Travel, and Why I'm Excited to Come Home.

I don't know what it is about traveling but it exhausts me. Something about not having the comforts of your stuff around with your comfortable area is a little draining.


I've been in Seattle this week for a work meeting. We are wrapping up our meetings this afternoon and I've been daydreaming about getting into sweats and curling up to watch a movie in bed. In my bed.


I also don't get to eat and snack on my regular schedule with my regular foods or exercise. I've been seeing great results and that has motivated me so I'm itching to get back into the gym and eating my "normal" foods.

Ahhhh, routines.

This weekend BF and I are going to the Timbers game and it's Memorial Day weekend which means NO WORK ON MONDAY! So that means probably awesome pictures to come. But I feel like I'll probably be cuddled up on the couch with BF watching movies for a lot of the weekend which is just fine as well.

The New Day

I feel like I've been too complainey, like I'm stuck in this "Debbie Downer" mode and I'm gonna bring everyone down with me.

I do not want that.

So when I went to bed last night I decided that I would wake up today and make it an awesome day.

And you know what? It is an awesome day. I started thinking about all of the stuff that I'm thankful for and all of the opportunities that I have and the blessings in my life... and could probably spend weeks on end pondering over those lists.

I'm going to try to keep the positivity flowing so I've come up with a list of guidelines to help me with my new mindset:


1. No complaining unless it's constructive. What's the point about whining if it doesn't change anything?

2. Find something I am thankful for when I get up in the morning and when I go to bed at night.

3. Take a time out if I need it. Sometimes I get overwhelmed with people and I just need to step away and have a few quiet moments to myself.

4. Eat my snacks on time. If I don't eat regularly I get super grouchy. Best to just stay on top of it.

5. Tell at least one person one nice thing I like about them every day.




So it's pretty simple stuff, but sometimes I feel like I get so lost in all of the hustle at work and home that I lose sight of what does make me happy so I need reminders.

Gotta Go To "Ohgeemygo's"

Once a week I try to make some sort of Korean dish for dinner.



BF loves it and I love trying to cook new things so it works out nicely. Sometimes things can get a bit hairy when I'm shopping for ingredients, but luckily I can find most things that are scarce in regular grocery stores at Uwajimaya.

This week is Korean Barbeque Beef Ribs (Galbi or Kalbi depending on the region). Delicious. So of course I invite my whole family to eat it as well. I sat down to write my grocery list the other day and my mom asks, "Where are you going to find it? Are you going to Ohgeemygo's?".

*blink blink* Hysterical Laughter.

Iknew she was referring to Uwajimaya, but it always cracks me up when I hear how my mom can twist the names or titles of things. And of course, SHE happens to be right about the name or title, even when I bring it up online and show her the store's website, etc.

Another great example of this is the names of medications. My mom worked in a hospital for YEARS, yet she still manages to not get the names of things right. If you've ever had a cold and tried a popular homeopathic remedy, you should know that my mom will call it, "Ohsillyum" (Oh- Silly-um). Really it's Oscillococinum (Oh-sill-oh-cox-in-um). And she swears HANDS DOWN that she is saying it correctly. (Hint: Boiron awesomely put the pronounciation of the product name on the back of the package so you know how to say it).

So I guess I'll be going to Ohgeemygo's to get my stuff!

Things I Learned This Week **UPDATED**

1. Some people aren't "details" people. They say they are, and they get paid to be, but they aren't. It's no fault of their own if they don't posess the gift of hammering down all of the little things, but then again it is... if it is their job.


2. Don't react too quickly when people change plans because chances are you will probably be reacting to them changing back to the original plan very shortly.


3. Going to work parties and meetings is hard when you are trying to not eat junk food. These people like cake and cheese. And cheesecake. So do I.


4. BF is good at writing effective workouts. A) I am sore all over. B) I got a compliment yesterday on my arms that went something like this, "You should come to the gym with me and show me what you are doing because I want arms like yours." Alright. Good job, BF.


5. Sometimes you need to cry... even when you aren't PMSing.


6. I chew an insane amount of gum each week and I didn't even notice it. Someone at work noticed my office trash is mostly just full of gum wrappers and carboard gum boxes. And my gym bag always has gum wrappers in it because I like to chew fruity flavored gum when I work out. And my car trash compartment (you know, the little compartment that your arm rests on between the driver and passenger seat that has a hinged top?) has a multitude of gum wrappers and discarded gum packs waiting to be cleared out.


7. Even though the dentist says,"You can eat and drink on it right away," doesn't mean that you should. Because numb lips and cheeks are easy to bite. They also aren't great at keeping said food and drink inside your mouth.


8. Always keep HUGE umbrellas, rainboots, and a rain coat in your car if you live in Oregon. ALWAYS. Even if it's the end of May. Because Mother Nature in Oregon doesn't care what the "norm" is in May, it's gonna rain sideways and hail anyway. I do some of these, but not all. Guess which ones? ... umbrella and jacket. I should put boots in there as well.

Pausing

I can't tell the people that need to hear this because I feel it would be too... whiney? I don't know.

Sometimes I just feel like I work so hard and I'm just not recognized for it. This doesn't just apply to one situation or area in my life and I know I'm not the only one who feels like this. I don't think it's right to do things with less than your full ability so I approach almost everything I do with my full force. That gets tiring. Not just accomplishing things, but also moving on to the next thing and the next without anyone ever pausing to say,"Hey, you're freaking awesome and you should take a break and let me handle stuff for a bit". Moms feel this way a lot, and for good reason. I try to keep that in mind and tell my mom she is great and I love her all the time and I do what I can to help lighten her load as well. Some days I just want someone to do that for me.


I sort of hit my wall today... emotionally, physically... I pretty much feel done with everything. I've been juggling a million projects and events at work, working out hard and often, trying new activities to keep from being stagnant, trying to eat right, supporting BF with school/teaching stuff and with body building and now I need to pause. This is for my sanity.

I need some reassurance, support and love or I feel my insides are going to explode.

Of course, I don't feel like I can say, "Hey, BF, come up with something romantic to do for me so I feel pretty and special," or "Hey, LSL (Little Sister Laura) maybe clean the bathroom and don't leave your laundry in the hallway for a couple of days so I don't feel so claustrophobic" or even, "Hey, people I work with, maybe look online for answers and try to proactively solve your issues before you come asking for me to do things for you because I already have a To Do list a million miles long". Just to name a few things.


So this weekend I am not planning any activities. I'm going to do what I think is fun and hopefully I'll feel better about life come Monday.

Longest Week Ever

I don't know why it was, but it was.

I thought that after having the eventful weekend in Bend, I would come home and go to work on Monday as usual and have a pretty average week.

Not the case. Monday was the the Ultimate Monday, where everything was rushed and people were upset and nothing went right. I stayed at work late to help finish projects that were done incorrectly which wasn't the worse way to spend my time but I really just hate having to rush to fix problems last minute.

It seemed like the rest of the week followed that pattern.

Yesterday was the first day this week where I didn't feel like I was playing catch up or repair person. I did have some frustrations at work (because people don't turn things in on time) but that was sort of the extent of it.

I worked out last night; did arms and then went to an hour long yoga session. I felt so good and fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow.

Today the work trend continued and I'm currently furiously trying to get things ready to go for meetings all next week and meetings the week after.

Tonight and this weekend should be nice, though. BF has a double header softball night planned at THPRD so I'll be going to that. Saturday BF and I are planning on going to an open house at the Garden Vineyards in Helvetia. Looks awesome. Hopefully I'll get some laundry and cleaning done, but if not no big deal.

I'm so glad it's Friday.

Bill Pearl Classic 2010- And Also Why I'm Going to Enter Next Year

BF competed in the Bill Pearl Classic Bodybuilding Competition this past weekend in Bend, OR.

It was ridiculous, just as expected.

What wasn't expected: Couples routines.

Let me explain. I totally expected the crazy looking women with 80's hair and clear plastic high heels. I expected the men making funny sounds and faces as they flexed their hardest for the judges and audiences. I expected the insanely dark spray tans that everyone had. I expected that some people had spouses that were also into bodybuilding.

I DID NOT EXPECT for those couples to prepare dance and pose routines to perform TOGETHER in MATCHING OUTFITS. I didn't take pictures because I was dying in my chair.

I'll give you a minute to digest that...

...

I was extremely proud of BF- for many reasons, but mostly for his dedication and focus. He worked so hard the past few months working out and eating perfectly every day. He has had so much going on with school and teaching and life in general I don't know how he kept going some days.

More pictures of BF!

As you may notice, BF is still a little lighter than some of the other dudes up there... and that's because he didn't get all heady and get 70 coats of the spray tan. Some of these guys went wild with the stuff and had quite a few coats of it and looked like they'd bathed in ink by the end of the day.

Anyway, congratulations to BF for competing and looking awesome!

Now to the part about why I'm considering entering next year's...

So of course they had women's divisions and those divisions are as follows: Bikini, Figure/Fitness and bodybuilding. So the bikini division is for women that are in excellent shape, but not to the point that you can see every muscle group. They still are very feminine and wear regular bathing suits for this part of the competition and are judged on balance, shape, and overall appearance. The fitness/figure division is for women that are closer to what you think of when you think women's bodybuilding. They are extremely defined but not hugely so. They are judged on overall appearance, definition and fitness ability. Part of their performance is a fitness routine. Bodybuilding is pretty much the same as the mens. They are looking for the definition of each muscle group and have to complete the following poses as called out by the judges:

POSE#1 - FRONT DOUBLE BICEP
POSE#2 - FRONT LAT SPREAD
POSE#3 - SIDE CHEST POSE (either side)
POSE#4 - SIDE TRICEP EXTENSION (either side)
POSE#5 - BACK DOUBLE BICEP
POSE#6 - BACK LAT SPREAD
POSE#7 - ABDOMINAL POSE
POSE#8 - MOST MUSCULAR (Men Only)

The thing is, the ladies that competed this year were good, but I realized a few things:

1. I'm about a foot taller than most of them.

2. My arms are almost as defined as theirs.

3. I have better stage skills- this may be my opinion but they all sort of looked like they didn't know what to do when they were up there and had strange expressions.

I'm not really into bodybuilding and everything that goes into it. It's hard work! I can support BF in it, but I don't know if I can be that disciplined. However, after seeing the lady that won the overall women's bodybuilding division I realized that if I am competing against the same women I could totally win it. And what does that mean? I means I win a SWORD.

Yes.

Like She-Ra.

Very tempting.

Serendipitous Kismet

You guys, there is an owl living in my chimney.

...

OMG...

...

I'm over the moon about this. I cannot believe how awesome it is.

Ok, so I'm not really certain this owl has taken up permanent residence in the chimney, but I do know that the past few days when it gets quiet cute little hooting sounds come from the chimney. It sort of freaks the cats out, which is entertaining.

I haven't seen the owl, so I don't know what type it is, but I looked the National Audubon Society Portland's website to see what sort of owls can be found in the area and I'm fairly certain is HAS to be either a Northern Pygmy Owl or a Northern Saw-Whet Owl because those are the only two types small enough to fit into the holes in the top of the chimney.

Northern Saw-Whet

Northern Pygmy

I'm hoping to get a glimpe of him/her soon. I think I'll name him/her Athena or Archimedes. It only makes sense.

Quest for Something New

Sometimes my cardio gets boring. Boring to the point where I don't want to do it because it just seems tedious and lame.





When I start feeling like this I realize that I need to switch things up and try something new. This week I tried Spinning.





They have a cycle class most evenings at my gym, so I figured I would try it. I looked up online to see the average calories burned in a 1 hour cycle class and was delighted to find that the average is between 500 and 700 calories in a 45 minute class. My class was an hour long so I'll assume I was closer to the 700 area... and there was a puddle of sweat under my bike when I was done so I know I was really working.



I'm only a little sore from it (afterall, I have been lifting weights) but what I'm feeling the most is where my butt-bones (aka where your femur inserts in your hip/pelvis) from the dang seat. I could hardly sit down this morning and eat breakfast. I've been sitting on my wadded up jacket at work all day to give me some sort of cushion.



Now I see why those avid spinners buy the cycling shorts with padding. I thought they were just being dramatic, but lo, they are just trying to protect their poor little bums from bruising. I haven't looked, but I'm pretty sure I have bruises.



So I'm going back on Wednesday night.



Also, why is it so cold? It's MAY for Pete's Sake. Where is the warm spring sunshine and the DRY weather? It got down to almost freezing last night and I woke up in a ball inside my sheets and blankets this morning.

Vegas, and Then Some

I was in Vegas last week.



I was a little nervous because I haven't been to Vegas since 8th grade so I didn't really know what to expect.



We departed Portland on Wednesday morning. It was a nice morning and beautifully clear once we were at cruising altitude. I sat in a row with a bunch of 20 something guys on their way to Vegas for a birthday party. They were all taking shots at 7am. They invited me to join and of course I declined. Needless to say I didn't get a nap on the way.



The flight was pretty tame despite my row company, but ten minutes into the descent into Vegas things got a bit bumpy. I guess there were a fair amount of wind gusts and we definitely felt them. I was totally glad to be on the ground! Later on Wednesday they grounded some flights due to the high winds in the area.



The weather was pretty nice, in the 60's and low 70's and sunny. Meetings, Meetings, Meetings for Wednesday and Thursday, but we did manage to squeeze in a little shopping at NikeTown Las Vegas and the Hurley Store. I got some sweet pants for $9. Seriously.



Left on Thursday night EXHAUSTED and ready to be home.

Spent the weekend trying to get caught back up on laundry, etc. Nothing terribly exciting. I did get to spend some quality time with BF. We hung out and played Clue with his sister. I forgot how much I liked board games.

This week is all about prep work for the Bill Pearl. Hotel reservations made, BF has a spray tan appointment for Friday afternoon, and I'm cleaning out the car in preparation for our travels.

Don't let me forget my camera and extra batteries.