five reasons why i adore my boyfriend

1. He has an amazing sense of humor. It's my favorite kind because he can say all kinds of crazy stuff while keeping a straight face. The best time to see that in action is when he's working with the store manager. Today though, I sent him a text that my dad was in line at the Apple store for an iPhone and he replied with iSweet!

2. He has a beautiful heart. He is kind and honorable and treats others with respect. He is compassionate and loving and fiercely loyal. There is a warmth in him that not everyone has and I love being around it.

3. He's hot. When I see him across the room and he hasn't seen me yet or he's busy or whatever, I sigh dreamily to myself. Do you know how freaking cool it is to sigh dreamily to yourself over a guy and then have him walk over and kiss you? It's the best. :)

4. He challenges me to become a better version of me. He loves me a ridiculous amount but knows there are things I want to change and there are things I should change. He is really great at being able to push me without making me feel dumb for not having done these things before or seen what I should have done. He's really supportive when something is important to me, even if he doesn't see why at first.

5. He never treats me like I'm crazy. I've calmed down on my own over the years, but I still worry that people are going to think I'm crazy in the bad way. Even when I'm worked up over something that might not be that big of a deal in the grand scheme of things, he listens and helps me break it down without ever treating me like I'm being ridiculous. I don't worry about talking to him about anything, ever. When it's something that is hard to bring up, I know that it is only going to be difficult to start the conversation, not actually have it. That is tremendous to me. I can't even fully express to you how amazing that really is in my life.

wednesday wonders

My weekly list of fabulous things... :)

...I started a new job and it's going really well!
...I am doing pieces of my old job which means overtime with limited exhaustion! Certainly easier than having Starbucks as a second job.
...good talks with K.
...knowing I can have good talks with K, no matter what comes up.
...an excellent girl's night out with my mom which included a truly ridiculously excellent meal and a live musical. And martinis!
...www.faceyourpockets.com/index1.html
...my boyfriend insisting on taking me out to dinner last night and eating a stupid amount of chinese food together.
...I've lost 9 pounds in five weeks! Not too shabby for Melissa!
...there's this slideshow thing of Paris Hilton proving she poses with the same smile as much as possible that is kind of hilarious. As soon as I find it again, I'll post the link.
...Weight Watchers chocolate chip muffins. They're in the frozen food section and allegedly meant for breakfast, but let me tell you, they are a FANTASTIC dessert. Or snack. Or just general 4 point chocolate pick me up. Mmmm...
...realizing lately how much I like my life. Even when I have a rough day or realize there are things I definitely need to work on and change, overall, I genuinely like my life.
...if I forget that I really like my life, all I have to do is sit down and talk with this certain coworker because he always asks me how things are in such a way that I realize things are good.
...there was a whole Office marathon last week where they may have included previously deleted scenes! I freaking love that show.
...the good thing about the next season of Scrubs being the last one is they actually know before they start shooting and have the chance to properly end the series.
...my apartment is such a fantastic place to hang out.
...K brought me a bunch of cds to borrow because he really likes them and wanted me to have the chance to hear them. Stuff like that speaks to my heart and I'm being completely serious.
...my new job is in a spot where I have cell phone signal which means I can get calls and text messages. Hint, hint!
...more people from the past have found me on MySpace and it is fun to see where they are at these days.
...Splenda leaves awesome voicemails.
..100% cranberry juice.
...my martini shaker, especially when it's got peach schnapps, amaretto, cranberry juice, orange juice, grenadine, and some ice in it.
...being silly and laughing a lot as a result of said silliness.
...phones with caller id.
...enoguh will power to stay on top of making good choices, like taking the stairs and whatnot.
...getting a new work badge.
...going home after a long day at work, knowing that the drive will include good music and the final destination has a fabulous bed ready for collapsing into so should I choose.

movie review monday (a day late): die hard

Sorry about the delay, yesterday was a SUPER long day. But anyway....

Die Hard

It's Christmas time in L.A., and there's an employee party in progress on the 30th floor of the Nakatomi Corporation building. The revelry comes to a violent end when the partygoers are taken hostage by a group of terrorists headed by Hans Gruber (Alan Rickman), who plan to steal the 600 million dollars locked in Nakatomi's high-tech safe. In truth, Gruber and his henchmen are only pretending to be politically motivated to throw the authorities off track; also in truth, Gruber has no intention of allowing anyone to get out of the building alive. Meanwhile, New York cop John McClane (Bruce Willis) has come to L.A. to visit his estranged wife, Holly (Bonnie Bedelia), who happens to be one of the hostages. Disregarding the orders of the authorities surrounding the building, McClane, who fears nothing (except heights), takes on the villains, armed with one handgun and plenty of chutzpah. Until Die Hard came along, Bruce Willis was merely that wisecracking guy on Moonlighting. After the film's profits started rolling in, Willis found himself one of the highest-paid and most sought-after leading men in Hollywood. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide



K, of course, wants to see the new Die Hard movie that is coming out this week. He was aghast to realized I'd never seen any of the previous ones. I like Bruce Willis though, so I was game for watching them. The next two are on their way, courtesy of Blockbuster Online which I still think is a fabulous way to spend twenty bucks a month for dinner and a movie night with my boyfriend.

I liked it. Kind of lame in some parts, but it's an action movie and I'm pretty darn picky about action movies that I thoroughly enjoy. Bruce Willis looks about 15. It was well done, especially for having come out in the 80s and I actually want to see the rest of them.

weight watchers week 5

I lost again this week, 2.8 pounds. That brings my total to 9 pounds lost! Not too shabby for Melissa. Next week will be double digits. :)

This week the biggest thing I threw in the mix was walking and going up and down some stairs a lot more often. I walk up 5 flights and then back down, and then on a small trek to the parking garage where I stretch and walk back. It's not really a lot in the grand scheme of things or compared to what other people are doing for workouts, but it gets my heart pumping and it's enough to help me out at the moment.

That's pretty much it for the week! I know, kind of short, but really, that's about it. No really big struggles or triumphs (except my exceptionally good weigh in). It feels like this is becoming more of a way of life than a diet which is awesome.

five reasons i'm glad it's friday

1. I have the whole weekend to not be at work. It's not so much that I hate going to work as it is that I love hanging out in my apartment. I don't mind leaving to take care of things or whatever, but for the most part if the neighbors are being quiet and not jumping instead of walking, I am quite content to stay at my place.

2. Tonight my mom and I are having a girl's night out and going to dinner and to a show. Not to the movies, but an actual stage production. I haven't heard of the play before, but it should be an excellent night.

3. My week got much better as it progressed. I had an excellent day with my boyfriend yesterday and a few really good talks. There are a few things that need to change that will just take some time, but now I feel like he really understands where I'm coming from and why I need those things to change. Huge weight off my shoulders that I wasn't really even sure where it was coming from before Wednesday and Thursday. I love him so very much.

4. I start a new job on Monday that I am really looking forward to. It will be nice to change things up a little bit and it will be a tiny bit more money which is awesome. I think I have to actually buy work clothes for it which is a small bummer because I haven't had to do so since September, but that's cool. At least I get to go shopping! We'll see next week. The week after that though will be extra fantastic as I switch from 6:45 am to 3:15 to the lovely set of hours 2:45 pm to 11:15 pm.

5. I get to spend even more time with K this weekend. No offense intended to anyone at all, but he's the only person I never need a break from. I can spend days and days with him and not start to wonder when I'll get some time to myself to recharge or anything. And we don't even have to be filling up the time with a bunch of outings and whatnot. I love that we go to the movies and everything else, but it's just as wonderful to me to lay down with him for awhile or cook something together or watch some tv. I think he's amazing and that I'm very lucky to have him. It thrills me that he feels the same way about me. Yay for Melissa!

wednesday wonders

It's been a rough week for exactly no reason. But here's a list of happy things anyway. Other regular programming to resume next week...

...getting free issues of People by signing up for the trial thing. I don't want a real subscription to the magazine but it has been kind of fun getting a few issues in the mail.
...reading with K. He had a book, I had a book, we each propped ourselves up with a few pillows and read for a good chunk of time together this weekend. I can't even explain how much I loved this.
...cold bottled water. Not because I'm a snob, because it's conveinent.
...libraries are free unless you have overdue books (like I always do, but hey, more money for new books to be purchased!).
...that new show Traveller.
...the Closer is back on with a new season. Kyra Sedgewick is fantastic.
...K knows me ridiculously well and it still catches me off guard.
...last night I made out with K for a whole Pearl Jam song while we were sitting in my truck by his house. It was very high school but it was also very great.
...emails and letters from friends I haven't been the best at keeping in touch with on my end.
...almost getting to flip my schedule. Just that there's a date on the calendar when it will happen makes me very happy.
...sitting and talking with an old co-worker last night. We should really hang out and be real life friends.
...www.trashthedress.com for being interesting, not actually something I want to do. I like the water pictures, but the one where the dress is on fire? That's scary. Also, I don't need an engagement photo shoot that looks like we're having sex on the beach. But kudos on the interesting pictures!
...rice pudding and the fact that K is now addicted to it as well.
...big ripe tomatoes perfect for slicing and sprinkling salt on and eating.
...oatmeal bread with avocado, tomatoes, and a tiny bit of bacon. So good that I wanted another one just because it tasted so freaking good.
...not having another sandwich just because the first one tasted so good. :)
...having lost 6.2 pounds total. I think it's from my face and wrists. Hopefully this week's comes from my belly.
...Google reader because it is even better than bloglines and that is truly saying something because I thought that was the best invention ever for awhile there.
...having plans on Friday night with my mom.
...my niece making me laugh so hard on Sunday.
...making my nephew smile even as he had his face buried in my sister's shoulder because he was really upset about something.

weight watchers week 4

So all in all, it was an okay week. Okay enough that I have lost a total of 6.2 pounds!

I could have made some better choices, but I decided to go ahead and go to the meeting and weigh in so I just knew. You get a free pass to not weigh in if you ever want to, but I guess I will just save it for later.

The thing that is working the best for me is taking food with me to work. When I take a frozen meal or just pack a lunch, I don't make bad choices. When I have the time to really thinking about what I'm doing and plan out my meals just for the day, I do much better than when I get to work and wander around the cafeteria looking for something good. I got better at this through the week so that means it won't always be this hard. I'm really working on changing habits and paying attention to what is easy and what is difficult for me.

Easy things this week:
-drinking water.
-parking further away to make sure to be walking ten minutes before and after work which means 2 activity points a day for me.
-journaling all my food even when I know I went way over my points for the day.

Difficult things this week:
-staying positive. One bad choice does not tank the entire week. In fact, I can make up for it with activity points or just a lot of vegetables the rest of the day.
-doing any more activity than the walking to and from my truck.
-getting all my servings of dairy in every day.

Goals for next week:
-more activity points. On Friday I walked up to the fifth floor and then back down. I work on sublevel 2, so this was quite a few stairs and I'm not going to lie, I was definitely out of breath when I made it back down to my desk. I would like to make this trek at least three times this week. The week after, I'll add another floor. There's 10 floors total, so that's the ultimate goal for working out during the work day.
-to not use any of the extra flex points.
-to lose 2 pounds. Hopefully from here on out, but this week especially. Not using the flex points will help I'm sure.
-to make sure to take food with me to work every day.

My favorite thing that I ate was at my mom and dad's house. They made shrimp skewers and grilled them. Mine had shrimp, mushrooms, onions, and pineapple. Each piece of shrimp was 1 point and I had three skewers with a little bit of wild rice and a piece of cantaloupe. I was pretty full at the end of dinner and I figure the meal was about 10 points. Awesome.

five foods i can eat fairly ridiculous amounts of

Friday Five!

1. Sushi. Spicy tuna, plain tuna, salmon, shrimp... It's freaking delicious. My favorite place in town is Samurai and they have this ultimate tuna roll that is fantastic. It's basically a spicy tuna roll wrapped in plain tuna. Their lemon roll is also de-freaking-licious.

2. Nachos. The kind with the gross canned cheese like you get at the movies or baseball games or whatever. Just plain tortilla chips, cheese, and jalapenos is so great to me. Gross, but great. :)

3. Salad. But the really good kind with the dark green leafy lettuce and tons of other vegetables. Tomatoes, cucumber, spinach, sprouts, broccoli, a little bit of egg and cheese, and some sunflower seeds sprinkled on top. Then add some balsamic vinegar or some really good ranch dressing and I am a happy girl.

4. Pizza. Not to the extent of the sushi, but the good cheesy kind or meat lovers, I can put away a surprising amount for a girl.

5. Pistachios and Almonds. Not necessarily together, but hey, you never know! I can sit with a bag of pistachios in the shell and be quite content eating the entire thing. I like all the salt. And almonds, I just love them. Almond is even my favorite syrup at Starbucks. My favorite candy is almond M&Ms. And almond Snickers.

GO SPURS GO!

I paid attention to the Spurs this year but didn't really watch any games until the playoffs. I think that's being a quasi-fairweather fan or something. Next year I'm going to watch more games and hopefully go to one or two because the more I watch basketball, the more I like it. It's a sport I understand, it's fast paced, it's easy to follow, and there are some amazingly talented people out there.

Last night, K had to work until 9 pm. The game started at 8 pm. I was going to take a nap while he was at work but I ultimately decided I couldn't not watch the game because it was probably going to be the last one of the series. Also, I was hoping the Spurs would play better than they did earlier this week.

I picked him up and we watched the game and worked on some stuff he needed to get done to email off and it was a great time. I was exhausted but highly amused by both the game and my boyfriend trash talking the tv. I was excited that the Spurs won, even with the great three point shot that the Cavs made as the buzzer sounded. But I stood up immediately and asked if we could go.

I haven't lived in San Antonio all that long yet, and I haven't been here when the Spurs have won the playoffs before. But I knew that people would be out on the streets. Yesterday on the radio, they had mentioned that at the Riverwalk, they had put up small fences so the vegetation wouldn't be trampled when the crowds descended to celebrate. It was pouring down rain after a flash flood warning came up earlier in the evening and I didn't want to get caught navigating through torrential rain AND random people dancing in the street.

It ended up being perfect. The rain slowed down and people weren't really outside yet as I was going to K's house. On the way back, I passed by some people outside on the corner literally banging pots and pans. Cars were honking and people were hanging out the windows with Spurs flags and brooms. I drove past a kid who was outside waving a giant Spurs flag with all of his might so I honked and he started jumping up and down and waving the flag even harder.

As I was driving home, I was amazed by the number of cars. It was really fun because it made me feel like I live in a small town where everyone knows everyone and we were all celebrating the accomplishments of our good friends.

Go Spurs Go!

wednesday wonders

It's time for my weekly list of things making me happy!

...the Spurs are doing VERY well and I actually know enough (just barely, but still) to talk about them with people at work.
...I have a new job lined up that will result in several hours of overtime for a good chunk of time. It's the best of both worlds!
...still losing weight on Weight Watchers and it's still not a very big deal to have made most of the changes.
...dinner with K, his mom, and his sister. They are terrific. Don't tell anyone though, K is my favorite.
...I made a coworker laugh ridiculously hard yesterday.
...even though I have been sucking at writing people back, people like Splenda keep emailing me. I promise, I am working on not sucking!
...my niece would really like to go to the movies with her parents, brother, me and K. I don't know when that can happen, but that will be a delight.
...I really had a good time going to K's mom's house to watch the game last night. We couldn't stay the whole time, but it was good chatting and fun to watch the game. What's weird though is even though the Spurs won, the game overall was kind of lame.
...I've been spending a LOT of time with K lately and I know this will make me sound kind of dumb, but the more time I spend with him, the more time I want to spend with him. I usually need a little time to recharge by myself regardless of how awesome the person I am spending time with is, but with him, I just want to be around him all the time. I love it.
...apricots and plums, washed and in a bowl in my fridge ready to eat.
...spicy pork fajita gordita from Chacho's. I don't know how many points it was, but it was freaking delicious. I'll be walking extra today just in case.
...Mexican food in Texas is different than Mexican food in California, but I am now finding it to be delicious.
...dinner with my parents on Sunday. Good conversation and good food. They made shrimp skewers with veggies and pineapple, wild rice, and there was also cantaloupe. It was fantastic.
...walking around the tremendousy large building where I work in the air conditioned envrionment that counts as exercise without making me feel like I'm going to melt into a gross puddle of Melissa goo.
...K has been calling just to say he loves me and that he'll talk to me later.
...daydreams.
...no allergy drama!
...finding out it was very good that my acid reflux was diagnosed and is being taken care of because there's a big ol' family history around it I had no idea about.
...colored dry erase markers with erasers built into the caps. Office supplies make me happy.
...going to the movies two times in a week and a half!
...hot showers in a clean bathtub.
...fresh clean fabric softener scented sheets.
...cooking stuff that is delicious and holds up well as leftovers.
...hanging out at Starbucks but not working there. I didn't hate working there, but it's kind of nice to not have to spend half my day saying "What size?" over and over again.
...Ocean's 13. I want to see the other two, then see Ocean's 13 again. And then again after that. It really was that fantastic.
...the band Copeland
...typing so much that my fingernails grow ridiculously fast and are strong.
...central air in my apartment.

i either need more to do or to get more sleep.

Yesterday I was kind of tired. Lately I've had a hard time going to bed at a decent hour on Sundays because I've been able to relax for most of the day and so am not really tired by the time my normal bedtime rolls around. It's not a bad problem to have, so I'm more just explaining than complaining. I still have to get up when it's dark on Monday morning to get to work in time to walk for awhile before getting to my desk on time and everything.

When I got home I was starving and took the afternoon off from good Weight Watcher choices and made up some nachos and enjoyed them tremendously. I was kind of sleepy/bored and didn't have any plans so eventually I decided to wash my face and get into bed and watch some Sex and the City and read for awhile. I fell asleep kind of quickly and was for all intents and purposes dead to the world.

Until my phone rang.

I have the capability to assign different ring tones to different people. I kind of us groupings. So my family all have the same ring tone that is different from the ring tone of unknown callers and that is different from my good friends group, etc. Certain people have their own tones though. K and Splenda most notably. I like having the different tones because that way when I'm halfway asleep, I know whether or not I should wake myself up to get the phone.

So it was K who was calling and it startled me because I was in the middle of a dream and probably drooling on my arm. I sat up and had a split second of panic because it was dark and I figured something had to be wrong for him to be calling me so early my alarm clock hadn't even gone off. Then I glanced at the clock. It was 10:30 pm.

Heh.

movie review monday: ocean's 13

Ocean's 13

Cinema icon Al Pacino joins a powerhouse cast headed by of George Clooney, Brad Pitt, Matt Damon, Andy Garcia, Don Cheadle, Bernie Mac, and series newcomer Ellen Barkin for this, the third installment of director Steven Soderbergh's popular series of glitzy crime comedies. The only hotelier in Los Vegas who can claim that each and every one of his establishments have earned the Royal Review Board's Five Diamond Award, Willy Bank (Pacino) has made more than his share of enemies during his impressive ascent. While most of Bank's adversaries amount to little more than the occasional nuisance, however, this powerful player is about to find out that picking your enemies in Las Vegas can be a true gamble. In betraying Rueben Tishkoff (Elliot Gould), Bank has finally crossed the one man who could bring his entire empire crumbling to the ground - Danny Ocean (Clooney). Now Rueben is in critical condition, and Ocean is determined to strike back at the man who nearly murdered his mentor. Bank may have taken down one of the original Ocean's Eleven, but his efforts only managed to unite the remaining ten closer than ever before. As the opening of Bank's newest casino draws near, Danny and the crew set into motion a bold plan to humiliate the cocksure casino owner and forever tarnish his spotless reputation. It won't be easy, but if Ocean and his team can get their elaborate plan together in time for the opening of The Bank, they just might be able to deliver some serious Las Vegas justice. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide



Sunday afternoon, K and I decided to go to the movies. We had to go to a specific showtime because had to work in the evening. Suddenly we realized there was a chance we wouldn't even make it so we left immediately to try and then decide how we'd spend our time if we missed it later. We both love going to the movies and enjoy the previews so we usually get there a little early. We arrived in the parking lot to buy tickets exactly when it was starting and decided to go ahead and buy them anyway and figure we'd see the previews at another movie soon enough anyway. We had perfect timing. I even went and bought some snacks and came in just as the last preview was ending.

I LOVE the Ocean movies. LOVE them. Brad Pitt and George Clooney are super great to me, both as people (from what I know courtesy of the media of course) and as actors. But their characters in these movies, Rusty and Danny respectively, are fantastic. The first movie was tremendously great. I enjoyed the second one but the thing that kept me from thinking it was as amazing as the first one is you didn't get to see the con until the very end. With the first movie, you technically could have figured it out as they movie went on but there was no way to do so with Ocean's 12. The third installment was awesome.

There are lots of little things that come up from the other two movies which are a delight but I think you could still enjoy this flick if you hadn't seen them before. But why haven't you seen them?! :)

One of the reasons I enjoyed it so thoroughly was because it was a well done and realtively clean movie. Some cleavage and whatnot, and I think literally four cusswords. Instead of relying on shock value, they relied on a good story and terrific actors to carry the movie and I think it really paid off.

My favorite scenes were pretty much the ones where Rusty and Danny were talking about things and you have no idea what they are talking about because they keep cutting each other off. The scene in the airport is particularly funny if you know anything about Brad Pitt and George Clooney from the past year or so.

Go see the movie. I'd go see it again or maybe even two more times. And I'll see as many Ocean movies as they care to make.

Rating: 4 of 4 stars

weight watchers week 3

I didn't meet my goal, but it I knew it was a little foolhardy to begin with. This week I lost .8 pounds. Still a loss, but not nearly as exciting as last week! Earlier this week I had noticed my face seems to look a little better. My curves are showing a tiny bit more too, but both of these changes may not really be noticable to anyone else. I see myself every day so I am sure I will notice things that others won't, and especially at this point. We're pretty early in the game. :)

Part of the low weight loss may be because last week I weighed in on an empty stomach and this week I had some chips and salsa with K about an hour and a half before weighing in. Oh well. But I think it should be noted that I had chips and salsa while he had some cheesy tater tots and a cheeseburger with all the fixings. I would have really liked to dive into those cheesy tater tots, let me tell you!

I have been parking a little further away to up my walking and making a gazillion little trips to take care of things at work rather than condensing it into one lap around the area where I work. Next week I think I will take the really long way back to my truck after work even when it is all humid and hot outside.

So, things that were easy and good for me this week:
-drinking the six servings of water. Now actually, if I don't, I crave it. That's awesome. I'm hoping it will help my skin clear up a tiny bit too.
-choosing healthier options when presented with things to pick from.
-keeping track of food points even when it doesn't look favorable to me.
-reading articles on WW.com and gleaning tips and recipes from there.
-not being obnoxious about what I can and cannot eat.
-my dear friend Splenda being super stoked about us being WW-BFF!

What I think will help me next week:
-focusing on feeling better and healther instead of the numbers on the scale.
-eating way more fruits and vegetables than this week. This was lacking for sure, even though I didn't really exceed my points through the week.
-walking longer distances and more often than I do now. I am going to try to find a pedometer and see what walking 10,000 steps a day is like.
-posting questions and comments on the community boards on the WW site.
-keep talking to my dear friend Splenda about different foods that are awesome!

five reasons you should be sad if you don't know deanna

1. She and her husband have a delightful relationship and it is ridiculously great to have seen them grow together in love as they have.

2. She is incredibly kind.

3. You can sit with her and make all kinds of crazy plans, like go and get tattoos one year on Melissa and DeAnna day and know that SOMEDAY you will really do it.

4. Even if you don't talk to her nearly as much as you would like, you can count on her being interested in your life and remembering things you told her about before the next time you do get a chance to chat.

5. Have you seen her photography skills?!

melissa and deanna day and then some rambling. it's not nearly as cool as her entry was. :)

Tuesday was Melissa and DeAnna Day.

Nine years ago as we were getting ready to graduate from high school, DeAnna and I were talking on the phone about where life was going to take us next. I think at the time she was fairly content with the city in Nrthern California we lived in and I had a ridiculous case of wanderlust. I was moving to Southern California for college but figured I'd go overseas again soon after that. We decided to designate June 5th as a day where we at the very least talked on the phone and caught up, if not spent the day doing something together.

For the past few years, we've been fortunate enough to manage to be in the same spot and do something fun. Two years ago it was her husband's 30th birthday at the end of the month so I was there to help decorate for the surprise party she threw and hang out with her a little before her baby was born. Last year it was good times in Sacramento again with some mani/pedi action, the movies, and The Cheesecake Factory for some lemon drop martinis. This year though, the states between us finally actually got between us and we just managed to have a lovely phone chat. But that's really the point, that at least that much happens.

I'm so blessed to have her in my life. I remember being friends with her in the fourth grade but we became really close during our senior year of high school. Sometimes we talk a few times a week and know every little thing going on and other times we chat here and there and just keep up with each other by reading our MySpace pages. But she is someone I can count on to be there and it is awesome to me to know she'll be there for the big events in my life.

I had been thinking about this a little lately, and then DeAnna mentioning that it had been nine years kind of sped up the process. My life is very different from what I had imagined it was going to be back when I was seventeen. That isn't necessarily a bad thing, but it is kind of weird.

My mom got married when she was nineteen and I guess I just thought that was the norm. Plus I was going to a school that was nicknamed the bridal college because so many people get married by the time they graduate. I didn't, obviously. I didn't even finish my degree. I never went back overseas but spent a lot of time moving back and forth between Southern and Northern California and now am in Texas of all the random places I could have gone.

I've made some mistakes and there are choices that maybe if I had chosen the other option things would be very different for me now, but I'll really never know. Every time my mind wanders down this road, it's not very long before I realize that all of my choices and mistakes have made me who I am today and have brought me to where I am as well.

I was talking to K about this on Tuesday and he pulled me close to tell me that he's felt the same way but he's so glad that the choices and mistakes and surprises in his life have brought him to this point where he and I are together. That is truly fantastic because it is exactly how I feel too.

wednesday wonders

Some things that I have been finding delight in for the past week. Ta-da!

...I have a boyfriend who will let me cry on him and patiently listen to me figure out how to say why it is that I am crying in the first place. THEN he does his best to fix it even if it's just mostly that I'm being retarded.
...I have a boyfriend who pulls me so tight to him that I almost can't breath just so we can be close.
...I told K last night that when he looks at me I feel beautiful and he got tears in his eyes.
...yesterday was Melissa and DeAnna day! More details later. :)
...me and Splenda are WW-BFF!
...I've gotten to read a bunch of magazines lately. I LOVE magazines but don't buy them much because I can use that money for other stuff. But if I could, I'd subscribe to Glamour and maybe People.
...those allergy medinces and whatnot are totally working. You have no idea how wonderful it is to have an un-achey head.
...I lost 5.6 pounds last week and it wasn't very hard!
...I've seen the sunrise a few times this week. It kind of sucks that I'm on my way to work that early, but there's something kind of magical about hazy sunlight creeping its way through the city.
...I went to the movies last night AND had popcorn.
...K was kind of scared by 28 Weeks Later too. Heh.
...my iTalk
...I'm really digging www.msnbc.com these days.
...looking up names on www.urbandictionary.com
...Modest Mouse
...chocolate covered gummy bears. It might sound gross or weird, but any hesitation disappears the second you pop one in your mouth.
...iGoogle
...looking at my life and realizing it's a pretty good thing I've got going.

a small vent

It has just been one of those days.

Stupid circumstances last night due to lack of communication. Want to know a secret? Communication is just talking. To be an effective communicator, do you know what you have to do? Speak in complete sentences and express complete thoughts. THAT IS IT.

Today has just been dumb. Partly because my head already hurt when I woke up and then coming into work didn't help matters.

Luckily it's only the afternoon. There is plenty of time for things to turn around.

weight watchers week 2

Okay, Saturdays will be my Weight Watchers update days. I'm thinking I'll post recipes and whatnot too because I have found some delightful things this week and I fully expect that to continue. And I want to write about it and share my progress and whatnot, but I don't want to be obnoxious. One day a week that you can skip if you so choose ought to be good.

I lost 5.6 pounds! How freaking great is that?!

I thought about it last week as I was getting started and decided that I need to have small goals otherwise I will simply throw my hands in the air and give up. According to the nifty little charts everywhere, I need to lose almost one hundred pounds. That is a ridiculous thought to me at the moment. That's an entire person practically and I know I'm fat but I didn't think I was that bad. Obviously, it's a pride thing and I'll work through it. In the meantime, I decided to make my goals as such: stay with Weight Watchers and go to the meetings for 8 weeks in a row. Focus on losing 5 pounds and celebrate that. Then focus on losing 10 (total), then 25 (total). Yay for me for having met my first goal!

The first week is probably the most dramatic weight loss and the next two weeks could be higher than I'll face the rest of the time I'm going to Weight Watchers. But it's still pretty awesome.

Here's my favorite snacks and meals from the week:

-rice pudding in individual servings. It's 3 points for the full fat/sugar kind and it is delicious. It also counts as a dairy which is something I need to try harder to make sure I'm getting in every day.
-water is easy when you can break it down into increments. I grab a small bottle of water out of the fridge (it's a little over 16 oz) and then make sure to refill it twice. I can usually do that by lunchtime at work so that's pretty nice to have all that crossed off so early in the day. My skin is already looking better!
-Diet Cherry Vanilla Dr. Pepper. I'm not a big fan of the diet soda, but this one tastes pretty good. I still need a little caffiene boost, but it's zero points so that's awesome. One can a day instead of Pepsi all day probably made a pretty big difference for me.
-penne pasta with italian sausage, mushrooms, and broccoli--it made a ton and so K took some home and I had a few meals out of it later too. It's good hot or cold.

And I think that's about all my rambling about eating and losing weight for the day!



recipe: penne with mushrooms, italian sausage, and broccoli

Ingredients:

1/4 pound italian style turkey sausage, any casings removed
1 (10 oz) package white mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
4 cups cooked broccoli florets
4 cups cooked, drained penne (10 oz dried)
3/4 cup reduced sodium chicken broth
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
crushed red pepper to taste
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese

1. Crumble the turkey sausage meat into a large nonstick skillet and cook until golden brown. Remove the sausage with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel lined heatproof plate. Pour off and discard any fat in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook until they are golden brown and all the juices have evaporated (about 10 minutes).

2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli and the drained sausage; cook until warmed through. Stir in the penne, broth, lemon juice, and the crushed red pepper; cook just until heated through. Serve sprinkled with cheese.

per 2 cup serving: 412 cal, 7 g fat, 2 g Sat Fat, 26 mg Chol, 787 mg Sod, 65 g Carb, 6 g Fib, 23 g Prot, 162 mg Calc.

8 Weight Watchers points per serving

the friday five: because there's more to life than being really really really really really ridiculously good looking

Five Movies That I Love That You Might Not Be Aware I Do:

1. Zoolander
2. Superstar
3. Night at the Roxbury
4. Dumb and Dumber
5. Ace Ventura Pet Detective