Connected!

Social media is a HUGE factor in our lives, whether we like it or not. It's also an important part of my industry and I've been dabbling in it for awhile.

Obviously, I blog (although it's my super secret blog), I'm ADDICTED to Facebook and today, I finally got a better idea of how to Tweet. Through the professional organization I am a part of, there was a professional development session on Twitter this morning.

I opened a Twitter account a few months ago, just so I had a better idea of what the heck people were talking about in meetings. Didn't really get it, so I thought this class would be helpful. Especially since I'm job hunting, I need to be on the cutting edge (or at least know what the cutting edge is!).

It's kind of a lot to handle -- blogging, FBing and Tweeting... But, it's fun and a great way to be connected.

On a different note, I had a killer workout last night. I did a Brick workout... kinda. It wasn't intentional, but just ended up that way so I went with it. I wanted to test out running, so I ran 1 mile (9:15 pace) and felt great. My foot wasn't hurting, but I didn't want to push it. A mile run isn't enough of a workout and the thought of the eliptical just wasn't jiving with my mood. So, I jumped on the bike for some spinning. I did that for 30 minutes and thought, Hmmm... I should follow up with a little run. So, I ran another 1/2 mile. I felt like I could go more, but again, didn't want to push it too much. It's an odd feeling, but felt pretty cool doing it. ;) Cheesy, I know.

After some good quality stretching, I headed to the weights and lifted. Concentration on my arms. Gosh, I love a great workout!!!!!!

Busy weekend coming up and I can't wait. My goal this weekend is to NOT be a slacker and get a lot accomplished. I really feel that I need to keep busy to keep my mood elevated. So... be ready for some great weekend updates! TGIF everyone!

Better :)

Thanks, everyone, for putting up with my venting. I appreciate the kind words and all the great support.

Today's a new day. The sun is out, it's 40-degrees and I'm trying to have a better outlook today. I ended up not going to the gym last night. Instead, JP and I headed to church for Ash Wednesday. We both needed a little spirtitual muscle flex, so we were in high spirits when we left last night.

However, tonight will be a kick-butt workout. Can't wait! Gym bag is in the car and my body is screaming to get back into it. With the spring weather just around the corner (seriously, it has to be here soon or I'm gonna go crazy), I need to figure out my race calander. Yay!

Pity Party

I know I've been complaining a lot, but it's my blog and I can do what I want to do.

Last night ended up being a big pity party for myself. I didn't workout and indulged myself in carbs... the really good kind. Olive Garden breadsticks.

My last meeting of the day was a planning meeting. Planning for programs in the future. The future, where I will not be doing this job. The fact that I'm going to be unemployed sucks, but seeing dates and projects on paper and realizing that I'm not going to be involved past page one, struck me in the face like a ton of bricks. Shit. I'm not going to be working on all of these great projects. The projects that are what make my job fun and what we've all ben looking to while we're in the limbo state. Wow. This blows.

Heading home, I called JP to give him a status update (on the road, heading to the gym, what do you want for dinner call). Instead, I ended up bawling. With tears streaming down my face, I just went home.

He's the greatest and didn't want me to have to cook. So, I could pick anywhere I wanted to go. (Which started a whole other round of crying since I felt guilty for not cooking when we (really, I) shouldn't be spending any money unless absolutely necessary). I was ready to eat my weight in breadsticks, so Olive Garden it was.

I find comfort in food, so this gorge was just what I needed. Now, I know emotional eating isn't healthy -- mentally or physcially -- but I couldn't have cared less at the moment. This morning I felt blah for not going to the gym, but quickly stopped beating myself up about it.

Meetings this morning were just as bad, and I actually had to discreetly wipe away a tear as we were talking about some future stuff. Seriously, I should have just stayed in bed. (Not that that is healthy either...).

Currently, I'm drinking a diet Coke (which I never do) and wishing it were a beer. (Which is actually my FB status right now! Ha!) Hoping to get to the gym tonight, but might not make it if we're going to make it to church tonight for Ash Wednesday. Guess I'll have to decide which needs more attention - my soul or my muscles. ;)

Holy sore muscles!

Ahhhh. That's how I felt after my workout last night. It felt so good to be in the gym, sweat pouring off of me and just feeling my muscles being pushed to the limit. You all know... it's like going home.

My foot has been okay, but I'm still very hesitant to run. I had a lot of energy (some of it negative) to get out of my system, so I turned up the iPod to some crazy, loud workout music and jumped on the eliptical. About 45-minutes later, my mind was ready to crank out some more miles, but my foot... well, not so much. It was starting to get sore and, like I said, I'm ultra-sensative to it right now.

Jumped off, stretched really well and headed to the weights. Holy crap! My legs were trembling like crazy, but it was the good, tired feeling. Stretched some more and headed home.

Spent the rest of the night job searching. YUCK! Hopefully something will come up before my April deadline.

My body is sore today, but I'm looking forward to another kick-butt workout and our push up/sit up challenges tonight.

Winter Blahs

I'm in that end-of-winter, spring is right around the corner, but not quite funk. Blah!

It was a long weekend since I had Friday off, and I'd like to say I accomplished a bunch of stuff, worked out like a madwoman and feel totally rejuvenated. Instead, I feel blah and looking forward to the weekend so I can do all the stuff I didn't do this weekend.

On a good note, JP is totally in the "get healthier" mindset and I love it. He still needs to have surgery on his ankle, so a lot of activities are off the counter. But, he's rededicated himself to doing as much as he can and eating better. So happy that he's doing it. I push as much as I can, but that's something you really have to make your own decision about. So...

1. He's doing fruit every morning for breakfast. (Small step. He's not a breakfast person. Hope to get him to a little protein mixed in soon.)

2. We've rededicated ourselves to do the 100 push-up challenge and the 200 sit-up challenge. It helps when we can do it together. Once the weather gets nice, I have a feeling we'll be on the mountain bikes a lot. Can't wait!

3. Reducing food intake. We're working on portion control and trying to do more lean proteins and veggies. I have more control on content since I'm the cook in the relationship, but he's in the drivers seat when it comes to how much he eats. He was always skinny skinny, no matter how much he ate. His metabolism is changing a bit and since he's not as active as before, it's starting to show a little.

4. After dinner, we try to run errands or something so we MOVE and help our food digest. It's cold out, so after-dinner walks aren't an option. But, doing a quick Meijer run to cross off our to-do list gets us MOVING.

5. Reducing soda intake. I put the clamp down on a lot of his pop intake since we started dating. He down to 1 can a day now and is working to not have one everyday. And, he is making a conscious decision to drink more water. Everyday.

6. Lunch. His office used to be bad about going out for lunch everyday. A few months ago, in an effort to eat healthier and save money, I convinced him to take his lunch to work. More work for me, since I'm the lunch packer in the relationship, but well worth it.

These are just small steps, but I'm so proud of him for being proactive about it. Can't wait until it gets warmer so we can be outside!

I was a lazy bum this weekend, so I'm anxious to head to the gym tonight for a solid workout!

Grrrrr

Just wrote a post and lost it due to something wrong with Blogger. Grrrr...

I'm heading to bed so you'll just have to hear about my sweet ass seats at the Buddy Guy and BB King concert last night. :)

Hi...

... it's been awhile, but I'm still alive and kicking.

Let's see... in the last two months I've been up and down. I was a little down, and as much as I wanted to blog to get it off my chest, I just wasn't really ready to see all of my frustrations in print. I'm excited to get caught up in your lives and all the great things you've all been doing.

Christmas and New Year's: A little stressful since the countdown was on for losing my job. On the bright side, it was a reminder that spending lots of money on the "perfect" gift really isn't necessary. The important thing is spending time with your loved ones.

North American International Auto Show: Busy, busy, busy. I worked nine days straight, moved into the hotel inside my office building for 4 of those days, and worked nearly 135 hours. I was EXHAUSTED and could barely see straight, but proud of the work I had accomplished.

My Job: The best part of 2009, so far, is that my contract at GM got extended for a few more months. So... my new last day is April 15. It's still a last day, but at least it buys me some more time. (And, a few more paychecks). I'm in job-searching mode and, frankly, it sucks. Time consuming, stressful and overwhelming about sums it up.

My 29th Birthday: Holy crap! My last year to say I'm in my 20's. It was a good day... cake, lunches out with co-workers, sushi with JP that night, parents dinner (mom's homemade mac & cheese... yum!). JP got me a gift card for a manicure and hot stone massage. I'm a little intimidated by it, but looking forward to trying it. I'll let you know if it's weird, heavenly or a little bit of both. I'm working on my list of things I want to accomplish before I turn 30.

Travel: Last two weeks have been on the road. Last week, I was in DC for the DC Auto Show for a few days. This past week, I was in Chicago for the Chicago Auto Show. Spent the week there for work and the weekend for play. JP came in on Friday night and we had a great time with his family.

Running: Been doing a lot of working out. I was up to 5 miles (about 9:30 pace) and then... my foot started hurting. Instead of packing it up and heading home, like in the past, I starting jumping on the eliptical and bike, hitting the weights and a tone of core work. Thinking of jumping in the pool next.

Life in General: Things, overall, are good. At times, it may feel like the walls are caving in, but what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger.

Hope all of you are well and looking forward to getting back in the mix!