Move Over Babs

I've been replaced. There's a new woman in Andy's life. Her name is Poco.

Andy is IN LOVE with Poco. It's hard not to be... she is such a snuggly little lovey kitty. Don't get me wrong, Otis is cool too - very inquisitive about his new environment, which I enjoy watching, but as far as Andy's concerned, Poco is all the rage.

Last night - after a disaster filled evening which involved me slicing my finger while opening a cardboard box, burning a different finger in the oven, and dropping and breaking a coffee cup - we went to Trader Joe's to get some food for the week. Wouldn't you know... Andy finds the pet aisle because he wants to get Poco a treat. We bought a can of tuna for cats ($0.49).

So we get home. Does Andy open the can? No. We both think tuna is gross, but I sucked it up and opened the can. Did he dish it out? No. I put a spoonful each into two little dishes. Then what happens? Andy grabs a dish and declares, "I get to feed Poco!" Not fair!!! We each held a dish... Poco ended up coming to mine, mwa ha ha. But yet - this is what 48 hours of cat fostering has done to us - we are now fighting over who gets to give the cats treats.

Otis and Poco - going nuts for tuna

 
This morning I went to the dentist. It was awful. Everything's fine (except that they reminded me I still needed to get my gums checked, noooo), but the last part of the appointment was awful. They slopped on fluoride all over my teeth.... and told me I had to leave it on and not drink anything hot for 4 hours. ?!?!? I hadn't even had coffee yet! Honestly it felt like my teeth were coated in glue. They were sticky and gummy.... it was disgusting.

I had to stop back home before going to work. This is what I found.

Looks like someone's made herself at home

Ok and to not come across as a total cat lady, I'll write quickly about non-cat things. Remember that Elf4Health challenge? Well... I've slacked, but actually managed to do the challenge today: Pay it Forward. I wasn't totally clear on what that was so I read a list of ideas online last night. The result?

Food Donation!

I really can't act like I did much - Job #2 was collecting food, and a few people brought things in after the fact, so I just bagged it up and took it in. I guess that was a lot of effort - just no money, which hey - time is money! Tomorrow's challenge is to pack a healthy snack for you and a friend. I will be doing wonders if I can just manage to bring a healthy snack for myself. My food situation is still horrendous.

Massive Photo Post

Sorry it's been awhile - get ready for a massive amount of pictures. I'll try to keep the rest short.

Wednesday: After work I had a quick dinner at Chipotle with Andy, followed by a movie date with Will and Rose. We saw Catching Fire and it was SOOOOO good. And of course... this followed.

FroYo with Rose and Will!

Thursday: Worked both jobs.

Friday: Took the day off - awesome! Started with a trip to PT.

The latest tape job

I also had lunch with Rose, which was really nice. Then I had a hair appointment. I love my hair dresser, so getting my hair done really just feels like getting to hang out with a friend. :-) Plus she always does such a good job!

Freshly done hair - more low lights this time

Later that night I met up with some coworkers from Job #1 for drinks/dinner to say goodbye to Brian (Friday was his last day - Brian sat in the office next to mine, so I am sad to see him go).

Brian - 3rd in from the right

And interspersed through out all of these activities, I ATTACKED my clothes. My closet and multiple hanging racks are now the picture of sheer perfection. I have finally attained "Zen Closet." I need to take a picture to share.... I also finished decorating our house for Christmas.

So pretty!

Saturday: Job #2. Then got ready for our "All-Encompassing Party!" An engagement, house warming, and holiday party - no stone was left unturned, haha. I think/hope everyone had a good time. I know I did!

Elizabeth and Tara

Andy!!

Shawn S, Lisa S, Laura, and Kirk

Shaun L and Alyssa

Kristin (not wanting her picture taken, lol)

Another Lisa S, Anna, and Rose

Babs and Andy!!

Engagement Ring Cupcakes!!

Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of Bipul, Ben, Lydia, Andy A, Will, or Sue, but they were all there too! It was a full house!!!

Andy was so worn out that I found him like this when I was ready for bed...

Sounds asleep - still holding his book.

Sunday: Lazy morning. Had leftovers from the hot chocolate bar I had at our party.

Whipped cream and crushed candy canes... yummm...

Then our two new roommates moved in! Anna and Bipul left for India for their big Indian wedding (SO COOL) - between that and a trip home for Christmas, they're going to be gone for the next month. Andy and I are now kitty cat foster parents until they come back!

Introducing: Otis...

...and Poco!!!

The rest of the day was spent running some errands followed by a quiet night at home. Otis seems to be adjusting quite well...

Helping Andy eat dinner

Loving the bath mat

Poco is still a little shy but she is warming up. This morning she was climbing all over Andy when I came downstairs, so I think she's getting used to us too. It's fun to have little pets around!

Ok, so you're all caught up. I feel it's my responsibility to confess that I have not been exercising or eating according to Seetha's plan. I really need to remedy that as my mom will be here in less than 3 weeks, and we will be wedding dress shopping! I need to "Say no to starch" if I'm going to feel good enough to "Say yes to the dress!"

Typical Tuesday

Greetings peeps.

I am happy to say I made it through my juice cleanse - the second time in my life I've gone an entire day without eating food. It wasn't easy, but it also wasn't unbearable. Towards the evening I was feeling pretty dizzy and I kept thinking to myself, "Why am I doing this again?" But this morning I woke up and felt FANTASTIC. The feeling is almost addictive. I felt so great I thought, "Maybe I should keep going..." It really is that tempting. Of course, the idea of breakfast is also pretty tempting, so I went ahead and ate. :-) I'm back to "normal rules" - no starch and no food after 8pm. I have to remind myself that if I'm strong enough to juice for a day, I'm strong enough to eat food without going crazy. Before moving on from this subject, I want to send a big thank you to Anna, Lisa, and Andy for checking in with me throughout the day, encouraging me, and giving me some tough love to help get me through my day of no food. You guys are great!

I was looking forward to today because I had a lunchtime doctor's appointment with my primary care doc in hopes that he could look over my knee and figure out a way to resolve my issue before the end of the year. 10 minutes before I was about to hop in the car, he called me to cancel my appointment. Apparently he spoke with my knee surgeon, explained the whole 'get this done soon so I don't have to start over on my deductible' bit, and the knee surgeon got it! Supposedly when I go into the knee place next Friday (the 13th) they'll either take care of it then, or will get me set up to have it taken care of asap. I'm still not quite sure what is happening, but at least it seems like people are trying to help me with this now rather than later.

Since I was supposed to be out of the office during lunch, I figured I'd pick something up on my way back to eat. Well... instead I found myself stuck at the office with no food. There are a few places to get a salad around Job #1, but I wanted something hot. Turns out you can get Chinese food with sauce on the side!!

Only used a teeny tiny amount of sauce - healthy!

So that's about all I have to report. Nothing too exciting. Tonight I'm at Job #2, which I am reeeaaally not looking forward to - all of the General Managers will be at the club for a "GM Summit" which means my boss will be out of control and we'll have to be on our best behavior. It sounds exhausting... wish me luck.

One last thing before I sign off. Many of you know that Phoebe (the most precious bichon the world will ever know) will always hold a special place in my heart. Today is her birthday. She would have been 22, which does sound a little silly for a dog. :-)

I LOVE YOU PHOEBE HEIMER!!!!!

That picture was taken when I was probably in 5th grade.... she was playing in the dirt outside and is sitting at the sliding glass door... those little pleading eyes saying "let me in!" I have this picture on my fridge - it's one of my favorite pictures of Phoebe. I know it's weird, but I still say hello to her in her picture - I just miss her so much. Phoebe loved cheese... please eat some cheese in honor of Phoebe today!!

Thanksgiving Fail

Despite Seetha's best efforts, I fell off the wagon. Hard.

Wednesday night I made deviled eggs to bring to Thanksgiving.

They're supposed to be green!

The deviled eggs were really good - you guys should make them sometime. Hard boil the eggs, mix the yolks with….wait for it…. guacamole! It'll be a little dry so the secret secret ingredient you add then is… french dressing! Weird huh? And then a little dash of paprika. Done. Delish. All chopped up and mixed together it would make a great egg salad for a sandwich or lettuce wrap. Just an idea. :-)

Ok so Wednesday night was great, nice and productive. And Thursday morning - amazing.

Super happy (and sweaty) Sarah and Babs

 

Sarah and I did training in the morning with Vinny - followed by the Zumba class she had to teach. Two hours of sheer exercise joy. Day off of work, working out with friends (Lisa and Anna were at the gym too)… even Andy ran to the club, so he was there too. Best morning ever! 

If only the story ended there.

I can sum up the rest of the day, along with the following three days with four letters. F-O-O-D. I was disgusting. But so as not to dwell on it too much, I will leave you with a few pictures from Thanksgiving so you can see other people who are able to handle Thanksgiving without it destroying their lives for the next few days.

Andy's sister, Ali

Andy's mother, Cindy

Andy - ready to eat!

Ben, Lydia, and Rose

(After spending Thanksgiving afternoon/evening with Andy's family, we headed to Will and Rose's for T-day part 2. In addition to more food, we played "Cards Against Humanity." SUPER fun.)

Pretty Lisa :-)

Ok you're caught up. Thanks to some late night texts with Seetha I've been doing yet another juice fast today (Monday). I either need to get my act together or just buy a juicer. Looking forward to regular healthy food tomorrow.

Thanksgiving Prep

Last night we had quite the snow storm - I'd say we got a good 7 or 8 inches. The snow is very wet, which also means it's heavy, and it's all resulted in a big sloppy mess outside. Tonight the temps are going to drop big time, which means it will all freeze over.... should make for an interesting Thanksgiving drive. :-/

Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and Andy and I will head to Buffalo to have dinner with his extended family. Before we leave I will be hitting the gym - I usually do some sort of workout the morning of Thanksgiving... it helps me feel better about eating so many calories. Well this year's prep is like none I've ever done before.

Enter Seetha!

Ok, so I texted Seetha, told her about the tasting and how I went off the wagon once I got home. She was quick to give me instructions. Tuesday: ACV (apple cider vinegar) shot in the morning, coffee, sip on juice, big salad (no meat or nuts) around 2:00pm, sip on juice the rest of the day, and another ACV shot at night. She also told me to do some yoga.

Yoga thanks to YouTube!

I did it. Not nearly as tough as my first day of juicing - probably because 1) I knew what to expect, 2) I knew it was possible since I did it before, and 3) I actually got to have a salad.... some food is better than no food!

Yum...

I also met with her yesterday in person, and was so surprised when she told me to.... do it all again the next day (being today). Two days of mostly juicing in a row?? More ACV shots??? Ugh. She did make one change, which was that I could eat breakfast as well - mostly because I told her how painful my stomach usually feels after an ACV shot on an empty stomach.

Why Seetha?? Why two days of this?? I honestly wasn't that bad! She said it had nothing to do with foods I ate in the past - this is all in preparation for Thanksgiving!! According to her, I physically won't be able to handle eating as much food on Thanksgiving as I would normally. Well well well... isn't she smart. :-)

We also talked about a plan for Thanksgiving. I'm supposed to skip all the foods I feel mediocre about, and only have the ones I really love. For herself, she said she'd skip turkey and have tons of cheesy broccoli casserole. For me? Well... I'd say my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the stuffing, so I'll definitely be having that. We also talked about Thanksgiving desserts. She had me think of what I would want most of all (I came up with carrot cake... for some reason that sounds good to me right now) and she suggested I bring a carrot cake so I could have what I really want instead of just settling with something less exciting, like pumpkin pie.

So there you have it. I'm on day two of my modified detox. So far so good - even the ACV wasn't as bad having had breakfast before (I also didn't take quite as big of a shot, which really helped too).

Additionally today, I had PT this morning. No exercises, just more work on the cyst - ultrasound, (painful) massage, and the battery powered pad again (I HATE that thing). I'm going back in a few hours for them to tape me up again, so that will at least not be painful.

As I left PT this morning I couldn't help but think about how much I feel like I'm "enduring" to make my life/health better. ACV shots, juicing, painful PT visits.... it's a lot. But I'm really proud of myself for enduring the discomfort knowing it will pay off in the long run. I hope managing my health isn't always this challenging though!

And now time for a few random things:

Thanks to Andy's persistence, we went out on Monday night and got an electric blanket. He actually doesn't use it at all, it's solely for me. I think he was just persistent about going out and getting one because he was tired of hearing me complain how cold I am all the time. It was expensive, but worth every penny. I haven't slept this well in a long time!!

Warm and Fuzzy!

My Elf4Health challenge is also going well. On Monday I unsubscribed to about 10 email lists (the challenge was to unsubscribe to 3, but I got carried away). Yesterday I went meatless... made incredibly easy since Seetha just had me juice anyway. Today's challenge is to try a new workout. I'm still debating between trying a "Core Dynamics" class that is new and/or going to a yoga class tonight. Yoga obviously isn't new, but I've never been to this specific teacher's class, so I feel like that counts. :-)

And because I probably won't post anything on here tomorrow... tomorrow's challenge is to call a friend and tell them you're thankful for them, so I will use this opportunity to tell all of YOU that I am SO SO SO very thankful for your friendship, love, and support. Happy Thanksgiving!!!

One month until Christmas!

The countdown to Christmas is officially on! It feels a little strange since we haven't even had real Thanksgiving yet, but it's the 25th, so I'm counting!! However, with the countdown on, it means things are going to kick up on the holiday celebration front - translation: food, food, food.

This weekend was no exception.

We had a press conference at Job #1 on Friday. That meant having to dress up on what should be a casual Friday (boo). It also meant standing around assorted pastries for about two hours. I resisted. 1 point for team healthy. After the press conference I ran to PT for a quick tape job.

Back of my knee - I am supposed to wear this every minute of every day

I also grabbed a quick lunch at Wegmans with Sarah and got to finally hear all of the details of her marathon. 3 more points for team healthy (knee care, healthy lunch, time with friend).

Friday was also the day of the Lululemon grand opening.

Lisa, Rose, Babs, and Anna - we all have a problem...

And of course you can't buy new Lulu clothes without testing them out in a yoga class. Anna, Lisa, and I (and Kristin too!) hit up an after-work yoga class. I hadn't done yoga in a week... honestly hadn't really exercised in a week just because my week was so busy. I was glad I went, but for some reason, I just couldn't get my brain invested in the class. Oh well.

Later that night we celebrated Will's birthday over at his and Rose's house.

Birthday Boy Will

I did an excellent job of staying away from the baddies (stuck to fruit only), and also played my fair share of Dance Central... so even a little exercise. Yoga + no party baddies + Dance Central = 10,000 more points for team healthy.

Saturday - blah. Job #2. Worked out (good girl). Made an amazing dinner with Andy - paleo burgers made with bacon and jalapenos mixed into the beef. Laid on the couch watching MMA. Kind of a manly night, haha. 3 more points for team healthy (workout, dinner, downtime with Andy).

Sunday we woke up this...

First REAL snow of the year (about 4 inches)

I was a little nervous to see the snow because we had our wedding tasting scheduled for the afternoon, but thankfully they cleared the roads in time for us to make the trip out there. After much debate, our final tasting party included myself and Andy (duh), Lisa (connoisseur of lean cuisines and red wine), and Andy's mother Cindy (connoisseur of blush wines) and sister Ali (connoisseur of shellfish allergy and alcoholic grape juice). :-) 

At the tasting we tried a salad with three different dressings. While it wasn't anything to write home about, we ended up choosing the balsamic vinaigrette as that seemed like the safest (yet still classy) choice. Then the chicken dishes came out. Lisa decided that my most favorite one (grilled chicken breast with bell peppers on top) looked like a Lean Cuisine, and she was right - but it was so tasty! No one else liked it though, so that was crossed off pretty quickly. That meant it was between the tomato/mushroom chicken or the pecan crusted chicken. Lisa, Andy, and Ali all liked the tomato one. Cindy said she was torn. But I liked the pecan one best. For some reason I really did NOT like the tomato one.... so.... we're getting the pecan chicken. :-)

Then the steaks came. The sirloin steak had shrimp on top, which Ali could not eat. The shrimp was actually delicious, but smelled so strongly... the thought of a bunch of shrimp smells in the air grossed me out so I didn't really consider that one as a viable option. Then there was the strip steak with montreal butter. Who freaking cares what chicken we picked because that steak was DELICIOUS! Everyone at the tasting decided we would all order the steak on the big day. I'm already looking forward to having it again!

As for the sides, the fire roasted veggie blend and the garlic roasted potatoes won out. All in all, I think we'll have really good food for the wedding - certainly better than "average" wedding food.

At this point I figured it was time to go home. Nope! Apparently we also had to do a wine tasting. We were allowed to pick 6 wines out of..... 35! Holy cow!!! 

Ali, Cindy, and Lisa

Andy and Babs - deep in the tasting at this point

My future lady in-laws.

The wines we ended up choosing were a dry oaked Chardonnay, a semi-dry Reisling, a Vignoles (super sweet white wine), a blush (chosen by Cindy), a Cabernet Franc, and a Meritage (heavier blend of red wines). I'm so excited about all of the options we'll have - not to mention we also found out we'll have 6 to 7 of the venue's micro brews on tap. How cool! Being back at the venue and deciding on food and drink definitely made me more excited for the actual day. I think our wedding has the potential to be really fun!

We made it home from the tasting - by this point it's about 4:00pm. I'm hungry, tired, still possibly a little tipsy (I did not drive).... so what happened.... food fest. BUT! I will say, I didn't let it go too far before trying to decide what I really wanted. Turned out it was pasta with marinara and an oatmeal raisin cookie. We went to Wegmans, and I got them. And they were great (1,000,000 points to team cookies and pasta). And today.... I'm doing really well. I think listening to what I really wanted and letting myself have those things did the trick! It's a good thing too because....

Today is Monday - Job #1's potluck Thanksgiving lunch. Knowing I was off track the day before, and going to face a lot of food today, I started my morning with a shot of apple cider vinegar. HOLY FREAKING COW WHY DID I DO THAT AGAIN!!!! I was sick to my stomach all morning. Didn't even eat breakfast. But I think it was enough of a "punishment" that I wasn't even tempted to get anything bad from this spread...

Job #1 Thanksgiving Potluck Lunch

I brought a salad, so I knew I'd definitely have something to eat. Then I tried all of the vegetable dishes that were brought in too (plus some mixed fruit as my version of dessert).

Veggie Overload!

I noticed looking around the table how brown everyone's plates were.... turkey, gravy, stuffing, rolls, potatoes... I was very proud of my colorful plate. 

Ok enough typing - time to head home. I need to do laundry, put clothes away, make something for dinner, tackle the dishes, and do my PT exercises (ugh). 

Oh! One last thing - today I started the Elf4Health challenge. I was supposed to go "meatless" today, but with Job #1's lunch, I knew that would be hard to do. Well... not really hard, but it would generate a lot of comments I just didn't want to deal with. So I am moving my meatless day to tomorrow and instead did tomorrow's challenge today: Unsubscribe to 3 email lists you don't want anymore. I went overboard and unsubscribed to about 10. It felt good! Looking forward to a less cluttered inbox in my future. :-) 

Long Days

Is it Friday yet??

On the one hand this week is sort of flying by as I've been busy from the time I get up to the time I go to bed. On the other, I feel like I've done 8,000 things, and it's not even Friday yet... ugh.

Tuesday was typical - worked both jobs.

Yesterday (Wednesday) was pretty event heavy. Since my schedule involved more than sitting behind my desk, I tried to dress up a bit - I hate wasting a good outfit on a day when Andy won't see me, lol. So... I took a picture and sent it to him!

Still trying to get used to the ankle boot look

In the middle of Job #1, we all (almost all) had to go to a luncheon for the Arts and Cultural Council Awards. Thrilling.

Michael and Babs

Ellen, Brian, and Katy

Thankfully I was able to request that I have a starch-free lunch, which meant it was small... but at least I wasn't having to stare at starch on my plate that I couldn't have. Even though those types of things aren't my favorite, it was a nice excuse to get out of the office.

After Job #1, I headed to Job #2 to watch a presentation given by Job #1. Did you keep up? Talk about two worlds colliding. It was strange to be in #1 mode at #2, but thankfully Anna and Lisa were there which made everything 1,000 times better. :-) They even played their instruments, which was an extra special treat.

Wes, Lisa, Shannon, and Anna

This whole thing was a networking event - people were pretty chatty.... needless to say I didn't get home until 9:30 at night. Ugh.

So that makes two long days in a row, and today I'll be making it a third - PT this morning, now at Job #1, and working again at Job #2 tonight. Not excited about another late night at Job #2 but I need the extra money, plus since I'll be there I can force myself to do my leg exercises before I head home.

Speaking of my leg... PT this morning was awful. With the MRI results back, my PT guy went to town on my cyst... ultrasound, massage (very painful), followed by a battery charged pad (really weird and excruciatingly painful).

Pad on back of my knee

They put that on me and hooked me up to a torture device that charged the pad for 3 minutes. I felt like I was being stabbed my a tiny knife. It was terrible. And it still hurt once it was fully charged (I had to leave it on for two hours). I whimpered a bit once I left, then immediately called the surgeon's office to try to get this thing taken out asap. I don't want to keep going through this every time I go to PT.