it. Now I am put on the list of people that principals can look at when they have an open position. From there the principals can contact me if they want to interview me.
And, after all that... I have decided that I will not be taking a job in Hawaii unless it is ridiculous. It pains my bf, but I do not want to leave my puppy. She has been there for me through a lot of stuff in life and she is now getting old. She also does not like living with the other 4 dogs currently at my sister's house and so it is time I take her to live with me again. Taking her to Hawaii would be another grand or so and also would be really, really rough on her. :( Maybe after she is gone. For now though it would appear I will be going for the month of June to teach! :)
So, Day 2 in Chicago... We set an alarm for about 8:30 and decided if we woke up sooner we would be ok with that, but definitely wanted to be up by then. We were staying at the Congress Hotel which is old and beautiful! But, it is not very sound proof either so when the neighbor was getting up and leaving at around 7am we woke up. We headed down the street for some Starbucks (for her) and some JambaJuice (for me). After that we were pretty much on the route for the Magnificent Mile so onward we went to see the architecture and to check out the Water Tower Building.
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| One of the bridges along the river. |
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| A Building... |
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| Gorgeous Architecture EVERYWHERE! |
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| Another building |
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| I thought this pic was the Tribune Building, but I guess I picked the wrong one... |
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| The water tower. |
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| Another view of the water tower. Apparently the water tower and the pump house thing across the street were the inspiration to White Castle? |
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| Yay for Navy Pier!!! |
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| Cool fountains inside... |
I was disappointed in their lack of food. What they did have was not worth it...
Monday morning I had to wake up to go to an interview. This was an initial interview for the Hawaii Department of Education. It got me to the next round, as I am calling it. Now I am put on the list of people that principals can look at when they have an open position. From there the principals can contact me if they want to interview me.
And, after all that... I have decided that I will not be taking a job in Hawaii unless it is ridiculous. It pains my bf, but I do not want to leave my puppy. She has been there for me through a lot of stuff in life and she is now getting old. She also does not like living with the other 4 dogs currently at my sister's house and so it is time I take her to live with me again. Taking her to Hawaii would be another grand or so and also would be really, really rough on her. :( Maybe after she is gone. For now though it would appear I will be going for the month of June to teach! :)
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| Kia in 2007 (3 yrs old) |
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