Considering the fact that we are only going to be in California for less than a month, I have a feeling the Earthquake Gods decided this mid-western girl should have the experience of a good ground shaking.
I must say it is an interesting feeling. At first I noticed my chair was shaking, but my brain was a little slow to catch on. The ground is not suppose to move like that, so I thought I must have been having a stroke or something. Finally my brain caught up and realized my desk and the entire house was also shaking. "Oh," I thought, "this is an earthquake." Of course then my next thought was, "wait, the ground is still moving... what am I suppose to do?" I guess I always expected it to be really short. Granted this one only lasted at most a minute... but it did seem longer than that. By the time I figured out that I should let the dog out of her crate and get both of us outside, the ground had stopped moving. I was almost unsure that it was not all in my imagination. Then I noticed the waves in the pool and the blinds all moving.
Thankfully there has been no real damage reported. Nothing even fell off of its shelf in my house. I was worried though for a bit. I figured if we could feel it that bad the epicenter had to have it worse. I forgot to factor in that these people are use to this sort of thing. They engineer buildings for it. The sky scrapers downtown all swayed... exactly as they are suppose to do. It is actually quite impressive. Heck, the fact that it took me a day to even write this speaks to how this city just rolls with the ground when it goes. =) We all took a deep breath, calmed down, and then went about our normal days.
It is a very interesting experience.... but I'm also glad to be heading back to firmer ground in the near future!
Vegas Pictures
As promised... here are a few high lights:
Lobby at Bellagio:
Miniature Bellagio in the lobby. We stayed at the MGM... but had to go and see the famous Bellagio... it was worth the walk down the strip even if it was 110 degrees!
Sweetie in Bellagio lobby:
Hoover Dam:
Me at the Hoover Dam:
I must say the hoover dam was pretty impressive. Granted I live with an engineer, so in the past 3 years I have gained more insight into the massive construction jobs.... but I think any one can be impressed with the massive under taking this structure must have been.
Lobby at Bellagio:
Miniature Bellagio in the lobby. We stayed at the MGM... but had to go and see the famous Bellagio... it was worth the walk down the strip even if it was 110 degrees!
Sweetie in Bellagio lobby:
Hoover Dam:
Me at the Hoover Dam:
I must say the hoover dam was pretty impressive. Granted I live with an engineer, so in the past 3 years I have gained more insight into the massive construction jobs.... but I think any one can be impressed with the massive under taking this structure must have been.
Vegas Baby!
Its been a while since I posted anything... but I have a good reason. The sweetie and I went to Vegas for the weekend. We have been saying since we came out here that we should go. Since its only a four hour drive. It took us all of the time we've been here to finally go. It was a fun weekend. I'm sleepy now though. =)
I had never been to Sin City before. I think I know why now. Its just not my type of town. I'm a little more low key than anything in Vegas. The high light of the weekend for me was seeing the Hover Dam. Oh and we did at least win $32. I told my sweetie we had to gamble at least once. He humored me, but was dragging his feet. He seemed to walk a little quicker after we won. heehee
Sweetie also has an Aunt who lives there, so it was nice to catch up with her. Plus one of his co-workers got married. This time we could not come up with any excuses not to go. The funny thing was that I forgot it was the end of July as we were planning the trip. I did not ever connect the dots that we were going to be heading to the desert in the middle of the summer. Seriously, people are not suppose to live in places like that. It was just too hot, too loud, too crowded, and too over the top. Neither of us really drink or go for that wild and crazy parting though. Just not our scene I guess.
My mother always made us try new things at least once at dinner before we could declare we did not like it. At least now I have tried the Vegas scene. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow...
I had never been to Sin City before. I think I know why now. Its just not my type of town. I'm a little more low key than anything in Vegas. The high light of the weekend for me was seeing the Hover Dam. Oh and we did at least win $32. I told my sweetie we had to gamble at least once. He humored me, but was dragging his feet. He seemed to walk a little quicker after we won. heehee
Sweetie also has an Aunt who lives there, so it was nice to catch up with her. Plus one of his co-workers got married. This time we could not come up with any excuses not to go. The funny thing was that I forgot it was the end of July as we were planning the trip. I did not ever connect the dots that we were going to be heading to the desert in the middle of the summer. Seriously, people are not suppose to live in places like that. It was just too hot, too loud, too crowded, and too over the top. Neither of us really drink or go for that wild and crazy parting though. Just not our scene I guess.
My mother always made us try new things at least once at dinner before we could declare we did not like it. At least now I have tried the Vegas scene. I'll try to post some pictures tomorrow...
Is that a yummy bone?
This is what happens when mommy turns her back and actually thinks she can do some online shopping for more than 5 mins! =) I guess we won't be playing tug of war with this toy any more.... but man you should have seen the fun puppy had chasing around mommy as she tried to pick all of this up! She is lucky she is so cute!
This and that...
Not too much going on today at the moment.. so I thought I would take some time to update the goings on around here lately. Its been a kind of crazy few days. Sweetie and I have had many conversations about where we want to spend the next few years.
I would say we are about 95% of the way committed to moving to Indiana. The sweetie's current boss asked him for a couple days to see if they could put together a counter offer for him. The Indiana job is with a new firm, and I doubt that the current one will be able to match it. Plus we both know there is nothing available that close to home... and after almost 2 years of being on the opposite side of the country from our families... the close to home aspect is almost the biggest selling point now. At least its only a few more days of moving limbo. I should be able to manage that.
Of course as I was walking the dog around the back yard this morning at 4:40 am to encourage her to "do her business" rather than play in the pool, it did strike me that we will have to come up with a different plan. There is no way that habit will continue once we get back to enjoying Midwest winters! I'm thinking puppy might get to learn how to use a dog door at the new house.
The only other thing keeping me busy this week is trying to figure out how I want to do the addresses for the wedding invites. I'm thinking labels, since I just don't have the time to hand write them. Normally I get my labels from the stock room at work. Since that's not really an option now that I work from home, I made a trip to Staples the other day. You would not think buying labels was so hard... but they did not have what I wanted. So I went home and looked on line. Apparently you can only order work place quantities on line. I guess I'll have to try some of the other office stores around here. That's the plan for this afternoon. Wish me luck. Its always the things that I think will be easy and not take too much time that seem to be the hardest for me!
I would say we are about 95% of the way committed to moving to Indiana. The sweetie's current boss asked him for a couple days to see if they could put together a counter offer for him. The Indiana job is with a new firm, and I doubt that the current one will be able to match it. Plus we both know there is nothing available that close to home... and after almost 2 years of being on the opposite side of the country from our families... the close to home aspect is almost the biggest selling point now. At least its only a few more days of moving limbo. I should be able to manage that.
Of course as I was walking the dog around the back yard this morning at 4:40 am to encourage her to "do her business" rather than play in the pool, it did strike me that we will have to come up with a different plan. There is no way that habit will continue once we get back to enjoying Midwest winters! I'm thinking puppy might get to learn how to use a dog door at the new house.
The only other thing keeping me busy this week is trying to figure out how I want to do the addresses for the wedding invites. I'm thinking labels, since I just don't have the time to hand write them. Normally I get my labels from the stock room at work. Since that's not really an option now that I work from home, I made a trip to Staples the other day. You would not think buying labels was so hard... but they did not have what I wanted. So I went home and looked on line. Apparently you can only order work place quantities on line. I guess I'll have to try some of the other office stores around here. That's the plan for this afternoon. Wish me luck. Its always the things that I think will be easy and not take too much time that seem to be the hardest for me!
Monday Homework 2
This week's homework is all about control.... and giving some of it up. Part of being a perfectionist is about trying to control everything and anything that comes your way. If you can control a situation, then you can make sure it turns out perfect.
The problem is that this need to control is sneaky. It likes to sneak up on me. Half the time I don't even realize I'm doing it. Plus trying to control the uncontrollable only leaves you feeling ineffectual, useless, and a waste when it all doesn't go the way you want.
So this week the homework assignment is to work on identifying those moments when you are trying to control something completely out of your control jurisdiction. That will be a good start. If you are feeling extra ambitious, the extra credit is to identify what emotion the need to control is triggering, and then focus on what in that situation is actually in your control.
Good Luck!
The problem is that this need to control is sneaky. It likes to sneak up on me. Half the time I don't even realize I'm doing it. Plus trying to control the uncontrollable only leaves you feeling ineffectual, useless, and a waste when it all doesn't go the way you want.
So this week the homework assignment is to work on identifying those moments when you are trying to control something completely out of your control jurisdiction. That will be a good start. If you are feeling extra ambitious, the extra credit is to identify what emotion the need to control is triggering, and then focus on what in that situation is actually in your control.
Good Luck!
mmm.... muffins
I had a couple bananas going bad pretty quick. Since there is only thing I know to with mushy bananas... I made muffins today. I have been wanting to try some creative recipe design, so I searched my pantry and came up with Banana Oat Muffins with Strawberry Jam and Granola topping. They are still cooling off, so I will have to report back on the the results!
happy saturday!
Moving limbo...
We might be moving sooner than expected. My sweetie's current job assignment has been a roller coaster ride for the last couple of weeks. On Monday they extended his contract to the end of September, the week before they weren't even sure if the job was going to complete. They have lots of drama that I won't go into.
Yesterday he received half of a job offer from another company. This job is in Indiana and is slated to be a 3 year assignment. Last night was a lot of discussions about where we wanted to be and how we wanted to nudge our life. Lots of fun for two people who really do have a hard time making a decision. Especially with only half the info from the job info. The 2 day old diet took a hit yesterday, since the only way a discussion like that can happen is over cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate pies! =)
With the Michigan economy tanking worse than most, I'm just not sure ending our life on the road is a good thing right now. A 3 year job assignment that pays good, seems silly to give up for uncertainty. Plus rather than a 5 hour flight to home, we will only be a 4 hour drive away.
Sweetie is scheduled to get the rest of the details today. Wish us luck, this could be an interesting weekend and next couple of months. Odds are this job will be starting in September. That means in the next 2 months we will be finalizing wedding plans, flying back to Michigan for our shower, packing up a house, moving with a dog three-quarters of the way across the country, finding a new house, and then actually getting married. Lets just say, I am really looking forward to the honeymoon... which until we know where we will be living.... we can't even book! Goodness!
Yesterday he received half of a job offer from another company. This job is in Indiana and is slated to be a 3 year assignment. Last night was a lot of discussions about where we wanted to be and how we wanted to nudge our life. Lots of fun for two people who really do have a hard time making a decision. Especially with only half the info from the job info. The 2 day old diet took a hit yesterday, since the only way a discussion like that can happen is over cheeseburgers, fries, and chocolate pies! =)
With the Michigan economy tanking worse than most, I'm just not sure ending our life on the road is a good thing right now. A 3 year job assignment that pays good, seems silly to give up for uncertainty. Plus rather than a 5 hour flight to home, we will only be a 4 hour drive away.
Sweetie is scheduled to get the rest of the details today. Wish us luck, this could be an interesting weekend and next couple of months. Odds are this job will be starting in September. That means in the next 2 months we will be finalizing wedding plans, flying back to Michigan for our shower, packing up a house, moving with a dog three-quarters of the way across the country, finding a new house, and then actually getting married. Lets just say, I am really looking forward to the honeymoon... which until we know where we will be living.... we can't even book! Goodness!
Thank you Grandma!
As I'm eating my lunch, I can't help but think of my Grandma S. I'm thoroughly enjoying a tomato and cheese sandwich. Relishing in the drippy, messy, goodness.
I can still remember the day, way too many years ago, that grandma introduced her oldest granddaughter to this simple sandwich. I think seeing how none of the cherry tomatoes in my mom's garden ever made it into the house tipped her off that I might like it.... oh how right she was. I just can't help but being happy and remembering all those wonderful summers at my grandparent's cottage when ever I even smell fresh tomatoes just off the vine.
Making the sandwich is simple, but at lunch time I never want to deal with the mess of slicing tomatoes. I like to just grab and go with my lunches. I finally realized though, that if I slice up a few tomatoes at the beginning of the week. I can make easy sandwiches every day! Oh the joy!!!
The recipe is simple:
2 slices of bread
4-5 slices of good, ripe tomatoes - not cherry ones.. they would roll too much to stay in the sandwich
2 slices of cheese... I prefer American or cheddar.. but I suppose you can use anything
1 tblsp mayo ( I use fat free since I can't really tell the difference any more )
mustard to taste
Mayo on one slice of bread, then tomatoes on top of it. I find the mayo helps work as a glue to hold the slices in place. Then the cheese and mustard on the other slice. Put together and enjoy a little piece of summer heaven!
I can still remember the day, way too many years ago, that grandma introduced her oldest granddaughter to this simple sandwich. I think seeing how none of the cherry tomatoes in my mom's garden ever made it into the house tipped her off that I might like it.... oh how right she was. I just can't help but being happy and remembering all those wonderful summers at my grandparent's cottage when ever I even smell fresh tomatoes just off the vine.
Making the sandwich is simple, but at lunch time I never want to deal with the mess of slicing tomatoes. I like to just grab and go with my lunches. I finally realized though, that if I slice up a few tomatoes at the beginning of the week. I can make easy sandwiches every day! Oh the joy!!!
The recipe is simple:
2 slices of bread
4-5 slices of good, ripe tomatoes - not cherry ones.. they would roll too much to stay in the sandwich
2 slices of cheese... I prefer American or cheddar.. but I suppose you can use anything
1 tblsp mayo ( I use fat free since I can't really tell the difference any more )
mustard to taste
Mayo on one slice of bread, then tomatoes on top of it. I find the mayo helps work as a glue to hold the slices in place. Then the cheese and mustard on the other slice. Put together and enjoy a little piece of summer heaven!
Wedding Crafts
I have been taking a break from working on the wedding stuff this week, but figured I still could catch you up on what I have.
Last week I busted my butt to get my invites done. Here's the completed look.
On Friday I started the table number tents. I was not going to make these, just use the ones the hall has... but those just seemed so dull and did not fit in with the fall theme. So here are my versions. They are not done yet though. I ran out of the leaf die cuts... so I'm waiting for yet another delivery.
This week I am suppose to be tackling the thank you cards. All the supplies are still just sitting on the dining room table waiting for me. Maybe tomorrow I will have the motivation to start them.... we will see!
Last week I busted my butt to get my invites done. Here's the completed look.
On Friday I started the table number tents. I was not going to make these, just use the ones the hall has... but those just seemed so dull and did not fit in with the fall theme. So here are my versions. They are not done yet though. I ran out of the leaf die cuts... so I'm waiting for yet another delivery.
This week I am suppose to be tackling the thank you cards. All the supplies are still just sitting on the dining room table waiting for me. Maybe tomorrow I will have the motivation to start them.... we will see!
Free Online Food Journal
I stumbled across a pretty cool online food journal today. Its free and still has all the bells and whistles of the ones I have paid for in the past.
http://www.prevention.com
Go to the Health Tracker Tag. You can log calories, exercise, and even body measurements.
Keeping a journal is the only way I can lose weight. Just remember, no matter how you log, the key is to be completely honest with what you are actually putting into your mouth! =)
http://www.prevention.com
Go to the Health Tracker Tag. You can log calories, exercise, and even body measurements.
Keeping a journal is the only way I can lose weight. Just remember, no matter how you log, the key is to be completely honest with what you are actually putting into your mouth! =)
Monday Homework Assignment
This week's assignment is going to be a tough one ( for me any ways ).
The assignments are always due the following Monday.
This week build a list of 7 concrete positive characteristics that make you who you are.
In other words, fill in the blank 7 times:
The real and true me, the me underneath all the self doubt, and ill thoughts, is _________.
The assignments are always due the following Monday.
This week build a list of 7 concrete positive characteristics that make you who you are.
In other words, fill in the blank 7 times:
The real and true me, the me underneath all the self doubt, and ill thoughts, is _________.
Depression sucks!
Today was a hard day. I have good ones and bad ones. thankfully my depression is extremely mild, so my bad days are still pretty functioning. I almost feel guilty claiming depression... but then I think that is more a cause then true feeling. It leads back to that perfectionist. I'm not really depressed, I'm just not working hard enough at being perfectly happy all the time. Its an ugly loop I get stuck on.
In any case, today was a tough one. I slept bad last night with odd dreams stressing me out and then woke up on the wrong side of the bed and really just slid down hill most of the day.
At least the evening ended better. I kept at it and not only just survived, but actually feel a little better. I'm tired though, more tired than I should be for the amount of stuff I did today... which was pretty much just try not to cry most of the day. Its amazing how exhausting that can be.
I'm actually looking forward to Monday. At least my routine is easier to stick to and work, as dull as it is, keeps my mind off of all the self destructive negative thoughts for 7.5 hours or so!
In any case, today was a tough one. I slept bad last night with odd dreams stressing me out and then woke up on the wrong side of the bed and really just slid down hill most of the day.
At least the evening ended better. I kept at it and not only just survived, but actually feel a little better. I'm tired though, more tired than I should be for the amount of stuff I did today... which was pretty much just try not to cry most of the day. Its amazing how exhausting that can be.
I'm actually looking forward to Monday. At least my routine is easier to stick to and work, as dull as it is, keeps my mind off of all the self destructive negative thoughts for 7.5 hours or so!
Relaxing Saturday Morning
All week I look forward to sleeping in on Saturday. Living in California, but working on east coast time makes for some very early morning. I'm usually up by 4:40 am and pretty much get right to work. So Saturday mornings are my favorite. Typically I sleep in extra long while my sweetie gets up and lets the dog out, sits with her and basically deals with her for an hour or so on his own. Working from home means that job usually falls on me... I love taking at least one hour off once a week.
This morning fate had another plan. I did at least get to sleep in until 6:30, but sweetie was still sleeping and puppy needed to go out. Not the end of the world. I let her out and sat on the couch... hoping for at least a calm morning. Puppy had a different plan by falling into the pool, and it never fails that as soon as she gets soaking wet she does not want to be outside any more but sitting on the couch with me. There goes the calm morning! Oh well, at least we got to get some training in first thing. Puppy really is starting to get the sit and stay command. She even let me dry her off a bit.
Is making my dog sit and stay while I dry her off so she does not come into my house and make a mess giving into my perfectionist tendencies? Probably, but I'm not giving up on dry and clean furniture to work on that one!
This morning fate had another plan. I did at least get to sleep in until 6:30, but sweetie was still sleeping and puppy needed to go out. Not the end of the world. I let her out and sat on the couch... hoping for at least a calm morning. Puppy had a different plan by falling into the pool, and it never fails that as soon as she gets soaking wet she does not want to be outside any more but sitting on the couch with me. There goes the calm morning! Oh well, at least we got to get some training in first thing. Puppy really is starting to get the sit and stay command. She even let me dry her off a bit.
Is making my dog sit and stay while I dry her off so she does not come into my house and make a mess giving into my perfectionist tendencies? Probably, but I'm not giving up on dry and clean furniture to work on that one!
Hello all! I'm not quite sure where I should start... so I guess I will start with me. Right now I am sitting outside in our back yard. I am a Michigan girl, but currently am living outside of Los Angeles. My future hubby has a job that moves him all over the country. We have been in LA for a little more than a year and a half. It took a while, but I think I have finally gotten use to it. I still miss the seasons.... but sitting in the sun every day no matter what month it is has its perks. Plus, the 6:30 in the morning dog walks are definitely a lot better out here then they would be back home!
This is the first job that I have gone on with my sweetie. We dated for a year and half before we left for Cally. He was on the road, but close enough to come home every weekend. Basically when this job came up it was either only see him once a month or move out here with him. Luckily my boss agreed to let me work from home. So I was able to keep my job. Which is really a huge benefit, considering most of these road assignments only last 2 years tops.... so I'd have to keep finding new jobs in every new location.
Working from home has been interesting. Its actually a lot harder than I thought. I really don't get a lot of human interaction. Add in the fact that my dear fiancee works at least 10 hours a day, and I end up spending a lot of time on my own. Bottom line, I have been struggling with boarder line depression for most of our stay out here. Oh, yes my therapist makes good money on me! The funniest part of this whole process is figuring myself out. I guess that is why I have decided to start this blog. I see it as a good way to practice speaking my mind and working on my self confidence. Funny how when I was younger I figured by the time I was 30+ I would have found my inner voice and had it all figured out.... oh how wrong I was!
So here we go! Its about time I found that voice and love for myself!
This is the first job that I have gone on with my sweetie. We dated for a year and half before we left for Cally. He was on the road, but close enough to come home every weekend. Basically when this job came up it was either only see him once a month or move out here with him. Luckily my boss agreed to let me work from home. So I was able to keep my job. Which is really a huge benefit, considering most of these road assignments only last 2 years tops.... so I'd have to keep finding new jobs in every new location.
Working from home has been interesting. Its actually a lot harder than I thought. I really don't get a lot of human interaction. Add in the fact that my dear fiancee works at least 10 hours a day, and I end up spending a lot of time on my own. Bottom line, I have been struggling with boarder line depression for most of our stay out here. Oh, yes my therapist makes good money on me! The funniest part of this whole process is figuring myself out. I guess that is why I have decided to start this blog. I see it as a good way to practice speaking my mind and working on my self confidence. Funny how when I was younger I figured by the time I was 30+ I would have found my inner voice and had it all figured out.... oh how wrong I was!
So here we go! Its about time I found that voice and love for myself!
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