32 isn't so bad...

When you have a husband like mine :)

He seriously made me feel special this year.  He always goes above and beyond but this year was especially nice.

My birthday was Monday so we started the celebration the Saturday before.

Husband made reservations at an adorably upscale bed and breakfast in a little town in Pennsylvania about 2 1/2 hours south of us.

Introducing Hotel Fauchere.  This place was seriously incredible.  Upon checkin, we were greeted with a glass of wine (for Nick, anyway) and surprised to have our room upgraded to the best room in the house.

We spent a lot of time relaxing on our private balcony.  Nick was in love with the marble covered bathroom.  The hotel dates back to 1852 and the room had some of the original charm intact but was tastefully updated and very comfortable.

Milford, PA, where the hotel was located felt like a town forgotten by time... it was one little main street with quaint shops and restaurants.  We went out for a quick walk before dinner and being 6 months pregnant, I naturally made Nick take me to the old-fashioned candy shoppe for fudge and penny candy.  Had we not had dinner reservations shortly thereafter I'm sure I would've stuffed my face with ice cream as well ;)

That night, we enjoyed a fantastically creative 7 course dinner.

Yes, that is a potted "plant" salad, a rock (with sliced bear) and a log (with foie gras) used as plates and on the bottom left is puffed clay.  Who knew you could eat clay?  It was surprisingly not bad.  For as odd as it looks, this dinner was delicious.

After dinner, we retired to our room to find a placard on the bed stating that if we chose, we could call the front desk for cookies, cold milk and a bed time story delivered to our room.  We were a little leery of the bed time story so we passed.  But cute thought, right?

As if being pampered with an overnight get-away wasn't enough, husband surprised me with the most amazing birthday gift... the DSLR camera I've been lusting after for a year.  I can't wait to learn how to use this thing.  Taking pictures of Bakmi with this will be so much better than with our little point and shoot.  The dogs will probably get tired of being my test subjects over the next few months.

Then on Monday (my actual birthday), I was presented with this gorgeous arrangement at my office.  I love surprise flower deliveries!  They were so fragrant that my office smelled incredible all week.  Now they're sitting on my kitchen table, still as fresh as they were 6 days ago.

The finale of birthday weekend was a dinner at one of our favorite places in Albany, Cafe Capriccio.

So.  No complaints about turning 32.  I had an amazing weekend with my favorite person and still feel like a 25 year old :)

Confession to myself.

I haven't been being honest.

See this pretty little weight tracker from my Spark People page?

It looks pretty great, right?  I'm so close to the finish.

If only I was being honest.

I was honest when I logged that beautiful 133 back in, oh, October.

I even managed to get down to 131.5 for a few glorious days.

And even better than that, I stayed put at 132 throughout the ENTIRE holiday season.  I call that an accomplishment.

Somewhere along the line in January, though, I got horribly off track.  In my own defense, I had a very busy social calendar. 

And as previously discussed, I don't do well when I'm walking through life tired and hungover.

I still went to boot camp once or twice a week and played volleyball a few times but other than that, I got almost no exercise for a full 6 weeks.  I have no excuse other than pure laziness on my part.  I also ate like crap.  Those six days in St. Louis were brutal... mexican and margaritas, way too much wine, late night drunk-sledding followed a trip to White Castle, etc, etc, etc...

Somewhere near the end of January, I reluctantly stepped on the scale.

137.

Oh.  My.  God.

I mean, I guess I wasn't truly shocked.  5lbs isn't all that much when you consider the crap I put in my body, but damn.  I was so happy at 132. 

Enter February and slightly warmer weather.  I got back on the exercise train with a couple outdoor runs and I've been going to spin class at least twice a week and playing volleyball every Thursday.  And I've gotten my eating back on track.  For the most part.  I eat so well Monday-Friday then blow it every weekend with multiple course meals and far too much alcohol. 

So explain to me why I was surprised when I stepped on the scale Saturday morning to see it read 137.8. 

Surpisingly though, I don't feel all that bad about myself.  My clothes still fit, only some pants are a bit tight and I think I look pretty damn good.

I've come to a conclusion though.  This high-maintenance, calorie-tracking, exercise-fiendish lifestyle I try to live really isn't condusive to my wine-loving, social-hostessing, all-around-fun life.

So in an effort to be honest with myself, I'm changing my weight-tracker to reflect this weight gain and I plan to be fully honest with how well (or not well) I'm eating and not let a few nights of fun hinder my progress.

Ah, honesty... be nice to me please.

Awkward Emotions.

Not really sure where I'm going with this.

Not really even sure if I should be posting it.

Let's start with this. We all know that I'm a pretty laid-back person with a positive disposition, sense of humor and a great outlook on life. Right? Right. I think that's what makes it hard for me to go back to a time in my life where I was in a pretty bad place. Raw, emotional, angry. On the other hand, I'm very sentimental and love looking at pictures of my past, remembering what if felt like to be "me" then.

I am so completely in love with my life now. Husband, house, fur-children, job, family, friends. Everything. I've moved on from the bad parts of my past and cherish the happy parts but this one caught me completely off guard. 

Yesterday, while purusing a St. Louis real estate site (something I do semi-regularly, being the voyeur that I am) I came across a listing that looked all too familiar.

That, folks, is my first home.  The home I was so proud to purchase at the ripe age of 23.  The home I spent hour upon hour painting, remodeling, decorating, pouring love into.  Unfortunately, it's also the home I shared with he-who-shall-remain-unnamed.  He who caused me so much heartache.  He who pushed me away, into the arms of the greatest thing to ever happen to me.  For that, I am grateful.

Thus, the conflict of emotions. 

I get attached to certain things in my life.  The homes I have lived in rank high on that list.  I will never tire of driving past the homes I grew up in and reminiscing.  The same goes for this home, regardless of who I shared it with.  Although, to give myself credit, I have not driven past it once since I left.  (High five, willpower, high five.)  Nor have I looked at pictures. 

So seeing this listing yesterday was a bit troublesome.  It's hard to describe how it makes me feel.  I can tell you, however, that one emotion to immediately surface was anger.  Not anger for what transpired in that house, I'm past that.  But anger that woman I sold it to let this happen.  She took my darling little house and let it fall into the bank's hands, into foreclosure.

Don't hate.  If this wasn't a house that I paid substantially more for than it's currently listed, if I didn't have a small remaining emotional attachment to it, I would be more readily accepting of the situation.  Being in real estate, I see this all the time.  And I feel for the people it happens to.  Sometimes you can't help the circumstances in your life that lead to this.  

But my house?  Seeing it from this perspective pisses me off, to put it bluntly.  When I left, I was so ready to just get the hell out that I graciously left items that wouldn't ordinarily be left with the sale of a home.  And since the current (past?) owner foreclosed, she took EVERYTHING that wasn't nailed down.  My things. 

Sigh.

My apologies for the negativity today.  But seeing as this has replaced the journals I religiously poured my emotions into for a decade (that's a entirely other post) I had to share. 

Give me an hour and I'll be over it.

And PS, if anyone's for looking for a fabulous deal on a pretty great little house in North St. Louis County, look this one up.  Just don't tell me about it.

*******************

And for Husband, when you read this, thank you for being you and for understanding that every once in awhile, little annoying things like this creep up out of my past.  Like we've said, most of the time we both forget that I was ever married before.  I like that.  You are my husband, the one and only, the true love of my life.  xoxo

New me?

So I'm in desperate need of an update here...

I was just scrolling through my archives. And laughing at myself as I scrolled. I can't believe some of the crap I've written over the past 9 months or so.

As evidenced by my last post, I've made a pretty drastic life-style change recently. And I'm happy to say that it truly has become a life-style change and I can't imagine going back to the way I was before.

It all started a few weeks before I began Boot Camp Challenge in June. I'd just finished running my first 5K (did I even post my results? I'll have to check...) and I was prepping myself for Boot Camp... i.e. running at least 4 days a week and starting to cut calories. Any normal person probably would've just waited til the class started but I wanted a "good" mile time during testing at the first class. God forbid I show up and show them all how horribly out of shape I really was.

Anyway, a BIG part of Boot Camp Challenge is nutrition. My fabulous instructor really focused on the fact that you cannot make a big change to your body with fitness alone. I've really embraced this theory, and holy shit, it worked! To track my nutrition, I've been using an amazing site called SparkPeople . I cannot even describe how helpful it's been to my transformation.

It's really easy to track my food intake on the site and I've found that it's become kind of a game to me... it's fun to see how much food (wine!) I can squeeze into a day while staying within my calorie limits. I'm also having a blast discovering new low-cal foods and healthier versions of recipes I've made in the past.

SparkPeople also has some pretty great articles and features. I've made even made a few online friends through the site who help keep me in check using things like a daily accountability message board.

On top of my nutrition make-over, I think completely differently now about exercise. Boot Camp has been AMAZING, to say the least. I've learned that I can push myself to limits I never thought I'd reach. I used to be such a lazy worker-outer... I'd go to the gym, get on a treadmill for 20 minutes, think to myself "eh, at least I did something" and leave, probably having burned only 150 calories. Then I'd go home and eat a bowl of pasta, wondering why I wasn't losing weight. I'm a smart one, I am.

I'm now seriously in love with exercise. I even dragged myself out for a tranquil run through the Hamptons while on vacation last weekend. I've NEVER worked out on vacation before. And I honestly think I'm in better shape than I ever have been. It's a nice feeling.

Ok, now that I feel like I've updated the blog-world on who I've become (am becomming?), I feel better. Looking at my old posts is almost embarassing. Here's hoping I continue this upward battle towards life-style improvement!

The reason for my absense.

I'm sure the 5 of you who read my blog were desperately wishing for more posts during my hiatus. A girl can dream, right?

The reason behind my slacking?

Simple. I've been busy.

I know, I know, that's a lame excuse.

But seriously, it's the truth.

About 2 months ago I found myself in a bad place, work-wise. I enjoyed the company I worked for and loved the people I worked with but I just wasn't happy anymore. So after scouring the want-ads for a week or so to no avail, the lightbulb went off. I can go back to Nikki! i.e. Hart Real Estate, the company I started with when I moved back to NY.

I was never unhappy working for Hart and Nikki and I had remained friends after I so abruptly left her, so I approached her and was welcomed back with open arms. Seriously, why the hell did I leave in the first place???

I've been back at Hart for about a month now and I AM SO HAPPY. At Trinity, my job duties really started to fall away from the real estate part of it that I love so much. Since the day I returned to Hart, I've been immersed back in it, showing and listing houses and having contact with clients almost daily. It's been amazing.

And my stress is GONE.

There's definitely a truth to the saying "money isn't everything". I definitely took a pay cut to come back to Hart, but you know what? Totally worth it.

So you're probably thinking, "ok, so she changed jobs, that's not all that time consuming", right? In this case though, it has been. I'm still filling in at Trinity a day or two a week, which is totally draining, but they pay me, so why not? Right? Aside from the extra at-work hours, I've jumped full force into my Boot Camp Challenge class.

I feel like all I do lately is eat, sleep, workout and work. But I couldn't be happier. Go figure.

Wow. I'm a slacker. And I'm old!

So. I'm back. Let's see how long it lasts.

I thought today was a fitting day to rejoin the blog-world as it is... GASP... my 30th birthday!

EEK!!

Seriously though, I'm so looking forward to my 30s. I finally feel settled in life. I know who I am, I'm happy with who I am and I love everything about my life. I truly haven't been this happy in ages. For appearances though, I've been doing the whole "woe-is-me-I'm-turning-old" thing for a week or so. 'Cause you know, I like attention ;)

Onto the good stuff. Presents and parties!!

Last year, on the day of my 29th birthday, the Husband began planning my 30th birthday party. Long story short, I've been left out of the "birthday party" crowd since I was little. To make up for the fact that I haven't had a party thrown in honor of my bday in my entire adult life, he set out to throw the awesomest (yes, I made that up) party ever.

So tomorrow night we are having a fabulous 80s costume bash! Can't really think of a more appropriate theme, since you know, I was born in 1980. I'll be making an appearance as Debbie Gibson. Pictures to follow.*

Husband gave me my gift last night. Love how excited he was watching me open it. And I love how I excited I got when I saw what it was!!! See for yourself and get excited with me!!
Sorry for the totally blurry picture... if my damn crackberry would function as it should, I would have a lovely picture of the actual pair of Christian Louboutin black patent leather 5" platform stillettos that are currently residing in my living room.

Did you catch that?

Yes, I said Christian Louboutins. Eat your heart out Meredith Vieira.

Manolos? check

Louboutins? check

Life is good.

PS... My lovely mommy called me from the 'lou at exactly 10:38am, New York time (my birth minute!) to wish me a happy birthday. Made my day :)

*If I ever remember to blog again ;)

Week in review.

So apparently I'm not the super fantastic blogger I strive to be. Sorry to disappoint. I know it's hard to let a week go by without reading about my awesomely fabulous life.

Per usual, I've been busy.

I am super important. Remember?

Since I really have nothing exciting to ramble about today, here are some of the things I've been doing lately. Don't get too excited.

David Gray.

If you have don't know who he is, go to the store now and buy his albums. Do people even do that anymore? Or is it all about iTunes? I wouldn't know. I haven't bought a CD or a song in years. But seriously. David Gray. AMAZING. This was my third time seeing him in concert. Even the plague couldn't keep me away.

Fundraiser.

Let me rephrase. I was at a fundraiser but did not fundraise. No, I take it back. I helped to raise $2,500 by parading around the room modeling a gorgeous antique ring that was up for auction. Really should've gotten a manicure before the event.

The fundraiser was a dinner/silent auction/live auction to benefit the husband's father's foundation that sends Indonesian students to culinary school. Hence the Indonesian fans pictured above. Please ignore the fact that I have 14 chins and focus on my lovely friend Jillian.

Chicks dig me.

At the above mentioned event, I was... gasp... hit on by a la-dy. I wish I could recall the details but I was slightly (and by slightly I mean greatly) intoxicated at this point in the evening. I was flattered but politely informed her that I don't swing that way. Anymore.

Now your wheels are turning, right? ;)

I kid. I kid!!

Somebody stop me.

I CANNOT continue to think I can party like a rockstar. Two day long hangovers are not my friend, no matter how many times they try to come around and visit.

After above event (this was a long day...) we went home with the bright idea to drink more! SMRT, we are! The husband's bff and his date came back to the house with us. Damn you, peer pressure! I probably would've been a good girl and gone straight to bed if we didn't have house guests. But then I wouldn't have been a proper hostess, right?

We stayed up way too late and drank way too much. When I awoke for work in the morning, I decided against showering and went to work with the ever-stylish "last night's hair and makeup" look. I think I'm starting a new trend with this one. You should try it. It really takes no effort at all. I also awoke to find pizza boxes on my kitchen counter. Oy. It was one of those nights. Damn fourth meal! I didn't even remember eating you!

The fancy car!

The husband is out of town today til Sunday so I get to drive his shiny new car. Yay! At least I get something in exchange for being on my own all week, right? He's on his way to DC for lots of fabulous eating and drinking, then headed to NYC for a boys' weekend. Should I be scared? Probably.

The pups.

My little munchie-faces have cost me a ridiculous amount of money lately. We've been to the vet far too many times in the last few months. So to make them feel better, I set them up with a nice little photo-shoot. It only took about 18,000 tries to get a good one. And I know they enjoyed every minute of it.

Think Miles is trying to tell me something? (Probably something along the lines of "please get rid of this pestering Bella creature")

Because this is quite possibly the cutest picture of two dachshunds EVER, I thought I'd submit it to one of my favorite blogs, Friday Puppy. You see, every Friday, cute pups from all over get the shot at becoming famous. Hence the name, Friday Puppy. Too bad they haven't picked my mine yet. Sorry M & B, guess they're not feeling the love.

Work.

Blech. Seriously, can somebody rig the lottery to make my numbers hit? Please? I'll give you a cookie!

It's not really that bad. I just like to complain, but you already knew that. My position is actually growing, giving me more responsibility, more hours at the office (woo hoo!) and (hopefully) eventually a pay raise. That being said, I'm truly looking forward to the opportunity. Being a commissioned salesperson since literally the day I graduated college, having a salaried position is nice for a change. 'Cause, you know, I kinda like money.

Of course I'm still out there selling houses too. That's my true love. So please buy one from me. Mama needs a new, um, landscape.

Speaking of...

The neighborhood eyesore.

Otherwise known as My Yard. Our yard is so embarassingly desperate for a makeover that I submitted pictures of it to the Today Show's America's Most Desperate Landscape contest.

Don't be a hater. I know you're jealous of our hot little house. Doesn't every kid grow up dreaming of a barn-red house with a dingy stone facade, dead trees and zero curb appeal? If that's true, we really scored with this one!

And here we have what was formerly a lovingly cared for garden. Of weeds. A few flowers have begun to sprout and I can't wait to rip them out. (Random recycling bin thrown in the yard and ladder leaning on the side of the house for your viewing pleasure. I know, you're thinking, "Gawd, could they be anymore WT?!")

Now this is hands-down the BEST part of the yard. Who wouldn't love an old chicken wire fence that's held up by tree stumps. Fence posts are too good for this beauty! And the trees must really be enamored with it because they've actually started to grow their bark around the fence in a sweet embrace. This is one love affair I'm not sure I can break up.

God I hope we win this contest.

Done!

Happy?

My witching hour.

I really don't know what "witching hour" means. But that's the thought that pops into my head when I wake up EVERY. FREAKING. NIGHT at the same time.

I wish I was kidding. I wake up every night somewhere between 4:00 and 4:15am. 4:12 is precisely the time I woke up this morning.

To pee.

My body must hate me. Or maybe it's the constant waterfall of wine I continually pour down my throat.

I think we've already discussed that I'm a horrible sleeper. Or maybe we haven't. The lack of sleep seems to be messing with my memory today. I suffer from random bouts of insomnia.

SUCKAGE.

And on nights after I drink, I suffer from alcohol-insomnia. Self-diagnosed. I should've been a doctor. I'll drift off into weird-dream-land then wake up at

to pee.

Then I can't fall back asleep.

You'd think I'd learn my lesson and not drink.

FUNNY.

So I deal with not sleeping by being a crabby bitch the next day. Poor husband.

But seriously, I'd like to know what kind of anti-sleep-fairy is f-ing with me... why the hell do I wake up at the same time EVERY. FREAKING. NIGHT?????

Oh, that's right. To pee. The first time. The second time is usually around 7:30, right before my alarm goes off. Isn't that the MOST annoying thing in the world? I have problems. Seriously. Does anyone else pee this much in the middle of the night? I mean, besides pretty pregnant ladies, of course.

Holy hell, how many times am I gonna get up when I'm actually knocked up? Oy. I better install a commode next to my bed.

*********************

Being that today is April 1st, now is where I wish I could tell you that this post was all a really bad April Fool's joke*. No dice. I actually just wrote an entire post about my middle of the night peeing habits. ha! Kinda makes me laugh. Like I said before, I have problems.

*April 1st is my absolute least favorite day of the year. I am probably one of the most gullible people you'll ever meet and will believe just about anything you tell me. The Husband could come home tonight and tell me he's leaving with the dogs** and I'd probably believe him, not for a second thinking it was a cruel April Fool's Day joke.

**Please don't, Husband. I kinda like you. And the dogs. And I'm totally NOT a good sport about a prank that might cause panic and embarassment. I really do have problems.

I can explain, Officer...

So. After nearly 3 years of living in NY, it finally happened. They caught me.

After deciding to NOT go to the mall after work on Tuesday, I head home, taking my normal route while singing incredibly off-key to some horrible song on the radio. About halfway home, I see a small checkpoint with three cops stopping traffic going both directions. I was the fifth car in line so I'm watching as the cars ahead of me get stopped. The cop looks through the windshields and lets them all go.

Meanwhile, I'm thinking "Ooh, what's going on? There must've been a kidnapping or prison break or something!" I seriously thought they were looking in the cars for someone in particular. And obviously I'm home free because I'm harboring no fugitives or small children (to my knowledge) in the back of my car.

If only I was right. Or harboring a fugitive.

Apparently this stupid state sets up checkpoints to check inspection stickers.

Now here's where my ignorance comes into play. In NY, when you register your car, they give you two stickers to put on your windshield. One is for your inspection, the other for the registration. The registration sticker is big and has a HUGE, obvious date stamped on it. 4/10, in my case. So I'm good right for another month, right?

Nope.

Apparently my inspection sticker has a different date on it. 3/09 to be exact. Oops. In my defense, you can BARELY read the date on that sticker. And I seriously didn't notice that it had expired until about a month ago. And at that point I was like "well, I've made it this far, I might as well see how much longer I can go."

Stupid, stupid girl. This is what you get for f-ing with the law!

So I pull up to the checkpoint, the officer looks through my windshield and waves me on. At least that's what I thought. I start to pull away when he yells something and throws his hands up. Great, now he thinks I was trying to leave the scene of a crime(?) or whatever.

I roll down my window (thank GOD I wasn't on the phone and miraculously had my seatbelt on) and he asks me what's up with my inspection sticker.

"What are you talking about, Officer? It expires in April." See, I'm playing dumb. I could be an actress.

Then he explains that no, that's your registration...

Yeah, yeah, yeah. And I'm still thinking I can fool him into thinking I really am an idiot and didn't know any better. So I get all upset and explain to him that I'm from out of state and the last state that I lived in had different rules. In that fine state, your inspection and registration expire at the SAME TIME! Imagine that. Makes sense, right Mr. Officer?

No dice.

"Please pull over there in front of my police car."

DAMMIT!!!!

Here come the tears. I truly cannot help it. When confronted, yelled at, belittled, etc, etc, etc, I cry. That's what I do.

And apparently (I think I've used that word a few too many times for one post) he didn't believe my crap acting anyway. (Probably because I was a bumbling, nervous idiot, tripping over my words... so much for my top notch acting skills.) He came over, took my license, insurance card and registration. Now I'm sweating. Not that there's anything for him to find but my driver's license has my current last name, my insurance card has the ex-husband's last name and my car is registered in my maiden name. He's probably gonna be all confused and write me another ticket just because I don't have my shit straight. Oy.

Long story, well, long... he gave me a ticket because "this is your car and even if you say you weren't aware of the rules, you should've been. Any questions? Good." And he walked off. No "have a nice night" or anything. The makeup running down my face probably scared him.

So. I have a court date in a few weeks. Joy. Think I can plead my ignorance to the judge? ha.

I knew I should've gone to the mall.

**********************

I'm heading to Chicago this afternoon for my future sister-in-law's bachelorette party so there will be no posting til I return on Monday. Don't cry, you can make it a few days without my wit, right? ;)

My husband thinks I'm funny...

Except for last Friday when he called from work to tell me that his car was stolen and I laughed and said that he had to be kidding.

Wait, what?

Yes, shiny new car was stolen. From the gated, attendant-supervised valet lot at his restaurant. Seriously.

Lesson learned: take husband seriously next time car is stolen.

Wait, what?

Yeeaaahhhh... let's not go down that road again. haha. Road. Just like the one the thieves drove ours down. And left abandoned on.

What an f-ing nightmare. Surveillance from the lot showed two men walk into the lot, approach husband's car, high-five and get in. Apparently car-thievery warrants high-fiving. Another lesson learned. Then they drove right out of the gate. The attendant, in the meantime, sat in his heated booth playing Play Station. Instead of paying attention to the car being STOLEN from under his nose. Idiot.

After a fantastically sleepless night (the car thieves have our f-ing HOUSE key) we woke up early the next morning to methodically drive the streets of the Albany ghetto looking for the car.

No dice.

Finally, we got the call around 8:30pm that it had been located, apparently deserted behind a Burger King. The cops said it looked kind of odd to see a nice, shiny car sitting there in a shitty neighborhood. Thankfully these were no Super Troopers and were smart enough to run the plates. They then discreetly watched the car to see if the thieves would return. They didn't (go figure), so they called us.

I seriously thought that we'd get there, identify the car and hand over the spare key so they could take the car in and process it or whatever. Apparently I watch too much CSI. No dusting for prints, no checking for blood stains in the trunk, nothing. How boring.

And everything was intact inside the car and out. The only thing missing was our GPS. Eh, we needed a new one anyway.

******************

Back to my original thought... Apparently my husband really does think I'm funny. He called me from work the other day to tell me "I was just reading your blog and you're pretty fucking funny." Awwww, he likes me, he really, really likes me! Well, my blog anyway ;)

The Patient

Miles had to go to the vet yesterday.

He hadn't been doing much of this.

He started limping and doing nothing more than laying on the couch all day. After a trip to the vet (and after pooping on the table in the exam room), Miles is like a new pup, thanks to the cortisone injection in his back. Poor little dachshund... the back problems are starting early... he's not even 7.

Special thank you to Grandpa Yono for coming over to puppy-sit Bella... God forbid she be alone for alone for an hour... she seriously might've had an anxiety attack. It's ridiculous.)

She's such a diva.

So now that Miles has diagnosed back issues, he's not allowed to jump on or off the couch anymore. Yeah. Good luck to us.

Here he is, as I try to coax him up his new doggy steps (at least they kinda match my living room) with his favorite treat. (Notice the tongue). It didn't go well. He just stood there and wouldn't go all the way up the steps. Or down them for that matter. He prefers jumping over. And probably re-injuring his back.

Such is life, with a stubborn dog.

Happy Half Birthday to ME!

Yes, I'm one of those annoying people who celebrates (well, acknowledges) her half birthdays. I don't know why. It's not like anything exciting happens. In fact, I'll be working (if you can really call showing houses working, 'cause it's actually kinda fun) today. But I do get to attend a wine fest gala later this evening. Maybe I'll just pretend it's really a dinner in honor of this ever-important occasion.

Here's to the last 6 months of my twenties. Eek.

I buried my blow dryer this morning...

I'll set it up for you:

30 minutes before I had to leave the house, soaking wet hair...

Click.

No response from blowdryer.

"BABE!!!!!!" All husbands can fix broken blowdryers, right? Not this time.

Three choices:

One, call it a day and put a hat on. Two, go buy a new one, return home, do hair, get to work incredibly late. Three, attempt the unthinkable and try to style hair without a blowdryer.

In a completely un-Carolyn-like fashion, I didn't freak out, and decided to go for option three.

I went into our bedroom, round brush in hand, and attempted to blowdry my hair in front of our space heater. ha. So much for ingenuity. (In case you're wondering, it actually did dry my hair... and inject about a year's worth of static.)

Back to the bathroom. After spending a ridiculous amount of time trying to tease some life into my limp, lifeless hair (Snooki would've been proud), I threw in the towel.

Good thing I look good in hats.

Non-resolutions.

So I'm not the New Year's resolution type. I think it's ridiculous to commit to something on January 1st and have forgotten about it completely by January 31st.


So instead, every year, I try to improve something about myself. Just a small thing. Something I know I can stick to that will better my life and relationships.


Last year I decided I'd try to complain less. I couldn't stand that my identity with some friends was that of a negative, glass-is-half-empty one. I'm truly not unhappy with anything in my life, not to mention the fact that I smile ALL THE TIME, so I'm not exactly sure where all the negativity and complaining came from.


I think I did fairly well with my 2009 non-resolution. I really made a wholehearted attempt to think before I spoke when I knew it might have resulted in a complaint. Too bad I'm the only one who seemed to notice ;) Maybe I'll keep working on that this year.


My 2010 non-resolution is to really maintain my running routine. Since my high school track days (I was a discus/shot put girl... imagine that), I've continued to make a half-assed attempt to be a "runner". By attempt, I mean a couple times a year I'll take up running and really commit to it for oh, about a month. Then completely stop, eat everything in sight, drink endless amounts of wine and hate myself.


So to ensure that I stick to it this year, I'm going to run at least 3 road races. They'll probably be 5ks, so don't think I've completely lost my mind trying to train for 3 marathons or something. I just need a little push. And hopefully the 5ks will do it. I'm getting old people, staying in shape is far harder than it used to be. I NEED to keep running. I'm hoping that by putting it in writing, I'll hold myself accountable.


In fact, I went out this morning for a quick run. It probably wasn't the smartest thing though... it was about 25 degrees with wind so strong it could've blown Dorothy back to Kansas. I almost died. Literally. I thought my lungs froze. Off to a good start, I am.