I am really looking forward to this long weekend with some much-needed time with some of my favorite girls. I am hoping that all of my crazy thoughts from last week and earlier this week are gone and that I can enjoy my bachelorette party! We have an event-filled weekend planned and I hope that I am able to keep up in my old age!
Tomorrow morning I fly into Chicago and after getting settled, a bunch of us are headed out to Ravinia for a Michael Franti and G Love concert!
Friday morning J and I hope to fit in a quick run and then 6 of us are headed to the Cubs game. Afterwards, we have dinner at one of my favorite restaurants- Café Bar-Ba-Reeba. Between the beer at the game and the sangria at dinner, I’m pretty sure we will be well liquored up for whatever we are doing that night (I am not privy to the plans).
Saturday plans are up in the air. Beach day? Pool day? Watching hot pro volleyball players? Who knows. Then Saturday night it will be another night of drinking.
Boy is my liver going to hurt after this coming weekend. Needless to say, I am going to try to eat somewhat healthy during the day and not worry about all of the WW points the drinks that I am going to consume will be. I will only be having one bachelorette party and I want to live it up without remorse!*
*Of course Monday I will have to hit the gym EXTRA hard, but it will all be worth it!!
8.25.2009
Crazy town, population 1
Wow. Yesterday I downward-spiraled into Crazy town, population 1. At times I thought that I was going to throw up, at times I had to seriously resist the urge to cry, and had yet another headache. Irrational thoughts swirled through my head all day. I barely got any work done.
After being talked off the ledge by three girl friends and you guys, I’m MUCH better today. Thank you for all of your kind comments. I spoke to CP about all of my irrational thoughts last night. Because they were irrational thoughts, it was hard to actually explain what was going on in my mind!! I even told him that I knew that they were irrational thoughts, that I didn’t know where they were coming from, and that I have no idea how to get rid of them. One of my friends suggested wine (which we all know makes everything better!) so I had two glasses with dinner. Annnd then CP and I ended up retiring to the bedroom early. :-) He said that he loved me a bit less when I was crazy, but loves me more now that I am normal. Ha ha.
J thinks that I had an anxiety attack b/c of my stomach pain, headache, jitters, irrational thoughts, etc. (she gets them sometimes herself). If it’s true it’s juuuuust what I need in the last 5 weeks leading up to the wedding! The only upside? I would lose a bunch of weight b/c not only did I run during lunch, but went home to do No More Trouble Zones and wasn’t hungry all day long. I had too much excess energy and thought that exercise would be a good way to get rid of it. I jokingly said to CP that I would lose a bunch of weight and he said that I would- and that I would also lose a 200 pound fiancé! Jerk. ;-) I think that I will take the fiancé over losing crazy weight.
Anyway, I am weird. I hope that you had a much better day than I did yesterday! :-)
After being talked off the ledge by three girl friends and you guys, I’m MUCH better today. Thank you for all of your kind comments. I spoke to CP about all of my irrational thoughts last night. Because they were irrational thoughts, it was hard to actually explain what was going on in my mind!! I even told him that I knew that they were irrational thoughts, that I didn’t know where they were coming from, and that I have no idea how to get rid of them. One of my friends suggested wine (which we all know makes everything better!) so I had two glasses with dinner. Annnd then CP and I ended up retiring to the bedroom early. :-) He said that he loved me a bit less when I was crazy, but loves me more now that I am normal. Ha ha.
J thinks that I had an anxiety attack b/c of my stomach pain, headache, jitters, irrational thoughts, etc. (she gets them sometimes herself). If it’s true it’s juuuuust what I need in the last 5 weeks leading up to the wedding! The only upside? I would lose a bunch of weight b/c not only did I run during lunch, but went home to do No More Trouble Zones and wasn’t hungry all day long. I had too much excess energy and thought that exercise would be a good way to get rid of it. I jokingly said to CP that I would lose a bunch of weight and he said that I would- and that I would also lose a 200 pound fiancé! Jerk. ;-) I think that I will take the fiancé over losing crazy weight.
Anyway, I am weird. I hope that you had a much better day than I did yesterday! :-)
8.24.2009
Still psycho
I had a perfectly lovely weekend without CP. I was able to work out Friday after work, Saturday morning, and Sunday morning. I ate healthy things and cooked a bunch of fantastic dishes. I ran errands and didn’t really think about the wedding. It was nice and relaxing and I didn’t worry even once about not talking to CP while he was at his bachelor party. He did text me “still alive” on Saturday night which was nice to know.
I chalk up my freak-out last week to hormones. Hormones and conversations that shouldn’t be had while a woman is hormoned up. Hormoned up- a new expression?
I was feeling great yesterday when CP got home. The Weight Watchers scale said that I was down another 2.8 pounds (over the course of two weeks) on Thursday, I went shopping on Saturday and felt skinny (especially after a buying a size 12 pant—for the first time in 4 years!!), and the house was clean. But after he came home and told me that they had gone to a strip club Saturday night, my stomach dropped. He said that the strip club was “by the book.” I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I think that it was his way of telling me nothing out of the ordinary happened.
I trust him, so I moved on. However, my heart could not. The confidence that I had wearing my new shirt and thinking that I looked skinny(er) was shattered. The woman (women?) that grinded on him Sat night? Are skinnier than me. No strip club would have a size 12/14 out on the floor. They were naked and grinding on MY fiancé.
Even though I put on my new sex(ier) pajamas last night (finally! A step up from oversized t-shirts from sports events 9+ years ago!) , CP was too tired from his festivities and barely noticed. Even if something would have happened, would he have been thinking about one of the strippers?
Aren’t these thoughts awful? Even in the past, I have never let a boyfriend’s trip to the strip club affect me so much. As women I don’t think that we want to be “that woman” that doesn’t allow her boyfriend/fiancé/husband to go to the strip club. We allow it, but don’t necessarily like the idea.
This morning I couldn’t stop thinking about it, emailing with three of my friends during work and worrying about it so much that I thought that I was going to get physically ill. I am a little better after my lunch time run, but I could probably still cry if I allowed myself to think about it.
Is our upcoming wedding turning me into a psycho? Not necessarily a Bridezilla but a crazy person?? I am no longer hormoned-up so I don’t have an excuse for these thoughts. What the f is wrong with me?????
I chalk up my freak-out last week to hormones. Hormones and conversations that shouldn’t be had while a woman is hormoned up. Hormoned up- a new expression?
I was feeling great yesterday when CP got home. The Weight Watchers scale said that I was down another 2.8 pounds (over the course of two weeks) on Thursday, I went shopping on Saturday and felt skinny (especially after a buying a size 12 pant—for the first time in 4 years!!), and the house was clean. But after he came home and told me that they had gone to a strip club Saturday night, my stomach dropped. He said that the strip club was “by the book.” I’m not sure exactly what that means, but I think that it was his way of telling me nothing out of the ordinary happened.
I trust him, so I moved on. However, my heart could not. The confidence that I had wearing my new shirt and thinking that I looked skinny(er) was shattered. The woman (women?) that grinded on him Sat night? Are skinnier than me. No strip club would have a size 12/14 out on the floor. They were naked and grinding on MY fiancé.
Even though I put on my new sex(ier) pajamas last night (finally! A step up from oversized t-shirts from sports events 9+ years ago!) , CP was too tired from his festivities and barely noticed. Even if something would have happened, would he have been thinking about one of the strippers?
Aren’t these thoughts awful? Even in the past, I have never let a boyfriend’s trip to the strip club affect me so much. As women I don’t think that we want to be “that woman” that doesn’t allow her boyfriend/fiancé/husband to go to the strip club. We allow it, but don’t necessarily like the idea.
This morning I couldn’t stop thinking about it, emailing with three of my friends during work and worrying about it so much that I thought that I was going to get physically ill. I am a little better after my lunch time run, but I could probably still cry if I allowed myself to think about it.
Is our upcoming wedding turning me into a psycho? Not necessarily a Bridezilla but a crazy person?? I am no longer hormoned-up so I don’t have an excuse for these thoughts. What the f is wrong with me?????
8.21.2009
Whip It Up Week #8
I almost forgot about Whip It Up this week! But fear not, I came home tonight and thought that I would throw a little something together from weightwatchers.com. I had a lot of zucchini in the house, so I made Zucchini Fries!
Ingredients:
4 sprays olive oil cooking spray
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 1/2 tbsp all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp table salt
3/4 cup dried bread crumbs, panko-variety suggested
2 medium zucchini, about 7-inches each, cut into 4 chunks, then each chunk halved
2 large egg whites, whipped until frothy
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425F. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray. In a small bowl, mix together Italian seasoning, flour and salt. Place bread crumbs in another small bowl.
Dredge a zucchini fry in flour mixture and then dip into egg whites; dredge in bread crumbs. Place coated zucchini on prepared baking sheet and repeat with remaining ingredients; liberally coat with cooking spray.
Roast, turning once, until desired crispness, about 12 minutes. Yields about 8 fries per serving (2 WW points per serving).
NOTES: I could have sworn that we had panko or bread crumbs in our house, but when I got home, I couldn't find any. Doh! But don't fear, I ended up crushing croutons that we had in the house and used them instead of panko. Because the croutons were herb-flavored, I decided to leave out the Italian seasoning.
I ran out of croutons and didn't crush them as much as I would have liked, or else I think that the "bread topping" would be more uniform. But still, YUM!!!Difficulty level: Easy and it only takes minutes to prepare!!
Taste: Holy crap these were good. For something that is so low in calories, you would think that you were eating something unhealthy. CP wasn't around to taste-test these babies, but I am pretty sure that he would be all over these!
Would I make it again: Most definitely. I felt as if I was eating tasty fried goodness. But when I was done with them, I didn't have any guilt!! This dish is highly recommended!!
The sweetness of love
Yesterday the GAP gift card and the grocery bag I won in Lacey's contest came! I can't wait to go shopping this weekend. :-) Thanks again lady!! And if you are not reading her blog, clicky-clicky on the link people!!
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Yesterday my coworker and I met a wonderful old woman. We had to stop by her house and immediately, you could tell that she was a welcoming, but lonely person. Our visit was supposed to be all business, but the conversation always lead to her personal stories.
Anyway, this woman’s husband died about a year and a half ago. They were married 66 years and she still talked about her husband as if he was still alive. She was proud of his paintings throughout the house, the work that he did on the house all by himself, his tenor voice, and their overall life together.
At one point she was telling us the story of her husband becoming ill. Because he was still joking around that day, she had no idea that he was as sick as he was. In the early morning hours of the day her husband died, she had to help him to the bathroom. After getting him back into bed, she said, “I love you.” Right back to her he said, “I love you more.”
Those were the last words that she heard from her husband as when she woke up the next morning, he had passed. As she told us this story, I almost started crying. The story had nothing to do with the work that we were there for, but it was such a sweet story.
First off, I think that it is touching that those were his last words to her. What a cute thing to say after 66 years of marriage. After his death, I guess her children found some sort of sign that says “I love you more” on it so that she could put it up at her house. You always hear stories of how couples or families get in fights, one person dies, and then the other is left with the guilt of the last conversation being a fight. But not with this couple.
Secondly, with my impending marriage, I find stories like these heartening. Movies and tv shows like to portray people getting bored of their spouse after a few years of marriage and yet you can find people that have been married for so long and still love to be together. While CP and I will probably not make it 66 years together considering that both of us are early 30s, we will hopefully have a long and happy marriage.
Maybe the sweetness of the love between this woman and her deceased husband is not coming through in my telling of the story. Maybe you had to be there. But yesterday, I spent the rest of the day feeling bad for the woman and her grief but also happy that she was able to have such an amazing relationship.
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Yesterday my coworker and I met a wonderful old woman. We had to stop by her house and immediately, you could tell that she was a welcoming, but lonely person. Our visit was supposed to be all business, but the conversation always lead to her personal stories.
Anyway, this woman’s husband died about a year and a half ago. They were married 66 years and she still talked about her husband as if he was still alive. She was proud of his paintings throughout the house, the work that he did on the house all by himself, his tenor voice, and their overall life together.
At one point she was telling us the story of her husband becoming ill. Because he was still joking around that day, she had no idea that he was as sick as he was. In the early morning hours of the day her husband died, she had to help him to the bathroom. After getting him back into bed, she said, “I love you.” Right back to her he said, “I love you more.”
Those were the last words that she heard from her husband as when she woke up the next morning, he had passed. As she told us this story, I almost started crying. The story had nothing to do with the work that we were there for, but it was such a sweet story.
First off, I think that it is touching that those were his last words to her. What a cute thing to say after 66 years of marriage. After his death, I guess her children found some sort of sign that says “I love you more” on it so that she could put it up at her house. You always hear stories of how couples or families get in fights, one person dies, and then the other is left with the guilt of the last conversation being a fight. But not with this couple.
Secondly, with my impending marriage, I find stories like these heartening. Movies and tv shows like to portray people getting bored of their spouse after a few years of marriage and yet you can find people that have been married for so long and still love to be together. While CP and I will probably not make it 66 years together considering that both of us are early 30s, we will hopefully have a long and happy marriage.
Maybe the sweetness of the love between this woman and her deceased husband is not coming through in my telling of the story. Maybe you had to be there. But yesterday, I spent the rest of the day feeling bad for the woman and her grief but also happy that she was able to have such an amazing relationship.
8.20.2009
Stupid crazy thoughts
I won't see CP again until Sunday. I got mad at him last night after getting home from the hair dresser. I casually mentioned that this was his bachelor party weekend and she then proceeded to tell me all of the horror stories of her friends.* As I listened to the stories I was totally confident that CP wouldn’t do any of those things. But when I got home to tell him about our conversation and tell him what my hair dresser’s rule is going to be for her soon-to-be-fiance-currently-boyfriend’s bachelor party (which is, don’t do anything that you wouldn’t want have done to me by a stranger)? He didn’t want to talk about it and got mad that I thought we would have to have that conversation. I thought that I was covering the bases JUST IN CASE.
But he is right. We shouldn’t need to have the conversation. I totally trust him, but sometimes I get the crazies. Doesn’t everyone? Especially during that time on the month? I don’t even think that he is going to encounter strippers this weekend. And even if he did, I can’t imagine that any of his friends (including some of his mutual friends) would let anything weird go down. But I still think the crazy thoughts. I think that my hair dresser, while I love her and all, shouldn’t have told me those stories. Placing images in my brain of things that have happened to her friends? Bad idea.
Then later I asked him about talking to him this weekend. He said that he wouldn't be calling at all b/c that is "the point" of a bach party. I mentioned that he has at least two people that have kids, and depending on who else shows up, most of the guys are married. You mean to tell me that not one of the guys is going to call home all weekend???? What a stupid "rule." So I was mad at him last night, still mad at him this morning and will probably be in a bad mood all weekend. And if he feels bad and calls? I'm probably not going to answer b/c I am totally immature. Man I suck.
*Something called Girls Wet or Wet Girls? They do their little "show" and then if anyone is interested, guys can pay $40 to get a blow job. Lovely. Another story? A stripper that grabs a nickel from the groom's mouth with her woo-haa. While that might seem funny, it sounds like a great way to get an STD.
But he is right. We shouldn’t need to have the conversation. I totally trust him, but sometimes I get the crazies. Doesn’t everyone? Especially during that time on the month? I don’t even think that he is going to encounter strippers this weekend. And even if he did, I can’t imagine that any of his friends (including some of his mutual friends) would let anything weird go down. But I still think the crazy thoughts. I think that my hair dresser, while I love her and all, shouldn’t have told me those stories. Placing images in my brain of things that have happened to her friends? Bad idea.
Then later I asked him about talking to him this weekend. He said that he wouldn't be calling at all b/c that is "the point" of a bach party. I mentioned that he has at least two people that have kids, and depending on who else shows up, most of the guys are married. You mean to tell me that not one of the guys is going to call home all weekend???? What a stupid "rule." So I was mad at him last night, still mad at him this morning and will probably be in a bad mood all weekend. And if he feels bad and calls? I'm probably not going to answer b/c I am totally immature. Man I suck.
*Something called Girls Wet or Wet Girls? They do their little "show" and then if anyone is interested, guys can pay $40 to get a blow job. Lovely. Another story? A stripper that grabs a nickel from the groom's mouth with her woo-haa. While that might seem funny, it sounds like a great way to get an STD.
8.19.2009
What would you do?
This coming weekend is CP’s bachelor party. The festivities begin by some of the guys going to the Patriots game on Thursday night. From there, the guys will take CP up to a house in Maine that they rented for the weekend. I don’t recognize the name of the town/city so it might be kind of rural? I can’t ask CP where it is as it is all a surprise!
The guys will spend the weekend doing manly stuff….drinking a lot, probably smoking some cigars (ewww), and who knows what other activities they will come up with.
I don’t want to be the nagging, annoying fiancé that calls every day, but it’s an odd day when CP and I don’t at least get to say hi to each other. Do I leave him alone all weekend to be with his boys? Do I just send text messages? Do I wait for him to call me? I know that I will be calling him during my bachelorette party weekend (the following weekend!) so to me it’s not like it is a fiancé-free weekend. It's not like I want to talk for hours on the phone, but just a quick hi, how are things going, maybe ask a wedding-related question, etc.
Thoughts?
The guys will spend the weekend doing manly stuff….drinking a lot, probably smoking some cigars (ewww), and who knows what other activities they will come up with.
I don’t want to be the nagging, annoying fiancé that calls every day, but it’s an odd day when CP and I don’t at least get to say hi to each other. Do I leave him alone all weekend to be with his boys? Do I just send text messages? Do I wait for him to call me? I know that I will be calling him during my bachelorette party weekend (the following weekend!) so to me it’s not like it is a fiancé-free weekend. It's not like I want to talk for hours on the phone, but just a quick hi, how are things going, maybe ask a wedding-related question, etc.
Thoughts?
8.18.2009
Feeling less anxious
This past weekend my parents came out to MA to help with wedding stuff. After CP and I made our long spreadsheet of all of the things that we have to do for the wedding, I was kind of freaking out. Not to mention the fact that I thought that we were UNDER budget but forgot to think about the 20% service tax and 8% NH tax on everything. Sooooo it turns out that we are right on budget, but it still made me sad. I was thinking that my parents weren’t going to have to shell out as much money as originally projected. BOOOOO.
Anyway, Saturday morning my mom and my future mother-in-law came with me for my first dress fitting. Thank goodness they were there because they were able to explain to the seamstress what to do to the dress. We took off one of the two layers of crinoline (YAY for stupid scratchy crap gone out of my dress!), took off the ugly and tacky-looking broach on the hip, cut off most of the train (I didn’t want to deal with a bustle so the back will be just a few inches longer than floor length), added straps to hold in “the girls,” and put a small sweetheart neckline in.
I was a bit worried that I would show up for my dress fitting and hate the dress. I mean, the dress is really not something that I care about but I want to at least look good in it and have it look nice for pictures. I didn’t hate it. I don’t think that it is perfect or amazing in any way, but it is nice and plain enough and will serve its job as a wedding dress. And I won’t feel sad at all when I try to sell it!
The rest of the weekend was spent sitting in front of fans as MA went through a ridiculous heat wave. We don’t have an air conditioner for the house (just for our bedroom) – my poor parents and Fuzzy Britches!! My mom and I baked a few things together, CP sweated as he manned the grill, and we made wedding decisions. It was VERY helpful to have my mom there as she was able to help with overall decorating ideas for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. My dad was just there to goad CP into buying a new lawnmower (*sigh*).
After this weekend, I am feeling less stressed at this point about the wedding. I am not suddenly taking on DIY projects and the few things that might involve glue (like putting together our table numbers) won’t take long. :-)
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This picture isn’t particularly related to this post, but I thought that it was too cute not to post.
Anyway, Saturday morning my mom and my future mother-in-law came with me for my first dress fitting. Thank goodness they were there because they were able to explain to the seamstress what to do to the dress. We took off one of the two layers of crinoline (YAY for stupid scratchy crap gone out of my dress!), took off the ugly and tacky-looking broach on the hip, cut off most of the train (I didn’t want to deal with a bustle so the back will be just a few inches longer than floor length), added straps to hold in “the girls,” and put a small sweetheart neckline in.
I was a bit worried that I would show up for my dress fitting and hate the dress. I mean, the dress is really not something that I care about but I want to at least look good in it and have it look nice for pictures. I didn’t hate it. I don’t think that it is perfect or amazing in any way, but it is nice and plain enough and will serve its job as a wedding dress. And I won’t feel sad at all when I try to sell it!
The rest of the weekend was spent sitting in front of fans as MA went through a ridiculous heat wave. We don’t have an air conditioner for the house (just for our bedroom) – my poor parents and Fuzzy Britches!! My mom and I baked a few things together, CP sweated as he manned the grill, and we made wedding decisions. It was VERY helpful to have my mom there as she was able to help with overall decorating ideas for the ceremony, cocktail hour, and reception. My dad was just there to goad CP into buying a new lawnmower (*sigh*).
After this weekend, I am feeling less stressed at this point about the wedding. I am not suddenly taking on DIY projects and the few things that might involve glue (like putting together our table numbers) won’t take long. :-)
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This picture isn’t particularly related to this post, but I thought that it was too cute not to post.
Fuzzy Britches with a HUGE neighbor-grown zucchini.
Our neighbor thought that we might be able to use it to make zucchini bread but my mom assured me that it was way too big! Fuzzy Britches thought that it would have made a nice toy, but we only gave it to her for pictures. :-)
8.14.2009
Priceless
5 Tickets to Mets vs Cubs game later this month for my bachelorette party? $250
2 Tickets to Savannah, GA to see one of my best friends from college get married in September? $550
2 Tickets to Johannesburg, South Africa for a two week honeymoon in October? Free (yay for CP’s airline miles!!)
2 Tickets to the Carolina Panthers vs New England Patriots game in December? $200
3 Tickets to the San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles game in December? $210 *
The awesomeness that is the rest of this year (not to mention my WEDDING!!)? PRICELESS.
*This post was written before the big news last night that the Eagles signed Michael Vick, aka puppy killer. I will not cease to be an Eagles fan and yes, people do deserve second chances, but boy this tempers my excitement for the upcoming football season.
2 Tickets to Savannah, GA to see one of my best friends from college get married in September? $550
2 Tickets to Johannesburg, South Africa for a two week honeymoon in October? Free (yay for CP’s airline miles!!)
2 Tickets to the Carolina Panthers vs New England Patriots game in December? $200
3 Tickets to the San Francisco 49ers vs. Philadelphia Eagles game in December? $210 *
The awesomeness that is the rest of this year (not to mention my WEDDING!!)? PRICELESS.
*This post was written before the big news last night that the Eagles signed Michael Vick, aka puppy killer. I will not cease to be an Eagles fan and yes, people do deserve second chances, but boy this tempers my excitement for the upcoming football season.
8.13.2009
Dating disaster #4
An occasional series of some of the worst dates in my life and/or general disasters with the opposite sex. I am what you would call a “serial monogamist” so I didn’t go on tons of dates, instead choosing the people that I wanted to date carefully and generally dating them for a while. It’s the guys that didn’t last very long that provide the best material (or the ones that I drunkenly kissed).
Dating Disaster #4
This guy was someone I met on a pub crawl after first starting law school. It was early on first semester, I was completely stressed and needed to knock a few back. A few bars into the crawl, I started to get drunk and talk to some of the guys. I’m not sure what attracted me to the guy that I ended up talking to, but he was tall and seemed interested.
We ended up hanging out throughout the rest of the crawl. The last bar happened to be near my house so I invited him back, making sure to tell him that nothing would happen.* We kissed a bit before passing out.
The next morning, we were both terribly hungover. As soon as he woke up, he asked me to rub his back because he wasn’t feeling well. WTF? Really? I’m not your girlfriend or your mother so what makes you think that I am going to rub your back?
I most certainly did not rub his back, but did feel bad enough to drive him back to his house. At some point on the crawl I must have given him my phone number as he called a few days later inviting me out to dinner. I guess I wanted to give him a chance so I agreed to a date at a nice Italian restaurant.
He picked me up in his sporty expensive car and I automatically thought that he was overcompensating for something (or lack thereof). He was a lot dorkier than I remembered. Damn beer goggles!
Dinner was nice, but there was no connection on my end. I’m not the type of girl that is all about looks, but I do have some standards.
Needless to say, I didn’t return any more of his phone calls as I met CP for the first time soon after and was a smitten-kitten. About two years later I was at our local grocery store and saw him in the aisle. Because I am super mature, I ran away instead of having a possibly-awkward encounter with him (if he would even still remember me!).
*I’m not sure why I used to do this. Maybe I thought that because we were at my place I would be okay?
Dating Disaster #4
This guy was someone I met on a pub crawl after first starting law school. It was early on first semester, I was completely stressed and needed to knock a few back. A few bars into the crawl, I started to get drunk and talk to some of the guys. I’m not sure what attracted me to the guy that I ended up talking to, but he was tall and seemed interested.
We ended up hanging out throughout the rest of the crawl. The last bar happened to be near my house so I invited him back, making sure to tell him that nothing would happen.* We kissed a bit before passing out.
The next morning, we were both terribly hungover. As soon as he woke up, he asked me to rub his back because he wasn’t feeling well. WTF? Really? I’m not your girlfriend or your mother so what makes you think that I am going to rub your back?
I most certainly did not rub his back, but did feel bad enough to drive him back to his house. At some point on the crawl I must have given him my phone number as he called a few days later inviting me out to dinner. I guess I wanted to give him a chance so I agreed to a date at a nice Italian restaurant.
He picked me up in his sporty expensive car and I automatically thought that he was overcompensating for something (or lack thereof). He was a lot dorkier than I remembered. Damn beer goggles!
Dinner was nice, but there was no connection on my end. I’m not the type of girl that is all about looks, but I do have some standards.
Needless to say, I didn’t return any more of his phone calls as I met CP for the first time soon after and was a smitten-kitten. About two years later I was at our local grocery store and saw him in the aisle. Because I am super mature, I ran away instead of having a possibly-awkward encounter with him (if he would even still remember me!).
*I’m not sure why I used to do this. Maybe I thought that because we were at my place I would be okay?
8.12.2009
Whip it Up Week #7
CP and I had a ridonkulous number of cucumbers from our CSA this week, so I decided to make Thai Cucumber Salad for Whip It Up Week #6. We had a fantastic recipe for this before our move, but sadly the recipe is no where to be found. I found this recipe on CookingLight.com.
Ingredients
1 1/2 pounds cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced (about 4 cups)
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 cup rice vinegar
1/2 cup water
3 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 tablespoons minced red onion
1 tablespoon chopped dry-roasted peanuts
Directions
Place the cucumber slices in a colander; sprinkle with salt. Toss well. Drain 1 hour. Place cucumber slices on several layers of paper towels; cover with additional paper towels. Let stand 5 minutes, pressing down occasionally. Rinse and pat dry.
Combine vinegar, water, sugar, and pepper in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cook until reduced to 1/3 cup (about 10 minutes). Remove vinegar reduction from heat; cool. Stir in onion.
Combine cucumbers and vinegar reduction in a medium bowl; toss well. Sprinkle with peanuts.
NOTES: Instead of the red onion, I used a shallot. Although you may be tempted to skip the first part of this recipe (salting the cucumbers and draining them) to save time, I would argue that unless you are going to eat the whole dish all at once, this part is pretty important. Otherwise, after putting the dish in the fridge the cucumbers will drain water and the vinegar "sauce" will be watered down.
Poor Blackberry photo of the salad
A serving (3/4 cup) of this dish is only 76 calories!
Difficulty level: Easy
Taste: Really good. The salty peanuts mixed with the crunch of the cucumber and the sugary-tartness of the "sauce" mixes well together.
Would I make it again: Definitely. It is easy to pack as a side salad for lunch and low in calories!
8.10.2009
Things are going to get hectic!!
So my posting might be a little sporadic for the next few weeks. I am going to be out of the office which means my whole schedule is going to be out of whack. My usual Healthy Choice frozen meal with either a salad or some kind of vegetable on the side will have to stay in the freezer as I don’t know if I am going to have a microwave at my disposal. I will have to eat my oatmeal earlier in the morning so that my coworker and I can get to the site on time (which means that even with my yogurt I am going to be starving by the time lunch rolls around). It also means that I will not be able to go downstairs for my lunch time workouts. Your body just gets used to these things, you know?
But I have tried to prepare as much as possible. This weekend I bought Weight Watchers sandwich buns (only 2 points!) and Weight Watchers cheese (only 1 point!). I plan on making a sandwich with chicken, lettuce, cucumbers, and green peppers every day. And then bringing some kind of salad on the side. My 10-Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones workout DVD came in the mail, along with Jillian Michael’s No More Trouble Zones. The 10-minute video has four different 10-minute segments working on different areas of the body. You can do one segment, all of them, or a combination of the four. I haven’t popped NMTZ into the DVD player just yet, but I read an Amazon review that said that you can mix and match segments too. I hope to do at least 20 minutes of either one of these DVDs in the morning before work. And then hope to make it to the gym at least a couple of times after work for cardio.
This means even longer days as I am trying to fit in two workouts, an hour of overtime at work, and then a two hour commute home. Can I do it? We’ll see…..
But I have tried to prepare as much as possible. This weekend I bought Weight Watchers sandwich buns (only 2 points!) and Weight Watchers cheese (only 1 point!). I plan on making a sandwich with chicken, lettuce, cucumbers, and green peppers every day. And then bringing some kind of salad on the side. My 10-Minute Solution: Tone Trouble Zones workout DVD came in the mail, along with Jillian Michael’s No More Trouble Zones. The 10-minute video has four different 10-minute segments working on different areas of the body. You can do one segment, all of them, or a combination of the four. I haven’t popped NMTZ into the DVD player just yet, but I read an Amazon review that said that you can mix and match segments too. I hope to do at least 20 minutes of either one of these DVDs in the morning before work. And then hope to make it to the gym at least a couple of times after work for cardio.
This means even longer days as I am trying to fit in two workouts, an hour of overtime at work, and then a two hour commute home. Can I do it? We’ll see…..
8.07.2009
Product FAIL
This morning I was trying to drink something different from my regular water and failed miserably.
First, I tried One a Day Women’s 2 O. I randomly saw a commercial for this product last week and decided to pick some up. I have been lax in taking my multivitamin and thought it might be a good way to get more water in my body AND get the vitamins I should be taking into my system.
The reviews of it on drugstore.com were mixed. And now I know why. I was hoping it would taste like Crystal Light, but it had no such taste. I don’t even really know how to describe it, but I took one sip and threw the box out. Doh!
Drugstore.com was nice enough to include free samples of On-the-go Fiber-Power Fat Burning insta sticks in “refreshing citrus sun tea flavor” in my order. I decided to rinse out my water bottle and try them as I can always use more fiber in my diet and they contain caffeine. I love products with caffeine (especially at work) because I hate the taste of coffee and feel like I never get enough sleep.
This powder didn’t even get near my mouth. All I had to do was smell it and know that it was not the product for me. I am weird in that I will drink most hot teas, but hate any kind of iced tea. The powder smelled like a mix of gross ice tea flavor and yerba mate (if you guys know what that is).*
Both drinks? A total fail. Do not try them or buy them!!!
*I usually like yerba mate (especially down in Argentina!).
First, I tried One a Day Women’s 2 O. I randomly saw a commercial for this product last week and decided to pick some up. I have been lax in taking my multivitamin and thought it might be a good way to get more water in my body AND get the vitamins I should be taking into my system.
The reviews of it on drugstore.com were mixed. And now I know why. I was hoping it would taste like Crystal Light, but it had no such taste. I don’t even really know how to describe it, but I took one sip and threw the box out. Doh!
Drugstore.com was nice enough to include free samples of On-the-go Fiber-Power Fat Burning insta sticks in “refreshing citrus sun tea flavor” in my order. I decided to rinse out my water bottle and try them as I can always use more fiber in my diet and they contain caffeine. I love products with caffeine (especially at work) because I hate the taste of coffee and feel like I never get enough sleep.
This powder didn’t even get near my mouth. All I had to do was smell it and know that it was not the product for me. I am weird in that I will drink most hot teas, but hate any kind of iced tea. The powder smelled like a mix of gross ice tea flavor and yerba mate (if you guys know what that is).*
Both drinks? A total fail. Do not try them or buy them!!!
*I usually like yerba mate (especially down in Argentina!).
8.06.2009
Now I'm curious!
Today? Well today I just don’t feel as if I have much to say. I’m not sad, I’m not happy, I’m not excited, and I’m not depressed. I am just kind of blah.
The one thing I am sure of? I am most definitely ready for this work week to be over. Not because anything exciting is going on. Simply because nothing exciting is going on. At least next week I will be off-site and thus have a change of scenery!
I did receive a funny email from CP’s best man that made me laugh at work because I have no clue what they are up to.
We are looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend. It should be fun.
During our bachelor party planning, we realized that we may need your assistance.
· We need a few bad pictures of CP.
· A few pictures of his profile.
· Does CP still have his license plate from high school? “THE MAN”? Can we borrow it?*
Are you able to bring them this weekend? BTW please keep this a secret from CP. Give me a ring with any questions.
So ummm his friends are renting a huge house in the middle of nowhere in Maine. What do YOU think they need bad pictures, profile pictures, and his old license plate for? Best idea gets…..uhh nothing. :-)
*Back when CP was in high school you didn’t have to pay for personalized license plates (at least in his state). He thought that it would be hilarious to have THE MAN as his license plate and so that’s exactly what he put on his pick up truck. Thankfully he was smart enough to change license plates before heading away to college. However, he threw them away so whatever plan the guys had for them is shot.
Random CP fact: In high school CP also thought it was hilarious to put racing stickers all over his first car, a brown Plymouth Reliant. I just googled what that car looked like and my was it a looker (see below)!!
The one thing I am sure of? I am most definitely ready for this work week to be over. Not because anything exciting is going on. Simply because nothing exciting is going on. At least next week I will be off-site and thus have a change of scenery!
I did receive a funny email from CP’s best man that made me laugh at work because I have no clue what they are up to.
We are looking forward to seeing you guys this weekend. It should be fun.
During our bachelor party planning, we realized that we may need your assistance.
· We need a few bad pictures of CP.
· A few pictures of his profile.
· Does CP still have his license plate from high school? “THE MAN”? Can we borrow it?*
Are you able to bring them this weekend? BTW please keep this a secret from CP. Give me a ring with any questions.
So ummm his friends are renting a huge house in the middle of nowhere in Maine. What do YOU think they need bad pictures, profile pictures, and his old license plate for? Best idea gets…..uhh nothing. :-)
*Back when CP was in high school you didn’t have to pay for personalized license plates (at least in his state). He thought that it would be hilarious to have THE MAN as his license plate and so that’s exactly what he put on his pick up truck. Thankfully he was smart enough to change license plates before heading away to college. However, he threw them away so whatever plan the guys had for them is shot.
Random CP fact: In high school CP also thought it was hilarious to put racing stickers all over his first car, a brown Plymouth Reliant. I just googled what that car looked like and my was it a looker (see below)!!
8.05.2009
Biggest Loser competition at work
So I think that I got roped into starting a Biggest Loser competition here at work…. Has anyone done one of these at work? If so, what were the rules?
In the quick 5 minutes of brainstorming, two coworkers and I came up with the following rules:
*You must weigh in at least once every two weeks. (We decided it wasn’t fair for women during their “time of the month” to have to weigh in). Plus if someone is out the office, sick, etc.
*If you gain weight, you must put $1 into the Biggest Loser kitty (maybe a $1 per pound?)
*The person at the end that loses the most weight (% of course) would get a prize from the kitty money.
*Pounds gained/ lost would be posted every week for accountability.
*Some kind of reward for working out a certain number of days that week? Even if it is just a sticker….
*Maybe some kind of entry fee ($5)?
*I would like the competition to last at least two months so that people start a healthier lifestyle as opposed to just doing it to lose a few quick pounds and then gaining them back. How long should it last?
What else can you guys think of?
In the quick 5 minutes of brainstorming, two coworkers and I came up with the following rules:
*You must weigh in at least once every two weeks. (We decided it wasn’t fair for women during their “time of the month” to have to weigh in). Plus if someone is out the office, sick, etc.
*If you gain weight, you must put $1 into the Biggest Loser kitty (maybe a $1 per pound?)
*The person at the end that loses the most weight (% of course) would get a prize from the kitty money.
*Pounds gained/ lost would be posted every week for accountability.
*Some kind of reward for working out a certain number of days that week? Even if it is just a sticker….
*Maybe some kind of entry fee ($5)?
*I would like the competition to last at least two months so that people start a healthier lifestyle as opposed to just doing it to lose a few quick pounds and then gaining them back. How long should it last?
What else can you guys think of?
8.04.2009
Whip it Up Week #6
This week I decided to try to make something from the Eat Better America website- "Healthified" Cream Cheese Brownies.
Ingredients
Filling
1 package (8 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
Filling
1 package (8 oz) 1/3-less-fat cream cheese, softened
1/3 cup sugar
2 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
Brownies
1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup canola oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
1 box (1 lb 2.3 oz) Betty Crocker® fudge brownie mix
1/4 cup canola oil or unsweetened applesauce
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom only of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray. In medium bowl, beat cream cheese with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Beat in remaining filling ingredients until well blended.
2. In large bowl, stir brownie mix, oil, water, 4 egg whites and 1 teaspoon vanilla with spoon until well blended. Spread in pan.
3. Spoon filling mixture over brownie batter in pan. Cut through filling mixture and batter with knife several times for marbled design. Sprinkle with chocolate chips.
4. Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until toothpick inserted in brownie 2 inches from side of pan comes out clean or almost clean. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For 24 brownies, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store covered in refrigerator.
NOTES: I used a product called Truvia instead of sugar. I'm not sure how I first heard of it, but CP and I found it at Whole Foods. It has 0 calories and can be used instead of sugar in recipes.
Each brownie is only 160 calories with 6 grams of fat! Using Truvia probably cuts down on the calorie count too.
Difficulty level: Easy
Taste: Great! It was my first time using stevia instead of sugar and I wasn't sure if it would be sweet enough. I couldn't tell that they were lower fat at all!
Would I make it again: Definitely. I plan on bringing these into work (so that I don't eat too many!). I'm sure that my coworkers are going to go nuts over them! Despite the fact that they were lower fat, CP had rave reviews. :-)
8.03.2009
Inappropriate behavior
So yesterday was my second bridal shower….this time it was mostly CP’s family. Friends with kids in the New England area were invited, but all but one declined. Despite the fact my friend C just had a baby girl 12 days ago, J and C drove up from CT (2.5 hours!) with their two kids so that C could come to the shower. I guess when she RSVPed yes she said ‘as long as I am not giving birth in the hospital.’ Yesterday she was like, well, I’m not in the hospital so I should come! So ridiculous, but wow that was nice of them!
Because she drove all that way, I felt especially bad when she got bombarded by K. K isn’t technically part of Chris’s family, but gets invited to all of the family functions. She is a lactation specialist so she asked C about breast feeding. As soon as C starts talking about how she had trouble breast feeding her first child and is having the same problems with her new baby (so that she pumps and when needed supplements the breast milk with formula), K jumps in and asks if J and the babies will be coming back to the house. K tries to push C into teaching her a breast feeding technique that not all doctors know about but is supposed to lessen pain, blah blah blah.
Meanwhile, CP’s sister and I are horrified. Unfortunately C has to sit through 15 minutes of listening to this lady talk about her experience in Africa, how she can teach her new techniques, how important it is, etc. before we can butt in. Ugh. C handled it well and when I called her after leaving the shower to apologize, she told me that she has run into that before and is used to it. That many people have very firm beliefs on breast feeding and will try to push those beliefs on you. Still. Is it truly appropriate at a bridal shower to try to push your breast feeding ideas on someone you met FIVE MINUTES AGO? I think not.
And then when CP and I went to leave? K turned to me and said, “Promise me that you will call when you get pregnant so that you don’t have the same problems your friend has.” WTF lady? I have met you all of three times? Psycho!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news, today I am still sore from the 6 mile hike CP’s sister and I did on Saturday.
Lonesome Lake
Yes, this is the trail!
View from Cannon Mountain (with a glider!)
Because she drove all that way, I felt especially bad when she got bombarded by K. K isn’t technically part of Chris’s family, but gets invited to all of the family functions. She is a lactation specialist so she asked C about breast feeding. As soon as C starts talking about how she had trouble breast feeding her first child and is having the same problems with her new baby (so that she pumps and when needed supplements the breast milk with formula), K jumps in and asks if J and the babies will be coming back to the house. K tries to push C into teaching her a breast feeding technique that not all doctors know about but is supposed to lessen pain, blah blah blah.
Meanwhile, CP’s sister and I are horrified. Unfortunately C has to sit through 15 minutes of listening to this lady talk about her experience in Africa, how she can teach her new techniques, how important it is, etc. before we can butt in. Ugh. C handled it well and when I called her after leaving the shower to apologize, she told me that she has run into that before and is used to it. That many people have very firm beliefs on breast feeding and will try to push those beliefs on you. Still. Is it truly appropriate at a bridal shower to try to push your breast feeding ideas on someone you met FIVE MINUTES AGO? I think not.
And then when CP and I went to leave? K turned to me and said, “Promise me that you will call when you get pregnant so that you don’t have the same problems your friend has.” WTF lady? I have met you all of three times? Psycho!!!
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
In other news, today I am still sore from the 6 mile hike CP’s sister and I did on Saturday.
Lonesome LakeIt was 3 miles up 2500’ of elevation which is quite the workout. Not to mention it wasn’t so much hiking with switchbacks, but more climbing over boulders.
Yes, this is the trail!The view was pretty damn cool though- the mountain that we climbed overlooks our wedding location. :-)
View from Cannon Mountain (with a glider!)Sorry for the Blackberry photos, but the two of us BOTH forgot our cameras! What a bummer.
It took us two hours to get to the top of the mountain and we were surprised to learn that the whole loop usually takes about 5 hours. How on earth was getting down going to take so long? Sure enough it took us just as long to get DOWN the mountain as it did to climb up! Most of the hike down was spent holding on to nearby tree branches while trying to shimmy down large faces of steep rocks. When we got home I looked up the trail and it was rated difficult. Well no sh*t Sherlock! Needless to say, my legs are extremely sore today.
It took us two hours to get to the top of the mountain and we were surprised to learn that the whole loop usually takes about 5 hours. How on earth was getting down going to take so long? Sure enough it took us just as long to get DOWN the mountain as it did to climb up! Most of the hike down was spent holding on to nearby tree branches while trying to shimmy down large faces of steep rocks. When we got home I looked up the trail and it was rated difficult. Well no sh*t Sherlock! Needless to say, my legs are extremely sore today.
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