Hi everyone! Sorry for the lack of posts.... part of me has been trying to decide whether I should delete my blog all together (since I rarely update anymore, yet I still follow all the blogs on my sidebar and it's the easiest way to see which have been updated :) or go ahead and switch my blog over to a new site, since this blog is the only thing left associated with my old hotmail email address. (I can't for the life of me figure out how to add my google account...it won't let me, and when I try to comment on other blogs, it's a nuisance to log out of google/into this account, etc.) So anywho...that would explain why I'm rarely on here! Perhaps I'll make a new blog instead, keep up with it for 2 months, then slowly dissapear again :)
As for Ross & I, we are doing well! The house is slowly coming along. There is always a project to be done, but the list is never-ending so I try not to fret about it and just enjoy it. I'm finally hanging pictures to make our home feel more personalized and I'm also finishing up a painting for our dining room that I can't wait to share. I'm on the fence about it, I may need to go back and fix a few things, but I love the colors in it, so it'll have to work! I'm also back to my craigslist obsession and scoring a few great deals for random pieces of furniture that I feel we need (but don't feel the need to buy brand new!). I've recently scored 4 barstools (for our kitchen island) for $75! They were brand new in the packaging and she lived in Cranberry so it was a great find! She said the return shipping would've cost too much and they didn't quite match the color of her wood floors. Score! Ross & I can finally relax at our kitchen island while waiting for dinner to cook while sharing a glass wine :)
As for Ross, I feel awful about how stressed he's been for the past month. Since he's started his recruiting position at work, he's been working 14-hour days (sometimes more) plus weekends. And he's STILL behind. It's no wonder....the company used to have the 16 HR people recruit for their own sites, but now with the restructure, they have only Ross & his 1 coworker doing ALL the recruiting for all these sites. Something has to change soon. He's still job searching, but that in and of itself is a full-time job and he doesn't have much spare time to apply for jobs. I'm hoping for the best! He just can't catch a break. But he's hanging in there, even though he's close to being burnt out. Pray for him that he will hear back from either of the 2 jobs he's recently applied to!
As for myself, I've picked up a new hobby....Hot Yoga! O boy! I'm still dealing with daily back pain, and once Michelle asked me to join her for hot yoga last week, I thought 'Sure! Why not?!' I've tried almost everything else and am willing to keep trying until I finally find a cure for back. (And trust me....you CAN cure a bulging disc without surgery!) Sure, I know I can get around fine on a day-to-day basis, but that just isn't good enough for me. I'm determined to get back to 100%, and not live the rest of my life at only 80%, 90% on a good day. So hot yoga it is! I've gone twice this week, and so far I love it! I've also read a ton of research about how good yoga is for your lower back, so I can't wait to see if it makes a difference. From what I can tell, since my hamstrings are so tight (since I'm extremely inflexible), those muscles are apparently pulling on my lower back muscles, causing a lot of stress. So I figure if I can gain some flexibility (and strength) with yoga, surely it will help. And my chiropractor agrees :) The classes are a bit expensive but I tell myself that it has to be cheaper than surgery!! (er, maybe ....we do have awesome insurance and low deductibles, but that is beside the point! --Surgery is just not an option for me!).
Lastly, Ross & I have still been following our Fresh20 subscription. I'm really beginning to enjoy their menus and ideas for dinner, and I get so excited knowing that the dinners are healthy! Of course, some weeks I just can't fathom eating something on their menu, so I'll sub something instead, but for the most part, we've been following it to a 'T'. This week's menu includes a side of brussel sprouts (o boy...even Ross has never tried one! I'm nervous to say the least). But I promised myself to try everything before determining that I hate it. I've discovered a few new foods that I like that I wouldn't have dreamed of eating in the past :) And with this, Ross & I have slowly been making better food choices for ourselves overall so it's been a great change for us. Although he claims I'm 'forcing' him to eat healthy. (I came home with nutritous peanut butter yesterday and he cried...."what are you trying to do to me?!?!" HA!)
Anyway, that was a pretty long update...so I apologize. I'll figure out what to do with my blog soon, then maybe update more often :)
And that has me thinking.... I can't wait to get started on my Christmas letter! Too soon?!
Monday, November 7, 2011
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Not My Choice of Meat...
Ross & I have really gotten off track of 'healthy eating' lately. We've never really been 'on track,' but I like to think that since I don't buy Chips Ahoy weekly, or eat fast food everyday, we must be ahead of most Americans :)
Which is why I was so excited to finally kick myself into gear by signing up for TheFresh20! My cousin so eagerly sang their praises time and time again about how easy it was to plan your weekly dinner menu when they do all the work for you! And since their weekly menus consist of only 20 ingredients (hence, the name) and healthy choices, it was a smart and budget friendly choice.
But it still took awhile to convince me to sign up. Ross & I are quite the pros when it comes to planning our dinners for the week! We've been doing it forever b/c I refuse to buy too much food that will eventually not get eaten. We were great at making up our grocery list for the week, and buying only what was on the list. Go Us! But then again, our meals were beginning to get repeditive and boring, and not extremely healthy (especially since we considered our side of corn our only choice of veggie...which in fact, is not a veggie at all!). So my reasons for signing up steered towards getting more creative dinner ideas, and healthy dinner ideas. And then one day I could possibly go back to planning my own weekly dinners again.
So last night was our first try at this. I had all my ingredients bought, and looked forward to our week of dinners. (I chose the 9/2 menu if anyone cares.) On the menu were burgers, salmon, veggie casserole, stuffed chicken....all things that sounded great!
Last night Ross & I made the burgers. Or should I say...TURKEY burgers. Ugh. Ok....maybe they won't be so bad. I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover! But apparently I don't read recipes well, b/c if I had noticed that I was to put shredded carrots in them...this dinner would've never happened! Who puts carrots in a burger?!?!?! Ew. But I forged ahead. Surely the provolone cheese and special dressing would make up for it? Or maybe not. After eating about 3/4's of my burger, I couldn't pretend to like it any longer, so Ross finished it for me! At least one of us didn't mind it! And here I sit now at work, eating a leftover turkey burger and it's still not growing on me. Something about the texture is throwing me off! And the carrots. They just don't belong in my burger!
So the first recipe we tried wasn't great. It was definitely healthy, but I just don't know about this. I choose red meat over turkey ANY day of the week. So here we go, with still a week's worth of recipes to try and hopefully some better luck than we had with the first recipe! After all, I guess I signed up for 3 months (at only $5/month it's quite a deal!) so I might as well give it a go for that long :) Wish us luck!
Which is why I was so excited to finally kick myself into gear by signing up for TheFresh20! My cousin so eagerly sang their praises time and time again about how easy it was to plan your weekly dinner menu when they do all the work for you! And since their weekly menus consist of only 20 ingredients (hence, the name) and healthy choices, it was a smart and budget friendly choice.
But it still took awhile to convince me to sign up. Ross & I are quite the pros when it comes to planning our dinners for the week! We've been doing it forever b/c I refuse to buy too much food that will eventually not get eaten. We were great at making up our grocery list for the week, and buying only what was on the list. Go Us! But then again, our meals were beginning to get repeditive and boring, and not extremely healthy (especially since we considered our side of corn our only choice of veggie...which in fact, is not a veggie at all!). So my reasons for signing up steered towards getting more creative dinner ideas, and healthy dinner ideas. And then one day I could possibly go back to planning my own weekly dinners again.
So last night was our first try at this. I had all my ingredients bought, and looked forward to our week of dinners. (I chose the 9/2 menu if anyone cares.) On the menu were burgers, salmon, veggie casserole, stuffed chicken....all things that sounded great!
Last night Ross & I made the burgers. Or should I say...TURKEY burgers. Ugh. Ok....maybe they won't be so bad. I shouldn't judge a book by it's cover! But apparently I don't read recipes well, b/c if I had noticed that I was to put shredded carrots in them...this dinner would've never happened! Who puts carrots in a burger?!?!?! Ew. But I forged ahead. Surely the provolone cheese and special dressing would make up for it? Or maybe not. After eating about 3/4's of my burger, I couldn't pretend to like it any longer, so Ross finished it for me! At least one of us didn't mind it! And here I sit now at work, eating a leftover turkey burger and it's still not growing on me. Something about the texture is throwing me off! And the carrots. They just don't belong in my burger!
So the first recipe we tried wasn't great. It was definitely healthy, but I just don't know about this. I choose red meat over turkey ANY day of the week. So here we go, with still a week's worth of recipes to try and hopefully some better luck than we had with the first recipe! After all, I guess I signed up for 3 months (at only $5/month it's quite a deal!) so I might as well give it a go for that long :) Wish us luck!
Friday, August 19, 2011
Blogger Hello
Hi All! Long time no see. I've been super lazy this entire summer, so I took a much needed blogger break. Especially from the house blog. Typical me started up the house blog with all the motivation in the world, and quickly got distracted by more enticing things. Those who know me well also know of my short attention span....
What was I talking about?!
Ah...anyways.... Ross & I have been busy this summer, catching up and having fun with family and friends. And when we do finally have free time, we get about 5 minutes of work done on the house :/ But here's the latest with us:
1. Ross' job is an unending drama that I could drag on and on about, but here's an extremely short version: Ross is getting laid off from his HR Generalist position (as of 8/26) at NHS since they are 'restructuring' (aka downsizing) their HR dept. So instead of claiming unemployment come September, he applied for a Recruiting position at NHS (a step down the ladder, but a raise in salary since they eliminated so many positions) and succeeded in getting that job.
So all in all, he can work that position while he continues his unending job hunt. Unless he actually enjoys the recruiting position, then he can just continue working that job. But he's done recruiting in the past, and feels so-so about it. He really loved the HR Generalist position, so I hate to see him give up his job search when I know there has to be something better out there. And I don't think too highly of NHS any longer b/c of the numerous ways in which they screwed their HR employees over. ANY company has to treat their employees better than what NHS has showed us.
2. My job is still so-so. Nothing new. Moving on....
3. We are slowly making progress on the house. Mainly only when we have a free weekend, which are few and far between. It's been a busy summer. Ross has been working on the yard (i.e. tearing out weeds and bushes...aka, making it look way worse before it will look better....say, next summer?!). I've been working on the 2nd bedroom. It originally had parquet flooring, that we wanted to rip out first before installing carpet. So I ripped it all out in 2-3 hours (and saved it for a possible re-use?!), and we're ready for carpet to be installed next week. Once that's in, I want to paint the room, fix some of the wall where paint is peeling, and decorate it a little. I want it to be a spare bedroom (not that I really expect guests any time soon!), but we'll bring in Ross' old bed that is currently living in Stephen & Betsy's spare bedroom. I have big plans for this room since I have no inspiration/ideas for our own master bedroom which is desperately lacking in organization and decorations.
4. Lastly, I've deciced Ross and I have WAY too much clutter (aka, the 2nd bedroom was ALL storage), so I'm cleaning house and making a pile for Goodwill. NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING will go back into the 2nd bedroom unless I've used it in the past year. Our entire house is extremely lacking in organization, so I'm slowly making progress on that!
5. Lastly, Ross & I are eagerly looking forward to camping on Labor Day weekend with friends! This is only our 2nd outing for camping this season, so we're looking forward to it. And also our week vaca in Virginia Beach with my family in September, another much needed break! So still a few things to look forward to, and before you know it, summer will be over....
So that's all we've been up to. I hope everyone's summers are going/went well. I guess I'll see you back in about, oh, 3 months, when I decide to update again :)
What was I talking about?!
Ah...anyways.... Ross & I have been busy this summer, catching up and having fun with family and friends. And when we do finally have free time, we get about 5 minutes of work done on the house :/ But here's the latest with us:
1. Ross' job is an unending drama that I could drag on and on about, but here's an extremely short version: Ross is getting laid off from his HR Generalist position (as of 8/26) at NHS since they are 'restructuring' (aka downsizing) their HR dept. So instead of claiming unemployment come September, he applied for a Recruiting position at NHS (a step down the ladder, but a raise in salary since they eliminated so many positions) and succeeded in getting that job.
So all in all, he can work that position while he continues his unending job hunt. Unless he actually enjoys the recruiting position, then he can just continue working that job. But he's done recruiting in the past, and feels so-so about it. He really loved the HR Generalist position, so I hate to see him give up his job search when I know there has to be something better out there. And I don't think too highly of NHS any longer b/c of the numerous ways in which they screwed their HR employees over. ANY company has to treat their employees better than what NHS has showed us.
2. My job is still so-so. Nothing new. Moving on....
3. We are slowly making progress on the house. Mainly only when we have a free weekend, which are few and far between. It's been a busy summer. Ross has been working on the yard (i.e. tearing out weeds and bushes...aka, making it look way worse before it will look better....say, next summer?!). I've been working on the 2nd bedroom. It originally had parquet flooring, that we wanted to rip out first before installing carpet. So I ripped it all out in 2-3 hours (and saved it for a possible re-use?!), and we're ready for carpet to be installed next week. Once that's in, I want to paint the room, fix some of the wall where paint is peeling, and decorate it a little. I want it to be a spare bedroom (not that I really expect guests any time soon!), but we'll bring in Ross' old bed that is currently living in Stephen & Betsy's spare bedroom. I have big plans for this room since I have no inspiration/ideas for our own master bedroom which is desperately lacking in organization and decorations.
4. Lastly, I've deciced Ross and I have WAY too much clutter (aka, the 2nd bedroom was ALL storage), so I'm cleaning house and making a pile for Goodwill. NOTHING, I repeat, NOTHING will go back into the 2nd bedroom unless I've used it in the past year. Our entire house is extremely lacking in organization, so I'm slowly making progress on that!
5. Lastly, Ross & I are eagerly looking forward to camping on Labor Day weekend with friends! This is only our 2nd outing for camping this season, so we're looking forward to it. And also our week vaca in Virginia Beach with my family in September, another much needed break! So still a few things to look forward to, and before you know it, summer will be over....
So that's all we've been up to. I hope everyone's summers are going/went well. I guess I'll see you back in about, oh, 3 months, when I decide to update again :)
Thursday, June 30, 2011
Happy Birthday to ME!
So here I am at work, trying to 'fly under the radar' and avoid telling any of my coworkers that today is my birthday. Call me lame, but I didn't want any of them to feel bad about not getting me a bday cake, since I normally get a cake for everyone around here on their birthday. Just one of my lovely admin duties around here :)
Well, the hubs is all too sweet and completely gives me away....
And he's also managed to turn my entire Finance Department against me since they now know it's my birthday, and NO, we are not having cake today. Apparently I should just bring in my own cake, because even though I told them that I kept it a secret because I did NOT want cake, they simply replied...."But WE want cake!"
O dear. haha
So Happy 25th Birthday to me!
Here's to hoping the next quarter-of-a-century is just as memorable :)
Well, the hubs is all too sweet and completely gives me away....
Thanks hun for sending me flowers at work. Now my cubicle smells like flowers :) And they sure are purtey to look at!
I apologize for the awful photo quality. You can thank my 3-year old cell phone :) That's right, it's quite ancient and I refuse to upgrade it because new technology scares the 'beejezus' outta me. More on that on a different day....
Anyway, I just wanted to say how thankful I am to have such a sweet and thoughtful husband to celebrate my birthday with :) And once again, he's out-done himself, and left me scrambling for ideas for his birthday!! ha!
And he's also managed to turn my entire Finance Department against me since they now know it's my birthday, and NO, we are not having cake today. Apparently I should just bring in my own cake, because even though I told them that I kept it a secret because I did NOT want cake, they simply replied...."But WE want cake!"O dear. haha
So Happy 25th Birthday to me!
Here's to hoping the next quarter-of-a-century is just as memorable :)
Thursday, May 26, 2011
Two More Days...
...until camping! :) :) :)
I'm so excited!! I got together all of our camping stuff last night, preparing for our 3-day weekend down at OhioPyle. And look at the forecast:
Even though Friday isn't ideal, you really can't ask for better weather than that :) I'll just hope that it rains all day Friday and then stops when we leave after work for camping. I still have so much to do tonight to get ready for camping ....pack clothes, bake (which I haven't done in MONTHS and am ecstatic to bake in my new kitchen!!), switch cars since my mom is lettting us take her SUV for more space, and pick up Ross' cornhole set from his parents house where it's been stored for quite some time (which we can finally store in our own house now!). I can't wait to see all of my friends. I think we're all guilty of having hectic schedules and not seeing eachother enough, especially Ross & I since we've been so unavailable working on the house night & day. But that phase is finally over and I'm ready to catch up with my fantastic friends.
Let the festivities begin!
I'm so excited!! I got together all of our camping stuff last night, preparing for our 3-day weekend down at OhioPyle. And look at the forecast:
Even though Friday isn't ideal, you really can't ask for better weather than that :) I'll just hope that it rains all day Friday and then stops when we leave after work for camping. I still have so much to do tonight to get ready for camping ....pack clothes, bake (which I haven't done in MONTHS and am ecstatic to bake in my new kitchen!!), switch cars since my mom is lettting us take her SUV for more space, and pick up Ross' cornhole set from his parents house where it's been stored for quite some time (which we can finally store in our own house now!). I can't wait to see all of my friends. I think we're all guilty of having hectic schedules and not seeing eachother enough, especially Ross & I since we've been so unavailable working on the house night & day. But that phase is finally over and I'm ready to catch up with my fantastic friends.Let the festivities begin!
Monday, May 23, 2011
Home Sweet Home
We're finally moved in and we love it!! I'm ecstatic and still in shock that Ross & I are homeowners! Even though we've been working on the house for the past 5 months, it didn't feel like our house until we finally moved in. And it still hasn't quite sunk in yet. I feel like for the first time in 4 years (since I moved out of my parents house), Ross & I can finally kick back, relax and settle down. No more worrying about where our next home will be be once our lease is up. What a joy!
The rest of this week is full of relaxation :) I have a few things to do to get ready for camping, which I'm eagerly awaiting! Ross & I don't get cable & internet until Wednesday, which I feel should be making me be productive, but instead, I'm fully enjoying having a piano in our house instead. It's been great to catch up on all the music I used to be able to play :) And Ross isn't annoyed yet...haha. Other than that, I've been touching up paint here & there, slowly unpacking boxes, and mostly 'putzing' around the house trying to feel productive.
Until then, I'll try to take some updated photos and share them with everyone :)
The rest of this week is full of relaxation :) I have a few things to do to get ready for camping, which I'm eagerly awaiting! Ross & I don't get cable & internet until Wednesday, which I feel should be making me be productive, but instead, I'm fully enjoying having a piano in our house instead. It's been great to catch up on all the music I used to be able to play :) And Ross isn't annoyed yet...haha. Other than that, I've been touching up paint here & there, slowly unpacking boxes, and mostly 'putzing' around the house trying to feel productive.
Until then, I'll try to take some updated photos and share them with everyone :)
Friday, May 20, 2011
Oh Life...
I never been so stressed and exhausted in my entire life. I'm literally worn down and can't even think straight anymore. My mind is officially 'ka-put' (I'm even making up my own words now! well, actually, that's nothing new at all...). The house really took a toll on me, but I'm looking forward to move-in day tomorrow and KNOW that I'll finally be refreshed, knowing that we're finally living in our home. And renovations can come-and-go as they please, rather than facing anymore deadlines! And anyone telling us what should be done, when, and if.
Now that we've got our house in a 'livable' condition, I could care less about updating much right now. I just need some time to relax and unwind. Which is perfect that we're going camping Memorial Day Weekend with a great group of friends. It's just what the doctor ordered and I can't wait!
Besides the house bringing me down lately, life just seems to be going against us. Ross has been having some tough times at work, and it kills me to know that there's nothing I can do. Yet here I am, relaxing and blogging at work (oops!) at my comfy job. I'm grateful for my job and enjoy it, but I just wish Ross could for ONCE say the same thing. ONCE, I'd like to see him get a break in the job world. For as knowledgable as he is in his field, and as hard as he works, I'm shocked by how difficult his career journey has been so far. And it just doesn't ever seem to give him a break.
I keep saying things will look up, and God's just waiting for the right time. But when?
Even I have a hard time believing myself anymore.
I know, we're not the only one who has things going imperfectly in life. We all have our own sets of problems. And we all do our best to deal with them. So I, by no means, am trying to say our life is worse than anyone elses. Just that our life isn't perfect either.
I know we have SO MUCH to be thankful for, but every now and then you just need an outlet to complain about life.
And while I'm sitting here in my melancholy mood, I get an unexpected text from my mother-in-law that reads:
"Did Ross tell you I have a smelly dead mouse under our kitchen island?"
HAHA....thanks Rose...it's just what I needed to snap me out of my mood! ha
And no, he did not tell me. Hopefully we can solve that problem soon! ewww....
Now that we've got our house in a 'livable' condition, I could care less about updating much right now. I just need some time to relax and unwind. Which is perfect that we're going camping Memorial Day Weekend with a great group of friends. It's just what the doctor ordered and I can't wait!
Besides the house bringing me down lately, life just seems to be going against us. Ross has been having some tough times at work, and it kills me to know that there's nothing I can do. Yet here I am, relaxing and blogging at work (oops!) at my comfy job. I'm grateful for my job and enjoy it, but I just wish Ross could for ONCE say the same thing. ONCE, I'd like to see him get a break in the job world. For as knowledgable as he is in his field, and as hard as he works, I'm shocked by how difficult his career journey has been so far. And it just doesn't ever seem to give him a break.
I keep saying things will look up, and God's just waiting for the right time. But when?
Even I have a hard time believing myself anymore.
I know, we're not the only one who has things going imperfectly in life. We all have our own sets of problems. And we all do our best to deal with them. So I, by no means, am trying to say our life is worse than anyone elses. Just that our life isn't perfect either.
I know we have SO MUCH to be thankful for, but every now and then you just need an outlet to complain about life.
And while I'm sitting here in my melancholy mood, I get an unexpected text from my mother-in-law that reads:
"Did Ross tell you I have a smelly dead mouse under our kitchen island?"
HAHA....thanks Rose...it's just what I needed to snap me out of my mood! ha
And no, he did not tell me. Hopefully we can solve that problem soon! ewww....
Monday, April 25, 2011
25 Days to go!
Hmm....why is my countdown to moving in going up?? Oh, that's right. Because Ross & I have been working our B-U-T-T-S off on the house and STILL can't get everything done on our to-do list in order to get the house move-in ready in 2 short weeks. We've been mentally and physically exhausted for weeks now. So pushing back the move-in date is just what we needed.
Of course, Ross has been saying all along that May 7th was too soon, but I'm stubborn and it took me awhile to realize he was right :/ (why does that happen so often?...isn't the girl always supposed to be right in relationships?!) So I finally agreed that May 21st was looking more appealing, and my back agrees :) (On to other updates, my back is slowly progressively healing, but I feel I could've been 100% weeks ago if I wasn't working so hard on the house. It's a lose-lose situation.) So anyway, we'll still be moved in before camping, which was my ultimate goal, but nothing like taking it down to the last minute since we'll be camping Memorial Day weekend with a group of friends. Of course, it's also motivating me to get my back in top-notch shape so I can go white-water rafting with friends that weekend *eye roll please* My physical therapist already suggests I can't go...but we'll see. It's too soon for me to decide that I need to completely miss out :( And here's where my stubborn-is comes into play again! I know my PT is probably right, but I don't want to face facts just yet.
Lastly..Happy Easter to everyone :) Yesterday was a great day spent with family. Lots of great food, and good times. Sorry this post is not more Easter related...I have too many other things going on in my mind!
But soon it'll all be over. Perhaps not soon enough....
Of course, Ross has been saying all along that May 7th was too soon, but I'm stubborn and it took me awhile to realize he was right :/ (why does that happen so often?...isn't the girl always supposed to be right in relationships?!) So I finally agreed that May 21st was looking more appealing, and my back agrees :) (On to other updates, my back is slowly progressively healing, but I feel I could've been 100% weeks ago if I wasn't working so hard on the house. It's a lose-lose situation.) So anyway, we'll still be moved in before camping, which was my ultimate goal, but nothing like taking it down to the last minute since we'll be camping Memorial Day weekend with a group of friends. Of course, it's also motivating me to get my back in top-notch shape so I can go white-water rafting with friends that weekend *eye roll please* My physical therapist already suggests I can't go...but we'll see. It's too soon for me to decide that I need to completely miss out :( And here's where my stubborn-is comes into play again! I know my PT is probably right, but I don't want to face facts just yet.
Lastly..Happy Easter to everyone :) Yesterday was a great day spent with family. Lots of great food, and good times. Sorry this post is not more Easter related...I have too many other things going on in my mind!
But soon it'll all be over. Perhaps not soon enough....
Monday, April 18, 2011
Let the Countdown Begin!
19 days to go until Ross & I finally move-in to our first house! That gives us 3 weeks and 2 weekends to get our to-do list done!! It's going to be another crazy whirlwind of a few weeks of work!
2 weeks ago, life was hectic as I was preparing the house to be painted with my friends the following Saturday. I finished what I needed to do, and painting with my friends last Saturday was a blast! We got the entire master bedroom painted, so the day was a complete success and we felt very accomplished.
After that hectic week though, Ross & I took a break this past week, catching up on some much needed rest.
This weekend, my to-do list was farely light. I touched up paint around the house, painted the kitchen, and finished painting trim.
For Ross though, his to-do list is huge! And I'm praying he can get it done quickly, as long as we get some much needed help from another guy this weekend.
Ross tore down the ceiling in the entryway/den because the old owners had these awful 'office' ceiling tiles up (very similar to the master bedroom ceiling, which we tore down). Then, he tore out all the old ceiling insulation since it was pretty much deteriorated. We bought new insulation (costing us another chunk of $$, ugh!) and are currently stapling that up in the ceiling.
Next, comes the fun part. Ross will need to find another guy to help hang drywall on the ceiling. A tough job since drywall is HEAVY and it's not exactly easy to hang it overhead. So hopefully we can find someone that is free sautrday so he can get that done and I can come in and drywall mud all the seams, sand, mud again, sand, and mud for a third time, and then paint.
AND in between all of this, we need to go carpet shopping and schedule it for installation before we move in!!
Oh, and I guess cleaning the house before we move-in would be smart too. Especially from all of the dust we've created from sanding.
SO even though we knew buying a fixer-upper was gonna be work, it just seems like the to-do list never ends! BUT I remind myself of where we started, and how FAR we've come since then. And I feel a little better :) I'll feel a lot better come May 7th on move-in day!! whew.
2 weeks ago, life was hectic as I was preparing the house to be painted with my friends the following Saturday. I finished what I needed to do, and painting with my friends last Saturday was a blast! We got the entire master bedroom painted, so the day was a complete success and we felt very accomplished.
After that hectic week though, Ross & I took a break this past week, catching up on some much needed rest.
This weekend, my to-do list was farely light. I touched up paint around the house, painted the kitchen, and finished painting trim.
For Ross though, his to-do list is huge! And I'm praying he can get it done quickly, as long as we get some much needed help from another guy this weekend.
Ross tore down the ceiling in the entryway/den because the old owners had these awful 'office' ceiling tiles up (very similar to the master bedroom ceiling, which we tore down). Then, he tore out all the old ceiling insulation since it was pretty much deteriorated. We bought new insulation (costing us another chunk of $$, ugh!) and are currently stapling that up in the ceiling.
Next, comes the fun part. Ross will need to find another guy to help hang drywall on the ceiling. A tough job since drywall is HEAVY and it's not exactly easy to hang it overhead. So hopefully we can find someone that is free sautrday so he can get that done and I can come in and drywall mud all the seams, sand, mud again, sand, and mud for a third time, and then paint.
AND in between all of this, we need to go carpet shopping and schedule it for installation before we move in!!
Oh, and I guess cleaning the house before we move-in would be smart too. Especially from all of the dust we've created from sanding.
SO even though we knew buying a fixer-upper was gonna be work, it just seems like the to-do list never ends! BUT I remind myself of where we started, and how FAR we've come since then. And I feel a little better :) I'll feel a lot better come May 7th on move-in day!! whew.
Thursday, April 7, 2011
Exhausted
I love when my friends offer to help paint! It's such a great deal of help, and makes the biggest impact :) BUT there is a downside to it as well, namely, preparing the walls to be painted. Normally this wouldn't be such a big job, but since we just got the drywall up last weekend, Ross & I have spent every night after work at the house, drywall mudding the seams and getting it ready. So after an 8-hour day of work, it's home to make dinner, then over to the house to work for another 3 hours, then back home to shower and sleep. Repeat.
We've been dong this for about 2 weeks straight now. So understandably, we're beat. And I can't wait until this week is over.
Too bad drywall mudding is not a one-day process, but more like a 4-day process since it takes about 4 layers of 'feathering' and sanding, and drying time in between.
AND in all of this, my back is not healing as quickly as it should be. Last week, I felt great, not taking pain meds, etc. The neurosurgeon even said I was a great exception in not needing surgery after the herniated disc (it was great to see that I proved him wrong!). But this week, working every night at the house, the healing has taken 2 steps back. I'm torn between getting the house done, and letting my back heal. I just want to do EVERYTHING I can to help.
Anyway...I can't wait til Saturday to see all of my girlfriends and their respective others! It's amazing to see how many people WANT to help...and encouraging :)
And even though we'll be painting on Saturday, this feels like a break from what I've BEEN doing.
Mudding is no longer fun.
Not after being buried in it for 2 weeks!
Then on Sunday, I finally get a break from the house and some much needed girl time :) My best friend, Ang, & I are going to check out a Bridal Show for her wedding. Should be a great day! I can't wait to catch up with her this weekend!!
We've been dong this for about 2 weeks straight now. So understandably, we're beat. And I can't wait until this week is over.
Too bad drywall mudding is not a one-day process, but more like a 4-day process since it takes about 4 layers of 'feathering' and sanding, and drying time in between.
AND in all of this, my back is not healing as quickly as it should be. Last week, I felt great, not taking pain meds, etc. The neurosurgeon even said I was a great exception in not needing surgery after the herniated disc (it was great to see that I proved him wrong!). But this week, working every night at the house, the healing has taken 2 steps back. I'm torn between getting the house done, and letting my back heal. I just want to do EVERYTHING I can to help.
Anyway...I can't wait til Saturday to see all of my girlfriends and their respective others! It's amazing to see how many people WANT to help...and encouraging :)
And even though we'll be painting on Saturday, this feels like a break from what I've BEEN doing.
Mudding is no longer fun.
Not after being buried in it for 2 weeks!
Then on Sunday, I finally get a break from the house and some much needed girl time :) My best friend, Ang, & I are going to check out a Bridal Show for her wedding. Should be a great day! I can't wait to catch up with her this weekend!!
Friday, April 1, 2011
Dropping by to say Hi...
It's finally April, yet we're still seeing snow flurries. It's actually coming down pretty hard as I look out my window at work. Which is def. the cause of my lackluster mood today, even though it is Friday. The only thing keeping me going is thinking about working on the house and getting it done! Ross & I have been making a lot of progress. We've really stepped up and kicked ourselves into gear to get this house move-in ready by May, and I still think we're on schedule to hit our target. Of course, that's not to say everything will be done...but done enough that we can live there. And as stressful & tiring as it is to be working on the house almost every night after work, and on weekends, it's fun to see all the progress. Everyday we have something new to show people...."look what we did!" we exclaim everytime someone comes over. Surely they're getting tired of hearing that. And surely we're only the ones who could possibly be excited about the new drywall mudded seams :) BUT our room is finally looking like a room! And even more importantly...a home!
I'll try to remember to take more progress pictures this weekend too. I know you just can't wait to see more drywall :)
And until then, I'll pretty much be looking forward to Monday and having the chance to sit at work for a nice 8-hour break! Ha! (my managers often joke about this with me now seeing how exhausted I am come Monday morning!)
I'll try to remember to take more progress pictures this weekend too. I know you just can't wait to see more drywall :)
And until then, I'll pretty much be looking forward to Monday and having the chance to sit at work for a nice 8-hour break! Ha! (my managers often joke about this with me now seeing how exhausted I am come Monday morning!)
Friday, March 11, 2011
Loves of Life
I'm in a much cheerier mood today, so I'm reverting to writing a much more positive post today! Things that I LOVE :)
1. Steroids. And pain killers. Let's just call them miracle drugs 0:) You can thank them for my good mood today. And me not feeling ANY pain today....whoo whooooo. I slept a blissful 12 hours last night, catching up on all the sleep I've been losing due to all the pain I've been in, the throbbing leg, the aching back, and not being comfortable in general. But after starting another (and 3rd attempt) steroid pack, life is blissful.
2. Snow. Ok, ok, I'm as tired as the next person when it comes to this cold and dreary weather, but as much as we are all sick and tired of snow, it never gets old to see the snow blanketed on all the trees. It's a Winter Wonderland out our way, and it sure is beautiful. AND the roads are clear....take THAT mother nature :) The best of both worlds.
3. Physical Therapy. Hopefully they can get me all fixed up. The neurosurgeon is a big-meany head and scared the *bejeesus* outta me yesterday by saying that he thinks I will need surgery! Yikes! So I cried and called my mommy, and she made it all better like when she would kiss my boo-boo when I was a kid (to this day, I thought she made up the word boo-boo b/c I was a kid and it was a cute word. Then I finally realized that that's just what they are called!). Anyway, my dad & I are confident that we can beat this thing with the right drugs and Physical Therapy, so surgery will be my absolute last resort! Take THAT big meany-head doctor.
4. Fridays. Ah, yes, who doesn't love Fridays?! It certainly puts a pep in my step :)
5. Talking to my best friend about her wedding planning details! It brings back those fond memories of my own wedding like it was just yesterday, but it's so much more fun to be on the other side of things this time. I can't wait to start shopping for dresses and see all the fun details come together! Especially now that I realize all the hard work that goes into all the little things.
6. My hubby :) Especially after dealing with me through these times and not complaining about it. Just the occasional nicknames, like 'grandma,' 'slow poke,' etc. *Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.* :P
That's all for today. Hope you are also having a cheerful day and a great weekend!
1. Steroids. And pain killers. Let's just call them miracle drugs 0:) You can thank them for my good mood today. And me not feeling ANY pain today....whoo whooooo. I slept a blissful 12 hours last night, catching up on all the sleep I've been losing due to all the pain I've been in, the throbbing leg, the aching back, and not being comfortable in general. But after starting another (and 3rd attempt) steroid pack, life is blissful.
2. Snow. Ok, ok, I'm as tired as the next person when it comes to this cold and dreary weather, but as much as we are all sick and tired of snow, it never gets old to see the snow blanketed on all the trees. It's a Winter Wonderland out our way, and it sure is beautiful. AND the roads are clear....take THAT mother nature :) The best of both worlds.
3. Physical Therapy. Hopefully they can get me all fixed up. The neurosurgeon is a big-meany head and scared the *bejeesus* outta me yesterday by saying that he thinks I will need surgery! Yikes! So I cried and called my mommy, and she made it all better like when she would kiss my boo-boo when I was a kid (to this day, I thought she made up the word boo-boo b/c I was a kid and it was a cute word. Then I finally realized that that's just what they are called!). Anyway, my dad & I are confident that we can beat this thing with the right drugs and Physical Therapy, so surgery will be my absolute last resort! Take THAT big meany-head doctor.
4. Fridays. Ah, yes, who doesn't love Fridays?! It certainly puts a pep in my step :)
5. Talking to my best friend about her wedding planning details! It brings back those fond memories of my own wedding like it was just yesterday, but it's so much more fun to be on the other side of things this time. I can't wait to start shopping for dresses and see all the fun details come together! Especially now that I realize all the hard work that goes into all the little things.
6. My hubby :) Especially after dealing with me through these times and not complaining about it. Just the occasional nicknames, like 'grandma,' 'slow poke,' etc. *Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.* :P
That's all for today. Hope you are also having a cheerful day and a great weekend!
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Gripes about Life
1. Me, walking slower than a turtle. It's ok though. I think it was God's way of telling me to slow down. But don't get me wrong, as soon as I'm back to normal, I'll be back to my 'fast-paced walking' self again!
(are you sick of hearing about my broken back yet?? Yes?!? well TOO BAD! mwahaha.)
2. "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all." Remember that saying from, like, Full House?! Yep, I still abide by it, or at least try my hardest to (or I just say things to myself only instead). I just wish more people would follow this. Humph. Especially when it's something as stupid as "Well I wouldn't have picked THESE paint colors." Did anyone ask you for your opinion!??! Ok, maybe I did, but can't you lie?! Because in the end, once the house is FINALLY decorated, you'll change your mind and say how great it all looks. Just like everything else.
3. People that are so focused on helping, helping, helping(!) that they forget that most of the time, we don't NEED help, but more importantly, SUPPORT. It would be nice to hear more words of encouragement, rather than them focusing on all things that are wrong in YOUR life. Especially when WE are happy! So why should they care?! Focus on your OWN life and leave ours alone.
4. An un-ergonomically designed chair. I can't get comfortable. Which I blame for my crabby mood behind this post :)
5. Cold weather. We're halfway thru March, and I'm counting down the days to Spring :) More importantly, I'm counting down the days to camping season and relaxing with great friends around a campfire, roasting marshmallows!
6. Not knowing if the title of this post makes sense. I think 'gripes' is the correct word. Or is it just a word I made up?! I do that a lot -- make up my own words -- and then Ross corrects me. And then I keep using my word anyway because I like my new made-up word!
7. Running out of things to complain about for today. I'm sure there will be something else, but for now, that's all I've got!
Thanks for reading :) TGI-almost-F!
(are you sick of hearing about my broken back yet?? Yes?!? well TOO BAD! mwahaha.)
2. "If you have nothing nice to say, then say nothing at all." Remember that saying from, like, Full House?! Yep, I still abide by it, or at least try my hardest to (or I just say things to myself only instead). I just wish more people would follow this. Humph. Especially when it's something as stupid as "Well I wouldn't have picked THESE paint colors." Did anyone ask you for your opinion!??! Ok, maybe I did, but can't you lie?! Because in the end, once the house is FINALLY decorated, you'll change your mind and say how great it all looks. Just like everything else.
3. People that are so focused on helping, helping, helping(!) that they forget that most of the time, we don't NEED help, but more importantly, SUPPORT. It would be nice to hear more words of encouragement, rather than them focusing on all things that are wrong in YOUR life. Especially when WE are happy! So why should they care?! Focus on your OWN life and leave ours alone.
4. An un-ergonomically designed chair. I can't get comfortable. Which I blame for my crabby mood behind this post :)
5. Cold weather. We're halfway thru March, and I'm counting down the days to Spring :) More importantly, I'm counting down the days to camping season and relaxing with great friends around a campfire, roasting marshmallows!
6. Not knowing if the title of this post makes sense. I think 'gripes' is the correct word. Or is it just a word I made up?! I do that a lot -- make up my own words -- and then Ross corrects me. And then I keep using my word anyway because I like my new made-up word!
7. Running out of things to complain about for today. I'm sure there will be something else, but for now, that's all I've got!
Thanks for reading :) TGI-almost-F!
Friday, March 4, 2011
All I Really Need to Know I learned in Kindergarten
An excerpt from the book titled above that I've been reading. Made me laugh. Enjoy :)
"Transportation is much the topic of the day. You’ve noticed. Our devotion to the car is worshipful. Eric Berne called it the cocktail-party pastime game, “General Motors.”
Despite what you hear, it’s not really a matter of economics. It’s an image issue. In America, you are what you drive. Go out in the garage and look. There you are.
Well, my old hoopy has joined the cripples on the edge of the herd. And a new vehicle (image) is in order.
The silver-gray Mercedes with glove-leather everything really felt like me. The bank did not really think it felt like me to them. The shiny black BMW motorcycle with sidecar kind of felt like me. My wife did not think it felt like her—especially the sidecar part. The Land Rover with gun rack and shooting top felt like me. But there are so few game-covered veldts around town now. The VW Rabbit is Consumer Reports’ choice, but a Rabbit I am just not. If they had named it the VW Walrus or the VW Water Buffalo, I might go for it. The Chrysler Coupe de Coupes de Coupes won’t do, either. Who wants to be an anachronism?
One of my students suggested putting all my money into drugs. Stay home and take all the trips you want. But that’s not me—you don’t bring back groceries from those trips.
It’s clear that what would be fashionably hip is a fine piece of engineering—something that’s luxurious yet practical, useful, and economical. Like a Porsche pick-up truck that runs on Kleenax. Silver-gray, of course.
What I really want from transportation is not an image but a feeling.
I remember riding home a summer’s eve in the back of an ancient Ford pickup truck, with two eight-year-old cousins for company and my uncle Roscoe at the wheel. We’d been swimming and were sitting on the inner tubes for comfort, and had a couple of old quilts and an elderly dog wrapped close for warmth. We were eating chocolate cookies and drinking sweet milk out of a Mason jar, and singing our lungs out with unending verses of “Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” With stars and moon and God o’erhead, and sweet dreams at the end of the journey home.
Now that’s transportation. The way I like to travel. And that’s me. If you hear of a dealer, let me know."
- Robert Fulghum
Such a random book, but an easy read. And a few good excerpts along the way!
"Transportation is much the topic of the day. You’ve noticed. Our devotion to the car is worshipful. Eric Berne called it the cocktail-party pastime game, “General Motors.”
Despite what you hear, it’s not really a matter of economics. It’s an image issue. In America, you are what you drive. Go out in the garage and look. There you are.
Well, my old hoopy has joined the cripples on the edge of the herd. And a new vehicle (image) is in order.
The silver-gray Mercedes with glove-leather everything really felt like me. The bank did not really think it felt like me to them. The shiny black BMW motorcycle with sidecar kind of felt like me. My wife did not think it felt like her—especially the sidecar part. The Land Rover with gun rack and shooting top felt like me. But there are so few game-covered veldts around town now. The VW Rabbit is Consumer Reports’ choice, but a Rabbit I am just not. If they had named it the VW Walrus or the VW Water Buffalo, I might go for it. The Chrysler Coupe de Coupes de Coupes won’t do, either. Who wants to be an anachronism?
One of my students suggested putting all my money into drugs. Stay home and take all the trips you want. But that’s not me—you don’t bring back groceries from those trips.
It’s clear that what would be fashionably hip is a fine piece of engineering—something that’s luxurious yet practical, useful, and economical. Like a Porsche pick-up truck that runs on Kleenax. Silver-gray, of course.
What I really want from transportation is not an image but a feeling.
I remember riding home a summer’s eve in the back of an ancient Ford pickup truck, with two eight-year-old cousins for company and my uncle Roscoe at the wheel. We’d been swimming and were sitting on the inner tubes for comfort, and had a couple of old quilts and an elderly dog wrapped close for warmth. We were eating chocolate cookies and drinking sweet milk out of a Mason jar, and singing our lungs out with unending verses of “Ninety-nine Bottles of Beer on the Wall.” With stars and moon and God o’erhead, and sweet dreams at the end of the journey home.
Now that’s transportation. The way I like to travel. And that’s me. If you hear of a dealer, let me know."
- Robert Fulghum
Such a random book, but an easy read. And a few good excerpts along the way!
Thursday, March 3, 2011
Slow Down! I can't walk that fast....
So here's the latest update about my problem with my back. Last Thursday I was so hopeful that it was healing and that I would be in brand-spanking-new shape in no time. I was feeling great.
Wrong.
Friday and Saturday I was still so sore, and staying on pain meds. Sunday I got a shooting pain down my left leg, some tingling, and my left foot going numb, on and off. Quite annoying. Especially when one tries to walk. It IS interesting, I must say, to walk on a numb foot. Humph.
So on Monday, I came into work, b/c I'm such a good sport about being a good employee *:)* even though my leg was still throbbing and my foot kept going numb. I called my doctor and scheduled an appt. for that afternoon. I even had mom drive me, b/c I was so uncomfortable. After 40 minutes (!) of waiting for the doctor (another annoyance I can't quite understand....I mean, I had an appt....why can't they seem to make it on time?!), she finally came in to give me a look over.
Basically, it comes down to the fact that she thinks I have a herniated disc. Whoopie. So she scheduled me for an MRI on Wednesday, and dosed me up again with a 2nd round of steriods, and more pain killers. Me Like Drugs :)
I haven't seen the results for the MRI yet, but even so, it's not like they can do anything about this, besides Physical Therapy. It all comes down to my spine healing on its on, and the disc going back into place. I feel great today, although I just took a horse-sized pain pill. I'm over trying to be 'holistic' and dealing with the pain on my own. Not worth it.
So I hope that this heals soon. And once it does, I'm all revved up to take better care of myself. More exercise, less sitting during work, drinking more water, etc. All things that are huge contributors to having less back pain.
Go Me! Wrecking my back at the age of 24. Whoot. Whoot.
Wrong.
Friday and Saturday I was still so sore, and staying on pain meds. Sunday I got a shooting pain down my left leg, some tingling, and my left foot going numb, on and off. Quite annoying. Especially when one tries to walk. It IS interesting, I must say, to walk on a numb foot. Humph.
So on Monday, I came into work, b/c I'm such a good sport about being a good employee *:)* even though my leg was still throbbing and my foot kept going numb. I called my doctor and scheduled an appt. for that afternoon. I even had mom drive me, b/c I was so uncomfortable. After 40 minutes (!) of waiting for the doctor (another annoyance I can't quite understand....I mean, I had an appt....why can't they seem to make it on time?!), she finally came in to give me a look over.
Basically, it comes down to the fact that she thinks I have a herniated disc. Whoopie. So she scheduled me for an MRI on Wednesday, and dosed me up again with a 2nd round of steriods, and more pain killers. Me Like Drugs :)
I haven't seen the results for the MRI yet, but even so, it's not like they can do anything about this, besides Physical Therapy. It all comes down to my spine healing on its on, and the disc going back into place. I feel great today, although I just took a horse-sized pain pill. I'm over trying to be 'holistic' and dealing with the pain on my own. Not worth it.
So I hope that this heals soon. And once it does, I'm all revved up to take better care of myself. More exercise, less sitting during work, drinking more water, etc. All things that are huge contributors to having less back pain.
Go Me! Wrecking my back at the age of 24. Whoot. Whoot.
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Couch Potato
Leave it to me to actually injure myself and have no clue how I managed to do so! And I'm embarrased to even admit as to how I hurt myself.
On one hand, I think 'ok, it could sound awesome' ....like so.... "I was working out last week, and because I'm so awesome and athletic, I strived so hard and pushed myself so much that I actually hurt myself while working out. What a workout! Burn calories...BURN!"
Or on the other hand, I sound like the biggest fattest couch potato that ever existed.... like so.... "I finally started working out again, but b/c I'm such an uncoordinated and out of shape lard-a**, the simplest workout was too much for this gal to handle."
Hm...I think I'll go with story #1. Makes me sound awesome :) But aside from that, I did in fact hurt myself. And since I have done nothing physical for the past week, besides working out, I've come to the conclusion that that must have been what did it.
But back to the story. Last Friday, I had noticed my back was hurting. No big deal. I have those 'off' days. But saturday, it was getting bad. I was so uncomfortable. Walking was becoming difficult. Sitting hurt too. And on Sunday, Ross threatened to divorce me after seeing what our future may look like together when we're near 80 years old. Me -- unable to walk or sit, or move. I hobbled around, wincing in pain at every slightest movement, so Ross replies, "I want out. Now. Before you get any older!" ha! Oh dear. I don't blame him.
So on Monday morning, I went straight to the chiropractor, thinking I just needed an early adjustment. No big deal. I went in to work late, and sat there for an unbearable hour, until I finally had to call it quits and go home early. My mother-in-law (who is a nurse) advised me that I should go to a doctor since the pain pills she had given me the night before did not help.
So I headed to MedExpress on my way home from work at 11:00 am. The doctor there told me she thinks that one of my discs could've slipped.
WHA?! How the heck did I even accomplish such a thing?? At such a young age?? Oh boy.
So off I go to the pharmacy with my 3 newly written prescriptions. One for steriods. One for painkillers (Vicodin!). And one for a muscle relaxer.
I finally head home in extreme bouts of pain. Driving hurts the worst. I guess my Chevy Cobalt is not ergonomically designed! And headed straight to bed with all my new meds.
Tuesday comes and goes. I can't possibly go to work when it hurts just to sit up. Wednesday, I again work from home. The doctor writes me an excuse for work, but says I should be good to go back to work on Thursday. She told me that I need to continue walking to keep my spine loose. And I'm happy to say that she was right. As I sit here, on my first day to work this week, I can say that it helps to walk around. So I keep making excuses to get up and walk to the xerox machine, or wherever. But I can def. tell it's getting better. And my back is starting to hurt less. You go Spine!!
And I had another adjustment at the chiro. yesterday, hoping that would also help.
All in all, I'm getting better. I waddle a bit less now when I walk.
I still look distorted, with one hip raised higher than the other. But it should go back to normal soon.
How I managed to throw my back out at 24?? No clue. I can't wait to see what I'm like at 50+!
On one hand, I think 'ok, it could sound awesome' ....like so.... "I was working out last week, and because I'm so awesome and athletic, I strived so hard and pushed myself so much that I actually hurt myself while working out. What a workout! Burn calories...BURN!"
Or on the other hand, I sound like the biggest fattest couch potato that ever existed.... like so.... "I finally started working out again, but b/c I'm such an uncoordinated and out of shape lard-a**, the simplest workout was too much for this gal to handle."
Hm...I think I'll go with story #1. Makes me sound awesome :) But aside from that, I did in fact hurt myself. And since I have done nothing physical for the past week, besides working out, I've come to the conclusion that that must have been what did it.
But back to the story. Last Friday, I had noticed my back was hurting. No big deal. I have those 'off' days. But saturday, it was getting bad. I was so uncomfortable. Walking was becoming difficult. Sitting hurt too. And on Sunday, Ross threatened to divorce me after seeing what our future may look like together when we're near 80 years old. Me -- unable to walk or sit, or move. I hobbled around, wincing in pain at every slightest movement, so Ross replies, "I want out. Now. Before you get any older!" ha! Oh dear. I don't blame him.
So on Monday morning, I went straight to the chiropractor, thinking I just needed an early adjustment. No big deal. I went in to work late, and sat there for an unbearable hour, until I finally had to call it quits and go home early. My mother-in-law (who is a nurse) advised me that I should go to a doctor since the pain pills she had given me the night before did not help.
So I headed to MedExpress on my way home from work at 11:00 am. The doctor there told me she thinks that one of my discs could've slipped.
WHA?! How the heck did I even accomplish such a thing?? At such a young age?? Oh boy.
So off I go to the pharmacy with my 3 newly written prescriptions. One for steriods. One for painkillers (Vicodin!). And one for a muscle relaxer.
I finally head home in extreme bouts of pain. Driving hurts the worst. I guess my Chevy Cobalt is not ergonomically designed! And headed straight to bed with all my new meds.
Tuesday comes and goes. I can't possibly go to work when it hurts just to sit up. Wednesday, I again work from home. The doctor writes me an excuse for work, but says I should be good to go back to work on Thursday. She told me that I need to continue walking to keep my spine loose. And I'm happy to say that she was right. As I sit here, on my first day to work this week, I can say that it helps to walk around. So I keep making excuses to get up and walk to the xerox machine, or wherever. But I can def. tell it's getting better. And my back is starting to hurt less. You go Spine!!
And I had another adjustment at the chiro. yesterday, hoping that would also help.
All in all, I'm getting better. I waddle a bit less now when I walk.
I still look distorted, with one hip raised higher than the other. But it should go back to normal soon.
How I managed to throw my back out at 24?? No clue. I can't wait to see what I'm like at 50+!
Tuesday, February 8, 2011
Sectional Hunting
Ross & I were THIIIIS close to purchasing a sectional this weekend. I wasn't even looking for a couch this weekend, but once you go shopping with mom ....well, things change, she's a very convincing person, ha! And we DO need a new couch for the house, so it didn't hurt to look.
I showed it to Ross Saturday night, but we decided to go home and 'sleep on the decision' before spending any money. Sunday, we showed up at the store with the intention of buying it, but were still too hesitant, so we walked away. Here is the sectional (shown in black leather, we would've ordered it in a chocolate brown leather):
I showed it to Ross Saturday night, but we decided to go home and 'sleep on the decision' before spending any money. Sunday, we showed up at the store with the intention of buying it, but were still too hesitant, so we walked away. Here is the sectional (shown in black leather, we would've ordered it in a chocolate brown leather):
What do you think?? Do you like the look of it?
I am still up in the air about it, so I'm glad we didn't go through with it. Especially since this was our first chance to look at couches. I think we need to spend a little more time shopping around.
Here are our main reasons for NOT buying the couch:
1) Worried about the leather. How does it hold up? Doesn't it scratch and begin to crack after wear-and-tear? (even though they said it wouldn't scratch, I find that hard to believe)
2) Don't like the 'look' of it.
3) Price. A bit steep for us, we'll have to be on the lookout for another sale if we do decide to buy this after all.
Those are a LOT of reasons to not want the sectional, so why the heck did we pick it out in the first place? Well, as soon as mom & I sat down in it.... HEAVEN! It was the comfiest sofa I've ever been in. Oh, my, gawd. Pure bliss. I'm not usually a leather person, but this was exceptional.
But there are still those 3 reasons holding me & Ross back, so we need to keep shopping. On the other hand, I know our choices are VERY limited due to my ginormous list of WANTS/NEEDS for our future couch:
1) a sectional with the 'wedge' vs. just a corner cushion, that way someone can still easily sit in the corner and I can sneak a floor lamp behind it for extra lighting :)
2) fabric, but only as long as the cusions come OFF, and I can throw them in the washer (a lot of cushions seem to be attached to the back of the couch, Hello?!?! How do you clean that?? And don't tell me SPOT CLEANING! Ugh, I don't think so. Not after a dog throws up on it (more than once). Gross, spot cleaning will just NOT DO! Now aren't you excited to come to my house?! ha! Surely I can't be the only one who's dealt with this! Kids will be just as messy one day...oh the horror.)
3) possibly leather, but I'm still uncertain about how it holds up. At least it would clean easily!
4) Size is a HUGE obstacle, b/c most sectionals are too big for the corner of our room, believe it or not. The one above was still 3" too big, but I could make it work.
5) Last but not least, it needs to be comfy :)
6) Oh, and price, we're not rich ya know.
Thought, anyone?! Leather vs. fabric? How leather holds up? Should the 'comfy-ness' outweigh the look of it? Perhaps I'm just too picky. HA! Oh the headaches.....
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
An Apology
Don't you just love when your dear husband brings out his Human Resources knowledge and uses it against you? Oh, is that just mine?! I guess so!
He so kindly pointed out last night that the last thing I should be doing is venting about work on my blog, because I could easily be fired over it. Well, on my defense, I'm not 'friends' with any of my coworkers on Facebook, so other than that, I don't think they would have any way of even knowing I have a blog.
But secondly, I should state, for the record, that my job really isn't so bad. Yeah, I have my bad days, but who doesn't?! I really try not to take my job for granted, even on the worst days. I have good pay and great benefits, so what more could I really ask for?! Especially when this time, last year, I was on a job hunt that seemed hopeless. Period. And then add the crappy economy on top of that. So consider me extremely thankful for the job I hold today.
So thank you, Westinghouse, for all the good days, and even the bad. Here's to many more happy years together :)
He so kindly pointed out last night that the last thing I should be doing is venting about work on my blog, because I could easily be fired over it. Well, on my defense, I'm not 'friends' with any of my coworkers on Facebook, so other than that, I don't think they would have any way of even knowing I have a blog.
But secondly, I should state, for the record, that my job really isn't so bad. Yeah, I have my bad days, but who doesn't?! I really try not to take my job for granted, even on the worst days. I have good pay and great benefits, so what more could I really ask for?! Especially when this time, last year, I was on a job hunt that seemed hopeless. Period. And then add the crappy economy on top of that. So consider me extremely thankful for the job I hold today.
So thank you, Westinghouse, for all the good days, and even the bad. Here's to many more happy years together :)
Monday, January 31, 2011
It Never Even Started Off Well....
Of all days I decide to where a 3/4 length sleeve sweater, today was not a good day to do that. It looked nice outside! AND I decided that in the first time in the past month, to NOT warm up my car before work. I could handle some cold for a bit, that would allow me to get a head start into work. Besides, it didn't snow last night, so it must be nice outside. Oh yeah, did I mention my car read 0 degrees this morning?! Yup. Of all days to not warm up my car and wear the wrong outfit, way to go. But ok, if that's the worse that happens today, I can deal with my Monday!
But no, don't worry, that's not where it ends....
Surely that would be a boring post, so let's make my day suck more.
As soon as I get into work today, I need to reschedule a meeting (for the 3rd time!) because no one can agree on a time, yet I am the admin assistant and it is my job to find a time where everyone is available. There are only 4 people attending this meeting. By this point, wouldn't it be easier for the 4 of them to just talk to EACHOTHER and figure out a time, rather than me emailing so-and-so, and then replying to so-and-so, back and forth, back and forth to find a time. Yes, I schedule meetings, it's part of my job, but this is getting ridiculous, where in this case, it would be easier for THEM to talk, and agree on a time, and then tell me what time they've agreed on so that I can send out an updated meeting invite.
So after my 7th attempt of rescheduling, I finally found a time, done. YOU GUYS GET NO MORE CHANCES! I think there should be a max # of attempted reschedules. Like after the 5th try, you lose. Over. Done. I quit. Do it yourself!
But no, that's not where it ends either....
I'm then told I need to adjust 2 hotel reservations I made for 2 visitors we have coming this month. The first time they asked me to make reservations for them, they didn't bother to tell me the dates they were visiting, so I had to read through countless email threads to decipher when they were coming. TODAY they tell me, 'NO NO NO, we are coming THESE DAYS!!! You've got it all wrong!' Ok, I was only a few days off, but anyway, I went ahead and changed their reservations while thinking 'MAYBE IF you would've told me the dates the FIRST time, I would've gotten it right. Idiots.' Thanks.
BUT now!
NOW!!!!!
NOOOOOWWWW!!!!!
I have to find a RUSSIAN TRANSLATOR for when they come b/c they don't speak English well. O dear god!!!!!!!!
#*$^#*)*@)#*$*@*&^!@*#^%@#*&jadf
I don't even know where to begin.
Is this day over yet?!?
But no, don't worry, that's not where it ends....
Surely that would be a boring post, so let's make my day suck more.
As soon as I get into work today, I need to reschedule a meeting (for the 3rd time!) because no one can agree on a time, yet I am the admin assistant and it is my job to find a time where everyone is available. There are only 4 people attending this meeting. By this point, wouldn't it be easier for the 4 of them to just talk to EACHOTHER and figure out a time, rather than me emailing so-and-so, and then replying to so-and-so, back and forth, back and forth to find a time. Yes, I schedule meetings, it's part of my job, but this is getting ridiculous, where in this case, it would be easier for THEM to talk, and agree on a time, and then tell me what time they've agreed on so that I can send out an updated meeting invite.
So after my 7th attempt of rescheduling, I finally found a time, done. YOU GUYS GET NO MORE CHANCES! I think there should be a max # of attempted reschedules. Like after the 5th try, you lose. Over. Done. I quit. Do it yourself!
But no, that's not where it ends either....
I'm then told I need to adjust 2 hotel reservations I made for 2 visitors we have coming this month. The first time they asked me to make reservations for them, they didn't bother to tell me the dates they were visiting, so I had to read through countless email threads to decipher when they were coming. TODAY they tell me, 'NO NO NO, we are coming THESE DAYS!!! You've got it all wrong!' Ok, I was only a few days off, but anyway, I went ahead and changed their reservations while thinking 'MAYBE IF you would've told me the dates the FIRST time, I would've gotten it right. Idiots.' Thanks.
BUT now!
NOW!!!!!
NOOOOOWWWW!!!!!
I have to find a RUSSIAN TRANSLATOR for when they come b/c they don't speak English well. O dear god!!!!!!!!
#*$^#*)*@)#*$*@*&^!@*#^%@#*&jadf
I don't even know where to begin.
Is this day over yet?!?
Thursday, January 27, 2011
Looking Up
Yesterday was a good day...for the most part, until about 3:00 when the days seems to never want to end! But it got good again when I got home and Ross & I worked on the house for a bit :) We feel very accomplished today. After many days of deliberating how to best cut out some ceramic floor tiles in the kitchen to make way for a new wall that would fill-in an existing doorway, we finally did it! Thanks to the internet...our new best friend. It had suggested the right tool with the right blade, and even though we were still very skeptical that it would work and wouldn't shatter the entire tile, we forged ahead! Lucky for us, Ross' dad already owned the said tool (an angle grinder) so we only had to spend $10 to buy the suggested blade (a diamond blade). We agreed it was the best $10 we've ever spent! It worked like a charm, and cut out just enough of the tile so that we can put up the new wall without having to go ontop of the tile. Don't worry, I took a ton of pics, in case you're having trouble following what I'm talking about!! We were so excited about trying something new, and daring, if I must say so myself, that I kept snapping away! I'll share those pics on the blog as soon as I upload them.
Anyway, it's Thursday and I'm in a good mood once again. Although it always starts out this way until I get bored at work, and then grumpy, and then just plain exhausted. So let's hope today goes fast, and that winter goes even faster :)
Anyway, it's Thursday and I'm in a good mood once again. Although it always starts out this way until I get bored at work, and then grumpy, and then just plain exhausted. So let's hope today goes fast, and that winter goes even faster :)
Wednesday, January 19, 2011
It Never Ends
I know I'm not in the right mind to be blogging, but I don't care, welcome to my life.... I'm tired, stressed, anxious for nothing, and most of all, I just need a break from reality. I've been the most unpleasant person these past few weeks, and my poor husband has gotten the brunt of it. I snap at him more than I can count, even though he doesn't deserve it. I complain about the most mundane tasks b/c I feel like I can never catch up. I avoid talking to people at work b/c I'm too tired to pretend to be happy, or just pleasant to deal with. The apartment gets cluttered more quickly than I can keep up with and I feel it closing in on me. I'm hoping that its just the season keeping my spirits down. I've been sick of winter since the first snowfall and for the first time, I don't welcome the daylight savings time. I need a night out with girlfriends, if only they would care to ask. I need a night out on the town with the hubs without one word about the house and home renovations. I need a night away from my dog who constantly craves attention. I need a weekend of camping, with good friends and some laughs. I need some time to myself. Time to brush up on old hobbies. Playing the piano for hours to dissolve stress. Listening to loud music and attempting to paint. Time to do everything and nothing all at once. Time to be BORED and not think of all the errands I need to run, chores I need to finish, and everything else in between that feels like its dragging me down. I need some fresh air!
And even though I don't feel like the happiest person these past few weeks, I know it will pass, and that I have so much to be thankful for. It just feels good to vent at times when things seem to be too much to handle :)
And even though I don't feel like the happiest person these past few weeks, I know it will pass, and that I have so much to be thankful for. It just feels good to vent at times when things seem to be too much to handle :)
Friday, January 14, 2011
Another Food Post?! Really?!
Cake is all around me this week. First, we got a cake for my boss at work yesterday, so I had a piece. It was ok. But today?! The exec's at work ordered a cake to celebrate Westinghouse's 125th anniversary, so I gave it thought, maybe, maybe not. But THEN ....somebody told me it was from Oakmont Bakery! Yup, I basically enhaled a piece in 2.9 seconds. No regrets. Only satisfaction. I might sneak back for a 2nd 0:) A day in the life of ME is never dull!
Monday, January 10, 2011
Smell My Lemons!
Ever since Ross & I closed on our house, home renovations have taken off. It's been great and certainly a learning experience, but it's also exhausting. I'm completely and utterly tired. And my wrist hurts, I think I did a bit too much cleaning and scrubbing at the house yesterday, but it was all worth it. Now our new kitchen smells like lemons! Lots of lemons! I scream "I want my house to smell like lemons, dang it!" all day long when I clean, b/c right now, our house has a funky smell that I hope will go away when we get some of the carpet taken out and the walls painted. Mom was brave and cleaned our bathrooms on saturday. With rubber gloves. What a huge stepping stone. I can't believe what a difference clean bathrooms make! It's like I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel and that our house is not a complete disaster anymore, but finally becoming a home. And after another 8-hour home reno day yesterday, our kitchen is 90% clean. All of the cabinets have been removed, de-greased, cleaned, lysol-ed, scrubbed, washed, and hung back up. I will have the cleanest home in all of Pennsylvania when I am through with it :) And it shall SMELL LIKE LEMONS! Even if the fumes ARE toxic b/c of how strongly they disinfect. SMELL MY LEMONS!
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