New Digs....

So I got located to a new place at work (by request).  My co-worker and I had new desks built into our workroom that basically allow us to collaborate better - instead of being stuck in separate cubes.  So far I am loving it.  It is actually a smaller space than what I was in before - but it is soooo much more functional.  The only problem is that I had 5 years worth of junk crammed into the old space and now I am having to pilfer through all of that to get it to fit into the new area.  I have about 2/3rds move -- but I honestly don't know what to do with the rest of it.  I can't bear to throw some of it away - because I know the minute  do I will need it (old files and stuff).  And I don't really want to bring it to the new area - because I really want to try to keep the new area clutter free.

I guess I am going to have to look for some empty storage space in one of the 'community' file cabinets (which are already full).

Healthy Choice ... ?maybe

I am totally NOT a health nut or anything. In-fact I am quite the opposite. However, I have recently become much more conscious about what I am eating - trying to make smarter decisions. Just little things like drinking more water instead of soda, baked chips instead of fries, jello instead of a piece of pie. I am certainly not limiting myself -- just taking a second thought before I indulge. As part of that I have re-evaluated my lunch-time options.

It was typical for me to eat out every week and spend $8-$15 dollar per meal -- on food that wasn't even that good. Sure my Green Chai flatbread pizza with fresh spinach and feta is probably pretty decent on the health-o-meter. But I know the cheeseburger and fries from What-a-burger would score a big fat zero.

So the last two weeks I have tried to limit myself to only eating out once or twice a week (give me some credit - I can't go cold turkey). And then the other 3 or 4 days I bring in my little "Healthy Choice" microwavable dinner.

Well - it hit me today....as I ate my Chicken with bow-tie pasta in a pesto sauce, my measly three sprigs of broccoli with some carrot shreds, and the Cobbler-esque 'dessert' -- "Hey - can I really call this a healthy choice if I have to load it down with salt and pepper just to get it down. And then find myself snacking by 2 p.m. because I didn't get full from lunch" Needless to say I may have to re-evaluate the situation again. I am sure - somewhere out there - there a blissful combination of yummy, easy, cheap, quick, healthy goodness that I could work from. If anyone has any suggestions please feel free to let me know. (And I don't do sandwiches).

What I want ...

What I had ...

BIG DIFFERENCE

It's just been one of those ....

Days Weeks Months. I can't believe that it has been over a month since I posted. Seems like thinks are finally back to normal after the whole cancer thing. But I forgot how busy 'normal' can be. It seems like there is something going on every day. And now that the weather is nice we are spending a lot more time outside (a.k.a. - gone). Darren is doing a garden again this year with the help of my dad and B-I-L Jeff. All three are really into it. And this year it is located down at my dad's instead of in our back yard. While I love this - it also means that we are down there just about every other night - if not more. And it is never just a 5 minute - water the plants - kind of thing.

Nat has really gotten into gardening too. She loves to go look for (and then eat) strawberries every day. If you are lucky she might share one with you. I love that she seems to be picking up on the green thumb I never got. And it is a great way to get her outside. We also have the typical squash, peppers, and whatnot - but she isn't near as excited about those things.

We've also planted a few new things this year like potatoes and 'black tomatoes' - so we will see how those go. I am little leery about the black tomatoes. From what I have seen online - they look like they are a few weeks past their expiration -- but apparently they have this great flavor. I will keep you posted on that one.

Just as a reference -- this is what is expected to come up ...

What if I Stumble...

So I have started taking guitar lessons. A little something to check off of my "bucket list". I have a super great teacher and we have a blast! I actually think I am doing pretty well. Learned my first chord change yesterday (and it is only my second lesson so...) Anyways, Laurie (my teacher) and I were talking about all of the Christian bands we listened to back in the last '90s. Jars of Clay, DC Talk, Third Day....it started to bring back a flood of memories. One of my favorites is "What if I Stumble" by DC Talk. I started to think about stumbling with this whole guitar lesson thing. What if I am not getting it. What if I stink at it. And then it hit me....I doesn't matter. It isn't like taking a class in school - where if you do bad, you fail and you have to take it again. This is just for me ... the good, the bad, the ugly...and I can continue or stop at anytime without any pressure or consequence. And that make me love learning to play even more!

I guess this makes me a nerd...

So no real surprise there -- I've always known that I tend to lean towards the Geek side of the spectrum. But after looking at this site and seeing how many of the items I love I'm thinking that the scale just shifted a bit.

I LOVE these Pantone phone covers.

check out Nerd Valentine for more awesome items.

Re-Invention of the same 'ol wheel.

Okay...so my life over the last um ...8 months has been wildly crazy. I had a baby in February (yes - that means she is almost 1 now) and went back to work full-time at the beginning of May. By the end of May I was on a wildwind journey to figure out why I had this annoying cough that wouldn't got away. August 13, 2010 - diagnosis - Nodular Sclerosing Hodgkin's Lymphoma. You can read more about that whole journey here. Needless to say I spent a lot of my time and focus on beating that. BUT -- no I am back!! I am FINALLY starting to feel like the old me again (the old, not pregnant, not-chemo ridden, not radiation whooped ME). And I have developed a new look on things. I have challenged to do things that prior to this I would have just kept putting off. Little things like playing on the floor with my kids more, sending thank you cards and handwritten notes, focusing more on being a blessing in someones life each and every day. So you're gonna hear more and more about stuff like that on here now. But no worries -- you'll get to enjoy the same random crap from me that brought you here in the first place.

Jocelyn's 101

I have a friend, Jocelyn, who I met thru connections at work. Honestly - we have never met in person, but rather keep in touch via the virtual worlds in which we live (Facebook, Twitter, and our Blogs). She recently created a whole new blog devoted to a mission she is on - to do 101 new things in 1,001 days. I've often found my self trying to learn new things each day (I follow a site called Learn Something New Every Day) and since I have lived down the same road for over 25 years I challenge myself regularly to find something new on the way home - a barn in the distance that I never saw before, a name on a mailbox, stuff like that - either I am a really unobservant person or my surroundings change often b/c I am always finding stuff. But Jocelyn is taking it one step further and actually DOING stuff. I can't wait to see what she comes up with - and who knows - maybe I'll get the bug to DO something too.

Dang iPhone

So I held off on getting an iphone until about 4 weeks ago when my Blackjack crapped out. My husband had an iphone, my sister had an iphone, my in-laws had iphones .. so I thought I may as well jump on the band wagon. Well let me just say that the stupids apps that you can get are addicting. Between Words with Friends, High School Heroes, Tap Resort and a slew of other games I spend my day constantly "checking in" to see who I need to fight, what I need to build, or who to add as a friend. Granted the ability to uploads pics to my Facebook and send them via text has been great. The grandparents love that I can send pics of the girls almost instantaneously. I fear that live will never be the same though. The fact that I can multi-task, and by that I mean feed a baby with one hand and play Solitaire with the other, is not something I intend to boast about (at least not too often).

Fidorka

I have a friend who introduced me to this wonderful Czech chocolate. Actually it is a milk waffer (think inside of a kit-Kat). This delicious creation is called Fidorka. I was treated to this candy about 3 years ago and frantically searched to see if it was available in the states. Unfortunately, it can only be bought online and it has to be bought by the case. Although it would be no problem for me to finish of a case of the stuff my conscience just wouldn't let me order it. And so it went by the wayside. Then a few weeks ago my friend returned from a two week trip to Prague with Fidroka in hand. AND he brought me several different flavors (milk chocolate, dark chocolate, hazelnut and a few others). The only dilemma now is that I feel like hoarding them because I don't know if or when I will ever get more. So I will have to ration them sparingly.

Thanks Hondo!!

Re-INSPIRED

So it has apparently been WAY too long since I put up a post. Unfortunately life got in the way for a bit ... but now, thanks to a friend's blog (Thanks Abby) I've been re-inspired to pick up and let the insanity continue. And BOY do I have a bunch of stuff to talk about.

Buckyballs - Part Two

We had a gift exchange at our office Christmas party last night and one of my bestest co-worker friends had my name. Being the thoughtful ( and wacky) friend that she is - she got me BUCKYBALLS - wheehee!!! I did get one or two strange looks from some people as they asked what the heck they were - but once I opened the package and let people play with them I started to win the crowd over - they were a hit (I wouldn't be surprised if one or two more folks added them to their xmas list).

Now I will say that the "masterpieces" that I created last night were no where near the caliber of what you would see on the video - but I figure that just gives me an excuse to "practice" with them.

"Tis the season....

So I can totally tell it is the holiday season due to the overwhelming number of emails I have in my inbox. Seems that every retailer that I subscribe to feels the need to email me at least once or twice a day about the WONDERFUL deals they have. Now any other time of the year I'd be happy to know about free shipping or how to 15 % off my next purchase -- but I am starting to feel a bit bombarded with all of the attention I am getting from them. I mean - I know I am a loyal customer and I am glad that they appreciate my business -- but seriously people - I don't need to know that at 2:30 in the morning and then be reminded again at noon. Of course I don't dare remove my name from the mailing list - because come January I will once again want to know about all of the sales (although I have a slight feeling that I may not hear from some of these folks again until May or June and their offers won't be near as enticing as they are now). So for now I guess I will just continue about my day and repeatedly check my box to delete the 20 or 30 messages that are waiting for me to sort thru. Fa la la la la - la la la la.