*Me*March



Are you ready for *Me*March? You probably have no clue what MeMarch is, and I made it up. A 31 day detox from my bad habits to kick start me back into shape and take care of me for awhile. I mentioned the whole morning person/runner thing, that all starts tomorrow!

Get healthy is my first goal, time to shed my winter blubber layer. I just need to take some time for myself. Since I have to get up early to go to the gym obviously I'm going to have to go to bed sooner than I do now, that means some TV time is going away. So you will have to excuse me if I'm not caught up on the shows, I'll save that for the weekend.

The basic goal here is just to take some time for myself. I'm usually trying to make sure everyone else is happy and sometimes give up the things that I might want, but not this March! I figure the only real thing that I do is go to work, come home, watch tv, facebook, maybe blog, stay up to late rotting my brain with any of the above, go to sleep, wake up and repeat. Clearly there is time for a workout no excuse, and since I'm giving up Facebook for Lent I'll have even more time.

31 days *Me*March: Do it for yourself and break some bad habits and pick up some good ones. I'm also going to stop biting my nails, it will be difficult but this March I'm going to be the best me I can be. So pick a habit or two, just make it something for you. Who's with me!?

This Weekend I...

This weekend I was lazy. My Friday night consisted of Chinese food, sweatpants and my television. I discovered we had a free weekend of Starz, hello movies.

Saturday consisted of much of the same thing.

Today I took NiBo to his guitar lessons. We grabbed a bite at Fat Sandwich (just google it, it's not in anyway healthy and is actually a heartattack waiting to happen but it's so good) Then we went to the mall, I'm still in search of a nice pair of running shoes and still can't decide. Then it was home for the Oscars.

I really wasn't that impressed with the Oscars. The funniest parts were the promo clips leading up to the actual show itself. There were a few dresses I like but nothing too glamourous that I saw. The rain/thunder/lightning had to hit right at the time they were announcing Best Picture. I missed it all and read it on Twitter that King's Speech one. I love Colin Firth and am glad he won, maybe I should go see the movie.

Then I still wasn't quite ready for bed (this stay up late crap has got to go, it won't do if I'm to become a morning person) but Jimmy Kimmel was on and it happen to be the segment with Tom Hanks. I wish Tom Hanks was in my family. He's a funny guy.

Tom Hanks fact: There is a rumor in my small town that Mr. Hanks has dined at our German restaurant. His brother teaches at the university in the big town over so it makes sense he could have been here. I tweeted him tonight as I was typing this, hopefully we can get to the bottom of this rumor... I'll keep you posted.

Tomorrow is the last day of February, with March comes the promise that Spring will soon be on it's way, one can only hope. I'm the lateshift person at work tomorrow too so I'll be a long day, blah.

Book Club: The Boy in the Striped Pajamas

The monthly meeting of the Page Turners was this evening and we had a great time as always. Tonight we welcomed a new member to the club! I'm sure it was a little overwhelming for J to be thrown into the middle of all of us but she fit just great and added great insight to our discussion, welcome to the club J!

This month we read The Boy in the Striped Pajamas by John Boyne. We were all a little surprised when we went to purchase (or check out from the library) that this book was located in the young adult section, but everyone managed to find it and had one of our better discussions in awhile.

The book is the story of Bruno who comes home one day from school to his home in Berlin, only to find that the maid is packing up all his belongings, because of his father's job the family will have to move. When they get to their new house, it's not as nice as their old home and Bruno is all alone, there are no other children to play with. Out the window he can see a tall fence that goes on what seems like forever and has sharp barbed wire at the top and in the distance he can see people all wearing these striped pajamas. One day Bruno decides to sneak away and explore. As he travels farther from the house he finds a skinny boy sitting on the other side of the fence and they become friends with tragic consequences for his unknowing family.

I gave this book a 4/5, and I'll warn you the ending is sad. We had a great discussion and all had different thoughts about different parts of the book, truely one the best things about book club (duh!) is that one persons thoughts will make you see the book in a completely different perspective.

Our book for next month is Room by Emma Donoghue. From what I've head this is going to be a good read too! Until next month, Happy Reading!

Are You Ready?!

April 1, 2011 1:20pm

Spring Season Goals

I have decided that I have two goals for the upcoming Spring season, and well a third that will default because of the first two.

1. Become a runner
2. Become a morning exerciser
3. By default lose weight/get in shape

I have always dreamed of being one of those people who gets up early and has their exercise done before most people have thought about waking up. It's going to be rough but I need to get in shape. The winter layer of warmth has worn out it's welcome and the buttons on my jeans are stressing and my sister is getting married in August and since I am the older single sister I should at least look fabulous doing it. Now is the perfect time. We are about ready to Spring ahead which means more light in the morning and it's true that after a long day at work with annoying people really that last thing you want to do is tear yourself away from the DVR to haul your tired arse to the gym. AND lent is approaching and since soda has crept its way back into my life it's already decided that will be what I give up.

So running.... I'm not against it. I was in track in 6th grade and 8th grade. I ran the 200m, 4 x 200 relay, and shot put. Since then my thighs have filled in and running can me literally painful. You don't know pain until chub rub kicks in and your legs burst into flames, not fun. Learned the hard way during a 10k and I wasn't even running, that was just walking. Making me feel a little better is the fact that even skinny people have to deal with it not just the 'womanly figured' folks. So the first thing to start towards this goal was to invest in a good pair of Under Armor compressions shorts to reel in the thunder thighs for a more pleasant running/walking/jogging experience... check. I would like a new pair of running shoes but didn't see any I liked today so I put that on hold.

And to top it all off the High School is sponsoring a Falcon Biggest Loser contest that I'm going to join but that doesn't start until the end of March and runs through November (holy moly that's a long time)

I've seen all your blogs about training or getting ready to think about training for your half marathon and it's really inspired me to put feet to pavement and give it a whirl. Well there it is, it's in writing now. They say that it takes 27 days to make a habit so we'll see. Starting March 1st we'll see if it sticks. I'll at least give it the ol' college try.

10 Things: I loved About Today

* Shamrock Shakes at McDonalds *

* Short day at work *

* It was 60 degrees in February *

* I visited the Harley Dealer *

* I wore a purple shirt *

* I checked out a book at the Library *

* HOG magazine came in the mail *

* All the snow has pretty much melted *

* Found out tomorrow is the first Fish Fry at the Church *

* AND this weekend is the Lion's Club Pancake Breakfast *

Happy Valentine's Day

Happy Valentine's Day! 

Birthday Weekend Success

This weekend we celebrated my birthday. Since I was working OT all week and I'm too old to go out on weeknights and still have enough energy to go to work at the buttcrack of dawn we made it a week long celebration with closing ceremonies Saturday evening/Sunday morning.

I was hoping more people would have been able to make it, but I guess there were more important things to do than help the world revolve around me for a night but we had a few of the usuals show up ;)

The other 2 of the crew left before I thought to get pictures and of course my sister was there too (I don't look great in the picture of us so I decided to keep it to myself) Thank you guys so much for coming out, it really means a lot to me that you guys came out and that would have been enough but your thoughtful presents were the cherry on top.

I'm a laid back casual gal so we didn't do too much, it was just a casual night out and I couldn't have asked for more. We had pizza at the billiards bar then walked down to my favorite downtown bar and I stocked up on Pineapple margaritas my favorite. I kind of took back my birthday and made it what I wanted instead of what I thought other people would want to do. Of course you always have the expectations there that sometimes you get let down by. I was really hoping that there would be some more people there but that is to be expected. Turns out all the right people were there and that made it all the more better. Page Turner in her wise wisdom said "I don't care if there are only 2 people at my birthday, as long as it's the right people that's all that matters." It's definitely about quality over quantity when it comes to friends.

BUT that wasn't the end of my birthday evening. My sister and I attended our first ever 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' event. The movie on the big screen, with a shadow cast AND PROPS! I have always wanted to attend a midnight screening of the movie where people dressed up in costumes and yelled things at the screen and throw things! So much fun! We threw rice, confetti, toast, toliet paper, rang our bells, and noisemakers and time warped into the wee hours of the morning.

We had an idea of what to expect but I don't think anything can really prepare you for your first Rocky Horror midnight showing. People were crazy! Boys were running around in their underwear, I think I had about three pounds of confetti fly down my shirt. I don't think I was really prepared in my mind at all. They were even marking all the first timers. I don't know if you can tell but that is indeed a red "V" on her forehead. Lesson to be learned here let them finish their statement before enthusiastically raising your hand to "How many people have never seen RHPS in a theatre" a man in his underwear in public can't have good things to say.

All-in-all I would definately have to mark this year's birthday as a success but only because I had such great people to help me celebrate. Thank you to all my work friends, blog friends and birthday weekend friends who helped me celebrate. You really have no idea how small gestures can go such a long way.

Thank you! <3

The Day After I Turned 25....

The day after I turned 25 I was tired. I stayed up way too late. I also learned that there was a very complex and strategic planning mission that went into my desk decorations. I threw a wrench in their plans when I decided to work the OT until 7. OL and MGT (My Girl T, I'm shortening it) devised a very complex diversion tactic which involved OL saying "hey hurry up let's get out of here, MGT you ready to go" then MGT would say "No I have a few things to finish up you guys go ahead" then OL and Easy Rider exit stage left... end scene.

Thank you guys for really putting your heads together to get me out of the building so you could decorate my desk.... haha I kid I kid. It was awesome, giving credit to both OL and MGT for best collaborative effort of diversion and desk decoration that I have ever seen.

Now that the birthday candle wishes have been made and I have one day of being a 25 year old under my belt... here is what I know for sure..

- I am now offically closer to 30 than I am to 20
- My chances of making it on the Real World are dwindling by the second
- I can legally rent a car without extra fees
- The cold side of the pillow won't stay that way long, enjoy it while you can
- My car insurance decreases
- I can run for president in 10 years
- I don't know where wives get their tales but they are usually wrong
- I have no idea where Waldo is
- Nor do I know where in the world Carmen Sandiego is
- A Care Bear stare could bring peace to Iraq
- Alf will eat your cat, I don't care what he says
- Never feed a gremlin after midnight, keep him away from bright light and for heaven's sake don't get him wet
- and lastly the best thing I remember about having a birthday when I was little was this.....

The best birthday song ever recorded from Captain Zoom.

The Day I Turned 25: Part I

Today I turned 25. I'll walk you through my day. This week there is finally a little bit of overtime for my section (hello extra $$) so I'm working 7am-7pm this week... yes even on my birthday like a champ. So my day started early like 5am/5:10/5:15/5:30/5:40/5:50/oh crap I better get up (love the snooze button) Finally haul my butt to work to see this!

My Girl T decorated my desk! Very nice job.

Then my lunch crew with special guests OL and My Girl T discussed the when/where of birthday lunch. I should also mention that I have a birthday twin, you may know him as Skinny or SNG on the Page Turner's blog, but today you will now know him as my birthday twin. I have regular at least once a week lunch crew and we are kind of know for going to this one Mexican restaurant a lot, and we may also be the kind of regulars where we don't even have to say what we want- once we're in the door our orders are pretty much in. So why we even discussed where we would be going to lunch is pretty much anyones guess, gives us something to do I guess.

Well we got to lunch and go figure, they had to tell them it was our birthday.... sombrero's, singing and clapping ensued.

The waiters thought it would be funny to help me out with the first bite... thanks guys. Straight for the nose.

We all laughed, they tried to pull the same trick on Skinny, but he was too swift.

The free fried ice cream was delish!



Then I spilled it on my shirt.

Then it was back to work........... until 7. Then I still had my 45 minute drive back home ahead of me.

8pm and I'm finally home with the fam. We had Pizza Hut pizza, cheese hand-tossed just what I like. Gma made a cake, white/vanilla frost my favorite and cookies and cream ice cream, just what I love.

Thank you everyone for helping make this the best birthday I've had in awhile.  Your kind words, gifts, cards, facebook messages and wall posts, emails and texts and nice wishes helped me remember that I have lots of people who are way too good to me. You all are the best! I even got my very own birthday blog post from the Page Turner... um awesome much?

I'm tired now.

Check back tomorrow for The Day I Turned 25: Part II for life lessons, realizations and other cool things about turning 25..... and whatever else I can think of.

and if you've been following my Project 365 on my photo blog, sorry I haven't had time to work on pictures, silly over-time makes me sleepy and lazy.

So until tomorrow here's some pictures 25 years in the making... enjoy!

Zum Geburtstag viel Glück

Today is my birthday! Stayed tuned for a super fabulous birthday post later tonight!

Alex is well

You wouldn't think to look at this picture that this kitty's 9th life was almost up just a few weeks ago. He is doing so much better and is back to his regular old self.

He is off all of his medicines except his heart medicine that he will most likely have to take forever.

He is back to stealing food from the other cats and chasing his toys across the room. We are all very happy to have him back and healthy. The only thing you might notice about his is his shaved arms and neck (some of the medicine he had to take would get stuck in his fluffy fur and get stuck so we had to cut it out, poor guy) So in case you were wondering, he's all good and back to being a silly little kitty.

Downtown Still Diggin Out

Our small town downtown is still digging out a bit. I took a ride uptown with my mom this afternoon and wow there is a lot of snow. Usually when we get a snow there is a snow divide downtown since they push all the snow to the center. Then after all the streets are passable they will come back and scoop up all the snow and dump it in an empty lot. Well they are a little behind and there was lots more snow to move than a typical storm so parking is a little bit of a mess. There is barely enough room to scoot between the parked cars and the snow wall.

While mom ran in the drugstore this train plow went through town. I always wondered if the trains could just ram through the snow without derailing itself but looks like they have a big ol plow car that does it for them, kind of neat. I bet in the country there are some pretty big drifts. Well anywho we are still digging out here, how's your town look two days after the Blizzard of 2011?

I Wish It Had Been A Mint Oreo Blizzard Instead

But it wasn't it was the 4ft drift kind of blizzard. I spent the better part of my snow day shoveling. I would have just left it until Spring when it all melted but gpa is a stubborn butt and I can't very well let an old man shovel snow all by his lonesome, so to the out of doors we went. I let him have the ergonomic shovel because I'm the best granddaughter ever (sorry Minnie I didn't see you down here shoveling his snow)

First we shoveled a path to his woodshop (clearly get the important things out of the way) then we cleaned off the truck and started shoveling to the alley. Then hopped in the truck and hoped for the best and showed that snow who's boss. Gpa tracked through that snow and to the alley like it was nobody's business. That was good and all but there was no way Simon was going to make it through but we tried to shovel as much we could.

Then the neighbor was stuck so we helped him shovel out and NiBo tried to plow through in the Explorer and got stuck a few times so we had to get him unstuck. Then we went back to shovel our sidewalks so we could make it to the cars. Just when I thought I'd be snowed in forever we waved at a city plow and he came through the alley. YAY! After that Simon was a sure out, AND our friendly neighbor came to the rescue more with his snowblower and got the rest of the driveway cleared (not just truck tracks) ensuring that we wouldn't get stuck again and have to shovel more. We thanked him with some fresh out of the oven cookies. Neighbors are the best!

I'm going to be sore tomorrow that is for sure, still wondering what the roads will bring for me tomorrow morning.... I might just call in some PV and say forget about it.

PS: Happy Groundhog's Day! Phil didn't see his shadow so Spring is near.
Yeah looks like it. You better not be wrong Phil or else you can take your Gobblers Knob and shove it somewhere that I know will never see it's shadow. Watch your back rodent!

The Wedding Reception

OK well better late than never. Last weekend (Jan 29th) I packed my bags and headed to the bigger little town for an overnight with Old Lady and My Girl T at The Page Turner's house and attended a fabulous party.

Each year members of her family and family-in-law have a great theme party to raise money for their Relay for Life Team. It was very exciting to meet some blogebrities (blog celebrities). Everyone was so nice and they really do know how to throw a party! We joined in with The Page Turner's group who were all dressed like wedding caterer's. We won best group!

Look out OL's got her whistle

Drinks were so yummy!

Sam n' Ella's Catering

Mr & Mrs. Page Turner 

I was told I could possibly have a career in catering, I guess I looked the part

OL & Mr. Page Turner

Clearly a little later in the night

...and later yet

Ok Sorry OL we may have put confetti in your hair and laughed.

Good times had by all, thanks Blog world for being so welcoming to some out of towners! It was so nice to meet you all!