Upon request here are some of the pictures from our trip to Disney World. Bill had a great first time and we did everything under the sun. :-)
http://www.flickr.com/photos/twotwistedlimes/
Enjoy!
Leslie
Monday, December 29, 2008
Monday, October 06, 2008
Embrace change and enjoy it.
So recently I was having a conversation with someone about questions you get asked at a job interview. The one I am most inane question to me is “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?” Well as most of you know I did not grow up in the kind of household where I could ever even begin to guess where I would be in 5 years. I moved 6 times before graduating from High School. I attended 11 different schools. (5 elementary schools, 4 middle schools, and 2 high schools) We were so mobile I thought I should have been raised as a gypsy and then at least I would have a legit excuse for all my moving. Generally I allow people to assume that I moved because my dad was in the military. He was in fact in the military and so it is a very easy assumption. The truth was (and is) that my parents are religious fanatics. Instead of settling down into a house and raising their 3 children they would move the whole family across the county whenever they felt the church they were attending was not quite what they wanted. (yeah I know that strange look on your face… it’s ok you don’t have to understand, I sure as hell don’t.) So when I was 12 my mother cashed out my father pension plan and packed the 5 of us up and moved us to Boston from Florida. When I was 16 they again threw all the money they had and probably maxed out a few credit cards movie the 4 of us (Mike had already moved out) back to Florida from Boston. I never was allowed a concept of “where” I wanted to be in 5 years because for half of my teen life I practically lived out of a suit case.
Back to the point. So here I am as an adult. I have never been able to figure out how to tie myself down. This has caused a number of ill effects but none I can’t live with. Once I start to feel settled I get an itch. I start looking for an out. At the majority of the jobs I have held in my life I stop learning new things about 12-18 months into the process. At which point I become bored. Me and boredom do not mix. When I become bored I become dissatisfied. When I become dissatisfied I want to move on. In the jobs with companies where I stayed longer then 18 months I was generally transferred to different depts. I was taught new things or in the case of WizKids I just was too emotionally attached to the customers to let go.
So after my conversation I sat and thought “Where DO I want to be in 5 years?” After staring blanking at the wall for a fairly extended period of time I realized I have no answer at all. After realizing this I thought to myself, “Just how hard is it to think of where I want to be in 5 years?” Then I stopped and realized. Where was I 5 years ago? So? Class? Where was I 5 years ago?
5 years ago October 2003. In October 2003 I had come to the realization that I was actually considering the un-considerable. The horrible thing I never thought would happen to me happened, Divorce. Leading off this year a few things happened. Some of you may not know that I have had 2 miscarriages. Neither pregnancy was planned. The first really was a relief. My ex and I were not making enough money to provide. Life would have been hell but I figured I would find a way to cope. Others did more with less. I lost the first one at about 6 weeks. It happened so quickly that I barely had time to become attached to the idea. The second one came at a time where our financials were better (not great) and I wanted it. (or so I thought at the time) I lost the second at 8 weeks. I had plenty of time to form things in my mind and accept that this was happening. I was devastated. My ex knowing that in discussions we had had that I did not want children because I still had so many things I wanted to do in life tried to point out the “good” things about the miscarriage. To me, at the time, I only saw how much I had accepted it and how little he wanted to have kids. He was not cruel about anything but his relief came across very badly to me as I lay knowing that I would likely never have a child and hurting because I felt broken. The one most horrifying thing any doctor ever told me was that I was not going to be able to have children. For me there were 2 responses. The immediate response was my “Rebel” that stepped up and said “You can’t tell me that I can’t do something DAMN IT!” I wanted in many ways to prove that doctor wrong. I wanted to show her. Common Sense fell back into place quickly enough that I didn’t do anything I would regret. The second response was the one I hear from so many other women in similar positions, “I am a woman… my only natural requirement in life is to procreate and I can’t do that right?” Well I thought to myself if I can’t even get pregnant, which every drunken teenager has the ability to do, well then what the hell use am I? Oy! Those were not the best times. The second miscarriage happened in the beginning of 2003. This began the downfall of my marriage. So by October several other things piled on top of the camels back and there I was watching my marriage dissipate into a cloud of gas. Within a few months I would be spending my first Christmas completely alone in a house I hated with no car to even get me out to the movies, no friends because most were happily celebrating the holidays with their families to stop and realize that Leslie was sitting at home alone contemplating how she got herself into this particular pickle.
Funny that I use that word. Pickle. For those of you that have never worked with metal I will give you a definition. This weekend I learned about a pickle. According to Wikipedia: Pickling is a treatment of metallic surfaces in order to remove impurities, stains, rust or scale with a solution called pickle liquor. So over the course of that winter I was in a pickle. It helped me remove many impurities, some left over stains and rust and helped me to work on me. Not something I have ever done before. If you had told me 5 years ago where I would be now, I would just have shaken my head and told you that you were nutty. I was hurt and lonely and wanted to be my own little island. I just wouldn’t have even begun to know what to expect from 5 years later.
So here I am 5 years later and what has changed? I am living about 3600 miles from where I was then. I have lost about 50 pounds from that time mostly due to not eating the fast food I was constantly gorging on in Florida. I am enjoying the outdoors which if you had told me 2 years ago I would be doing I would have laughed you out of the room. Now instead of Mage Knight or HeroClix I Kayak and hike. Now instead of spending the weekends staring at the TV or playing on the computer I am going to jewelry making classes and festivals, Instead of working in a dead end receptionist position at a good company, I am working in a dead end Admin position at a good company (no offense LOL.) I am, just recently, happily moved in with Bill and while we have our issues as any couple does we understand each other on a deep level. We know we don’t have to spend every moment of the day together and yet we still enjoy grocery shopping together from time to time. Heh
I could never have guessed where I wanted to be 5 years ago and really honestly I wouldn’t have wanted to try and guess. I like my “transient-like” lifestyle. I like not knowing what is around the corner and while I will never know what it is like to have kids of my own, I still have plenty of friends and their kids to spoil not to mention Bill’s 2. So as I stress this week about getting the house cleaned up for Thanksgiving and making out my menu for the big day I don’t have to worry where I will be in 5 years. I just take one day at a time and watch where it leads me. The one and only constant in life is change. Well and taxes. ;-) Embrace change and enjoy it.
Back to the point. So here I am as an adult. I have never been able to figure out how to tie myself down. This has caused a number of ill effects but none I can’t live with. Once I start to feel settled I get an itch. I start looking for an out. At the majority of the jobs I have held in my life I stop learning new things about 12-18 months into the process. At which point I become bored. Me and boredom do not mix. When I become bored I become dissatisfied. When I become dissatisfied I want to move on. In the jobs with companies where I stayed longer then 18 months I was generally transferred to different depts. I was taught new things or in the case of WizKids I just was too emotionally attached to the customers to let go.
So after my conversation I sat and thought “Where DO I want to be in 5 years?” After staring blanking at the wall for a fairly extended period of time I realized I have no answer at all. After realizing this I thought to myself, “Just how hard is it to think of where I want to be in 5 years?” Then I stopped and realized. Where was I 5 years ago? So? Class? Where was I 5 years ago?
5 years ago October 2003. In October 2003 I had come to the realization that I was actually considering the un-considerable. The horrible thing I never thought would happen to me happened, Divorce. Leading off this year a few things happened. Some of you may not know that I have had 2 miscarriages. Neither pregnancy was planned. The first really was a relief. My ex and I were not making enough money to provide. Life would have been hell but I figured I would find a way to cope. Others did more with less. I lost the first one at about 6 weeks. It happened so quickly that I barely had time to become attached to the idea. The second one came at a time where our financials were better (not great) and I wanted it. (or so I thought at the time) I lost the second at 8 weeks. I had plenty of time to form things in my mind and accept that this was happening. I was devastated. My ex knowing that in discussions we had had that I did not want children because I still had so many things I wanted to do in life tried to point out the “good” things about the miscarriage. To me, at the time, I only saw how much I had accepted it and how little he wanted to have kids. He was not cruel about anything but his relief came across very badly to me as I lay knowing that I would likely never have a child and hurting because I felt broken. The one most horrifying thing any doctor ever told me was that I was not going to be able to have children. For me there were 2 responses. The immediate response was my “Rebel” that stepped up and said “You can’t tell me that I can’t do something DAMN IT!” I wanted in many ways to prove that doctor wrong. I wanted to show her. Common Sense fell back into place quickly enough that I didn’t do anything I would regret. The second response was the one I hear from so many other women in similar positions, “I am a woman… my only natural requirement in life is to procreate and I can’t do that right?” Well I thought to myself if I can’t even get pregnant, which every drunken teenager has the ability to do, well then what the hell use am I? Oy! Those were not the best times. The second miscarriage happened in the beginning of 2003. This began the downfall of my marriage. So by October several other things piled on top of the camels back and there I was watching my marriage dissipate into a cloud of gas. Within a few months I would be spending my first Christmas completely alone in a house I hated with no car to even get me out to the movies, no friends because most were happily celebrating the holidays with their families to stop and realize that Leslie was sitting at home alone contemplating how she got herself into this particular pickle.
Funny that I use that word. Pickle. For those of you that have never worked with metal I will give you a definition. This weekend I learned about a pickle. According to Wikipedia: Pickling is a treatment of metallic surfaces in order to remove impurities, stains, rust or scale with a solution called pickle liquor. So over the course of that winter I was in a pickle. It helped me remove many impurities, some left over stains and rust and helped me to work on me. Not something I have ever done before. If you had told me 5 years ago where I would be now, I would just have shaken my head and told you that you were nutty. I was hurt and lonely and wanted to be my own little island. I just wouldn’t have even begun to know what to expect from 5 years later.
So here I am 5 years later and what has changed? I am living about 3600 miles from where I was then. I have lost about 50 pounds from that time mostly due to not eating the fast food I was constantly gorging on in Florida. I am enjoying the outdoors which if you had told me 2 years ago I would be doing I would have laughed you out of the room. Now instead of Mage Knight or HeroClix I Kayak and hike. Now instead of spending the weekends staring at the TV or playing on the computer I am going to jewelry making classes and festivals, Instead of working in a dead end receptionist position at a good company, I am working in a dead end Admin position at a good company (no offense LOL.) I am, just recently, happily moved in with Bill and while we have our issues as any couple does we understand each other on a deep level. We know we don’t have to spend every moment of the day together and yet we still enjoy grocery shopping together from time to time. Heh
I could never have guessed where I wanted to be 5 years ago and really honestly I wouldn’t have wanted to try and guess. I like my “transient-like” lifestyle. I like not knowing what is around the corner and while I will never know what it is like to have kids of my own, I still have plenty of friends and their kids to spoil not to mention Bill’s 2. So as I stress this week about getting the house cleaned up for Thanksgiving and making out my menu for the big day I don’t have to worry where I will be in 5 years. I just take one day at a time and watch where it leads me. The one and only constant in life is change. Well and taxes. ;-) Embrace change and enjoy it.
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A Time for Change
Fair warning long post. I kinda ramble.
So the past 2 years or so I have been living in 2 houses. I share a house with a roommate and my brother and my 2 kitties and the other half of the week I have been staying with Bill. Bill is my “boyfriend”. I don’t really feel like that term really fits because I am not 16 yrs old. LOL Bill is more my “significant other” but I tend to hate that term to because “what am I insignificant?” hehe Bill is Bill. So anyway back to the point. I am officially moving into Bill’s house. Prior to now Bill was hoping to sell his house so it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to move into this house just to move out again. Also this is the house he raised his kids in with his ex-wife and there was a bit of an odd feeling about me living there. Well with the market where it is and time being what it is I have decided it is too much of a pain for me to continue living in 2 homes and Bill’s house has really begun to feel like home. So in the next month I am moving completely into one home.
Of course in doing this, complications occur. My 2 lovely children (cats) have grown extremely attached to my brother. My brother is a home body and spoils my children hideously. With this decision to move I realize that taking my older cat, Shadow, away from my brother is not a good plan. They are 2 of the same. Also if I am serious about taking my life on the road in an RV at some point in the future neither of my kitties would be happy living that way. This means when I officially move I am leaving them with him. This has been a very hard decision for me to make and I know it is the best thing for them. I will be able to stop by and love on them from time to time but I will not have them wake me in the morning for a belly rub or wake to find them sleeping on my head.
This month has been very emotional for me. I am happy to begin my new life with Bill but I am also sad to leave my old life behind. This has been coming out in so many ways. My old life was also very much the fat me. In moving I have begun going through my boxes to get rid of anything I do not want to keep. My prior job was with a game company. I traveled to conventions and organized fans that played our games. It was in reality my dream job. My wardrobe for this job consisted of Jeans and t-shirts. I became the proud owner of over 25 different comic t-shirts (batman, superman, and other comic book heroes and villains) I have always loved comics and so it was very fun to be able to wear these shirts as part of my work. All of these t-shirts are 2XL since that was the most comfortable fit for me at the weight I was then. Well as I have begun going through my closet and boxes of clothes that are now too big for me all of these shirts have to go. Oh the bittersweetness that comes from losing weight. So in the process of this move I am in many ways having to let go of a prior life. This is a big part of what has been holding me back this month (I have realized recently.) I am not one to dislike change. I have had a very gypsy-like life but to give up all of these t-shirts and to move and leave my kitties behind and just moving on towards a different future then I ever imagined for myself is quite scary. I never in my wildest imagination ever thought I would ever actually lose the weight and keep it off. Through journaling and talking with a close friend I have really begun to realize that mentally this is going to be the biggest move I have ever made. That is saying something since just 4 years ago I sold everything I owned and packed 15 boxes and 2 cats and flew from Florida to Seattle (I had never been west of Minnesota prior) and moved my entire life here but this is a deeply emotional move for me because I am moving into an “area” of my life that I never could have begun to imagine before now. A life where I am more important than I have ever been.
So anyway there is a little bit of where my brain is at. Sometimes in our “diets” when we get stuck we really have to stop and realize it could be things effecting us from the outside in.
So the past 2 years or so I have been living in 2 houses. I share a house with a roommate and my brother and my 2 kitties and the other half of the week I have been staying with Bill. Bill is my “boyfriend”. I don’t really feel like that term really fits because I am not 16 yrs old. LOL Bill is more my “significant other” but I tend to hate that term to because “what am I insignificant?” hehe Bill is Bill. So anyway back to the point. I am officially moving into Bill’s house. Prior to now Bill was hoping to sell his house so it didn’t make a whole lot of sense for me to move into this house just to move out again. Also this is the house he raised his kids in with his ex-wife and there was a bit of an odd feeling about me living there. Well with the market where it is and time being what it is I have decided it is too much of a pain for me to continue living in 2 homes and Bill’s house has really begun to feel like home. So in the next month I am moving completely into one home.
Of course in doing this, complications occur. My 2 lovely children (cats) have grown extremely attached to my brother. My brother is a home body and spoils my children hideously. With this decision to move I realize that taking my older cat, Shadow, away from my brother is not a good plan. They are 2 of the same. Also if I am serious about taking my life on the road in an RV at some point in the future neither of my kitties would be happy living that way. This means when I officially move I am leaving them with him. This has been a very hard decision for me to make and I know it is the best thing for them. I will be able to stop by and love on them from time to time but I will not have them wake me in the morning for a belly rub or wake to find them sleeping on my head.
This month has been very emotional for me. I am happy to begin my new life with Bill but I am also sad to leave my old life behind. This has been coming out in so many ways. My old life was also very much the fat me. In moving I have begun going through my boxes to get rid of anything I do not want to keep. My prior job was with a game company. I traveled to conventions and organized fans that played our games. It was in reality my dream job. My wardrobe for this job consisted of Jeans and t-shirts. I became the proud owner of over 25 different comic t-shirts (batman, superman, and other comic book heroes and villains) I have always loved comics and so it was very fun to be able to wear these shirts as part of my work. All of these t-shirts are 2XL since that was the most comfortable fit for me at the weight I was then. Well as I have begun going through my closet and boxes of clothes that are now too big for me all of these shirts have to go. Oh the bittersweetness that comes from losing weight. So in the process of this move I am in many ways having to let go of a prior life. This is a big part of what has been holding me back this month (I have realized recently.) I am not one to dislike change. I have had a very gypsy-like life but to give up all of these t-shirts and to move and leave my kitties behind and just moving on towards a different future then I ever imagined for myself is quite scary. I never in my wildest imagination ever thought I would ever actually lose the weight and keep it off. Through journaling and talking with a close friend I have really begun to realize that mentally this is going to be the biggest move I have ever made. That is saying something since just 4 years ago I sold everything I owned and packed 15 boxes and 2 cats and flew from Florida to Seattle (I had never been west of Minnesota prior) and moved my entire life here but this is a deeply emotional move for me because I am moving into an “area” of my life that I never could have begun to imagine before now. A life where I am more important than I have ever been.
So anyway there is a little bit of where my brain is at. Sometimes in our “diets” when we get stuck we really have to stop and realize it could be things effecting us from the outside in.
Wednesday, August 13, 2008
Something you just gotta see
Ok so I only have 2 minutes but I totally had to throw this out there for anyone that hasn't seen it yet.
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
It's just too good.
Enjoy
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/
It's just too good.
Enjoy
Monday, July 21, 2008
Obsess Much?
For those of you that didn't know 2 weeks ago Bill and I went to a "Life on Wheels" Conference in Lewiston, Idaho. I will have to share more about that in the future. :-) Onto the real topic:
So over the course of the past few weeks I have come to a realization (yes sometimes I can be slow…) I have become obsessed with losing weight. I am not at a point where every thought of every day is consumed with thoughts of eating right and exercising but I would say the majority of my day revolves around it. As many of you know I have been reading the Beck’s Diet Solution. The book is really good at a few things, showing you how you sabotage yourself with your thinking and how to work around it. The thing the book does that I dislike is they want you to plan every single thing that goes into your mouth. It also wants you to pre-plan every moment of your exercise. While I don’t suppose it is the intention of the author, for people like me with an OCD tendency to begin with, it can really make you obsess about the whole thing.
For an update: As of this morning I am down a few more pounds 21 pounds from my February start date but 31 total from my original start. I am actually pretty impressed that I am still going strong (even if a little too strong at times.)
My plan is to change my diet in a way that I can maintain it the rest of my life. The things I am truly beginning to discover are the following:
I don’t like fast food in general. If given a choice and money not being an option I will generally choose a healthier meal. With time and money being an issue we all have to live with it is unreasonable for me to expect that I will never have to eat on the run. This weekend I went to the movies. I ate a good health breakfast before we headed out so it was not difficult to bypass the popcorn, nachos, etc. The movie was nearly 3 hours long (The Dark Knight a.k.a. Batman) and once we were done we had to head over to the store to buy all the things we needed to make our lunches for the week. I was starving and knew it would be a mistake to go to the store that way and also knew that being 30 minutes from home that a snack wasn’t going to satisfy so we stopped at Burger King. This is very acceptable to me because I know that there will be times you just have to do it.
When I went on my trip I obsessed for weeks before planning for exercising and planning to try and make my own meals at times. Much of the obsession was completely useless and in the end just stressed me out. Now I am not saying people shouldn’t prepare but I think I took it a few steps beyond preparing and well into obsession.
Friday of last week things came to a head. I went to Costco with Bill and I went hungry. I knew it was a problem but there was nothing I could do about it. I had eaten all my back up snacks and part of the reason for the trip was to get more of those back-up snacks. Now sometimes I wonder why they set up stores the way they do… Why would you have to walk through the bakery to get to the fruits and veggies. Well now I really know. I stood there surrounded by fresh baked bread smells. With Croissants to my left, muffins to my right and bagels behind me. You ever feel like carbs are cornering you? Well there I was and I had already been PMSing that day. Bill keeps doing the usual “You don’t really want that…” I was on the verge of telling him where to go when it dawned on me that I was going to make myself crazy. I stopped and took inventory on myself and moved away from the carbs. After I left the store I realized I really did want the croissants but the rest of it I didn’t. I wish they sold the croissants in smaller packages because I can not justify buying a dozen of them. In the end I did win out by bypassing them all but I realized that I was really and truly becoming obsessed and so is Bill. We have both spent so much time convincing ourselves that we don’t want things we really do want because they are “bad” for us.
If this is going to be a lifestyle change for me I am going to have to be able to live with this, day in and day out. I am going to have to be able to have a croissant when I want one. Even if it is fairly empty calories and more fat then I really need. I am going to have to be able to take a week off from my exercise if I am feeling yucky without beating myself up for days. Last week I just felt awful most of the week. My joints were all sore and my muscles were achy. I wanted a break and I think I needed one. You can only push yourself so hard and do so much before it is time to relax. This week I am devoting to relaxing. Sometimes you just have to relax.
So over the course of the past few weeks I have come to a realization (yes sometimes I can be slow…) I have become obsessed with losing weight. I am not at a point where every thought of every day is consumed with thoughts of eating right and exercising but I would say the majority of my day revolves around it. As many of you know I have been reading the Beck’s Diet Solution. The book is really good at a few things, showing you how you sabotage yourself with your thinking and how to work around it. The thing the book does that I dislike is they want you to plan every single thing that goes into your mouth. It also wants you to pre-plan every moment of your exercise. While I don’t suppose it is the intention of the author, for people like me with an OCD tendency to begin with, it can really make you obsess about the whole thing.
For an update: As of this morning I am down a few more pounds 21 pounds from my February start date but 31 total from my original start. I am actually pretty impressed that I am still going strong (even if a little too strong at times.)
My plan is to change my diet in a way that I can maintain it the rest of my life. The things I am truly beginning to discover are the following:
I don’t like fast food in general. If given a choice and money not being an option I will generally choose a healthier meal. With time and money being an issue we all have to live with it is unreasonable for me to expect that I will never have to eat on the run. This weekend I went to the movies. I ate a good health breakfast before we headed out so it was not difficult to bypass the popcorn, nachos, etc. The movie was nearly 3 hours long (The Dark Knight a.k.a. Batman) and once we were done we had to head over to the store to buy all the things we needed to make our lunches for the week. I was starving and knew it would be a mistake to go to the store that way and also knew that being 30 minutes from home that a snack wasn’t going to satisfy so we stopped at Burger King. This is very acceptable to me because I know that there will be times you just have to do it.
When I went on my trip I obsessed for weeks before planning for exercising and planning to try and make my own meals at times. Much of the obsession was completely useless and in the end just stressed me out. Now I am not saying people shouldn’t prepare but I think I took it a few steps beyond preparing and well into obsession.
Friday of last week things came to a head. I went to Costco with Bill and I went hungry. I knew it was a problem but there was nothing I could do about it. I had eaten all my back up snacks and part of the reason for the trip was to get more of those back-up snacks. Now sometimes I wonder why they set up stores the way they do… Why would you have to walk through the bakery to get to the fruits and veggies. Well now I really know. I stood there surrounded by fresh baked bread smells. With Croissants to my left, muffins to my right and bagels behind me. You ever feel like carbs are cornering you? Well there I was and I had already been PMSing that day. Bill keeps doing the usual “You don’t really want that…” I was on the verge of telling him where to go when it dawned on me that I was going to make myself crazy. I stopped and took inventory on myself and moved away from the carbs. After I left the store I realized I really did want the croissants but the rest of it I didn’t. I wish they sold the croissants in smaller packages because I can not justify buying a dozen of them. In the end I did win out by bypassing them all but I realized that I was really and truly becoming obsessed and so is Bill. We have both spent so much time convincing ourselves that we don’t want things we really do want because they are “bad” for us.
If this is going to be a lifestyle change for me I am going to have to be able to live with this, day in and day out. I am going to have to be able to have a croissant when I want one. Even if it is fairly empty calories and more fat then I really need. I am going to have to be able to take a week off from my exercise if I am feeling yucky without beating myself up for days. Last week I just felt awful most of the week. My joints were all sore and my muscles were achy. I wanted a break and I think I needed one. You can only push yourself so hard and do so much before it is time to relax. This week I am devoting to relaxing. Sometimes you just have to relax.
Monday, May 12, 2008
Enjoy Exercise? Are you crazy? Well yeah I guess so...
The art of losing weight is finding activities (exercise) that you enjoy doing. Now I have heard this hundreds of times in my life and generally I tend to giggle at the person saying it but as I continue to grow as a person I discover new things about myself that I didn’t really know. I feel like I should whisper this one… kinda like a “pssst… you won’t believe this…” I like being active. Now I can hear the gasps from several of you that have known me for year and the I can feel the waves of disbelief. I never thought I would be saying this but here I am. Some people might think I have met a new guy that is an exercise fanatic… nope that’s not it… still seeing Bill. Some of you may think that maybe it’s the allergy medicine I am taking. Heh
The truth is that I have begun to discover new and interesting things I can do for exercise (no I am not talking about sex.) Last year on my vacation I really began to see my physical limitations. We went hiking in Arches National Park and I would get tired quickly. Walking through the Grand Canyon National Park was equally as exhausting and I wanted to do more then I was physically able. With the idea that I needed to be more active and build my stamina last December I bought an elliptical machine. I paid good money for a nice NordicTrack and I was determined it would not become a clothes rack. Thus far I have been doing pretty well. I have been on my elliptical machine at minimum a day or two each week some weeks three or four times. In the process of making myself do it I started thinking… this is boring so what can I do that won’t be boring?
The past few months Bill and I have been discussing the possibility of hiking this summer (if it ever gets here.) I have no excuse not to hike. I live in “The Great Northwest” after all and the mountains, hills, and countryside are beautiful. There are ample opportunities for me to hike around every corner, literally. So last month when REI sent out 25% off coupons I jumped on it and bought myself a new pair of hiking boots. My old hiking boots, which I bought to “hike” to work in the rain, were worn. This weekend we decided to go over to REI to pick up some books on hiking trails in the area so that we could be prepared. While there, they were having a dosey of a sale. I had been thinking about getting a pair of hiking poles. I have read website of people that use them and I figure with my knees anything can help. According to the website it says it takes the equivalent of 15 pounds of pressure off your joints PER STEP. I have been procrastinating buying the poles because I wanted the shock absorbing kind and they cost a pretty penny. So 20% off I thought was a great deal. I picked up the Leki Cor-Tec Anti-shock poles. I am going hiking! Heh
Oh and last but not least an update. This week I am down 4.5 pounds (woot!) that puts me at 10 pounds down and 40 to go. November here I come!!
The truth is that I have begun to discover new and interesting things I can do for exercise (no I am not talking about sex.) Last year on my vacation I really began to see my physical limitations. We went hiking in Arches National Park and I would get tired quickly. Walking through the Grand Canyon National Park was equally as exhausting and I wanted to do more then I was physically able. With the idea that I needed to be more active and build my stamina last December I bought an elliptical machine. I paid good money for a nice NordicTrack and I was determined it would not become a clothes rack. Thus far I have been doing pretty well. I have been on my elliptical machine at minimum a day or two each week some weeks three or four times. In the process of making myself do it I started thinking… this is boring so what can I do that won’t be boring?
The past few months Bill and I have been discussing the possibility of hiking this summer (if it ever gets here.) I have no excuse not to hike. I live in “The Great Northwest” after all and the mountains, hills, and countryside are beautiful. There are ample opportunities for me to hike around every corner, literally. So last month when REI sent out 25% off coupons I jumped on it and bought myself a new pair of hiking boots. My old hiking boots, which I bought to “hike” to work in the rain, were worn. This weekend we decided to go over to REI to pick up some books on hiking trails in the area so that we could be prepared. While there, they were having a dosey of a sale. I had been thinking about getting a pair of hiking poles. I have read website of people that use them and I figure with my knees anything can help. According to the website it says it takes the equivalent of 15 pounds of pressure off your joints PER STEP. I have been procrastinating buying the poles because I wanted the shock absorbing kind and they cost a pretty penny. So 20% off I thought was a great deal. I picked up the Leki Cor-Tec Anti-shock poles. I am going hiking! Heh
Oh and last but not least an update. This week I am down 4.5 pounds (woot!) that puts me at 10 pounds down and 40 to go. November here I come!!
Monday, April 14, 2008
My Sweet Evelyn I shall always remember you.
Today one of the greatest people I have ever known has passed on. I began working with Evelyn when I was 20. I had gotten a job at Fidelity National Title. She was an assistant to the Attorneys in the company and I was an entry level processing employee. I sat and entered numbered data into the computer all day. Evelyn saw me and realized what a hard worker I was. I have never been a ladder climber. It is not something that concerns me, however, I was concerned about making more money in order to become more comfortable in my life and at the time I thought I might one day have children and kids are expensive. Having been raised to put in work when needed whenever Evelyn needed help I would volunteer to help. At the time I was doing pretty good at the ladder climbing thing just by doing what I had been taught to do… work hard. So Evelyn and I spent a good many nights and even some weekends doing horrible things like stuffing envelopes and binding hundreds of convention notebooks. As time went by I was transferred into another job working more closely with her. I loved her. She was witty and just good all around. She had a wonderful husband and they were perfect for each other. She had a terrific daughter who was the gleam in Evelyns eyes. Through the years Evelyn had some hard times but if ever there was a Pollyanna that woman was it. I grew and became who I am with Evelyn’s help. When I landed in a dead end reception position that truly wasted many of my talents she challenged me to Bloom where I was planted and with her help I did. I grew as a person and learned new things. The woman was amazing in every aspect. She helped me through so much in my life. She helped me plan my wedding and then helped me through my divorce. She was with me when I made the decision to move to Seattle and rooted me on towards moving forward in my life. She meant so much to me and I know that she knows that.
When I got the call a month ago that she was sick I was devistated. How is it that the good people in this world are the ones we lose? Maybe it’s because they have acomplished what they need to and it’s time for them to move on? If that’s the case then I wonder about people that live to be 90 or 100. Are they just slower? Do they not get done what needs to be done? It’s amazing how we go along in life and think we know how things work and then something like this hits and we become dumbfounded and everything we think or even know becomes wrong. Yesterday I was riding around town carefree and singing along when the radio played “only the good die young” I have heard this song hundreds of times but to me it was just an upbeat tune that I never really got. It’s just so sad.
When I got the call a month ago that she was sick I was devistated. How is it that the good people in this world are the ones we lose? Maybe it’s because they have acomplished what they need to and it’s time for them to move on? If that’s the case then I wonder about people that live to be 90 or 100. Are they just slower? Do they not get done what needs to be done? It’s amazing how we go along in life and think we know how things work and then something like this hits and we become dumbfounded and everything we think or even know becomes wrong. Yesterday I was riding around town carefree and singing along when the radio played “only the good die young” I have heard this song hundreds of times but to me it was just an upbeat tune that I never really got. It’s just so sad.
Well today has been a rainy day which truly suited my mood. The wind is blowing and the clouds have blocked out the sun that peeked through a little earlier. Evelyn would have loved the cherry blossoms.
Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Save the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus!
Anyone out there that really knows me knows that in general I hold animals in higher esteem than I do humans. I came across a creature recently that I would like to bring to the attention of all my friends. It is the great northwest tree octopus. The pictures of these creatures are amazing. They are apparently very rare to the area and are on the verge of extinction. For more information on this amazing creature check out this website:
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
If you are interested in even more info there are dozens of sites dedicated to this oddity. You should google them it is quite fascinating. If you live here in the northwest keep an eye out for them. If I come across any in my future hiking excursions I will make sure to post pictures. I hope to spread the word about this amazing oddity of nature.
Enjoy!
http://zapatopi.net/treeoctopus/
If you are interested in even more info there are dozens of sites dedicated to this oddity. You should google them it is quite fascinating. If you live here in the northwest keep an eye out for them. If I come across any in my future hiking excursions I will make sure to post pictures. I hope to spread the word about this amazing oddity of nature.
Enjoy!
Wednesday, March 19, 2008
Thanks for noticing - Eeyore
So you know how often we take for granite times without stress until we are in a time that is stressful? We just don’t take the time to stop and think “Hey I have a good life.” Well today as I sat in major pain from my IBS, which is generally brought on by my stress level I realized I have not had these problems for quite some time.
Back in 2006 I had a bought of IBS problems but those were brought on by the nasty antibiotic the dentist gave me (one more reason to hate dentists… like I needed one) that killed all the good biotics in my system but overall I have not had much in the way of IBS problems since I moved here nearly 4 years ago. I attribute this to a number of factors. I am learning how to control my stress levels and I have not really had much to stress about. Many of you that know me and have helped me deal with the past 4 yrs may disagree, over 3 months out of work… hating my previous job and many of my previous coworkers, but really overall it’s not been a problem. However, this week I am having problems. I am distracted by what my friend is going through and her daughter in particular.
How hard must it be to have lost your father to Leukemia when you were 11 and now at 17 your mom is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Spending your weekends in the hospital wondering what will happen instead of carelessly cruising town with your friends. Hanging out and having your biggest concern be if some boy at school likes you. Ugh…
I have worked my way through all of the stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The acceptance part is the worst in my opinion. I am a rebel. At times I rebel against myself. I don’t want to accept it. I don’t want it to be true and because I am so far from where she is and I can’t see what’s happening denial is much easier. So in the process of being in denial my body knows and has accepted what is true and so it conflicts with itself.
On the other hand I know some of my stress comes from my impending greeting of my parents. I have not seen my family since I moved here. I have thought about going to see them a number of times but each year something came up. We can just go ahead and call this avoidance. I have had enough therapy to know I avoid my parents. The reasons are too many to even begin to express but I will say that my mother and I have rarely seen eye to eye and my father has a tendency to do what my mother tells him. I can not blame him for this because well… he has to live with her. If you have read my posts recently you will know that I was already anticipating a trip “home” for my brother’s wedding in November. My blood pressure was higher two weeks ago (before I heard about my friend) then it has been in longer then my Dr. has on file. When I see my mother we fight. It is not something that happens every time we see each other but often enough for me to expect it to happen. Since I am there only 49 hours I am hoping we can manage not to fight. I really don’t want to fight. Life is far too short. In spite of it all I love my parents. We had good times but the bad times stick with a person longer.
So here I am a big ball of stress trying to release my tension through bubble baths and jasmine tea. I need to keep reminding myself to breath. I want to be past all this and be my happy go-lucky person again. I miss that person. I am not a big fan of this droopy dumpy version of myself. For those who know me this is not me. I have always been more T-i-double g-rrrrrr then Eeyore but here I sit with the cloud over my head.
Back in 2006 I had a bought of IBS problems but those were brought on by the nasty antibiotic the dentist gave me (one more reason to hate dentists… like I needed one) that killed all the good biotics in my system but overall I have not had much in the way of IBS problems since I moved here nearly 4 years ago. I attribute this to a number of factors. I am learning how to control my stress levels and I have not really had much to stress about. Many of you that know me and have helped me deal with the past 4 yrs may disagree, over 3 months out of work… hating my previous job and many of my previous coworkers, but really overall it’s not been a problem. However, this week I am having problems. I am distracted by what my friend is going through and her daughter in particular.
How hard must it be to have lost your father to Leukemia when you were 11 and now at 17 your mom is diagnosed with a brain tumor. Spending your weekends in the hospital wondering what will happen instead of carelessly cruising town with your friends. Hanging out and having your biggest concern be if some boy at school likes you. Ugh…
I have worked my way through all of the stages of grief denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. The acceptance part is the worst in my opinion. I am a rebel. At times I rebel against myself. I don’t want to accept it. I don’t want it to be true and because I am so far from where she is and I can’t see what’s happening denial is much easier. So in the process of being in denial my body knows and has accepted what is true and so it conflicts with itself.
On the other hand I know some of my stress comes from my impending greeting of my parents. I have not seen my family since I moved here. I have thought about going to see them a number of times but each year something came up. We can just go ahead and call this avoidance. I have had enough therapy to know I avoid my parents. The reasons are too many to even begin to express but I will say that my mother and I have rarely seen eye to eye and my father has a tendency to do what my mother tells him. I can not blame him for this because well… he has to live with her. If you have read my posts recently you will know that I was already anticipating a trip “home” for my brother’s wedding in November. My blood pressure was higher two weeks ago (before I heard about my friend) then it has been in longer then my Dr. has on file. When I see my mother we fight. It is not something that happens every time we see each other but often enough for me to expect it to happen. Since I am there only 49 hours I am hoping we can manage not to fight. I really don’t want to fight. Life is far too short. In spite of it all I love my parents. We had good times but the bad times stick with a person longer.
So here I am a big ball of stress trying to release my tension through bubble baths and jasmine tea. I need to keep reminding myself to breath. I want to be past all this and be my happy go-lucky person again. I miss that person. I am not a big fan of this droopy dumpy version of myself. For those who know me this is not me. I have always been more T-i-double g-rrrrrr then Eeyore but here I sit with the cloud over my head.
Monday, March 10, 2008
Hope for a Second Chance
When I am placed in a situation were I do not know what to think or how to feel my brain goes into “learning” mode. I want to learn everything there is to know or feel about the situation. I really do not know why I react this way but I can say bless and curse the internet in regards to the information available. I found out this morning that a friend of mine has an inoperable brain tumor. My response initial response was “why?” then I moved on to “now what?” and so off I went to the internet to find out all I could about brain tumors.
When I was 15 years old and a part of my mother’s church, there was a period of time when several women that I had become close to (either through babysitting their children or friends of the family) in the church got pregnant and miscarried their babies. I very clearly remember 3 of them but I believe there were a total of 5 women over a couple years that miscarried. One day I asked a friend in the church “Why would god let this happen?” I was young and confused and wanted an answer for these horrifying tragedies. The person said that maybe God (in his almighty wisdom) was preparing me for something I would have to deal with in the future. I was MORTIFIED. This person truly believed that this “God” would allow all this pain and suffering for my sake. The day I miscarried my second child I was in a fit of anger I suddenly remembered what the person had said to me. That was the day I truly decided that “God” or whatever out there was allowing this to happen was telling me I didn’t need to have children.
Back to the point… Since that fateful day every time someone around me has had trauma I have tried to learn what I can about it so that if I am faced with it again in my future I will know as much as possible. If any of these bad things that happen are so that I can learn something from it then I will be damned if I am not going to learn it. So over the past many years when nasty things happen I delve into books on the subject and read websites and forums.
Now this woman that I know that has a tumor is probably the single most amazing person I have ever met. I met Evelyn at my job at Fidelity National Title. She is an assistant to the attorneys in the office and I worked very closely with her for several years. After our jobs within the company became more distant she would always stop by my desk and chat on her breaks. She is very much the reason I was able to pack up and move the Seattle. She is a Pollyanna. Anytime there is something negative going on she would be the person to find a positive in it. I learned a great deal of patience in dealing with things and people from this woman. She also helped me through both of the aforementioned miscarriages and my divorce with a bright shining disposition through the toughest of times. Several years ago her husband had Leukemia. He was in remission after many months of treatment and suddenly with no warning he was sick again and he passed away. Through this Evelyn was the strong one. Instead of being the receiver she continued to be the giver. Always giving. Always. From everything I have read there is no good side to a Grade IV Inoperable Brain Tumor. I will continue to hope and pray that there is a miracle. If anyone on this earth deserves one it would be this woman.
I have seen miracles happen. My uncle was given 3 days to live and that was 20 years ago. He is still around and enjoying his grandkids. I believe it can happen. I want to see it happen again and to someone who could not be more deserving of this second chance.
When I was 15 years old and a part of my mother’s church, there was a period of time when several women that I had become close to (either through babysitting their children or friends of the family) in the church got pregnant and miscarried their babies. I very clearly remember 3 of them but I believe there were a total of 5 women over a couple years that miscarried. One day I asked a friend in the church “Why would god let this happen?” I was young and confused and wanted an answer for these horrifying tragedies. The person said that maybe God (in his almighty wisdom) was preparing me for something I would have to deal with in the future. I was MORTIFIED. This person truly believed that this “God” would allow all this pain and suffering for my sake. The day I miscarried my second child I was in a fit of anger I suddenly remembered what the person had said to me. That was the day I truly decided that “God” or whatever out there was allowing this to happen was telling me I didn’t need to have children.
Back to the point… Since that fateful day every time someone around me has had trauma I have tried to learn what I can about it so that if I am faced with it again in my future I will know as much as possible. If any of these bad things that happen are so that I can learn something from it then I will be damned if I am not going to learn it. So over the past many years when nasty things happen I delve into books on the subject and read websites and forums.
Now this woman that I know that has a tumor is probably the single most amazing person I have ever met. I met Evelyn at my job at Fidelity National Title. She is an assistant to the attorneys in the office and I worked very closely with her for several years. After our jobs within the company became more distant she would always stop by my desk and chat on her breaks. She is very much the reason I was able to pack up and move the Seattle. She is a Pollyanna. Anytime there is something negative going on she would be the person to find a positive in it. I learned a great deal of patience in dealing with things and people from this woman. She also helped me through both of the aforementioned miscarriages and my divorce with a bright shining disposition through the toughest of times. Several years ago her husband had Leukemia. He was in remission after many months of treatment and suddenly with no warning he was sick again and he passed away. Through this Evelyn was the strong one. Instead of being the receiver she continued to be the giver. Always giving. Always. From everything I have read there is no good side to a Grade IV Inoperable Brain Tumor. I will continue to hope and pray that there is a miracle. If anyone on this earth deserves one it would be this woman.
I have seen miracles happen. My uncle was given 3 days to live and that was 20 years ago. He is still around and enjoying his grandkids. I believe it can happen. I want to see it happen again and to someone who could not be more deserving of this second chance.
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
Week 1 diet recap
Week 1 started really well. I have become better about pre-planning my lunches and I am working on finding recipes to keep it interesting. Last week I made Rachael Ray's Chicken Caccitore Stoup. I slightly modified it by removing some of the oil 1 of the potatoes and added more pepper, onion, mushroom and chicken (the good stuff). It turned out FANTASTIC! I made a big batch and then portioned them out into serving size containers so I just nuke it and have lunch.
I did 20 minutes a day on my elliptical (building up to more) and 10 minutes a day of arm work outs with my weights. This worked well Monday - Wednesday. Thursday I woke up with a migraine. It has been about 2 years since I have had a migraine so first off let me say I am happy to have been free of them for 2 years. I fought my way through work Thursday but Friday morning I woke up and just couldn't take it so I called in. The problem with calling in is I had not prepared to have food in my house. So I did not eat as well Friday. Saturday I woke up feeling much better and exerted myself cleaning my house for a few hours. Sunday I went to the mall (needed new shoes for work) and walked the mall.
Overall I feel last week went well. This week I have planned Chicken Caesar Wraps with light dressing and stir fry for lunch. Now that I have my breakfast and lunch in order I really need to start working on dinners...
Well that will be my goal for week 3. *grin*
Week 1 - 2 pounds lost, 48 to go.
I did 20 minutes a day on my elliptical (building up to more) and 10 minutes a day of arm work outs with my weights. This worked well Monday - Wednesday. Thursday I woke up with a migraine. It has been about 2 years since I have had a migraine so first off let me say I am happy to have been free of them for 2 years. I fought my way through work Thursday but Friday morning I woke up and just couldn't take it so I called in. The problem with calling in is I had not prepared to have food in my house. So I did not eat as well Friday. Saturday I woke up feeling much better and exerted myself cleaning my house for a few hours. Sunday I went to the mall (needed new shoes for work) and walked the mall.
Overall I feel last week went well. This week I have planned Chicken Caesar Wraps with light dressing and stir fry for lunch. Now that I have my breakfast and lunch in order I really need to start working on dinners...
Well that will be my goal for week 3. *grin*
Week 1 - 2 pounds lost, 48 to go.
Monday, March 03, 2008
Changes they can be good for you!
Today is a bit of a rambler… I apologize if I bore you I just am feeling grateful and wanted to share. *grin*
So Last May I lost my job at WizKids games. I am not going to go into the how or why but I will say it was a very beneficial situation for me. LOL For those of you out there that do not know much about WK (not many but a few) here is a little background. I became involved in their games about 8 months into the companies existence. I fell in love with their fantasy based table top game. It was fun and new and it was helping me get out and meet new people. I had formerly played Magic the Gathering and really had come to enjoy the friendly atmosphere at my local venues. I began to disagree with some of the companies decisions and so I quit playing MtG and not long after picked up Mage Knight from WizKids. Now don’t bother going out and googling the game because the brilliant folks at WK killed it and it is buried (or should be).
So after going to conventions and getting to know some of the staff and also seeing the atrocious state of their Customer Service and Envoy (Volunteer) program I knew I could help (or at least try). I packed up and moved from Orlando, Florida to Seattle, Washington in hopes of landing a job with them. I knew it wouldn’t be all fun and games but I thought it would be a different atmosphere from the Title Insurance Company I was working with. I got the call that I had a job about a month before I had planned to move. Since I had already given notice at my job and my landlord it was increasingly easy for me to move the date forward and I moved out here with 12 days notice.
Upon arrival I started my job and really liked it. I was traveling about 12 weeks a year which I loved and I really enjoyed working with the volunteers, many of which I had become friends with over the years of being a volunteer for the company. Some of the people I would call my best friends today are people I met though volunteering or working with the company. Sadly though after 9 months of being at WK the management decided to totally shift the way the business worked and in essence, for a few months, dissolved my position. I foresaw this happening and snatched up a reception position as soon as it became available. When I was working in the envoy program I would say I was a bit overworked. The weeks I traveled I averaged about 70-80 hours of work, on the weeks I didn’t travel I worked a minimum of 55 to 60. I was on salary so the money coming in really did not cover the work I was putting out. When I transferred to the reception position and started working hourly at 40 hours a week and getting paid the same as I was being paid for 70… I began to realize how little the position agreed with me. Also in the process of traveling and pushing my body to extremes by not eating properly I became borderline diabetic. So when the position in the volunteer group became active again I realized I had to choose my job or my health. I chose my health. In the beginning of last year the company was put up for purchase and 34% of the office was laid off. After 2.5 years in a reception position that totally wasted my talents I finally surrendered and as I mentioned early I left. (Personal thank you to all involved.)
Upon leaving I was very conflicted. Should I attempt to get a job with another game company? Well seeing the industry decreasing with every breath I decided not to. After I took a few months off, to enjoy the summer in Seattle and just sleep, I looked for a new job. I found the one here at Allen Brackett Shedd (Real Estate Appraisers, mostly commercial and government properties) and I couldn’t be happier. I adore several of my coworkers and the ones I don’t I can tolerate without hassle. We are a company of 18 people of which I would say 10 have been with the company more then a decade. The company is about 30 years old and doesn’t show any signs of wear. Heck for Christmas last year I got the biggest bonus I have ever received, not to mention after meeting with me and seeing my experience level they hired me on for MORE money then I had asked for. *grin* The company really appreciates its employees and for me that is a very pleasant change. In the past I have had bosses that at times appreciated me but not really whole companies. I had my 6 month review not to long ago and it was fantastic. It really is nice to have people appreciate the hard work you do.
So I am rambling now and I will get to the point. Today I got news that WizKids laid off 9 more employees last week. Sometimes it takes things like that to remind you just how lucky you are. If any of you out there are people that were laid off, you have my congratulations and if you want it my sympathy. I personally think it is more of congratulations though. Good luck in your futures and I hope you find a new company to work with, one that I know will appreciate you more then WizKids could begin to. If you are reading this and you are still with WizKids you also have my sympathies. I hope things are going better then it sounds like they are going and good luck. I hope in a year you can look back and say that you are in a better place because of this… I know leaving WizKids is the best thing that has happened to me since I took the job nearly 4 years ago.
Oh and I lost 2 pounds last week even though a migraine took me out for 2 days! Woot!
So Last May I lost my job at WizKids games. I am not going to go into the how or why but I will say it was a very beneficial situation for me. LOL For those of you out there that do not know much about WK (not many but a few) here is a little background. I became involved in their games about 8 months into the companies existence. I fell in love with their fantasy based table top game. It was fun and new and it was helping me get out and meet new people. I had formerly played Magic the Gathering and really had come to enjoy the friendly atmosphere at my local venues. I began to disagree with some of the companies decisions and so I quit playing MtG and not long after picked up Mage Knight from WizKids. Now don’t bother going out and googling the game because the brilliant folks at WK killed it and it is buried (or should be).
So after going to conventions and getting to know some of the staff and also seeing the atrocious state of their Customer Service and Envoy (Volunteer) program I knew I could help (or at least try). I packed up and moved from Orlando, Florida to Seattle, Washington in hopes of landing a job with them. I knew it wouldn’t be all fun and games but I thought it would be a different atmosphere from the Title Insurance Company I was working with. I got the call that I had a job about a month before I had planned to move. Since I had already given notice at my job and my landlord it was increasingly easy for me to move the date forward and I moved out here with 12 days notice.
Upon arrival I started my job and really liked it. I was traveling about 12 weeks a year which I loved and I really enjoyed working with the volunteers, many of which I had become friends with over the years of being a volunteer for the company. Some of the people I would call my best friends today are people I met though volunteering or working with the company. Sadly though after 9 months of being at WK the management decided to totally shift the way the business worked and in essence, for a few months, dissolved my position. I foresaw this happening and snatched up a reception position as soon as it became available. When I was working in the envoy program I would say I was a bit overworked. The weeks I traveled I averaged about 70-80 hours of work, on the weeks I didn’t travel I worked a minimum of 55 to 60. I was on salary so the money coming in really did not cover the work I was putting out. When I transferred to the reception position and started working hourly at 40 hours a week and getting paid the same as I was being paid for 70… I began to realize how little the position agreed with me. Also in the process of traveling and pushing my body to extremes by not eating properly I became borderline diabetic. So when the position in the volunteer group became active again I realized I had to choose my job or my health. I chose my health. In the beginning of last year the company was put up for purchase and 34% of the office was laid off. After 2.5 years in a reception position that totally wasted my talents I finally surrendered and as I mentioned early I left. (Personal thank you to all involved.)
Upon leaving I was very conflicted. Should I attempt to get a job with another game company? Well seeing the industry decreasing with every breath I decided not to. After I took a few months off, to enjoy the summer in Seattle and just sleep, I looked for a new job. I found the one here at Allen Brackett Shedd (Real Estate Appraisers, mostly commercial and government properties) and I couldn’t be happier. I adore several of my coworkers and the ones I don’t I can tolerate without hassle. We are a company of 18 people of which I would say 10 have been with the company more then a decade. The company is about 30 years old and doesn’t show any signs of wear. Heck for Christmas last year I got the biggest bonus I have ever received, not to mention after meeting with me and seeing my experience level they hired me on for MORE money then I had asked for. *grin* The company really appreciates its employees and for me that is a very pleasant change. In the past I have had bosses that at times appreciated me but not really whole companies. I had my 6 month review not to long ago and it was fantastic. It really is nice to have people appreciate the hard work you do.
So I am rambling now and I will get to the point. Today I got news that WizKids laid off 9 more employees last week. Sometimes it takes things like that to remind you just how lucky you are. If any of you out there are people that were laid off, you have my congratulations and if you want it my sympathy. I personally think it is more of congratulations though. Good luck in your futures and I hope you find a new company to work with, one that I know will appreciate you more then WizKids could begin to. If you are reading this and you are still with WizKids you also have my sympathies. I hope things are going better then it sounds like they are going and good luck. I hope in a year you can look back and say that you are in a better place because of this… I know leaving WizKids is the best thing that has happened to me since I took the job nearly 4 years ago.
Oh and I lost 2 pounds last week even though a migraine took me out for 2 days! Woot!
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
Day 3
Well it's been an interesting couple of days. I have done fairly well on eatting and very good on exercise. For those of you that do not know I bought myself an Elliptical machine for Christmas. I have not used it enough so I am going to be working on that. Monday I exercised for 20 minutes on one of the trainer settings. Trust me... 20 minutes is tough. LOL Especially when 5 of it is on the 5th level resistance.
Tuesday I walked 2.5 miles home from work. To walk all the way home from work is going to take some time to build up to because the 1 mile I didn't walk yesterday is almost completely straight up and down several hills. I am hoping by July I will be in full form to do it.
Thank you all for your support. I am really looking forward to making this happen. Woot! :-)
Tuesday I walked 2.5 miles home from work. To walk all the way home from work is going to take some time to build up to because the 1 mile I didn't walk yesterday is almost completely straight up and down several hills. I am hoping by July I will be in full form to do it.
Thank you all for your support. I am really looking forward to making this happen. Woot! :-)
Monday, February 25, 2008
Hey! It's me!
So you know when life stops and gives you a good kick in the pants?
Well here I am. This weekend I found out that my wee little brother (all of 28 yrs old) is getting married in November. Well for the past yr and a half or so I have been trying to change my eating habits and start losing some weight. In 2006 I lost 30 pounds but then I went on my lovely road trip and gained 20 back over the next few months. I have maintained the last 10 pounds and many of my eating habits but I am not getting the exercise I need to in order to lose this extra weight. Well it is going to be tough going home and losing some weight would be awesome. So here goes nothing…
I am going to lose 50 pounds by October 25. (This is the weekend before my little bros wedding.) My current weight is 242. So WHEN I succeed I will be at 192 or less. It has been about 16 years since I have been on the under side of the 200 pound mark.
What do I need to do to reach this goal? You. How can you help? Well that’s the easy part. Just encourage me to lose it.
If you would like to be a part of my weight loss goal and helping me reach it just post a little note. I will be trying to keep a journal here more regularly and I will post pictures and share recipes.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions on things that would help please feel free to share.
Hey if any of you out there want to lose weight too come on with me on my journey. We could all stand to be a little healthier. Heh
Love ya,
Leslie
Well here I am. This weekend I found out that my wee little brother (all of 28 yrs old) is getting married in November. Well for the past yr and a half or so I have been trying to change my eating habits and start losing some weight. In 2006 I lost 30 pounds but then I went on my lovely road trip and gained 20 back over the next few months. I have maintained the last 10 pounds and many of my eating habits but I am not getting the exercise I need to in order to lose this extra weight. Well it is going to be tough going home and losing some weight would be awesome. So here goes nothing…
I am going to lose 50 pounds by October 25. (This is the weekend before my little bros wedding.) My current weight is 242. So WHEN I succeed I will be at 192 or less. It has been about 16 years since I have been on the under side of the 200 pound mark.
What do I need to do to reach this goal? You. How can you help? Well that’s the easy part. Just encourage me to lose it.
If you would like to be a part of my weight loss goal and helping me reach it just post a little note. I will be trying to keep a journal here more regularly and I will post pictures and share recipes.
If you have any thoughts or suggestions on things that would help please feel free to share.
Hey if any of you out there want to lose weight too come on with me on my journey. We could all stand to be a little healthier. Heh
Love ya,
Leslie
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