Shopper's High

Source:  DSW.com

Shopping is such a high.  Who needs drugs when you can shop?  I've been on a spending lock down since December.  I've spent so little money that when I got gas, a car wash, AND bought something at Bed, Bath & Beyond that it triggered a fraud alert on the credit card I use for day to day expenses!  I didn't care how much money I didn't have I knew I was going to be using my DSW coupons before they expired this month.  There was no question about it.  When I walk into that store with the intent on spending money I am literally giddy with excitement.  The jazzy music being piped in buoys that excitement and the pristine rows of shoes all lined up in rows and rows as far as the eye can see call out to me.  I headed straight for the pumps since I've had my heart set on some nude ones for a while.  It took me all of 30 seconds to decide that the Tahari ones were perfect after I tried on the Jessica Simpson's and found them to be just as cute but not nearly as comfortable.  That the Tahari's were $10 more at $69.95 mattered not.  Once I had that in the bag I went to the clearance section.  DSW usually has such a good selection that you can't walk out of there without at least taking a peak.  In about 15 minutes I picked out some great Grey Steve Madden suede flat boots that will be perfect with my leggings and a pair of hot high heeled sexy boots that can replace the ugly ones I've been wearing just because it's what I had.  I hate it when I find myself doing that.  They were both an additional 30% off the clearance price marked. 

I did all of this on my lunch break.  What is it about that store? The last time I went there on my lunch break I walked out with three pairs of shoes and this time too!  I had a $10 and a $20 coupon that I'd been holding onto for a while.  I had just gotten a free tote coupon in the mail so the timing was perfect.  I spent $134 on three pairs of shoes and got a really cute free bag.  Basically, I cleaned up.  It was a Thursday afternoon but it felt like my weekend had already started because that shopping trip put me in such a great mood.  I don't know when I'll be out shopping next but I think this fix should keep me going for a while!

I'm at The Gym

me approaching those double doors

 I've had quite the love hate relationship with the gym and working out over the last few years.  Mostly hate hate if I'm being honest.  I boycotted the place for close to two years and only worked out sporadically after my work schedule changed from getting off at 3:30pm to getting off at 5:00 pm.  Morning work outs are so never happening for me and I have only so many precious hours each night.  After a hard days work I feel entitled to come straight home and relax.  I never made excuses for myself.  I just knew that when the right combination of cosmic forces came together just so that eventually I'd be back.  I could not force myself to go and that was that.

So where have I found myself twice a week every week for going on 3 months?  The gym!  It is practically a miracle but somehow I found it within myself to start going.  It was a goal of mine for the new year but I actually started taking action in December.  I went once or twice before Christmas.  Then, when I had that long 10 day Winter break from work I went quite a bit.  I was hoping it would kick start me into the habit of going once I went back to work and it did. 

My rigorous exercise regime:

• Two work outs per week minimum at home, the gym, or any other form of exercise of my choosing for a minimum of 30 minutes.  So far, I've mostly been going to the gym and doing the Elliptical but I could do classes or home exercise videos or anything else. 
• Every other week those two work outs need to be 60 minutes minimum and include some hard core cardio.  I usually do 1 hour on the Elliptical where I burn between 500-600 calories but it could be anything else that gets my heart pumping and my body sweating...a lot.
• Thorough stretching at least 1 time per week up to and including the splits.  This could mean doing an exercise video or just making the time to get some stretching in on my own.
• I also throw in a minimum of 100 crunches while I'm watching TV or whenever randomly if I didn't do them at the gym.

That's it.  I am so not hard core.  Some would call my work out schedule pathetic but I don't care.  It's what's working for me right now.  I figure some is better then none and if I push myself more then I want I will grow to hate it and go on strike again.  If I worked part time or not at all I could definitely see myself going a lot more and enjoying it but not with an 8-5pm full time job. 

When I've had a long day at work and didn't get enough sleep the absolute last thing in the world I want to do is drag myself to the gym, change clothes and spend an hour sweating but I've been doing it.  I used to exclusively do the treadmill.  I can't believe how long its taken me to discover the Elliptical.  I can burn more calories on it in a shorter amount of time AND it's still low impact.  I used to only listen to music but right now the only thing getting me through those work outs is TV.  There are tons of flat screens around the gym and mounted on some of the machines.  A couple weeks ago it was Basketball Wives on VH1 and Judge Judy on KUSI.  I watched Hugh Hefner and his new fiance on CNN and there's always Dr Oz or catching up on the local news.  I also downloaded some new uptempo techno work out music.  Whatever gets me through the work out.  On my light days it makes it easier to go knowing that I will be in and out.  I'd like for at least one work out per week to be at the gym to keep me in that habit and so far I have.  I've even exceeded my work out minimums some weeks just because.

And what is my reward for giving up my beloved couch, DVR and pajamas right after work every day?  I feel better about myself and a little bit less like a lazy bum.   I'm getting my long lost flexibility back too.  As a former gymnast it made me feel sad and down right old when my splits started to get too uncomfortable.  I'm back to putting my face to my knee in the splits on both sides.   I love food but have a tendency to under eat so even with just these work outs I've lost weight.  My mom wouldn't be too thrilled but I'm not mad about it.  I weigh less then I did on my wedding day and the only downside is that some of my pants are hanging off of me.  Not a cute look.  It sucks getting myself there sometimes but I really feel great after a work out.  I enjoy feeling fit, toned and active.  It's not just about losing weight.  I'm giving my heart, my bones, my body what it needs and that's a good thing.  If  I was physically unable to exercise I know how upsetting that would be so simply because I CAN is a good enough reason to go.  Getting back in the gym was a long time coming and now that I'm there I need to stay.

Caller #9 and Meatloaf

How in the world does anybody ever get through?  Because every time I called all I got was a busy signal or an automated voice telling me that my call could not be completed.  I didn't win the Cirque Du Soleil tickets, Hornblower cruise dinner for two, Disneyland family four pack OR the Lady Gaga tickets (which I was planning to sell for profit).  But I did win the two night stay at the Riviera Hotel in Palm Springs!  On my way home from work yesterday I heard them ask for caller #9 again so I figured I'd give it another shot.  I dialed and then pressed the speaker button since I don't have blue tooth.  I can't hear if it's ringing or what so I raise it to my face and immediately drop it down when I see 5.0 to my right.  The last thing I need is to get pulled over.  It's just ringing, and ringing, and ringing and just as I am about to hang it up that DJ voice I hear on my radio is telling me that I won.  He's like what are you calling in for?  I stutter out "...Uh, the tickets."  He laughs that I don't even know what I was calling for.  I was just so distracted by the fact that I actually got through and trying to make sure the cop wasn't coming after me that I turned into a stuttering idiot. 

I got home and said "Hey honey I won something else!  Road trip time."  I probably wouldn't have planned a trip there but since the hotel is free....I'm there!  We probably won't be able to go until September because apparently he's made it his mission to travel as much as he can in 2011.  Starting at the end of this month his business and pleasure trips are taking him to various cities, four different states, and out of the country over the course of the next six months.  He's so booked we barely managed to schedule in our SF trip that we've been wanting to do since last year.  I don't care when we go as long as we do.  In the meantime it's nice to have another fun trip to look forward to.

In other news.  I made my first meatloaf using the simplest recipe I could find.   I'll probably make a few changes the next time I do it but it turned out pretty tasty and was very easy to make. I don't cook a lot but still, I never thought I'd see the day when I'd actually be doing it at all.  Just trying to be a good wife.  If that means cooking dinner and winning us weekend getaways then so be it.

Winter Grillin'

He got a new toy

Neither sleet, snow, darkness or rain can keep him away

Nice grills are expensive! Mj had a good one but it got totally destroyed in the move.  I was thinking one of those old school three legged ones that has two wheels and takes actual charcoal would be good enough but that wasn't exactly what he had in mind.  After much shopping around and extensive research he finally found the perfect one one about a month ago.  It's easy to clean, the parts that dismantle are dishwasher safe and it's made of heavy cast iron.  It's still Winter and we haven't even hit Spring yet but that hasn't stopped him from getting out there.  He's grilled sliders, steaks, chicken, bratwurst and asparagus so far.  I usually watch him from the sliding glass door because it's too cold for me to go out there.  He's probably out there a couple times a week.  He loves it!  I think it might be hereditary.  When we went out to visit his family in Delaware in DECEMBER his dad was outside on the grill standing in the icy cold when we pulled up to the house.  Mj loves to cook inside so I guess it should come as no surprise that he likes to do it outside too.

Dinner!!

It's a giant monster of a propane grill and I don't even know how to use the darn thing.  Even so, I am looking forward to warmer weather and finally getting some patio furniture so I can get out there and enjoy it too.  I'm not sure I get what is so awesome about that grill that he is out there wearing flip flops in the cold trying to beat the rain to get our dinner cooked but I sure love to eat whatever comes off of it.  Tonight's chicken dinner. 

Nice Long Weekend

At my job we get Friday and Monday off so I was lucky enough to have a  4 day weekend.  I ran some errands on Friday then went home to wait for my big sis.  She came down on Friday with my nephew to spend the night and we got to spend some quality time together.  Little Dj is so cute!  He can't quite figure out how to crawl yet but he is sitting up and eating baby food now.  Mj volunteered to watch the little guy while we went out to dinner.  He did a fantastic job.  He fed him while we were gone and by the time we got home he was sleeping on the couch.  About 10 minutes after we got home he says, "Is he going to fall off the couch?"  I ran upstairs to put a barrier at the edge just to make sure.  My sister hardly ever gets to go out to dinner so she very much appreciated the little break.

He fell over and cut his face on our coffee table.  His 1st injury.

Saturday morning Mj made us french toast for breakfast and then my sister and I did one of her cardio dance work out videos together.  She is on a mission to lose her baby weight so she works out 6 days a week and burns a minimum of 500 calories with each video!  I felt like an uncoordinated spaz because I couldn't quite keep up but it was a great 45 minute work out nonetheless.  Big sis left that afternoon and I'm looking forward to seeing her again in 2 weeks.  It's so nice having her near enough to visit with now.  Mj and I were going to go out for date night but with all the heavy rain we decided to just stay home.  We got Subway and watched two scary movies instead.  Paranormal Activity 2 and Buried.

Sunday was a nice day of relaxing.  Well, after we did taxes that is.  It took about three hours but we managed to do it ourselves using Turbo Tax online.  Mj actually did most of the work but I assisted and ran around getting paperwork.  Our taxes are a bit complicated so we weren't sure if we could do it but I think we did OK.  It saved us a lot of money doing it ourselves.  The cold weather didn't stop Mj from grilling steaks for dinner that night.  Monday I was able to knock out one of my gym days for the week in the morning.  I burned up 600 calories then met a good friend of mine for brunch. 

I felt so bad for Mj when he had to get out of bed and I was sleeping in!  His job doesn't get President's Day at all which I think is pretty ridiculous.  I had a nice, relaxing, long and productive weekend.  Back to work, but at least it's already a short week AND I have the first episode of the new season of  America's Next Top Model to look forward to on Wednesday.

Some V Day Love

*Special Delivery:  Cookie bouquet*

I didn't expect anything thing for Valentine's Day.  Mj was out of town all weekend during the time when we might have done something.  He's not really into Valentine's day and although I used to be more so when we were first dating it doesn't matter to me as much as it used to.  I know he loves me.  We make sure to get in at least one date night a month so we already make a point to do special things together.  A lot of people are anti Valentine's because it's a holiday made up by the greeting card industry to make money and an excuse for all related industries to jack up their prices.  I totally agree, but I see nothing wrong with throwing in one extra day to show your sweetheart that you care as long as there is no pressure and high expectations for some grandiose outing and expensive gifts.  I just don't think all that is necessary.  Monday at work I received an unexpected delivery of giant festive lolly pop cookies.  What a sweet surprise, especially for a guy who isn't really into Valentine's Day!

Much needed tie rack for Mj.
Source: Bed, Bath, & Beyond. 

When I got home Mj was in the kitchen and I could already smell dinner cooking.  I ran upstairs and grabbed his gift.  It's sort of cliche but at the same time he actually really needed a tie rack, so that's what I gave him.  Now he doesn't have to keep them crammed into a drawer anymore.  I had time for an exercise video so I did that and then we sat down to a home cooked meal of chicken, fresh asparagus, and french bread with fresh garlic.  It was delicious like everything else he makes. 

dinner for two at home

Then, he tells me I have to go upstairs while he cooks a surprise dessert.  I sit in the loft as the aroma of Cinnamon, Chocolate and some other kind of sweetness filters up the stairs but I still have no idea what he's got up his sleeve.  About 35 minutes later he tells me to come downstairs and I see my favorite dessert in the whole wide world sitting there.  Molten Chocolate Lava Cake with Vanilla ice cream!!  I love it that they are a perfect petite size and the ice cream on the side is Dreyer's light with 1/2 the fat!  Does this man know me or what?  I have only ever enjoyed this dessert in restaurants and now it's right here at home and tastes just as good.  I enjoyed every bite and finished off my glass of wine.

My all time fave dessert, perfectly plated.

He ran up to finish playing PlayStation and I finished up the last of the dishes.  Incidentally, I broke a wine glass and just got busted for it because I forgot to tell him and he found it in the trash!  We watched Heavy on A & E and then went to bed.  I couldn't have asked for anything more.  My cookie bouquet and the time he took to make me dinner made me feel so special.  No big fancy night out or diamonds needed for this lady on Valentine's Day.  We don't go all out but I'm glad that we do acknowledge this day.  It's really the little things that go a long way to showing appreciation.  Day to day gestures of love and affection matter more then any one single day ever should.  As we lay in bed that night I whispered to him that he is a good husband and that I love him.  Because he is and I do and I'm still trying to figure out how I got so lucky.