tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-54567006723369375092024-03-14T11:49:17.976-07:00Looking for Luck, Love, and...The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.comBlogger280125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-22524535115656489182019-01-01T21:34:00.000-08:002019-01-01T21:34:12.921-08:002019 Word of the YearHi.<br />
<br />
Happy New Year and all that. I went to yoga class today, which will likely be the only time I go this year, but Hey! At least I can say I've worked out in 2019.<br />
<br />
I used to come up with a word of the year when I blogged before, a word that was going to be my focus for the year. I stopped doing it, because I never really focused on it after the first of January.<br />
But there is one word that is so obviously going to be my mantra for 2019, I have to share it.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: x-large;">Change. </span></div>
<br />
I mean, duh. My life is going to drastically change in less than three months. Whether we pick up and move to Arizona or if I start a new job here in Cali or if I become a stay at home mom, it's going to be a huge change. <br />
<br />
It's kind of exciting when you think about it. No matter what, my life is going to be way different by the end of the year. <br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
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The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-73253170555860500362018-12-28T19:55:00.000-08:002018-12-28T19:55:18.227-08:00A reason to stay <br />
So, my husband decided that if we weren't going to move, if I was going to be unemployed, and if he was going to be the sole breadwinner, he needed to go to his boss and explain the situation and see if he could get a raise. His company is very small, and could close permanently at any time, so he was hoping to get some kind of clarity on the company's future. Unfortunately (or not, depending on how you look at it), my husband has been with the company for 28 years, and his salary has been maxed out for some time. We werent expecting much. Still, it doesn't hurt to ask. And really, I was hoping that they would make an offer we couldn't refuse, and it would give us a reason to stay.<br />
<br />
So, he asked.<br />
<br />
And now I'm annoyed.<br />
<br />
His company was very generous. They gave him a 10% raise, effective immediately. They will give him an additional $9000 "stay on" bonus on April 1, which is the Monday after my office closes. They told him that the company has at least three years of business ahead of them.<br />
<br />
But here's the problem.<br />
<br />
They didn't really give him any reason to stay.<br />
<br />
They gave him the raise immediately, whether he leaves or not. It's true that he only gets the stay on bonus if we stay, but $9000 really isn't that much, and that's before taxes. The stay on bonus isn't going to make or break us.<br />
<br />
Here's the worse part.<br />
<br />
They offered him a remote position. So there's no reason whatsoever to stay.<br />
<br />
True, the remote position is not going to last forever. In fact, my husband doesn't expect it to last longer than 6 months. But still, that's 6 months longer than we were originally expecting, which will put us in an even better position if we go.<br />
<br />
So, that didn't help us make our decision at all.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
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The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-41086521626469651582018-12-26T07:00:00.000-08:002018-12-26T07:01:20.863-08:00The T-Bar<div class="MsoNormal">
One of my friends suggested I make a T-Bar--- you, know, list all the reasons to go in one column, and all the reasons to stay in the other. I wasn't going to do it, because I constantly have a T-Bar going in my head. Plus, there are some reasons that I feel are worth two or even three entries ("live with family guilt for the rest of my life" should be at worth at least seven entries, right?). But this will go back to writing about my problems. If I write it out, it might bring clarity. So here we go. </div>
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<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is less crime in the Arizona city than in the California city.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">theArizona cities are cleaner than the Stockton city (very little graffiti, garbage on the ground, etc)</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is room for growth at my job if we move to
Arizona. My husband has reached the top of his salary. </span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We can afford the type of house we want in
Arizona. We can not do that in California.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">I pay the medical insurance, and my company offers
better insurance than at my husband's company.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is a chance that my husband will be able to
work remotely from Arizona temporarily. There is no chance of my company making
the same offer for me. </span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Although our bank account will take an initial
hit, after 5 years it is projected to exceed what we would have saved had we
stayed in California.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The Arizona tuition for residents is less than
the California tuition for residents.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The taxes in Arizona are less than the taxes in
California.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The chances of me being able to secure a new job in
California for the same pay is slim.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Any new job I get may not provide nights and
weekends off, or give me the same work-life balance that my company provides.</span></li>
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<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">If something happens to my dad and I’m not able
to get to him in time, I will have to live with that guilt for the rest of my
life.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">We are projected to have more money in our savings
account at the end of five years if we stay.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The children are already in an excellent school—There
is no guarantee that they will get in to a charter school in Arizona, and
the public schools are very poorly rated.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The house that we wanted is no longer for sale,
and there are no other houses that we like.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There are 95 days until we would HAVE to move
(and 84 days until we WANTED to move). That is not enough time to do everything
we wanted to do before we moved, when we’re both working every day.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There is no guarantee that we would be able to sell
our California house before we left. Therefore two mortgages.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">Our dog is extremely old. We do not think she would do well in Arizona. If we moved, she likely would not go with us. </span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">There will be snakes and scorpions in our backyard
in Arizona.</span></li>
<li>·<span style="font-size: 7pt; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; line-height: normal;">
</span><span style="text-indent: -0.25in;">The temperature averages over 100 for 3 months
of the year. And it’s over 90 for 2 additional months. </span></li>
</ul>
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Is there any clarity? Does the answer magically pop out at you? </div>
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
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The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-62296021167784284572018-12-24T16:37:00.001-08:002018-12-24T16:37:49.747-08:00Merry Christmas!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC9dj7e963hjX9jajwliw6KZOU3h9vjaEs4Ks-t7L6193j__-YbcVPcieC5AxgcvLpH_9qsqUDlVwJ2j7ZZZP6nBginW3dN5ro6nihyFbsCTO8HsBiD1PvRg79aa2ijKYm-i0Wd7FtdA/s1600/Inkedchristmas+card+2018_LI.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1050" data-original-width="750" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVC9dj7e963hjX9jajwliw6KZOU3h9vjaEs4Ks-t7L6193j__-YbcVPcieC5AxgcvLpH_9qsqUDlVwJ2j7ZZZP6nBginW3dN5ro6nihyFbsCTO8HsBiD1PvRg79aa2ijKYm-i0Wd7FtdA/s640/Inkedchristmas+card+2018_LI.jpg" width="456" /></a></div>
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<br />
We probably can't take pictures like this in Arizona, can we?<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
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The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-43292322514988465572018-12-22T21:22:00.002-08:002018-12-22T21:22:30.090-08:00Problem writing<br />
Hi.<br />
<br />
It's been awhile, hasn't it?<br />
<br />
The last time I posted-- way back in April of 2017-- I was writing about something as trivial as weight loss.<br />
<br />
Oh, isn't that cute.<br />
<br />
Don't worry, I've still be around. My instagram feed is full of daily happenings of me and my family. We're all fine, thank you for asking.<br />
<br />
Ever since I was a little girl, I wrote about my problems. I kept a diary for years, writing about all my problems about boys and friends and parents and teachers. After I got married and had children, I continued my diary in the form of a blog, writing about my problems with work and adoption and family.<br />
<br />
Somewhere along the way, I stopped doing that.<br />
<br />
But now, it's time to get back to basics. I have a problem, and writing about it is going to help.<br />
<br />
This all started over a year ago, in October of 2017. Our office received an announcement that the company was going to open a new office, in Arizona. The office was going to do California work, but would just be housed in Arizona.<br />
<br />
At first, I wasn't worried. We needed help, so we were glad they were opening another office. I really didn't care where they opened it. Open it in Antarctica, for all I care.<br />
<br />
But then another office opened in Arizona, and then another. Meanwhile, there was a hiring freeze in California. Rumors were flying.<br />
<br />
And then, a bombshell-- we were told that eventually, all California business would be handled out of Arizona. No one was losing their jobs, everyone was invited to continue their employment.<br />
<br />
In Arizona.<br />
<br />
And here lies the problem. I live in California. And an 11 hour commute each day might be too difficult. But my office is closing at the end of March.<br />
<br />
For some people, the choice was easy. The single parents, the one-income families, and those whose spouses had transferable jobs had signed their paperwork and were moved within the month. The other side of the spectrum-- those about to retire, or had less than 5 years with the company, or those who had spouses with significantly higher salaries-- never even thought of moving. Many of them have already found new jobs and have left the company.<br />
<br />
And then there's me.<br />
<br />
I have been with the company for 16 years. My ability to perform any other job is questionable, and no one on God's green earth would ever pay me what I'm making now. I'm only 45, so I can't retire yet. My husband's job is not transferable. His salary is higher than mine, but he has maxed out on his salary, whereas I have not. He works for a small privately owned company that may be sold off any day. I work for a major corporation that isn't going anywhere. My children are in an excellent charter school here in California. Our medical insurance is through my company, and the benefits offered by my husband's company aren't nearly as good. My mother and my best friend have both wished me well in Arizona. My father and my stepmother have said family is the most important thing, and my family is in California. I have lived in California all my life, I know nothing else. We can buy a home on an acre with a pool in Arizona for less money than a two room shack in California. It is approximately 294 degrees in Arizona from May until October each year. There are strange dust stroms called haboobs. I currently live in the city that was named the second most dangerous city in California. My husband and I have made charts and spreadsheets and discussed this every night for months. We literally change our mind from day to day on the best course of action.<br />
<br />
You see how my thoughts are all over the place? I have no idea what to do. <br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a><br />
The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-88111557778346595222017-03-01T08:00:00.000-08:002017-03-01T08:00:32.570-08:00Ash WednesdayIt's my daughter's 11th birthday today. Happy birthday, Baby Bug!<br />
<br />
It is also Ash Wednesday. And if you're a good Catholic girl.... well, you're probably not ready this. But if you're a regular Catholic girl, just doing the best you can, then you might be thinking about giving up something for Lent.<br />
<br />
That's where I'm at right now. What am I going to give up? It needs to be something meaningful, a true sacrifice. But it also needs to be something achievable. There's no point in setting myself up for failure.<br />
<br />
But here's the thing. I've already given up coffee and soda. I haven't been going out to fast food and I've cut out a lot of sugar. I don't have rice or pasta or bread. Foodwise, I really only have two vices: French fries and alcohol.<br />
<br />
I ate my share of french fries while I was in Vegas last weekend. They're so good! They're my weakness. But I also drank my share of alcohol this weekend, too. The weekend would not have been as good without alcohol... or french fries.<br />
<br />
So, I covet both of these indulgences. If I'm being honest, I probably covet alcohol more than french fries. So it makes sense to give up alcohol, right?<br />
<br />
Right.... but man. It's a long time until Easter. And there's crab feeds and birthdays and basketball and baseball and girl scout cookie booths. Yeah... I just don't think I can do it.<br />
<br />
Maybe I should just give up red meat instead.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-79133927432366221002017-02-17T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-17T08:00:01.339-08:00weight loss while travelling, part 2I had been worried about eating while on my trip. It was really hard when all the menus looked like this:<br />
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<br />
And then all the meals looked like this:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqL694U5tNRCbpCW6OVwuj8GHpjKSfsnaQFRaX9yTJKABHL6o0-nqApp4j4cYDEGa7kmMUxZDl9uI1as0zndDY_tN3PaYZgMDcKFTkEIo35OYP77VD9ktuHNhLHB80aK_pPti4-fQ2ro/s1600/meal.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqL694U5tNRCbpCW6OVwuj8GHpjKSfsnaQFRaX9yTJKABHL6o0-nqApp4j4cYDEGa7kmMUxZDl9uI1as0zndDY_tN3PaYZgMDcKFTkEIo35OYP77VD9ktuHNhLHB80aK_pPti4-fQ2ro/s400/meal.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
And then there was a whole lot of this mixed in:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxk_ciLIb_Qwovv7t9NHGpFssMR5aliszbi_MzqaRqB3ad4cVvTNtVgYdswojO3reAScMhyWczHQfDWgfMgP9koqi_vchHY3zqF4pEMlyphOgBXEtdL1q0A1IP2YEZurtTA1UU0Un09c/s1600/drink.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzxk_ciLIb_Qwovv7t9NHGpFssMR5aliszbi_MzqaRqB3ad4cVvTNtVgYdswojO3reAScMhyWczHQfDWgfMgP9koqi_vchHY3zqF4pEMlyphOgBXEtdL1q0A1IP2YEZurtTA1UU0Un09c/s400/drink.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
But here's what worked for me.<br />
<br />
<b>I didn't eat any bread. </b>Well, very little. I had a 1/4 of a croissant, and a bite of a danish. But no sandwiches and no rolls at dinner.<br />
<br />
<b>I had the dressing on the side. </b>Actually, I was only able to do this with one salad, as the other salads I had came with the dressing on them and I didn't have a choice. Luckily, those were light vinaigrettes. But for the third night, they put the creamy dressing on the side. I said no thank you to dressing all together that night.<br />
<br />
<b>I didn't have any rice or potatoes.</b> See that heap of potatoes in the picture above? Yeah, that stayed on the plate. I did eat about 10 truffle fries one night, but then I passed the rest around my dinner table. Let me tell you, those ten truffle fries were AMAZING.<br />
<br />
<b>I skipped dessert.</b> I have a weakness for cheesecake, and they served that on the last night. I did have two or three bites of the cheesecake but I left the rest, and I said no thank you to dessert all together on the other nights. <br />
<br />
<b>I indulged when I wanted to. </b>All this sacrifice was because I knew I was going to drink a whole lot. And I did.<br />
<br />
<br />
The end result? I lost half a pound! Hey, when I thought I would be lucky not to gain, I'll take that!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-10771291092284888572017-02-15T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-15T08:00:14.147-08:00liquid courageSo. I survived my work trip.<br />
<br />
I drank a lot, and I ate very little. In fact, I probably ate TOO little, and I for SURE drank too much.<br />
<br />
When it was time to be in a meeting, I was on. I was poised and professional. I contributed to the conversation without being overbearing.<br />
<br />
After each day of meetings.... well, not so much.<br />
<br />
The first night I was ok. I enjoyed several beverages but didn't go overboard.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9qYa2NW1RA5pEPnBO_M1lZ-6jb1_hzwgThN5CVToy0a7IPfAyJJ52jxZhrGSuEG9msSdLNBuzcZwpuTDyUddMXkax_AydvIqvo1ChVDzGQvakYIS0y44XXJmjlFK5IstCPM3U4LHMPs/s1600/bed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEht9qYa2NW1RA5pEPnBO_M1lZ-6jb1_hzwgThN5CVToy0a7IPfAyJJ52jxZhrGSuEG9msSdLNBuzcZwpuTDyUddMXkax_AydvIqvo1ChVDzGQvakYIS0y44XXJmjlFK5IstCPM3U4LHMPs/s400/bed.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In bed by a decent hour</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
The second night was a little worse. My team went bowling, and I am a terrible bowler. I drank several beers, hoping that I would get a little better. I didn't. But I was still able to maintain, and I didn't drink at dinner and only had one cocktail afterwards, so I was still ok.<br />
<br />
The third night.... wow.<br />
<br />
It was the roaring 20's costume party, and I was wearing a dress out of my comfort zone, along with two girls much younger, thinner, and prettier than I am. I needed some liquid courage.<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXkdw0x0RdHLhO8o4ffQ4_mCY8BIMJN6fB-RCc6PsmvUcuGNOoQCZWTPoLwS2OIKVVIU4T96g-5ex4U9-C-cku76MVO339NdPhqW3_r3rZ22RFiBcYTz7PLtlLErDExtWEM7BrcHQ6eA/s1600/flapper2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKXkdw0x0RdHLhO8o4ffQ4_mCY8BIMJN6fB-RCc6PsmvUcuGNOoQCZWTPoLwS2OIKVVIU4T96g-5ex4U9-C-cku76MVO339NdPhqW3_r3rZ22RFiBcYTz7PLtlLErDExtWEM7BrcHQ6eA/s400/flapper2.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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Oh my. I was courageous.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtisrUpKCTPAk78s96jURg6yVqO5qTGLK0_qMAFg1Itb_60WbnU-_eYRvmIWfTuzMtmnD8hLsppXPk0UggZAcfydNulJcoGh0az7qMLzFvDtpi0GLaHcmr3QMN1bD3C5b6rBdXKHTJjuQ/s1600/flapper4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtisrUpKCTPAk78s96jURg6yVqO5qTGLK0_qMAFg1Itb_60WbnU-_eYRvmIWfTuzMtmnD8hLsppXPk0UggZAcfydNulJcoGh0az7qMLzFvDtpi0GLaHcmr3QMN1bD3C5b6rBdXKHTJjuQ/s400/flapper4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: start;">It is a little comfort that several people went out AFTER the party and they did a few things that I KNOW I didn't do. I've also looked through several photos and I don't see anything incriminating. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GoU0KmDEqh1M1KgDoMxbSs2BvTDa5yJ8qUk1Gd9ZHfkRiLLGgVqodbvomew-YuyOyrlQpMi8ho-ao7rRjZ-7vatkITFsC9vGIsSIeFD0SmHyISHe1NEwmK_NxMuv15_CCO4iqmDAR7M/s1600/flapper.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6GoU0KmDEqh1M1KgDoMxbSs2BvTDa5yJ8qUk1Gd9ZHfkRiLLGgVqodbvomew-YuyOyrlQpMi8ho-ao7rRjZ-7vatkITFsC9vGIsSIeFD0SmHyISHe1NEwmK_NxMuv15_CCO4iqmDAR7M/s400/flapper.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
Ugh.<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-18142454153091694582017-02-10T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-10T08:00:24.612-08:00PackingI'm sitting on my couch, with an open suitcase in front of me and laundry piled all around me. I have to pack for stupid work trip. It's giving me major anxiety.<br />
<br />
This is going to be a conference filled with rich, beautiful people. They can afford designer wardrobes and personal trainers.<br />
<br />
I am neither rich nor beautiful. My wardrobe is straight from Target. My personal trainer is You Tube.<br />
<br />
And the clothes I do have are ill fitting. My big clothes are now too big but my skinny clothes are still too tight. And it's in the desert, so it's going to be warm. It's a lot easier to hide my size under a sweater than under a thin shirt. If only the conference was in another month or two, so I had a chance to lose another 10-20 pounds! <br />
<br />
And the masquerade-- the friggin' 1920's themed mystery dinner theater. Lord help me.<br />
<br />
Other than the masquerade dinner, the conference is casual. So I have my dress, hose and shoes for the dinner. I have two pairs of jeans and a pair of capris for the other days. I have work out clothes in case I have the wild desire to exercise. I need a couple of nice shirts to wear with the jeans, and maybe a sundress to wear if we go out for drinks one night, and something to wear when lounging around the hotel....<br />
<br />
Dang, I'm going to need to pack like four pairs of shoes. Good thing I'm checking my luggage.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-42865670078785838982017-02-03T08:00:00.000-08:002017-02-03T08:00:09.622-08:00weight loss while travelling<br />
<br />
I'll be leaving soon to go on a week-long conference for work.<br />
<br />
I know from past years that these conferences are very difficult if you are trying to eat healthy and lose weight. They give you three big meals a day, plus snacks are available all day long. There's an open bar at night, and the food is... not the healthiest.<br />
<br />
Two weeks after my conference, I will be going to Las Vegas with some friends for a girls weekend. More food and more drinks.<br />
<br />
These events were planned months ago. When I decided to go on this weight loss journey, I told myself if I had a really good January, I would allow myself to splurge in February by not worrying about what I ate or drank, and then I could get back on track.<br />
<br />
I had a really good January.<br />
<br />
But do I really want to undo all the hard work, just for a couple of days of fun?<br />
<br />
No, I don't think so.<br />
<br />
I think I'll be ok, not drinking any coffee or soda. I know they'll have water and tea. Limiting myself to one cocktail in the evening might be tough-- let me tell you, the people at these conferences can drink! But still, I think I'll be ok.<br />
<br />
Meals will be harder. Meals are eaten with the group. I remember breakfast being served buffet style-- eggs, breakfast meats, potatoes, lots of pastries. I don't remember any vegetables, but I think there was fruit. I think I'll be ok with that. I'll eat eggs and wheat toast, maybe a banana.<br />
<br />
Lunches were either a working boxed lunch (like a Panera sandwich, chips, and an apple), and I think one day they served grilled chicken and burgers. I think that will be ok, too. I don't remember there being a salad option, but there must have been. I can eat my burger and my panera sandwich with no bread, pass on the chips, look for salad.<br />
<br />
Dinners were.... gosh. I don't really remember. I think there were some carving stations, so that should be ok. I remember there being a taco bar. Lots of rolls, cheeses, cold cuts. Again, I don't remember there being any salads or vegetables, but there must have been. Maybe I just passed by them last year, because who wants to eat vegetables?<br />
<br />
I think if I can remain flat, and just not gain any weight that week, I'll be ok.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-85956627178483080492017-01-25T08:00:00.001-08:002017-01-25T08:00:18.524-08:00I want to be the only oneMy husband went to the grocery store the other day, getting our groceries for the week. Part of the key to weight loss is planning ahead, so we make our menu for the week and then buy all the groceries at once.<br />
<br />
As I was putting the groceries away, I noticed that he didn't buy the case of beer that he normally buys each week. "Hey Babe, where's your 805?" I asked.<br />
<br />
My husband informed me that he decided to quit drinking. "You're trying to lose weight, and I support you," he said. "You've been working hard, so I wanted to try, too."<br />
<br />
I don't know why, but this kind of upsets me.<br />
<br />
I love that he supports me. But I'm doing so well, and now he's going to stop drinking beer and probably lose 20 pounds in one weekend. I don't know why this is so bothersome to me. Why can't we both ose weight? Why can't we both be successful?<br />
<br />
I don't know, but we can't. I want to be the only successful one.<br />
<br />
This makes me want to eat a whole can of Pringles.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-29994267382765178102017-01-20T08:00:00.001-08:002017-01-20T08:00:14.763-08:00Eating Dinner at Someone Else's House We went to my parents' house last night for my stepmother's birthday. This was the first time we had seen them since Christmas.<br />
<br />
They didn't know that I was trying to lose weight, nor did they notice that I had lost any. But that's ok. I'm so tall, that you really can't tell I've lost anything until at least 20 pounds. <br />
<br />
Because this was my stepmother's birthday, she got to choose the menu. She chose spaghetti, chicken with a creamy mushroom sauce, and an ice cream cake with red velvet cake and chocolate ice cream.<br />
<br />
I needed to eat, and I couldn't bring my own food. So, what do you do when you're eating at someone else's house and you're at their mercy? Here's what I did:<br />
<br />
* <b>I filled up on salad.</b> My grandmother always makes a salad with every meal, and it usually goes untouched. I filled my plate with lettuce, tomatoes, avocados, and all the other yummy ingredients in the salad. No dressing needed-- the avocado had enough fat to break down the lettuce.<br />
<br />
* <b>I kept my water glass filled.</b> My family must think I am a huge drinker. My grandfather had a glass of champagne waiting for me when I arrived. That was ok, I had planned to have one glass, and I had budgeted that in to my day. But 30 minutes later, my father wondered why I hadn't refilled my glass. Then my stepmother wanted to give me a glass of wine at dinner. When I said no thank you, my grandfather accused me of being a "fuddy duddy." But I kept my water glass filled at all times and sipped and was a lot easier to pass on a second glass that way.<br />
<br />
* <b>I had a little of everything.</b> I'm not rude. If my grandmother spends all afternoon making spaghetti and meat sauce, you better believe I'm going to eat some. But nobody said I had to eat all of it! I had a serving spoon full of spaghetti, half a chicken breast (with the delicious mushroom cream sauce), and a whole lost of salad. I probably had half of what the other adults had, but it was still enough to satisfy me.<br />
<br />
*<b> I enjoyed dessert. </b>Did you think I wasn't going to have a piece of birthday cake? Most of the time, I don't even LIKE sweets. I'm more of a salty Pringles girl. But it was a party, and I had a small slice. It was the best ice cream cake I had ever had.<br />
<br />
So that was how I enjoyed my evening, without any guilt!<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-67606108721036408312017-01-13T08:00:00.000-08:002017-01-13T08:00:09.358-08:00This is why I probably shouldn't exerciseSo, it was the first of the year, and I made this vow to eat less and move more. We didn't have anything planned for the day, so I asked the kids what they wanted to do.<br />
<br />
My daughter had just received a new pair of roller skates for Christmas, and she wanted to go to the rollerskating rink. Cool, we can do that. I used to be a pretty mean skater back in the day. Of course that was 20+ years ago, but I figured it was like riding a bike, right?<br />
<br />
We went to the rink, and my daughter started skating right away. My son is not a skater, so he took his time around the rink. I stayed with him for the first couple of rounds, while I got my skating legs back, and then I started skating on my own.<br />
<br />
Let me tell you: It IS like riding a bike! It all came back to me! How to bend, how to turn... I even spun around and did some backwards skating so I could talk to the kids! I was an expert! And I bet this was GREAT exercise! I had visions of coming to the rink every weekend.<br />
<br />
There was a boy skating in front of me, going pretty fast. I remembered when I could go that fast! I started to pick up speed, and soon I was overtaking him. Look at me! I'm Awesome!<br />
<br />
And then.<br />
<br />
For a good 10 seconds, I wasn't falling yet, but I was ALMOST falling. <i>What do I do? Tuck and roll! Fall to your knees! No, I can do this, and I can keep my balance..... </i><br />
<br />
CRASH!<br />
<br />
<i>tuck in your fingers so no one rolls them over.... roll on to your knees to you can get up.... Get up before anyone comes here... good Lord, how is a 240 pound woman supposed to get up quickly?</i><br />
<br />
By the time I was standing up, there was quite the crowd around me. I skated my way off the rink and went to sit with my husband, who came with us but was smart enough not to put on skates.<br />
<br />
"Did you see me fall?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"No! And I'm so upset I missed it! I would have filmed it! Describe it for me! Did you yell 'ARRRRGH!' as you came crashing down? Can you do it again? I want to see it!"<br />
<br />
He's so supportive.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image may contain: one or more people" height="231" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/15873380_10211123815909643_2633410167015346147_n.jpg?oh=84bd87a0e31eea915892f1d11e18774a&oe=58EA2029" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">all three of us... before the fall</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
I came home with a bruise on my knee (which is weird because I thought I landed on my bottom) and a bruise on my wrist. By the end of the day, the pain had radiated to my shoulder, and I could barely walk.<br />
<br />
My husband was pretty upset about my wrist. "You could have broken your wrist! I TOLD you not to put your hands out when you're falling!"<br />
<br />
Like I had any control whatsoever.<br />
<br />
I took Advil for the next 4 days, but obviously nothing was broken, so there was no reason to go to the doctor. Besides, as my luck would have it, my health insurance changed in 2017 to a high deductible-- totally my luck to be injured on the very first day of the new plan!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-74587075509660515492017-01-11T08:00:00.000-08:002017-01-11T08:00:03.008-08:00Caffeine WithdrawalsI think I mentioned that I quit caffeine. I take creamer in my coffee, and since I'm trying to give up on sugar, and caffeine and artificial sweeteners really aren't that good for you, anyway, I decided to quit coffee and soda... at least for now.<br />
<br />
I was ok at first. It wasn't until day 2 or 3 that I really thought I was going to die. I thought I had the flu! My muscles ached, I had a headache, I was just not ok. I went to bed at 7:15 that night.<br />
<br />
Luckily, I didn't have the mood swings that people talk about.... or maybe my husband was just very afraid of me and stayed out of my way.<br />
<br />
Now I'm on day 11, and I'm feeling like myself again! Woo hoo! Here's what worked for me:<br />
<br />
<b>I drank green tea </b>(which has some caffeine, but less than a cup of coffee) for the first couple of days, to try to gradually wean myself off, then switched to completely caffeine free tea.<br />
<br />
<b>I switched to sparkling water. </b>When I drink a soda, it's because I crave that fizzy burn going down my throat. Sparkling soda water does the same thing. No calories, no caffeine, no sugar. Good stuff. My brain thinks it's drinking a Diet Pepsi!<br />
<br />
<b>I powered through.</b> I read somewhere that only 50% of caffeine drinkers experience withdrawal symptoms, and only 50% of those people experience a headache. Count me in that group. My headache was terrible! I was on Advil (for another matter that I guess I'll talk about on Friday), but it did absolutely nothing for the pain. I ended up just going to bed-- only the darkness helped. But I felt a lot better when I woke up. The very worse withdrawals only last for about three days, so the best thing to do is to power through!<br />
<br />
<br />
Have you given up on coffee and soda? What works for you?<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/weight-loss-ticker"><img border="0" src="http://www.myfitnesspal.com/ticker/show/3367/2845/33672845.png" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-85881697973712503102017-01-03T10:26:00.001-08:002017-01-03T10:26:12.550-08:00Motivation<div class="post" style="margin: 0px; padding: 20px;">
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hi. It's been awhile. I don't know if I'm back, I'm just writing. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Before the new year started, I told myself I was going to enjoy the week between Christmas and New Year's, but then on January 1st, the crap food goes away. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Today is day 3. I'm doing good so far. But I also know that there may come a day in the near future when I just stop for some unknown reason, and then before I know it, I'm back to square one. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> I need some kind of motivation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "You don't need to lose weight," my husband said. "You look gorgeous. I just want you to be happy. Remember that night you wore the black dress? You were happy then. So you were, what? Like 10 pounds less than you are now?" </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Image may contain: one or more people and people standing" height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-5.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/60519_1616807658451_4870844_n.jpg?oh=a12f18a4dcf25da5230ec1e9c3100800&oe=59183DC9" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="300" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Black Dress<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I remember the night o</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">f the black dress. That was on our anniversary, six years and 50 pounds ago. I told him as much. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> He was shocked. "No way was that 50 pounds. If you lost 50 pounds, you would look sickly." </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> No. I would look like a sexy girl in a black dress. And I would still want to lose another 20 pounds.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> "OK," my husband said. "How about this. You get back to the black dress size, where you looked like you were really happy with the way you looked, and we'll go on a cruise. OK?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> OK.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I don't own the back dress anymore. I tried it on about a year after I wore it and I ripped it as I was trying to get it over my hips. Instead of trying to repair it, I threw it away in tears of frustration and disappointment. But that's ok. There are other black dresses.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And I was happy that night. That was September of 2010, after 5 months of steadily losing weight. I had lost 40 pounds since that April. I was proud of my accomplishment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now I need to lose more, and I'm older now, so it will be harder. But I know it can be done. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Perhaps I will start using this as a weight loss blog....</span></div>
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The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-54701348605075058952016-08-15T21:34:00.002-07:002019-01-01T21:50:44.274-08:00Hey ya'll.<br />
<br />
I'm going to take a bit of a bloggy break. Maybe it will be forever, maybe not. But it's not like I was writing all that much, anyway, so we'll see how the little break goes.<br />
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What will I be doing on my time off? Reading, mostly. I have a new found love for Liane Moriarty, so I've been reading all of her books. I also want time to read all of YOUR fabulous blogs! I'm really looking forward to that!<br />
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So, I'm here, I'm still alive, and hopefully you'll see me in your comments. Talk to you soon!<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-52674039709815896352016-08-11T06:00:00.000-07:002019-01-01T21:53:48.183-08:0013 things that are right in front of meOk, I need to get back in to blogging. I'm going to start out small. <a href="http://www.forgetfulone.com/" target="_blank">Forgetfulone </a>recently posted a blog about 13 things that she could see in front of her right now. Here my list:<br />
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<b>1. The TV.</b> I'm watching Bachelor in Paradise on Demand right now. I wasn't going to watch it, but everyone at work was talking about it, and The Agent is out playing poker, so I decided to binge watch. It's not anything to get excited about.<br />
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<b>2. 4 Baskets of laundry.</b> To be fair, it's all clean laundry. It just needs to be hung up and put away. I'm waiting for a child or a husband to volunteer to help put it away. It's been there for three days now.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://mothering-matters.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/10/laundry-basket-web.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="261" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>3. The cat. </b>More specifically, Bug's cat. There's something wrong with this friggin' cat. He hates the world. If you try to pet him, he's flinch and cower like you're trying to beat him. But he loves Bug. He leans into her hand when she pets him, and curls up on her lap when she's sitting on the couch. And then when Bug goes to bed, this fool cat goes to bed with her and sleeps with his head on her pillow. Nutty cat.<br />
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<b>4. My laptop</b>. Duh.<br />
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<b>5. Several toys and books belonging to the short people in the house.</b> Seriously, can't they put ANYTHING away?<br />
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<b>6. A Weird brass flamingo.</b> So, my stepmother's aunt died, and her mother (so, my stepgrandmother?) was given this life sized brass flamingo that was found in the house. Alice's mom put the flamingo in her living room and it worked perfectly in there, because, well, her living room was last redecorated in the mid seventies. So then we're over at their house for some holiday and The Agent fell in love with the flamingo. So what does Alice's mom do? She straight gives us the flamingo. And I'm like, "no, please, I'm sure it has sentimental value, please don't make me keep that ugly brass bird in my house." So now Freddie Flamingo lives in our living room. And not in a corner. Straight in the middle of everything. Watching me like a creeper.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/13938534_10209705996985056_2794395176151164715_n.jpg?oh=f6556a866151a4035cfc37a183652748&oe=58152D17" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">See the unfinished wood in the background? See #10.</td></tr>
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<b>7. The house phone. </b>There are only three people who call me on the house phone: Mom, Dad, and BFF. I have received 3 phone calls tonight, from none of those people. Freakin' telephone solicitors. Luckily, I have caller id, so I didn't answer the phone at all, and they didn't leave messages, which is also annoying.<br />
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<b>8. A notepad. </b>Filled with sentences written by BK. On the 7th day of school (which was Tuesday), BK's teacher called me and asked if there was "a bathroom issue" she should know about. It seems that BK went to the bathroom during class 5 times over the last two days, even after he said he went at recess. I told the teacher there are no bathroom issues, he just wants to get out of class. Duh. So, as punishment, BK had a fill a page with "I will go to the bathroom at recess."<br />
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<b>9. A pizza box.</b> Ummmm...... yeah. We had pizza two weeks ago. The Agent wanted to save it for some reason. Just call us the Hoarders.<br />
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<b>10. The fireplace. </b>Two years ago, almost three now, The Agent put a big hole in my living room when he ripped out my fireplace. 6 months ago, he finally put in the new fireplace and the shelving I've been asking for.... and then he stopped. It still needs to be painted and the baseboards needs to be installed.... but I haven't been complaining because at least there's not a big hole there anymore. Maybe it will be completed someday.<br />
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<b>11. Bug's backpack.</b> I should probably check to make sure she did all her homework...<br />
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<b>12. My Yeti.</b> Do you guys know about the Yeti? Oh my, I think it's it's going to make my list of my favorite things in 2016. It's basically just a steel cup that keeps hot things hot and cold things cold. In the evening I enjoy a cocktail (today it was vodka and soda), and in the morning, the ice will still be in the tumbler. My friends, this is California. It's 9 o'clock at night and it's still 82 degrees out. The ice should have become water in about 26 minutes.<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://media.yeti.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/thumbnail/1500x879/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/y/e/yeti-rambler-tumbler20-1.jpg" height="234" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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<b>13. Pretzel Crisps</b> by Snack Factory. This is my new crack.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://scene7.targetimg1.com/is/image/Target/14998128?wid=480&hei=480" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br /></td></tr>
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What's right in front of you right now?<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
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<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-56854507717110048262016-06-18T17:58:00.001-07:002019-01-01T21:54:13.053-08:00Drama in the worldThere's drama in the world.<br />
<br />
People are shooting each other.<br />
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People are judging each other in the face of tragedy.<br />
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People are hating each other.<br />
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Why?<br />
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Why do we treat people this way?<br />
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I'm not saying we have to love everyone, or even like everyone.<br />
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But when did we start to think so little of the human soul that it became easier to destroy one than to tolerate one?<br />
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It makes me sad to think about the future.<br />
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My neighbors are all carrying guns.<br />
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Politicians are screaming for gun control.<br />
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I don't know what the right answer is.<br />
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I just want to live in a world where I don't have to worry that my children might be shot while walking to the park.<br />
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<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border: 0px;" /></a><br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-27750918234927990162016-06-08T19:15:00.000-07:002019-01-01T21:54:38.235-08:00May results and June goals<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mysocalledchaos.com/" target="_blank"><img alt="The Monthly Goals: a Goals Linky Party at My So-Called Chaos and A Peek at Karen's World" src="http://i1.wp.com/mysocalledchaos.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/01/MonthlyGoalsButton2016.jpg?resize=1080%2C1080" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.mysocalledchaos.com/" target="_blank"></a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Another month down and I still don't have a lot to say, but that's ok!<br />
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<b>*Lose three more pounds.</b> Finally, a good month for weight loss! May 1: 241.1. June 1: 238.0. Whoo hoo! I've been working hard on the Lovely Diet Plan (which is essentially logging everything I eat and calorie counting).<br />
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<b>*Create our summer bucket list.</b> Done! The kids love creating this list every Summer. You can read about this year's list <a href="http://looklucklove.blogspot.com/2016/05/53-days-of-summer-fun.html" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
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<b>*Create a You Tube Video for Bug.</b> I still didn't get to this, and Bug hasn't been asking. Out of sight, out of mind.<br />
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<b>*Go on a date without the kids.</b> We went out not once, but twice! First we went to my girlfriend's 40 birthday party, and then the very next night, we went out to dinner with the other parents from BK's baseball team. A bit of a bummer that it wasn't spread out a little more, but at least we got out of the house!<br />
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And I also read two more books in May, making the total 23 for the year:<br />
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<i>The Swan House </i>by Elizabeth Musser<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51IQU5XZx0L._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="262" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">find it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Swan-House/dp/0764225081/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463842397&sr=8-1&keywords=the+swan+house" target="_blank">here </a></td></tr>
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This book was only ok to me, which is probably why it took almost the entire month to read it. It was about a young rich debutante named Mary Swan, growing up in Atlanta in the 1960's. When her mother dies tragically, her housekeeper takes Mary Swan with her to volunteer at a soup kitchen on the other side of town. While there, Mary Swan questions everything about her society and the life she's always known.<br />
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So this was a book that's supposed to make you think and question the way people do things. It was about discrimination and segregation and the differences between the rich and the poor. Not my cup of tea. I'd rather have a good love story.... so I was particularly annoyed when the book ended and we don't know if Mary Swan ended up with the guy (there is a sequel that answers this question, but I will not be reading it. You can read it and tell me what happens).<br />
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<i>Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes</i> by Denise Grover Swank<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery, Book 1) by [Swank, Denise Grover]" height="400" src="https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/I/51t88IwDItL.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">find it <a href="https://smile.amazon.com/Twenty-Eight-Half-Wishes-Gardner-Mystery-ebook/dp/B0058UXHHK/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1465267989&sr=1-1&keywords=twenty+eight+and+a+half+wishes" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I got this book because it was free, but what a cute story! This girl has always been a plain Jane outcast, but she's special because she can have visions of future events, but that makes you kind of creepy in a small town in Arkansas. So she's an outcast, but then one day she sees her own murder in a vision. She knows she's about to die, so she starts to really live for the first time in her life.<br />
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This book was the first in a series, and I liked it enough that I've already read the next three books so far in June! There's like 8 books in the series, so I'll have plenty of reading material this Summer!<br />
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Now, we're on to June!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXilRh-4YjsZVJ_oEAoYVgOBvTVXoQPrPVUwk7_7gPfkcic1htLqyN15RqmdjQBVsY9Su_87VFYie14XOsrwi_HEQMSuSwrnS1gEOVh6-l19mv9uHFFkO8qheTBI-Pp8s5W36eAWM1tg/s1600/June+Goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpXilRh-4YjsZVJ_oEAoYVgOBvTVXoQPrPVUwk7_7gPfkcic1htLqyN15RqmdjQBVsY9Su_87VFYie14XOsrwi_HEQMSuSwrnS1gEOVh6-l19mv9uHFFkO8qheTBI-Pp8s5W36eAWM1tg/s400/June+Goals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>* Lose 5 More Pounds. </b>I'm on a roll, let's keep it up!<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>* Have a birthday party for BK. </b>BK turns 7 in June. He already blew it, and can't have a party with all his friends (I guess I better write about that at some point). But he's still having a birthday, so he'll still have a party with the family, and I'll make it cute and fun. And bonus: I saved about $400 by not having it at the laser tag place like we were planning! #silverlining<br />
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<b>* Build a relationship with the boss. </b>I have a new boss, who just started on May 31st. I've only met him a couple of times, but my position works very closely with him, so June will be spent getting to know each other, how we tick, all that.<br />
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<b>* Teach BK how to swim. </b>We didn't join the swim team this year. Bug was at the point that she needed to start getting competitive, and she just wasn't feeling it. We decided to just stick to the HOA pool, so we could all enjoy it, and I could spend some one on one time with BK to get him to learn to swim. I'm not sure that we'll be able to accomplish this in June, but it's definitely one of our goals for the summer.<br />
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Happy Summer!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-66710912457443385002016-05-23T06:00:00.000-07:002019-01-01T21:55:08.982-08:0053 Days of Summer FunWho's glad it's almost summer vacation???<br />
<br />
Sadly, Summer isn't that big of a deal here. I still work, The Agent still works, so the kids go to day camp during the summer. They like that they don't have to worry about school, but they still have to get up and get ready every morning, so that's a bummer. Certainly different from the Summer vacations I had growing up. So the trick is finding the fun in our every day lives.<br />
<br />
Every Summer for the past few years, we've created a Summer fun list-- a list of fun, attainable things to do, one for each day of Summer vacation. Last year's list is <a href="http://looklucklove.blogspot.com/2015/06/2015-summer-fun.html" target="_blank">here </a> and 2014's is <a href="http://looklucklove.blogspot.com/2014/06/53-in-53.html" target="_blank">here</a>. We have 53 days of Summer vacation this year, so this year we will have 53 fun things on our list. The kids help create the list, I ask The Agent what he wants to do, and I add a few things of my own.<br />
<br />
Here's our list this year:<br />
<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkpwI9OlUJAwP3zi2h1usQoz6MvKfrmwj29k9I2OpVRhbbCbZs1VpjHmhdE1RjO1RwYXbbCTDBgwKs5qB3Mz1RLTDpGn1LN6ogj1stx6eoV9rabJ4nRTtWTxg4IHVdWiB5QRRtT3d-Os/s1600/53+days+of+summer+fun.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZkpwI9OlUJAwP3zi2h1usQoz6MvKfrmwj29k9I2OpVRhbbCbZs1VpjHmhdE1RjO1RwYXbbCTDBgwKs5qB3Mz1RLTDpGn1LN6ogj1stx6eoV9rabJ4nRTtWTxg4IHVdWiB5QRRtT3d-Os/s640/53+days+of+summer+fun.jpg" width="521" /></a></div>
<br />
<br />
I'm sure we won't get to EVERYTHING on this list (we never do), but they're all possible. Like there's no "Go to Greece on vacation" or "Climb Mt Everest." The list is printed out and on the refrigerator, so the kids can cross off what we've done so far, and they can decide what they want to do next. It makes the Summer break a little more fun, and it gives us family time together.<br />
<br />
I will be posting pics of everything we do on Instagram, so feel free to follow along! And I want to see what fun things you're doing this Summer, too!<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-20572671029595297182016-05-10T20:14:00.002-07:002019-01-01T21:55:27.705-08:00The apple doesn't fall far from the treeWhen I was in the 5th grade, my mother volunteered at the school on a weekly basis. For Mother's Day, my teacher gave my mom a box of See's candy, as a thank you for volunteering.<br />
<br />
On the same day, my girl scout troop made muffins for our moms for Mother's Day. I walked home from school that evening, with both the candy and the muffins in my backpack.<br />
<br />
Except the See's candy didn't make it home. I ate it. Yes, the whole box. Don't judge! See's candy is about the best thing in the world.<br />
<br />
I hid the empty box in my backpack and gave the muffins to my mother. "These are from Mrs. Hart, because you volunteer in the class," I told my mother. I'm sure my logic was that if I was going to eat my teacher's present, the least I could do is let her take credit for my muffins.<br />
<br />
So, I ate the candy, my parents ate the muffins, and they never knew about the candy. All was well.<br />
<br />
Until Monday morning.<br />
<br />
My mother gave me a sealed envelope and said, "Here. Give this to Mrs. Hart."<br />
<br />
"What is it?" I asked.<br />
<br />
"It's a thank you note for those delicious muffins," my mother answered.<br />
<br />
Oh, Crap. Not to mention, I'm sure that they were definitely NOT delicious, since they were made by a bunch of 10 and 11 year old girls.<br />
<br />
But I couldn't give the note to Mrs. Hart, not when I didn't know what it said. So as I was walking to school, I carefully opened the letter.<br />
<br />
<blockquote class="tr_bq">
<i>Dear Mrs. Hart, </i><i><br /></i><i>Thank you for the lovely muffins. They were delicious. They were the perfect addition to our Mother's Day brunch..... </i></blockquote>
<br />
Oh, no. Mrs. Hart could never see that. The card went down the sewer drain.<br />
<br />
It wasn't until several weeks later that it occurred to me that I never found a way to thank Mrs. Hart for the candy on behalf of my mother. I knew I couldn't pass off a note in my own writing, so I never said anything. Better to just have the teacher think my mother was rude.<br />
<br />
I was reminded of this story when I was going through Bug's backpack last week and saw that Bug had been practicing to write my signature.<br />
<br />
"Ummm, Bug? What is this? Why are you writing my signature?"<br />
<br />
Without missing a beat, Bug replied, "Your signature is so pretty, I wanted to try it."<br />
<br />
Lies. You can't play a player, my friend!<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-19433689051918282562016-05-03T06:00:00.000-07:002019-01-01T21:55:48.112-08:00April results and May Goals<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Can you believe it's already May? April flew by! Here were my goals for April: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22qUaxnnE-Ibihxa0sIalpLSDj4Jwweg7d57zL5ellEifVpH-XslNmEWIOS3zARWPWsGfX2Te-ylcpF_HkGc9wVqFdnzjIaauJ_-04yXriVz0u-aDNi6mhWWYce9Qkv8vhNZccXmj57c/s1600/april+goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22qUaxnnE-Ibihxa0sIalpLSDj4Jwweg7d57zL5ellEifVpH-XslNmEWIOS3zARWPWsGfX2Te-ylcpF_HkGc9wVqFdnzjIaauJ_-04yXriVz0u-aDNi6mhWWYce9Qkv8vhNZccXmj57c/s400/april+goals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>* File taxes.</b> Done. And the money is already spent.<br />
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<b>* Write a short story. </b> I started one, a great idea about an embryologist who couldn't get pregnant herself. But it never really went anywhere, and it sits unfinished.<br />
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<b>* Help Bug make a You Tube video.</b> We never got around to doing this, but Bug still wants to have a kids cooking channel.<br />
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<b>* Lose three pounds.</b> April 1: 242.3. May 1: 241.1. A loss of 1.2 pounds. Pitiful. But I guess it's better than a gain!<br />
<br />
And although this wasn't a goal, but I read three more books this month, making 21 all together. Here are the books I read:<br />
<br />
<i>The Good Neighbor</i> by AJ Banner:<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51DtjhH7PVL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Good-Neighbor-J-Banner-ebook/dp/B00T8RIK7G/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1462072406&sr=1-1&keywords=the+good+neighbor" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This was a pretty good book. The main character lost her closest friends and her own home in a fire, and now she's questioning if her whole life is lie, including her marriage to her husband. It was a page turner.<br />
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<i>When I'm Gone </i>by Emily Bleeker:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51QkdZLaUeL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/When-Im-Gone-Emily-Bleeker-ebook/dp/B0142IHZPI/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1462072247&sr=1-1&keywords=when+i%27m+gone" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
I liked <i>Wreckage </i>so much, that I decided to read <i>When I'm Gone</i>. This one was also really good. It started out much like <i>PS, I Love You</i>-- the main character's wife dies, and she leaves him several letters that she has delivered to him from beyond the grave. But while <i>PS, I Love You</i> is a romantic tear jerker from beginning to end, <i>When I'm Gone</i> is a mystery, and he questions the secrets his wife kept while she was alive. Another excellent book.<br />
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<i>Making Faces</i> by Amy Harmon:<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51xd96EWi7L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Making-Faces-Amy-Harmon-ebook/dp/B00F0XL3B2?ie=UTF8&keywords=making%20faces&qid=1462072192&ref_=sr_1_1&s=digital-text&sr=1-1" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
One of my readers recommended this book to me, and I'm so glad. I would consider this a Young Adult novel. It's about inner beauty, and sometimes beautiful faces can be just as beautiful on the inside, and you can be a beautiful person without the perfect outer shell. This was my favorite book of the month, but all three were really good!<br />
<br />
Now, on to May!<br />
<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPs82FHy2BSJrTQ7gKBqBHxHFjJoHz-ESTCgo4R5-jYdfsZJb45tpoL9har7LHTauDwOM6KcY4yDti25SA_DmDuFBiYP7leFUlJJRSbcVd_zxfMIeWLuWs4EJz19s0Y-8taXJaFvK01GI/s1600/may+goals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPs82FHy2BSJrTQ7gKBqBHxHFjJoHz-ESTCgo4R5-jYdfsZJb45tpoL9har7LHTauDwOM6KcY4yDti25SA_DmDuFBiYP7leFUlJJRSbcVd_zxfMIeWLuWs4EJz19s0Y-8taXJaFvK01GI/s400/may+goals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<b>*Lose three more pounds.</b> I think I might have to give up alcohol in order to accomplish this. It makes me very sad.<br />
<br />
<b>*Create our summer bucket list.</b> The kids look forward to this every year! Last year's list is <a href="http://looklucklove.blogspot.com/2015/06/2015-summer-fun.html" target="_blank">here </a> and 2014's is <a href="http://looklucklove.blogspot.com/2014/06/53-in-53.html" target="_blank">here</a>. We have 52 days of Summer vacation this year, so this year we will have 52 fun things on our list.<br />
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<b>*Create a You Tube Video for Bug.</b> I didn't get to this in April, so let's try it again in May!<br />
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<b>*Go on a date without the kids.</b> I need a night out in a major way! Who would like to watch my kids?<br />
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<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-24310388576734704332016-05-02T06:00:00.000-07:002019-01-01T21:56:08.366-08:00It's been a month, so here's an updateA sweet reader asked if I was still alive, and reminded me that it had been damn near a month since I last wrote.<br />
<br />
I am still alive.<br />
<br />
I am suffering from a major case of writers block.<br />
<br />
<br />
The weeks are spiraling out of control. I look at my calendar and I see that May is booked solid, but June looks better and July is almost completely blank. I tell myself that if I can just get through these next couple of weeks, things will calm down. Of course, by the time that happens, more commitments will come up.<br />
<br />
Let me give a bit of a update in each area of my life:<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">BK</span></b></div>
We are eating, breathing, and sleeping baseball right now. He went up a level this year, which means my commitment level has grown exponentially. There are games twice a week, plus practices. He is the youngest player on the team, so he'll be growing with these boys for the next years. Right now he plays either outfield or second base. He's not the best player on the team by any means, but he loves the game, and that's the important thing.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/v/t1.0-9/12933153_10208692252162069_5734727398290196742_n.jpg?oh=97b2b80211e7a2346034f5392a3ecd27&oe=57998B61" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Game Day Vibes!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
BK still gets into quite a bit of trouble. He can not seem to keep his body to himself. He gets mad at someone and kicks them-- that's a call to me. He thinks he's being funny and kisses someone-- that's a call to me. He pretends that he's a ninja with the other boys and they all karate chop each other-- that's a call to me. The Agent says he's just being a boy, but I'm ready to change my phone number. His birthday is next month and he wants to have his party at a laser tag place. I told him one more hands on event and he won't get a party. Let's see if that works-- it's only been three days, but so far, so good!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Bug</span></b></div>
Bug is a little diva right now. She turned 20 last month, and she thinks she's all that and a bag chips. basketball season is over, and she didn't want to be on the swim team year, so her only extra curricular activity right now is girl scouts. She's friendly with all the girls, but I wouldn't say she's developed any major friendships yet. PoorBug struggles a bit socially. She'll go three months not caring what anyone thinks, and then have a breakdown, crying that she doesn't have any friends. It was twin day at last week. She didn't make any effort to coordinate a twin outfit with anyone, and went to school that day in her normal uniform. After school, she was upset that every person in the class had a twin except her, and then had the nerve to get mad at me because I didn't arrange an outfit with anyone. Hey, it's not problem! She needed to figure it out for herself!<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img height="400" src="https://scontent.fsnc1-1.fna.fbcdn.net/hphotos-xtl1/v/t1.0-9/12670652_10208690110988541_1996518214946688860_n.jpg?oh=2483ace0976964aca59c18a254b9718c&oe=57AF2950" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We went to the snow this month. Yes, we're in t-shirts. That's how we roll in Cali</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
At the same time, when someone does seem to want to be her friend, she's not interested. Bug and the rest of her troop was swimming at someone's house on Friday night, and the mom called me to see if Bug would like to spend the night. Sure, that would be wonderful! But when I got Bug on the phone to tell her, she said she didn't want to stay the night, and asked me to pick her up. When arrived, Bug begged to stay the night after all. It turned out that another girl had also been invited, and although Bug didn't want to just sleep over with the hostess, the event became a lot more interesting when another girl was involved! I told Bug that you don't accept an invitation based on who else will there, she asked me to pick her up, I did, we're leaving.<br />
<br />
She cried all the way home, and went straight to her room and went to bed without saying a word. Little diva.<br />
<br />
When she's not being melodramatic, Bug likes to bake or play on her computer.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">The Agent</span></b></div>
The Agent is good. My fireplace is still not complete, but there's no longer a hole in my living room, so I'm not complaining anymore, which explains why my fireplace isn't done yet. He goes golfing every Thursday and plays poker whenever I let him out of the house (maybe two or three times a month). He's been begging me to go camping, now that the weather is nice. I suppose I'm going to have to do that a couple of times this summer.<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Work</span></b></div>
Work is good. I still have a job and I'm still pretty good at it. I'm still learning and there's still a few things I'm struggling with, but I'm chugging along. I am without a boss now, and I'm still waiting for the announcement on who that will be, but for now I'm doing pretty well without someone above me to tell me otherwise!<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<b><span style="font-size: x-large;">Me</span></b></div>
I have not miraculously lost 50 pounds. For now, that's ok.<br />
<br />
What have you been up to this month?<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.mylivesignature.com/" target="_blank"><img src="http://signatures.mylivesignature.com/54488/342/80AF5649AF107F45EA2D8A122D72076A.png" style="background: transparent; border: 0px;" /></a>
<br />
<a href="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/" target="_blank" title="Best Mommy Blogs"><img alt="Visit Top Mommy Blogs To Vote For Me!" border="0" src="http://www.topmommyblogs.com/directory/images/banners/tmb-200x50_vote_banner.gif" height="50" width="200" /></a>The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-83108660995841945542016-04-04T06:00:00.000-07:002019-01-01T21:56:29.475-08:00March results and April goals<br />
March is in the books! How did it turn out for you?<br />
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<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGgoIrVR19k8ySkNrBO5U6Md7onS44OxEHYpG0NZIarKEy-73B8JwbzlSl2i-Uh86HEFq2Qy4cyiLZY0aLBzQXZ22xiUarrCI47YTC7G7GGxlAYlVIHQmAYNrMpij2pRAzR5ZU6N73c0/s1600/marchgoals.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjGgoIrVR19k8ySkNrBO5U6Md7onS44OxEHYpG0NZIarKEy-73B8JwbzlSl2i-Uh86HEFq2Qy4cyiLZY0aLBzQXZ22xiUarrCI47YTC7G7GGxlAYlVIHQmAYNrMpij2pRAzR5ZU6N73c0/s400/marchgoals.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>End Basketball and start baseball.</b> Success! Bug had a great finish. She wasn't the best on the team, but she made serious improvement from the beginning of the season. I told her at the beginning of the season that I only ask that she try each game, and she did! She put in great effort every game.<br />
<br />
Now we're eating, breathing, and sleeping baseball. BK is kind of awesome, and went up a level this year. He's the youngest player on the team, but he's holding his own! He scored two runs on his first game, and we ended up winning 9 to 3. Go Yankees!<br />
<br />
<b>Lose 5 more pounds. </b>March 1st: 238.9. March 31st: 242.3. Yikes! Too many Cadbury eggs!<br />
<br />
<b>Read 3 more books.</b> Nailed it again! I read 6 more books in March, putting me at 18 all together for the year:<br />
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<i>Legend </i>by Marie Lu.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61t9JwdDgyL._SX326_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Legend-Marie-Lu/dp/014242207X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458618142&sr=8-1&keywords=Legend+by+Marie+Lu" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
This book was on my kindle for over a year before I actually started reading it this month. When I purchased it, I thought it was the book that became the movie with the same name starring Will Smith. It's not. Still, it was was moderately entertaining. It's the first book in a series, I probably won't purchase another the next book.<br />
<br />
<br />
<br />
<i>Royal Date</i> by Sariah Wilson<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Royal-Royals-Monterra-Sariah-Wilson-ebook/dp/B00QXUN5Y4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458618262&sr=8-1&keywords=Royal+Date+by+Sariah+Wilson" target="_blank">here </a></td></tr>
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I think this one was free. It was a predictable, cute little romance, with the typical misunderstandings that couples must go through before they live happily ever after. This was a stand alone book (I think) but there are other books that will follow the stories of some of the other characters. I may or may not be purchasing the other books. To be determined.<br />
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<i>The Tumor</i> by John Grisham.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51WCfofu7%2BL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Tumor-Non-Legal-Thriller-John-Grisham-ebook/dp/B01AUYDNI6/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458618322&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Tumor+by+John+Grisham" target="_blank">here </a></td></tr>
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This is not a real book, so I hesitate to even bring it up. It was described as a non legal thriller. Ok, I'm game. But really it's about ultrasound technology, and how it's going to revolutionize cancer treatment in the future, and he's financially endorsing the practice. It's basically an advertisement for the product. Well written, but not really my cup of tea. <br />
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<i>The Revenant</i> by Michael Punke. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51zhmz4IR9L._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Revenant-Novel-Revenge-Michael-Punke/dp/1250101190/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1458618438&sr=8-1&keywords=The+Revenant+by+Michael+Punke" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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The Agent read this book and seemed to like it, and we hadn't seen the movie yet, so I decided to give it a shot. It was pretty good. It's about a man who was attacked by a bear and was left in the wilderness to die by his comrades. The book is more about the victim's quest for revenge from the men who left him to die. This was probably the most intellectual book I've read this year.... which is probably also why it took me two weeks to read when I can usually get through a book in two days.<br />
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<i>Close to Home</i> by Megan Nugen Isabell<br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51SSPDVENGL._SX322_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Close-Home-The-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B01D2A58JM?ie=UTF8&keywords=close%20to%20home&qid=1459399834&ref_=sr_1_6&s=digital-text&sr=1-6" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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You might remember that I read the first 5 books of this series in January. When I found out that there was a 6th book, I picked it up right away. This was an easy beach read, as entertaining as the previous ones, but I have to say I was more than a little annoyed with some of the choices the main character made. Greedy girl! I will be buying the next book in the series.... when it comes out. I hope it doesn't take too long-- I have a terrible memory, and if I can't remember what happened in the first book, I probably won't be buying the next one.<br />
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<i>Wreckage </i>by Emily Bleeker<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img src="http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/41svUp30fPL._SX331_BO1,204,203,200_.jpg" height="400" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="266" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">buy it <a href="http://smile.amazon.com/Wreckage-Emily-Bleeker-ebook/dp/B00NAJZDIM/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1459400326&sr=1-1&keywords=wreckage" target="_blank">here</a></td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;">This is probably my favorite book of the year so far. It's about two people who survive a plane crash, and live for two years on a deserted island before they are rescued. It's about their feelings before, during, and after their time on the island. There are a lot of flashbacks, but it's still easy to follow. I felt for the main characters' dilemma, but I was annoyed that there was one plot hole that I needed more info on. Still, I would recommend this one! </span><br />
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<b style="text-align: center;">Donate 4 bags of "stuff."</b><span style="text-align: center;"> Done, and then some! I meant to take a picture and then I forgot, like the big goof I am. But we ended up donating 4 bags of clothes, a bag of tupperware, a box of old toys, and a guitar. </span><br />
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<b>Go to the library. </b>Score! It was a little sad that I had to schedule time to fit this in, but at least we got it done!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTdHgq4trKWys71Zl6v7V-n7SqvLSnIoRsbp-wDvnHExfTdHstplV5wpZ0JyrHxD3y-oI-QYl4nEhhQgkXf8doY13vTFZ4SYuHdbUV5pVKYBSRBzxfdN8Eh8bwJkgVELYijlVlv6Zzqo/s1600/CAM03875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEguTdHgq4trKWys71Zl6v7V-n7SqvLSnIoRsbp-wDvnHExfTdHstplV5wpZ0JyrHxD3y-oI-QYl4nEhhQgkXf8doY13vTFZ4SYuHdbUV5pVKYBSRBzxfdN8Eh8bwJkgVELYijlVlv6Zzqo/s400/CAM03875.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<b>Have an awesome Spring Break!</b> I had a week off with the babies for spring break, and The Agent had to go to Chicago for work, so it was just the three of us for most of the week. We packed in as much fun as we could! We decorated Easter eggs, toured the Jelly Belly factory, went to the library, and went hiking along the Cosumnes River. Good times!<br />
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Now, here's what's in store for April:<br />
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<b>* File taxes.</b> I can't believe we haven't done this yet.<br />
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<b>* Write a short story. </b>My writing has really taken a back seat lately, but I have an idea that is playing around in my head.<br />
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<b>* Help Bug make a You Tube video.</b> Bug has serious love for<a href="https://www.youtube.com/user/RosannaPansino" target="_blank"> Rosanna Pansino</a>, who hosts Nerdy Nummies on You Tube. Even I got a little star struck when she "liked" my Instagram photo of one of the creations Bug made from her cookbook. Now Bug has it in her head that she wants to start her own web series, so I told her I would help her with it.<br />
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<b>* Lose three pounds.</b> Time to get serious now. Summer is almost here and The Agent is going to expect me to walk around in shorts. But since I haven't been able to lose 5 pounds, I better start off a little smaller and only try to lose three.<br />
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That's it! Make it a great month!<br />
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<br />The Lovely Onehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02116016955719774820noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5456700672336937509.post-19443626489120178562016-03-28T22:13:00.003-07:002019-01-03T20:34:26.412-08:00How I'm becoming happier by not caringI've been trying to write a post about my mother for the last two days, but that's just not happening. So sorry, guess I won't be linking up with <a href="http://www.momfessionals.com/2016/03/lets-talk-moms.html" target="_blank">Let's Talk</a> this month.<br />
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I've been thinking about who I am lately. I want to be the girl who doesn't care what anyone thinks. I'm not that girl, not by a long shot. Always in the back of my head, I'm thinking two thoughts: Please don't be mad at me. Please love me.<br />
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But I am making progress. I am learning what makes me happy, and what I don't have time to dwell on. I think I realized this when I tried to start writing about my mother. And I didn't really have anything to say.<br />
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I haven't spoken to her since Christmas. She didn't even send a card for Bug's birthday. And I don't care, because it took trying to write a blog post about her to even realize that she wasn't calling me, and I wasn't calling her.<br />
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I don't wish her ill, so I hope she's ok. I just don't have time to worry about it. I wish we had a better relationship, but we don't.<br />
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I'm also starting to not care what anyone thinks about my parenting skills (or lack thereof). I'm a yeller. I get it. I have tried not to yell, I have told the children that I don't want to yell, but there are sometimes moments when I feel like they are not hearing me unless I raise my voice. I wish they listened the first time, but that doesn't always happen. So you might hear me yell. Don't like it? Maybe you should take them for the afternoon and tell me what the secret is. Have fun.<br />
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I will say that I am a much better parent when I'm only with one of them. A neighbor caught me walking through Target as I was in a deep conversation with BK about the best Pokemon cards. I felt like mom of the year. It's the little things.<br />
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And I'm finally starting to not care about what people think of me at work. This is a hard one, because I have to see these people every day. And it's also hard, because some of those people think they're still in high school, and they'll friend or defriend you at the drop of a hat. But then I starting thinking, how awkward is it for these same people to decide that they need something from me after all and try to friend me again? I think it's kind of funny when I get a friend request, and I know we were friends last month, because I saw the photos of your parakeet that you insist on posting every 20 minutes (FYI-- we're at work. You sit 20 feet away from me. You are not with the damn bird right now, so stop posting pictures, acting like you're feeding him a treat right now).<br />
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And by the way, I might have friended you again, but I'm still in charge of the vacation calendar and you still can't have Christmas off, so I guess I'll be unfriended again next week.<br />
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So, those are the three things that I'm trying not to care about, at least not this week. What do you not care about?<br />
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