FU Tuesday

Today was NOT a good day. I have had worse days but today blew.

#1 My work out this morning sucked! I thought maybe by switching it up with a Pilates video would be a good change and would give me a chance to work on my core. Instead the stupid woman in the video had me working on flattening my stomach and breathing. No thanks! My tummy isn't flat you are supposed to help get to that and it wasn't actually working so screw you and your stupid breathing techniques. I turned on Pandora and did some Jillian Micheals moves from memory.

#2 I had De-ice my car.... go away frost!

#3 Work sucked largely in part because AGAIN I've been asking for help with Halloween and mostly everyone could really give a shit about helping. This is my last year in the department and in the past others have been much MORE helpful! It sucks that everyone can't pitch in a little. It's like pulling teeth!

#4 I had an epiphany today. I realized that the reason why I'm so selfish (maybe a too strong of word) is that I've realized time and time again you can only count on yourself. NO ONE is going to help you, NO ONE will have your back, NO ONE will guide you along the way and NO ONE is going to ease your way EXCEPT for you! With that in mind plus my need to control my every move I feel like I understand myself even more.

#5 I pay an arm and a leg for internet (which includes router) and the damn thing is being slow. I have stuff to get done. MOVE IT!

#6 I feel like I have no time to myself to just relax because I'm having to take care of everything! It feels like everyone says, "oh don't worry about it, Melissa will just do it." Well, NOT ANYMORE!

#7 I plan on having a good cry and with that I say fuck you Tuesday.

Forever Young

Another early morning for Jillian Micheals and I this time via youtube. The tricky part about doing work out videos at home and doing them so early in the morning is that I have to have volume loud enough to hear her commands but quiet enough as to not wake up my neighbors. I also have to be careful with the running parts in the video because the floor squeaks something fierce! I think the person below me might think a herd of elephants is river dancing or something! As of right now I'm in love with getting the work out over first thing and then having the rest of the day to do whatever I want. However, waking up earlier is not always so much fun.

As far as the eating part of my new lifestyle change I have realized a few things.... brace yourself it's a list!

#1 The amount of water I drink (124 to 160 ounces of H2O daily) makes me have to go to the bathroom ALL the time. I can give a pregnant woman a run for her money! I'm also pretty sure I could survive water boarding or Chinese water torture-however let's not go there!

#2 The juice I also drink in addition to all of the water makes people around me do a double take due to the color of the juice (it's like Army green). 

#3 Due to all of the juice I smell like carrots. Yes, carrots. 

#4 I never realized how much I used to snack in between meals. I guess it shouldn't be that big of a surprise but it is. 

#5 I'm still trying to find foods that are more filling. As of right now I get pretty hungry in between meals but that goes hand in hand with #4 and not allowing myself to snack so much. 

Tomorrow will mark 6 days of this change and I'm really excited to see by day 7 how much weight has either been lost (fingers crossed) or if sadly I did gain (which would be all water I'm sure!) how my body feels overall. Here's to new changes!

So, now that all of that is covered onto Monday stuff. Like I mentioned before I woke early to work out. The morning part of work was fine and I was able to stay on top of everything/get everything done but by the afternoon it all started to pile up again. Right before I was supposed to leave an issue came up which ended up causing me to stay late. I wish others would realize that I can't drop everything just be at their beck and call. I'm all about boundaries and I'm sure to enforce them in a clear and direct manner. Ugh!

Oh I almost forgot to mention that during my lunch break I completed one of the props for Halloween! It feels good to have at least one prop completely done! Tomorrow at lunch I'm hoping to complete another prop. 

Once I got home I tackled the stupid origami birds yet once again. This time I found a series on how to make one flippin' bird. An entire series for one bird!?!?!? It ended up taking over 8 minutes to make one stupid bird. That is stupid! I paused the videos at certain steps and was able to sort of make an assembly line with them. My arms and hands cramped up so I had to stop early but my goal is to complete the birds by tomorrow evening. Wish me luck! 

 7 folds in on all of the birds. I believe 11 more folds to go!

 The blue ones were in the middle of being completed.

The white, green, orange, and yellow birds at 7 folds. The top left blue 

birds completed and the bottom right birds almost done.

For music Monday I chose:Forever Young skip ahead to 1:04 for the song to start. Happy Monday!

Origami

For part of my Halloween decorations for work I need to make a bunch of 3D birds so I thought origami would be the best solution. I Googled a lot of different options and stumbled upon an article that stated some people do origami to be calm and find tranquility. Well, let me tell you that was bull shit! I spent two hours attempting to make the birds but they didn't turn out at all! I tried looking at videos on youtube but I still couldn't get down right. The type of bird I'm trying to make needs to look like it's in motion. All of the easy videos are for birds that are perched. If you have any suggestions I would happily love to hear them!

Halloween Prep

Saturday 10/26/13: I woke up early, well early for me anyway. I think having been up at 4:50 the previous two mornings screwed with my system. Oh well. I made a yummy breakfast and cleaned my apartment. I also knew that I needed to go into work to complete some Halloween decorations so off I went.

Once at work I sort of completed one main prop, organized the rest of props and was able to prepare a few other items. There is still a lot to be done in regards to the decorations. In years past everyone happily volunteered to take on a prop/decoration but this year it's all been on me. I think a few things are off.... #1 we have new staff, #2 they all hate the idea, and #3 they are mad at me for leaving.... I don't know what it is but I wish things were the way they used to be in year's past. I should say that a few have helped with a few things but I guess I'm just pouting. Melissa-It's time to get over it.

Once I got home I made chili, watched hulu and called it a day.

Did you carve pumpkins today? I saw many people out and about carving pumpkins around my neighborhood.

Purse Thief

Friday 10/25/13: I once again woke up at 4:50 to work out which include a cardio workout from Jillian Micheals.  At work it was obviously Friday in that everyone was mentally checked out and ready for the weekend, including myself. At work I mentioned some ideas for Halloween but I think mainly becasue it was Friday no one was really interested in either listening or participating with the projects.

After work I stopped by the grocery store. While at the the store I had my back turned and out of the corner of my right eye I saw a hand take my purse!!! I immediately spun around grab my purse with my left hand and made a fist with my right ready to punch the asshole who decided it would be a good idea to steal from me. Right before I fired my punch I saw that it was Rhett and he was surprised by my reaction. We laughed it off but let it be know you steal from me, I will beat you up. This has been a public service announcement.

I took care of Brittany's animals one more time and then it was stretchy pants, juice and netflix for me back home. Sometimes it's nice to spend a night in.

Blackfish

Today began before the crack of dawn! My alarm went off at 4:50 am and surprisingly I got up easily. I pulled work out clothes on, threw my hair in a high bun and downed a bottle of water. I then headed to Brittany's house to take care of her animals. While at her house I did an exercise video of Jillian Micheal's. I really worked hard and downed yet another bottle of water. By this time it was time to go back to my house. When I went out to my car I was having a hard time knowing if it was morning or night becasue the sun was nowhere to be found only the moon and I were out. I kept looking at my phone to make sure that it was actually am not pm. 

I had made cupcakes the night before so I brought those into work to share-I did however not eat one! Yay me! 

At lunch time I got a call back from a potential landlord about an apartment for rent. It sounds perfect in every way possible except I can't afford it. Finding that out pretty much made the rest of the day suck. I tried to remain focused but I was so distracted and it feels like no matter how hard I work I won't be fairly compensated so it seems like I can't afford a nice place to live. I'm still bitter about it all. 

I watched the documentary Blackfish and it was beautifully done. I encourage everyone to watch it and spread it's message. I'm really into documentaries and this one has been on my list to see for forever! Watch it! Watch it now! You should also watch The Cove. I'm forever changed by both films. 

While I was taking care of Toby he seemed particular mopey. I gave him extra tummy rubs and took him on a short walk but he still seems bored. Poor guy. He must miss his parents. There was a huge spider in the bathroom and normally I call Thomas (cat) and ha takes care of it. He wasn't interested at all and Toby came right over and solved my problem. I used to always think that if I ever got married my hubby would take care of the spiders but now I can see that I only need a dog! HA!

My lifestyle change is coming along. Waking up early to work out has been nice to get it over with first thing. I feel sore in the areas that I worked out on and I love that feeling. It's a good hurt. The amount of water I've been drinking is ridiculous! I swear I have to go to the bathroom ALL the time! Speaking of, I better go! :)

Relationships

I've been thinking about relationships a lot lately. Relationships I have with family, friends, and co-workers. Some relationships are giving, generous, helpful, loving, supportive and nurturing. Sometimes though it fells more like an abusive relationship or one that is one sided and demanding. Lately a few people in particular have not been as kind to me or my time. I'm wondering if it's something I did or if they are just being jerks. I guess I can be blamed too however for not standing my ground or asserting myself enough. I don't know why I mentioned it but relationships are on my mind at the moment. Now to the good stuff.....

My sister got engaged!!!!! It happened last night on her actual birthday. Edgar popped the question after he took her out for dinner. He picked out such a pretty ring! I'm just so excited for them! They are very happy together and are a force to be reckoned with! YEAH!!!

 

Last night I attempted to make the stained glass panels for Halloween for work but it was a disaster! After brainstorming today I now have a new idea that should be easy peasy! Vicky also measured me for my costume. Karina and I had gone shopping last Sunday for costumes and I did find almost all of my costume but Vicky is such a sweetheart to complete the costume for me! Love her! 

I woke up an hour early today and watched a yoga video that was pretty much a relaxation video. It was okay but not what I wanted. I officially started my diet lifestyle change today! Hooray! I enjoyed so many moments throughout the day where I just felt better and had more energy. The downsides to this lifestyle change are:

#1 I drank 110 ounces of H20... which meant I went to the bathroom 17 times today! My poor hands are raw from washing them so often.

#2 I watched a Jillian Michel's work out video this evening which means I will hurt tomorrow but it's a good hurt. 

#3 The juice is the weirdest color but tastes good so my mind is still working on that whole process. 

#4 Again with liquids.... 110 ounces H2O+16 ounce latte+32 ounce juice=158 ounces!!! Whew! 

I made cupcakes tonight for my co workers and becasue I needed to use up some frosting from Heather's cake. I wasn't even tempted to eat one, lick the spatula or anything. I told myself that it wasn't worth and would sip on some juice instead. 

I'm unexpectedly taking care of Toby tomorrow so I'm waking up another hour earlier than normal so I can work out, make breakfast and see Toby's cute face! Hello 4:50 am.... with that in mind and with all of my random thoughts now out I'm going to bed.

Happy Birthday to MY sister!

Heather,

Thank you for being my big sister. 

I'm sure you would have rather had another brother 

but I'm glad we ended up together. 

You are the only person in the world who has been 

through all of it right alongside me. 

I know I drive you nuts 99% of the time.

You are the one I can always count on.

You are fearless.

You call me out and tell me like it is. 

I know we don't always have the most in common but I'm thankful 

that you still want to be involved regardless.

You don't let anyone boss you around.

I love you very much and I'm so blessed to call you MY sister. 

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Melissa

Juicing

I'm still doing research on my whole diet thing but I think I have it figured it out sort of... juice for snacks and at least part of one meal. Then also no sugar and reduced carbs. Plus I have been slacking in the water department so bottoms up on more H2O. I find that I still get hungry really quickly after drinking the juice. So, more H2O and more filling foods for me. I just want a faster easier to get in some of my produce and I want to be healthy, more alert and slimmer!

Work was fine and I was able to talk to Vicky about Halloween ideas which was nice. When I leave next month for my new position I'm going to miss her so much! 

After work I went to the store and loaded up on produce. Once I got home I raked the area where I park because my landlord has pretty much forgotten about us tenants. There were so many leaves that I had to leave massive piles around the yard after the yard debris bin was full. 

I decided to juice a lot all at once because when I juices yesterday it was quite the production... smart to do more at once right??? Well..... no. Regardless of how much you juice the mess factor is always there! Because I juiced so much the mess factor was epic! Here is my before shot. I had a hard time getting everything to fit on my butcher block cart. Random note... I don't have counters so this is my ONLY counter space!

I filled my sink to wash all of the produce all at once. I called my sister to wish her a happy birthday and she told me to add some white vinegar to the sink to help with the washing process. She also suggested  that I just place the produce in the water/vinegar and come back in an hour becasue all of the dirt would have settled in the bottom by then. I was in patient and ended up swirling everything to wash it.

Placing all of the produce in the sink was fun because I knew all of the produce 

was good for me and I was starving! Oh I also have a utility sink so it's SUPER deep!

 Hello lovelies!

 The carafes which will be become my best friends and of course the juicer.

 See all of the yucky stuff that was left in the sink. Eeeww!

These are 64 ounces carafes are filled with: 

4 apples

2 lemons

2 pears

2 large bunches spinach

10 kale leaves

2 cucumbers

1 large celery stalk

20 carrots

=

YUMMY!

 

Wish me luck on the beginning of this journey to a healthier me! These next 6 months are going to be challenging on me for sure. For one I start a new job and secondly I'm really trying hard to be healthier and more active. I'm waking up an hour earlier tomorrow morning to hopefully make breakfast and stretch/yoga. Baby steps in becoming healthier.

 

My sister just texted some exciting big news but I will keep you all in suspense until I hear more from her. Nighty night!

Wrecking Ball

Today was AWESOME at work! I got everything done, projects completed on time, got a hold of people (vendors/MD offices) with minimal effort, and got to leave on time! I also think having such a gorgeous day outside helps a lot! Karina and I went for a walk at lunch which was nice with all of the fall colors! 

When I was checking my mail at home this was in my mailbox. It was a package, sort of, it didn't have a stamp or any address information on it.

I thought it was a letter from a secret admirer at first which both thrilled and scared me all at once. Then I thought that maybe it was a letterbox clue from either: Brittany or Amy. Then I let my thoughts go crazy and convinced myself it was from a secret crush.... geez! 

I opened it and found a post card inside. It was from my former neighbor neighbor, Mona. She recently moved out. Anyway I'm not posting a photo of what she said on here but basically that it was fun being neighbors and best wishes in my future. How nice of her! I like random small surprises!

I need to do some research into the whole diet/juice/cleanse that I want to start. I need to figure out will work best, what to use, and what not to use. When I came home I immediately turned on the juicer. I juiced: 8 large carrots, 1 whole lemon, 2 small apples, 1 small pear, 4 stalks of celery, and 2 handfuls of spinach. It made 32 ounces and I downed it. It tasted fine but the acid from the lemon upset my tummy a bit so I learned that next time to use half of a lemon. I was super full for a long time which was nice. I like fruits and veggies but chewing them takes so long and my jaw starts to hurt. Later on in the evening I was starving.... gotta do more research on that too. Still learning. 

After cleaning the juicer I went to Karina's house so we could go for a walk. We walked all around town and even saw Rhett. Karina is so sweet and such a good motivator. She got me to jog.... granted it was only a block or two at the very most! We ended up walking up Oak street and watched some deer decide if they wanted to cross the road or not. While walking up Oak street I kept squeezing my cheeks (yes bottom cheeks!) together so I could avoid my hip flexors from hurting tomorrow but in the process I got.... wait for it... wait for it..... a cramp in my butt muscle!!! We had just crossed the street with cars buzzing by and I doubled over and cried while Karina was trying to talk me through how to stretch the muscle. I was flaying and moaning for what seemed like forever until the muscle FINALLY gave way and relaxed. Luckily we were close to her house. I have NEVER experienced pain like that in my life.... I'm a wimp!

After Karina's house I headed home and google'd exercises on how to help stretch the muscle in my hinnie but I wasn't having much luck. I called Brittany (she's also a PT like Karina) and asked for help. In the process of telling Brittany I was laughing so hard I was crying. Brittany kept laughing at me too! I eventually was able to stretch the muscles but they are still tight! Geez Louise!

I'm making myself a to do list of things I need to get done before Halloween. The list is ever growing and I know that this is my last year with this group of therapists so I have to make it count! Go big or go home is my motto!

I'm sort of ashamed of my choice of song for music Monday but I like the song. I did watch the original youtube video but it's really not appropriate so I'm posting this link instead. The song is currently resenting with me because it reminds me of a certain person. More on that another day. 

Off to list land I go! Happy Monday to you! 

Heather's Birthday!

I started my day kind of late because my bed is way too comfy! Once I woke up I called Karina to arrange a time for us to go shopping for Halloween costumes/decorations. We set a time and then I had to have a coffee to wake up. Oh by the way I have perfected the best pumpkin pie spice latte-it's legit! 

I picked up Karina and we headed to goodwill to search for the perfect costumes. Karina found most of her costume for her under $10 and I found part of mine for $15. We also found Vicky's costume and part of Janet's. I don't want to tell you everything because I love surprises! We then headed to the dollar store and pretty much found everything we needed on our list. There are a few items I still can't quite find/piece together but I still have time... well sort of! Karina and I dropped some stuff off at work and then I took her home. 

After getting home it was time to leave again for Heather's birthday dinner family gathering. I packed up her cake very carefully and drove super slow. Once we were all together we jumped back into our cars and headed to downtown Portland for dinner. 

I drove up by myself to my parents. Heather, Edgar, Brandon, and Becky all drove together. When we drove up to the restaurant I went with my parents. Heather, Edgar, Brandon and Becky all drove together. Going from the restaurant back to my parent's it was the same story. Leaving my parent's it was again the same story. I know I'm having a small pity party but I wish I had more in common with everyone, especially my siblings. They all talk about work and their retail jobs. I try talking about my job but no can relate or seems interested. 

Most of the time I feel left out but I'm learning that this is the way things are going to be and not pout about but to just move on. I do however feel like I need to acknowledge my feelings-on here I suppose. Maybe I'm also feeling left out because again (as always it seems like!) I'm still single where everyone else has someone. Darn this single business!

Heather wanted BBQ for dinner. The servings were huge! We ordered a family feast for four but it fed the seven of us AND we had leftovers! Heather accidentally got BBQ sauce on Edgar's white shirt. Oops! 

 Brandon working on a beef rib. I took this picture right after he took a bite.

 My parents.

 Once we were back at my parent's house my Mom had

 to show me her fourth child-Bentley the hamster.

 Heather with her owl cake.

 Singing to her.

 I made Brandon a pot of beef stew to take home.

All of us kiddos! I'm happy to have such a protective, kind, and strong 

willed big sister! HAPPY BIRTHDAY HEATHER!!!

I also borrowed my parent's juicer.... BEWARE.... I'm going a diet.... well at least I'm going to make one hell of an attempt at getting skinner. I'm the biggest I have ever been and that is just gross! I looked back at old photos of myself and I liked the way I looked in 2011 so that is my goal.... to look like I did in 2011 or hey even smaller!

Green Acres Farm Sanctuary

Tomorrow I'm getting together with ALL of my immediate family for my sister's birthday. So, in preparation of the get together I made my sister a birthday cake today. I asked what flavors/colors she wanted her cake to be. She said yellow cake with fudge frosting. For as long as I can remember she has loved this combination. 

After talking to my sister I needed to come up with a design/theme and settled on an owl saying "who's 28?" I stopped at the grocery store to pick up a few items for decorating her cake and the cashier giggled at me for putting 3 orange colored Mike'n'Ikes in a bag from the bulk section. I explained to her that I had to some how make a beak for my owl. Well the Mike'n'Ikes would not weigh on the scale so she had to place a penny on the scale which finally showed up as 3 cents.

I also decided that since I would be seeing my little brother I would make him some beef stew to take home. Like I've said before he is everyone's favorite, including mine. I used carrots, celery, garlic, onions, potatoes, beef stew meat (that's what the butcher had labeled it), and beef broth. Thank heaven for crock pots! Before....

 And after. I ended up making almost 8 cups! 

While I was baking the birthday cake I talked to Brittany and Kevin and roped them into volunteering with me at the animal sanctuary later on. Remember this, my sister wanted charity work done for her birthday present. I also chatted with Nicole for quite some time. Every time I talk to her it's like we pick up where we left off, granted we did just talk the day before!

While the cakes cooled off I made chocolate fudge frosting.

Once the cakes were cooled I iced the middle.

My sister requested little bits of chocolate in the icing and to save myself frustration of trying to smoothly frost the cake I decided to add the little bits of chocolate to only the filling part.

The mini chocolate chips all squished into the fudge frosting.

 Then I stacked on the second layer and frosted the sides.

After sticking the cake in the fridge for an hour I then frosted the whole thing.

Then came time to decorate it. I really need a better piping set but for now it worked out alright. I used slivered almonds on the body and the orange Mike'n'Ike. A few things are not level but oh well.

The completed cake with Mike'n'Ike beak!
I headed to Brittany's house to pick them up for our volunteer day at the animal sanctuary. We had to stop at a drive through on our way because Kevin hadn't eaten lunch and Brittany needed coffee to wake up from her nap. Once we got there we all had to sign waivers and fill out a questionnaire.

 The first thing(s) we saw at the sanctuary.... PUPPIES!!!

 We started out our work time by getting wheel barrels, 
pitch forks, and shovels. 

We then took all of the items to the barn to muck out the duck's inside pen.

 Using my handy dandy pitch fork to get rid of the old straw.

 Once the old straw was placed in the wheel barrels and then dumped onto a 

compost pile we placed fresh straw down.

 Shaking out the flake.

 The ducks were so happy to be back inside with fresh straw!

 Looking for bits of wheat in the straw.

 Brittany stepped inside the pen and the ducks were like "hey, what are you doing in here?"

 Brittany and Kevin mucked out the turkey's pen. Brittany is using flakes to stuff the gap in the pen. The barn was previously used for dairy cows so the gap was needed to hose the barn down.

 Helping stuff the gap with flakes.

 The turkeys approve!

 Kevin feeding the turkey's their dinner.

 There are a few barn cats on the property. They are all very social and sweet.

 ALL of the animals like Kevin the best.... he's in his 
last year of veterinarian school.

 Hello chicky!

 It was time to let the goats and sheep into the barn for the evening.

 The pygmy goats need help with direction in walking towards to barn. 

So, I help guide this sweetie there.

 Kevin helping the other pygmy goat.

 Dinner time in the barn.

 The sheep were not fond of us at all.

 Before we left I had to see the puppies!

 Getting puppy kisses!

 Sweet babies!

 Saying hi to the donkey.

 Kevin giving the goat pets.

After we finished at the animal sanctuary.... oh here is a link to their page... we headed to Brittany and Kevin's house for dinner. To thank them for helping me today I made tacos, beans and Mexican rice for dinner. 

Then I headed home to shower (there was straw where straw should NOT be!) and relax for the rest of the evening. Tomorrow is another busy day but I'm thankful for a such a fulfilling day! 

While blogging I checked the stats page and guess what???? I'm now at over 1,000 views!!!! THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! 1,000 is so awesome in under two months!!! THANK YOU FOR READING!!!