Monday, December 29, 2008

Sore!

I'm happy to say I've gotten off of my duff and worked out two days in a row. Geez. How sad is that. Especially since not too long ago I was complaining that I couldn't work out!

Anyway, Saturday I busted out the Women's Health 10 minute DVD and did all 5 workouts -- cardio, upper body, lower body, core, stretching. Yikes! My body is still sore!

Yesterday, I went to the gym and tried out my new Nike iPod earphones. LOVE THEM! Anyway... I ran about 1 1/2 miles, but my body just wasn't in synch. So I stopped the torture and jumped on the ellipitcal for an hour. Running wasn't on the agenda for my body, but working out in general was right at the top of the list. I worked up quite a sweat during that hour! :)

My reward afterwards was some popcorn at the theater. :) JP took me to see Marley & Me. So cute, but made me a little thankful I didn't get that puppy I wanted for Christmas. :)

Back in the grind today, but not feeling the motivation at all. Think I'll head out in a bit -- it's pretty quiet in the office. Plus, my parents and brother are coming up for dinner tonight. I planned ahead though and made it last night. Now, all I have to do is heat it up. I made seafood gumbo, so the flavors should be quite nice tonight after setting all night. Now all I have to do tonight is make the side dish. Plantains. YUM!!!

Hope everyone is having a happy Monday.

Saturday, December 27, 2008

Merry Christmas

Merry (belated) Christmas, everyone!

It was a wonderful holiday. Busy, but wonderful.

Christmas Eve, JP and I headed down to be with my family. Our tradition is everyone goes to church together and everyone has Christmas Eve with grandma. This year she had 7 of her 11 grandkids there, plus a new wife and a boyfriend (which she said counts as family!). It was a housefull, but it's one tradition that I love. We aren't always together throughout the year, but everyone knows they better be with grandma on Christmas Eve.

After gifts there, we drove up (about an hour) to be with JP's sisters. Their tradition is to open gifts at midnight. There was a little miscommunication, so we ended up just going home and spending the rest of Christmas Eve together. It was a little weird not to be with his brother's. They opted to stay in Chicago this year because of the crazy weather. But, it was kinda nice just being together to exchange our gifts.

Christmas morning we headed back down to my parent's house for gifts and dinner. It was nice to spend the day with my parents, aunts/uncles and my brother was in town from Dallas. I haven't seen him since May, so it was great to see him. After a quick nap, we hit the roads again and did gifts and dinner with his family.

Today, I spent the day recovering from all of the festivities. Well... recovering my staying in my PJs and rocking out with a little gift Santa left me and JP -- Guitar Hero for the Wii. :)

Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday and had a safe and merry Christmas!!!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Keepin' the faith

Admitedly, I've been pretty grouchy lately. Either I'm stressed about work (Detroit auto show is quickly approaching and plans are changing by the hour), overwhelmed by the job search, unsure about the future (which, being type-A isn't how I like to operate), or just trying to get things ready for the holidays.

Lately, I haven't been running because I've needed the time to look for jobs. I really only get 2-3 hours a night, which isn't that much time. Looking for a job really is a full time job. Found a few things I'm interested in, so keep your fingers crossed.

Last night, I was feeling yucky from not working out in forever. My gym bag was in the car, so I made myself stop and go in for a workout. Apparently I had lots of pent up energy because I ran 8:03 minute miles (3 miles). The first 1 1/2 miles I felt like I was in a complete fog, but after that it was like an old shell broke away and this runner came out. :) I knew I was in there somewhere!

I did some serious stretching - my body is just so stressed and tense, I really needed it. I opted not to take the time to lift. I know I should, but it was getting late and I was getting hungry.

Feeling better this morning and ready to take on the world. Although, I'm sure I'll feel the weight of the world on my shoulders by noon. :) Just gotta pray and keep the faith that there is something better out there for me.

Monday, December 08, 2008

Highlights and lowlights

It's been a little while, so I won't bore you to death with the details of the past two weeks. Here's quick look at the highlights (and... lowlights).

Highlight: Thanksgiving Dinner
What's not to love. Food, wine, family and friends!

Higlight: New running buddy
On Thanksgiving, JP's 11-year-old nephew asked me if I would run with him the next day - totally on his own and out of the blue. He wanted to get in better shape for soccer and figured I was his best bet to run outside in the cold. So, the morning after Thanksgiving I picked him up and we went to a nearby park. He did great and we got in about 2 miles. I was a little nervous because we had never spent time alone, just the two of us. It went fine and we chatted away during the entire run. Looking forward to the next run!

Highlight: Running/Working out
I've been doing fairly well with my running. I even got out the morning of Thanksgiving! I'm up to about 3.5 miles and starting to get consistent with weight training.

Lowlight: Running
Yesterday, during my run, my foot started to become sore. Yikes! Fearing I was doing too much on my ex-stress fractured foot, I finished up the mile and jumped on a spinning bike. Not taking any chances.

Highlight: Grandma K's 85th birthday
We celebrated my grandma's 85th birthday Friday night. Her memory isn't that great, but she's still got spunk!

Lowlight: It's winter. Brrr....
It's winter. In Michigan. Read: lots of snow and COLD temps. This weekend ended up in single digits, with windchill. I was all set to run outside Saturday morning, but after opening the door and getting one foot out, I quickly decided perhaps the gym was a better option.

Highlight: Christmas Parties
Our first Christmas party was Saturday night. GREAT food, lots of laughs, little bit of wine (well... maybe a bit more than a little), and you're never too old for gift exchanges.

Lowlight: Auto industry and state of the economy
Combine these two and there are a lot of people anxiously awaiting what the future will bring. Mine became a reality on Friday. My on-site contract with GM ends Jan. 15. My PR agency is trying to find accounts for me to work on, back at our agency office. IF that doesn't work out (our bread and butter has long been GM. We're not getting as much work, which means less revenue coming in, which means tough business decisions need to be made... You know the cycle.) my last day will be Jan. 16. It wasn't a surprise, but hearing it out loud makes it real and just kinda blows. The agency and my clients are doing all they can to help me, which is encouraging and makes me very grateful. No one wishes this upon anyone, it's just how things are right now. I know I have a lot to offer and if it is going to happen, while I'm young, single and mobile, it may as well happen now. This is just God's way of telling me He has other things in store for me. I know there is a great future out ahead of me. It will be tough, but I have to be open for the ride and know that I'll end up in a great place.

Highlight: Haircut!
I'm getting a much needed haircut tonight. Whoo Hooo! It really is the small things... :)