Happy Halloween!

Last night, JP had his first experience of carving pumpkins. We had tons of fun and, as you can see by the pictures below, his first try was pretty impressive. Obviously, he has far more artistic ability than I do... (mine is on the left -- as if I needed to note that... ).

Here are a few moments we captured. Actually, throughout the entire process he kept saying, "why aren't you taking my picture?" Such a little kid! In the end, I'm glad we documented the first pumpkin carving night.

Hope everyone one with little ones enjoys tonight -- be safe and have fun!

Drinking for the kids

It's 11:30 p.m. I'm still working. Didn't get my workout in today. Enough said.

Last night, I didn't workout either but for a good reason. I was drinking for the kids, and on a weekday to boot. A girlfriend of mine was a guest bartender at a local bar to raise funds for a children's charity. I hadn't been to this bar in a long time, and I haven't been out on a weeknight to drink in an even longer time. It was a ton of fun! The morning alarm came early, but it was well worth it. After all, I was doing it for the kids! :)

Gotta get back to work...

Pumpkin Patch Fun

I really want to post pictures from the costume party JP and I went to this past weekend, but they need to be "pre-approved" by him. It was an 80's theme and I convinced JP to be Michael Jackson -- he looked so good! :)

Anyway, on Sunday afternoon it was a beautiful day and we went to a nearby apple orchard. After eating donuts and drinking cider (YUM!), we went to pick out our pumpkins. You see, my dear boyfriend has never carved pumpkins for Halloween. Granted, he didn't grow up here so they didn't have this time-honored tradition. I made it my mission to give him the opportunity to experience scooping goop out of a big pumpkin, making a mess, roasting the seeds and watching your scary face droop after being outside for 2 days. Great memories.

He was so excited, and picked out a 22-pound pumpkin. He wanted his own, so I picked out a smaller one for myself. I'm sure the actual carving will garner some great stories... Until then, here's a look at our pumpking-picking experience.

Greatest workout DVD!

Real quick while I'm eating my lunch (busy, busy day)...

I've been frustrated lately because I haven't been able to get my workouts in. Morning is out because I'm not a morning person and it would be cutting it close getting to work even if I'm at the gym by 5:30 a.m. when it opens. I've been working late and by the time I'm on my way home, it's at least 7 p.m. so I'm hungry and my oatmeal I usually eat before my workout just won't cut it. By the time I get home, eat, let it digest a bit it's about 9-9:30 p.m. And, the gym closes at 10 p.m. Since it's so dark so early, I can't do a later run either.

The solution - I read about this workout DVD -- Women's Health: Total Workout in Ten! -- in my Women's Health magazine. Finally broke down and bought it (only $12 at Best buy). It features four 10-minute sessions that focus on: cardio, arms, legs, stability/core control. Tuesday night was a crazy night (pretty much exactly like the description above), so I gave the DVD a try.

Since I had time, I did all of the session, plus the bonus stability ball workout as well. I was sweating my butt off!!! Since each session is only 10 minutes, the "trainer to the stars" who runs the workout makes sure you get your bang for the buck. My legs and butt were sore when I woke up the next morning and my abs slowly started to feel the burn throughout the day. It was a great workout, and I'm glad to have an alternative that I can do at a time that works for me.

I'm a little burnt out on running, so this is a great way for me to mix up my workouts a little bit. Hopefully this will help me get through the cold winter months, when going to the gym just doesn't sound that great. And, then I'll be all ready to pound the pavement in the spring. :)

When I grow up...

I wish I could report my vacation from a sunny beach with a warm breeze and a cold drink. However. I'm in Michigan. Where the weather is turning cold and it rained this afternoon. Oh well. I'm still on vacation!

Unfortunately, I was wide awake at 7:30 a.m. I struggled to stay asleep, but then my mind started racing. Work. Again. Instead of fighting it, I made a pot of coffee, turned on the Today Show and opened up my laptop for a few hours. I know vacations aren't supposed to involve working, but I didn't mind it so much since I was in my PJ's, the Today Show was on and I was sipping coffee.

It was an uneventfuly day, but I got so much done. I did laundry, finished some things I've been wanting to do since I moved into my apartment 6 months ago, got my hair cut, cleaned, worked out. You know, caught up on life.

This is a much needed vacation, but after 2 days I'm still stressed. Perhaps because I haven't totally disconnected, but usually I can relax faster than this time around. I've been having a difficult time lately with work. I am good at what I do, and I've always enjoyed my line of work. But lately, I've been wondering "what I want to do when I grow up." I chalked it up to needing a vacation (which could still be it...), but lately I've caught myself wondering what I would be doing if I could make any changes in the world. Would I stay with my job? Would I stay in Michigan? If I left my job, what do I want to do? I've come to realize that whenever I start getting this way, a change is in the works. Part of me really hates change, but another part of me thrives on it. Weird combo, I know.

Anyway, we'll see what happens and if what I really needed was some time away from the office. Tomorrow is our annual mother/daughter bonding day. Every October, we go shopping in Frankenmuth (If you live in Michigan, this little German town is something everyone goes to at least once in their life) one day in the middle of the week. Here's a little picture -- cheesy, I know, but they have cute little shops, an awesome bakery and a wine cellar that sells a New York wine that I love and can't find anywhere.

The weather is usually still nice and since it's mid-week it isn't crowded. Oh, and of course what would a trip to Frankenmuth be without stopping at the world's largest Christmas store. I faintly remember the first time my parents took my brother and me to Bronner's. We thought for sure we were right at Santa's house! Since we were young, my mom gives us an ornament every year for Christmas. If you're going to find a unique or special ornament, this is the place to shop.

There's also an outlet mall nearby, so we head over there to do some damage as well. We've done it every year since I've been out of college and in the working world. My mom really is my best friend, and it's something we both look forward to every year!

To those that ran Chicago:

To those that ran Chicago, I hope you're safe and recovering quickly. To my friend, Jason, congrats on getting to mile 22 before having to walk the last 4.2 miles. And to the family of the Michigan police officer, my condolences to you and your family.

On non-Chicago, but marathon-related props. Congrats to my friend Linds for her BQ this weekend in a Pa. race!

************************************************************
The golf outing went fine. I was really nervous, but ended up having a really good time. The weather was BEAUTIFUL, the beer was cold and the team was loads of fun. Although... 18-holes is a lot of ground to cover. I wasn't good, but I definitely improved as the day went on, so what more could you ask for, right? Admittedly, there were a few times being out there was extremely painful and I would be happy anywhere but there at the time. I'm hoping to get out on a couple of 9-holes yet before it gets too cold. If not, at least get to the driving range a few more times.

**********************************************************
Day 1 of vacation today -- kinda. I had an 8 a.m. conference call and I'm sitting in on one right now. It's just a really busy time, and I didn't feel comfortable getting too far out of the loop. Between calls, I went out for a nice approx. 5 mile run. It was so nice, mid-morning run in the nice, cool, crisp air. I could totally do the work from home thing! :)

Hope all is well and everyone is enjoy the beautiful fall weather!

Sheer Dread

I don't want to do it. I really don't want to do it. Today is the, now dreaded, golf outing. I know it's all in good fun, but I really just don't want to do it. First of all, this woman who already intimidates me is on my team. Secondly, I heard she's really good and is really competitive. I've never played a full 18-holes before. What the hell was I thinking!?!?!!?! I'm trying to figure out a way to get out of this. Should I call in sick... to golf? But then I'd screw my team for being a player short. Well, actually, it may help them. It's not just that I'm not good, it's that I really don't think this is even going to be fun. I mean seriously, there's not good and then there's me. My team is made up of seasoned golfers. I just took lessons this spring and have only gone to the driving range a few times since. What do I do!?!?!!? Think I can come down with the 24-hour flu right now?

What a day...

Brief recap of my day:

1. 5 a.m. - alarm goes off so I can attempt to go to the gym
2. 5:00:30 a.m. - promptly hit snooze... some how end up turning it off in my sleep
3. Begin dreaming about work
4. Wake up late
5. Get stuck in major traffic
6. Badge doesn't work in the parking garage
7. 9 a.m. - finally get into the office
8. 8 p.m. - finally leave the office
9. Decide not to go to the gym, kick myself all the way home for not going to the gym, stomach growling like crazy
10. 9 p.m. - finally get home
11. 9:45 p.m. - eating tofu for dinner while thinking about the mint chocolate chip ice cream in the freezer

Tomorrow I'm looking forward to meeting up with a friend for dinner after work. My gym bag is still in the car, so I'm fully intending to hit the gym afterwards. You know, after a healthy dinner and, perhaps, a healthy glass of wine.

Oh, and Friday I'm looking forward to making a complete fool of myself. I allowed myself to get talked into participating in a work golf outing. At first, I allowed myself to think, "This is why I learned to golf. It will be fun and a good networking opportunity." I'm on a team with people that I don't know well, and I'm not sure if that is a good think or a bad thing. Now I'm thinking, "What was I thinking? I'm going to make a complete jack ass out of myself. It's not going to be fun, it's going to be a painful, embarassing afternoon for me. What was I thinking!?!?!"

Anyway... looking forward to another great day. Just living the dream. :)