Archive | daily life RSS feed for this section

Hobby Rant

29 Feb

I’ve been bothered lately that I don’t really do any of the activities that I say are my hobbies. I like scrapbooking–haven’t done it since August. I like writing–that is like pulling teeth. I like cooking–I use being tired and not having enough grocery money as excuses to not do this often (although this is one thing that I do still do).

So tonight, I finally made my personalized travel coffee mug all cutsy (until now, I had been using the insert that came with it). You have to see all three angles: the front, the side, and the other side (it’s round). Isn’t it cute? The pictures aren’t so great because of the glare and I didn’t want to go to the trouble of taking the paper out again (because it isn’t very easy to get in there).

But there is one hobby of mine that I do on a very regular basis (nearly every day) but I feel like I would get scoffed at if I actually said I enjoyed it…exercise. I really enjoy exercise. I like going to the gym, I like lifting weights, I like running (except in CO where the air is so freaking thin!), I like feeling healthy and strong.

But there’s this aura of jealousy and sabotage surrounded weight loss efforts and health. It’s the reason why overweight co-workers jump on the free food in the lunch room and get disgruntled when I don’t. (My fellow Nesties know what I’m talking about–www.thenest.com) Anyway, I’m not going to get on that soap box.

Actually, I am. Why do people think that they can comment on healthy choices, making the person feel like they’re being stuffy and boring by eating right, saying “Wow, a salad, you’re being so good today.” I mean, it would be a major faux pas if I said, “Wow, you’re eating a really big burger. You’re being so bad today.”

And it’s not just limited to food choices either. I had a person at work (who happens to have a louder personality) ask me the other day if I was “always this quiet.” I replied, “No, I just don’t say anything if I have nothing to say.” For a couple days after that, I was really bothered. What if I asked that person, “Are you always this loud?” They made it sound like it was a bad thing that I don’t talk all the time. Being shy/quiet has been a source of beef with me since I was little. People always say I’m shy but I correct them saying, “I’m not shy, I’m just quiet.” There’s a big difference between those two, believe me.

Man, what happened here? I came to post my new coffee mug and I got riled up. Sorry.

Tags: , , ,

Picture Perfect Success

28 Feb

For my job as Creative Resources Coordinator, I work a lot with pictures of our resources. Who would’ve thought, right? Well, the whole desktop publishing/Photoshop thing isn’t my training. I know more about it than the average Joe (or Josephina in my case I guess) but overall, it’s been “Here’s what you have to do…figure it out as you go.”

So I was very proud of myself today when I made a collage of our conference preview incentives. I downloaded the product images from their respective websites, made a logo with transparent background, placed the logo on the product, made the product’s background transparent (that alone is a feat for me), AND placed all the products into one file as a collage. And the collage had an transparent background. Man I’m good!! At the end of it all, I really couldn’t believe that I had done it. I’m learning!

I also devoted my time tonight (since Travis is still gone) to updating my Picasa web album with all the pictures that had just been sitting on my computer that I never use anymore (because it is slower than molasses). So check them out! Voila–pictures galore!

Tags: ,

Attempting the possible?

25 Feb

So Travis and I decided that we’re going to run the Colorado Half Marathon in Fort Collins on May 4, 2008. Yikes!

I have been running more lately but I’m still only up to 3 miles. I can do this though! Back in 2006, I went from running 2 blocks in August to 10 miles in November. So I know I can physically do it–but can I do it mentally?

I have found that running is more of a mental sport than a physical one. True, there are a lot of physical ailments that go along with running (lost toenails, torn muscles, shin splints, sore calves, chafe like no other). But for me, the days that I struggle most with running are the days that I either don’t feel like running or I’m being a wimp and telling myself “I can’t do this…it’s too hard…I just want to walk.”

Anyway, today is the first day of my Hal Higdon training program. Mondays are for “stretching and strengthening.” When I told Travis what I was going to do today, he said, “Aren’t you ever going to run?” because I did the elliptical yesterday at the Y instead of running and then I’m not running again today.

It’ll come! Tomorrow I run 3 miles, Wed is 2, Thurs is 3, and Sunday is FOUR! I have only a little more than 2 months to prepare. Wish me luck!

Random side note: Last night after we went to the Y, we stopped by the grocery store. There were Girl Scouts outside selling cookies so naturally, we bought 2 boxes–samoas and thin mints. Both have chocolate! I’m going to hide my half in the freezer though because I know that Travis will eat them all otherwise.

Tags: , , ,

Choco-nuts!

20 Feb

Just a little side note: I didn’t really notice how much chocolate I had been eating until I stopped eating if for Lent. It’s everywhere and I ate a lot of it! And as much as I have desired some–and been offered chocolate chip cookies, Milano cookies, expensive chocolate/hazelnut things, and even made a giant chocolate chip cookie for my husband–I haven’t caved! Only 32 more days to go!!

Tags: , , , ,

Valentine’s Day Cookie

12 Feb

Travis was gone yesterday and today on a work trip. The perfect time to get his Valentine’s Day present ready–a giant chocolate chip cookie heart with chocolate frosting and red hots. (See my Valentine’s Day Cookie).

If the cookie looks good to you, you’re right–it is good. Since I gave up chocolate for Lent, it was a test of willpower to bake this scrumptious cookie. This was actually my second attempt. The first one, I shaped exactly how I wanted it before I put it in the oven–so it came out looking like a circle pretty much. The second time around, though, I got smart and made the shape very exaggerated. And it came out good!

Anyway, back to the first attempt. It was all gooey in the middle and fell into about 12 different pieces as I tried to scrape it off the pan. And then I had all this chocolatey gooey goodness sitting there on the counter staring me in the face. It was screaming “Eat me! Eat me!” I even felt my fingers twitch. But I didn’t do it! I didn’t eat chocolate! I am so proud of my willpower (because usually I don’t have much when it comes to baking).

I am, however, going to freeze the chocolatey gooey goodness until after Easter. Then I am chowin’ down!


Tags: , ,

My crockpot experience

11 Feb

I finally used my crockpot last night to make chicken wild rice soup. It turned out good–a little runny but it tasted good. I think next time, I’ll use less chicken broth.

Here’s the recipe:

8 cups chicken broth
1 cup cream or half&half
chicken, cooked and diced
1 carrot, diced
2 ribs celery, diced
1 large onion, diced
2 cups wild rice
4 tbsp flour
1/2 cup butter
White pepper

Cook the wild rice according to package directions.

Saute the following for 3 minutes in the butter (I used olive oil and a little butter): carrots, celery, onion, and chicken. Sift the flour in gradually. Don’t brown.

In a crockpot or 4-5 quart kettle, combine: chicken broth, chicken/veggies, and rice. Add white pepper to taste. Put on low setting.

Add cream 1 hour before serving.

While I was preparing the soup, Travis took our Focus to a friend’s house to replace our brake pads and rotors. I felt like such a traditional couple–me in the kitchen cooking, him in the garage working on cars. It’s funny how before I started dating Travis, I never actually cooked. I would make mac and cheese and pizza. But I never made things with chicken (too much work) or things that required multiple ingredients and didn’t come in a box. Oh, how I’ve branched out now!

Tags: , , ,

Garbage triggers insight

8 Feb

So last night I was cleaning up the kitchen and asked DH very nicely if he would do me a favor–take the trash out before he went to bed. A few seconds went by and he replied, “Why can’t I take it out tomorrow morning?” I had wanted him to take it out last night because I didn’t want the garbage to stink up our apartment. He wanted to wait until the morning because that is what we have been doing and he didn’t want to walk all the way out to the dumpster in the cold.

To his reply I said nothing. Instead, I went into the bedroom and while I was changing into my PJs, I realized that instead of silently being angry at him–Why does he need a reason? Isn’t it enough that I asked him to do it?–I should go talk to him about my feelings. So I went and told him how I felt and we discussed it for a while. He wanted a reason for taking the trash out at night; I didn’t really have one besides “Because I asked you to.” It was a mature discussion. No angry words were said, no doors slammed, but I still walked away sad, lonely, and feeling misunderstood.

I thought about just going to sleep to spite Travis even though I wanted to read for a while. But I got my Bible out anyway–God shouldn’t be pushed aside just because I was being moody. But I couldn’t concentrate on what I was reading. All I could think about was how I felt so frustrated and how part of me wanted Travis to come to bed and the other part didn’t. And then it came to me: my feeling not understood by Travis was causing me to push him away, both emotionally and physically. I was equating feeling loved with being understood.

As I remembered back to different fights we had had over the past couple months, my theory seemed to make more and more sense. That’s why I was always over-explaining my emotions, responses, and wanting Travis to know WHY things had happened the way they did. During our arguments, even if Travis conceded the point and I “won,” I wasn’t satisfied because I still didn’t feel like he understood me and why I did what I did. I wasn’t justifying anything–just explaining. Ultimately, I just want him to understand me!

So I told him my insight last night and it was a huge stepping stone for our marriage. I learned more about him and his need for logical, rational, step-by-step thinking and he learned more about my whimsical, desire-driven, irrational thinking. But I can’t say how much hope it gives me to know why I have been being so irritable and angry at Travis lately–it has been my response to being hurt emotionally. That doesn’t make it right but it does point the way to the road of recovery.

Tags: , , ,

Relaxation

7 Feb

Last night was the most relaxing night I’ve had in a while. When I got home from work, I cleaned up the kitchen for about 5 minutes (so Travis wouldn’t come home to a dirty kitchen). Then I read the Bible for about 20 minutes and took a 20 minute nap. I really could’ve gone to bed right then but it was only 7:00 and I had other things I wanted to do.

I think that I am severely sleep-deprived because I can’t read a book or watch a movie without falling asleep within 20 minutes. I try to sit up straight and concentrate but it doesn’t work. I end up falling asleep anyway. I read about 5 pages of a book each night and there is a list of movies that I’ve only seen the beginning and end of. I keep telling Travis it’s because our bed is too small (we just have a my full-size from pre-marriage days) but we really don’t have the extra cash to spring for a bigger bed right now. Maybe if we buy a house, we can roll one into our mortgage…

Anyway, after my power nap (as my mom calls it), I did Pilates and then took a bubble bath while singing along to Christian worship songs. I like taking baths but really wish I had one of those clawfoot tubs that were actually made for taking baths in. The bath/shower combos today really aren’t made for adults to relax and take a bubble bath. It’s too short for my 5′ 6″ frame and my neck has to stay rigidly straight because of the wall. Why do they even make tubs like that? I guess if you wanted to give your kid or your dog a bath it would work well.

After that, Travis came home and we fell asleep reading in bed, me about 20 minutes before him. What a great night.

Tags: , ,

40 days without chocolate

6 Feb

So like a lot of other Christians during the time of Lent, I decided to “give something up.” Even though I grew up in an Evangelical Lutheran church, my family didn’t really celebrate Lent. I do remember getting a wooden cross at the beginning of Lent and every Sunday leading up to Easter, getting another piece to add to the scene–some nails, a sponge for the wine, a pair of dice, a thin strip of purple cloth. We didn’t get a tiny crown of thorns though…maybe they considered it dangerous for little kids.

But I like the idea of celebrating the traditional church holidays. I mean, we celebrate Advent, why not Lent? The church that Travis and I attend out here doesn’t celebrate Lent though. At least, it doesn’t have an Ash Wednesday service tonight. I had kind of wanted to go. I even contemplated going to some random Lutheran church around here but that might just be weird. Add to that the fact that I don’t really agree with Lutherans’ theology either. Hmmm…

So the thing I am doing for Lent is giving up chocolate. I figure, it’s as much of a vice as any other. I eat chocolate like it’s going out of style. I know that I will have pangs of desire for chocolate during the next 40 days. So instead of eating chocolate (or just substituting another indulgence, like ice cream), I am going to use the time I would spend eating chocolate to commune with God. And whenever I am reminded that I can’t have chocolate, even though I really want some, I will be reminded that this world is not where I belong and I am bound for a better one.

Losing weight wouldn’t be bad either…

Tags: , , , ,

Bye bye little red car!

5 Feb

There has been a red Chevy Corsica parked next to our car in our apartment parking lot for about 2 months. We haven’t seen it move for at least a month now. It’s there when we leave in the morning and there when we get home. We know that the person who owns it doesn’t actually live in the apartment building because when they first started parking in our parking lot, they actually parked in our spot. We left a note on their car and they moved–one spot over.

Well, when we bought the Pathfinder, we signed up for an extra parking spot. And guess which one they assigned to us? The one that the red car was parked in. Since it had worked before, we put a note on the car and waited for the owner to move. A week went by and still the car had not been moved. Our note was tattered and wrinkled from the snow that had fallen.

Finally, we decided that we had to have the car towed. There was no other way. So Travis called Coronado and told them about the car. Their response? “Yeah, the owner probably thinks that it’s no one’s spot. You have to call the towing company yourself.” Okay…it’s not like your the owner of the property or anything.

So yesterday we left work a little early to avoid the snow because we forgot to check the weather and drove the Focus. Whoops. As we pulled into the parking lot of our apartment, we gave our usual solemn, longing glance at our Pathfinder, parked way down in no man’s land for the time being. But this time, something caught our eyes. Something bright orange pasted onto the driver’s side window. We drove over and I got out to see what it was. A towing warning!

It was one thing that we couldn’t park in the parking space we were paying for and that Coronado refused to call the tow truck. But here they were, threatening to tow us! The nerve of some people! If I didn’t care about obeying social decency rules (and if the apartment office were open at different hours than the exact same ones I work), I would walk over to the leasing office and give them a piece of my mind.

But alas, the tow truck came and towed away that little red Corsica and we claimed spot 140 as its rightful owners. Now, instead of being scared that our new car is going to get towed, we’re just scared that it’s going to get keyed.

Tags: ,

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →