thanksgiving

Oh, Thanksgiving was fabulous. K had to work which wasn't super great but he had a long shift while earning time and a half and that will be a nice boost to his next paycheck. I went to my parent's house and then fixed him a plate and took it to Starbucks where I met his mom and one of his sisters. We sat and chatted for an hour or so which was great. I ended up just going home from there because my eyes were getting really itchy. It turned out one of my contacts had a good sized chunk missing out of it so that's probably what was causing all the discomfort. Easy fix!

The day after Thanksgiving K and I went to his sister's house and ate up some delicious leftovers and enjoyed conversation and whatnot. I need to confess that I absolutely LOVE stuffing. Love it. Could eat an entire plate of it and nothing else for dinner and be a happy girl. K's mom makes stuffing like no other that I have tasted and I have to say it is pretty delicious. It's got a kick to it. But even fawning over it, I need to point out that my mom makes really fantastic stuffing too. Hers has more vegetables in it and I really like that too. I think that's probably the best thing about feeling like I'm part of two families now. Two different sets of holiday traditions with some things that are similar and other things that are very different. Good times for Melissa!

I got to play with my niece and nephew and I haven't gotten to do that in awhile. My niece is going to be five in January and she is seriously so much fun to play with right now. I've loved her for different reasons her entire life and probably will continue to find new ones to love her for, but right now there's a lot more give and take in conversation and playing and she's just a great little person. I think we have a very strong bond and it delights me to no end. My nephew is also adorable in completely different ways. He is a lot quieter than my niece and not quite as bossy but definitely still his own person. I have a hard time picturing anyone else being able to top my dad as his favorite person in the entire world.

There's going to be a whole new baby Z in June! I'm so excited about that too. I finally have that baby fascination switch flipped to on where I delight in little baby clothes and holding babies (that I know) even when they're screaming their heads off. I think my niece and nephew kind of taught me that it's not so scary. And I just got a little older. My biological clock is just fine, but I am thrilled to hold a newborn again in the crook of my arm and be fascinated by itty bitty baby toes and fingers.

I've been thinking about a lot of other stuff that I will try to write about soon. But for now, honestly, it's nice and quiet and a nap just seems like an excellent idea.

grown up survey

What bill do you hate paying the most?
ugh, rent.


Where was the last place you had a romantic dinner?
carraba's. kind of awhile ago. that's okay though. i'd rather have money to get all the bills paid on time than go out to nice places all the time.


Do you regret losing your virginity to who you lost it to?
that's a complicated thing to talk about.


What do you really want to be doing right now?
this being home early and playing on myspace is kind of nice actually

What did you want to be when you grew up?
first thing i ever really seriously claimed was criminologist and that was way before all the csi shows and whatnot

Why did you choose the shirt that you have on right now?
this scrub top is part of what i'm supposed to wear to work every day

What are your thoughts on gas prices?
i'm pretty stoked that today i saw it was $1.69 at one place.
hallelujah for a break on my wallet!

First thought when the alarm went off this morning?
actually, i woke up before my alarm went off because i sneezed half the volume of liquid in my head out.
there was no going back to sleep after that so i just turned it off and got ready for work

Last thought before going to sleep last night?
i really love kiris. seriously, that's what i thought because he was already asleep and snoring away and freaking adorable.


Do you miss being a child?
not really. i felt like i was an awkward kid forever.
i would like to go back a few years or at least feel like i have better direction right now

What errand/chore do you despise?
doing the dishes

If you didn't have to work, would you volunteer?
probably not.
too many years of "time worked is time paid" drilled into my head

Get up early or sleep in?
sleep in fo sho

Have you found real love yet?
yes i have :)

Favorite lunch meat?
i kind of rotate through different ones.
roast beef, turkey, ham, pastrami

What do you get every time you go into Wal-Mart?
usually a small collection of random stuff that i am dire need of because i don't really like walmart and usually only go when everything else is closed

Beach or lake?
either one.
sometimes i really miss newport beach

Do you think marriage is an outdated ritual?
nope.
i think it's a ritual i would like to take part in sooner rather than later

Do you own property?
no.


What's your drink?
vodka tonic with lime

Cops or Robbers?
what does that mean?

Who from high school would you like to run into?
no one that i don't already keep in touch with. i would like to spend some face time with the ones i talk to here and there online though.


Sopranos or Desperate Housewives?
grey's anatomy

Worst relationship mistake that you wish you could take back?
oh, i don't know.
every mistake helped me learn a lesson though so not such a waste really

Do you like the person that sits directly across from you at work?
the person who sits directly across from me at work changes daily. sometimes several times a shift. i sit across from patients.


What famous person would you like to have dinner with?
for reals i love hillary clinton and barack obama and have for years. i think they are fascinating people. heather armstrong of dooce. com would be a guaranteed fun evening but i am nowhere cool enough to pull that one off.


Indoors or Outdoors?
there are a lot of factors that go into that decision

Have you ever crashed your own personal vehicle?
yes

Have you ever had to use a fire extinguisher for its intended purposes?
nope

Last book you read?
enchantment by orson scott card and it was seriously fantastic

Do you have a teddy bear?
no but i have a blanket.


Somewhere in California you've never been and would like to go?
okay, i've been to sacramento but i've never been inside the state capitol building. i would like to explore it the way i have the texas one. also, i would like to go to regan's library. omg, i am such a nerd.


Do you go to church?
sometimes

At this point in your life would you rather start a new career or a new relationship?
career


How old are you?
28

ww update #1-the start of week 2

I started Weight Watchers with my mom last week. We decided to go to meetings together. Actually, I asked her if she'd do it with me because I can always lose the first ten pounds and then I get stuck or something happens and I ultimately give up. She has been very succesful with Weight Watchers in the past and always knows all kinds of good snacks or meals or which ones are the best frozen dinners.

So last week I started off all gung-ho and then completely fizzled out towards the end. K and I ordered pizza over the weekend and that's pretty costly in points. And I just didn't pay as close attention as I should have. Weight Watchers has healthy guidelines to follow and I didn't get enough dairy most of the days during the week. I took the stairs more often, but other than that didn't really amp up any kind of exercise.

I weighed in today and I lost 1 pound. Which is totally good, but a little lackluster in comparison to my mom's loss of 7. But the leader told us last week that we were allowed to share with each other but not compare ourselves to eachother. I think that is a fantastic mandate but is easier said than done. My mom was really on top of everything though.

What worked for me:
-buying a few Lean Cuisine frozen dinners and leaving them in the freezer at work
-taking the stairs instead of the elevators if it was four floors or less
-drinking water before I even left my house
-talking to K about how it all works

What I need to work on this week:
-following the healthy guidelines as closely as I can
-walking extra in addition to the stairs (I'm going to stay with four floors though, I'm not superwoman)
-saving some points for when I go home after work
-having more healthy foods in the apartment that are easy to grab and go
-reading the bulletin boards at the web site and talking to my mom about what is working for her

Total progress:
Week 1= -1

are you watching the show life yet?!

It's on tonight on NBC 9pm/8pm Central.

God is good and has provided. He is still in control. Everything is going to be alright.

I read this awesome blog called Stuff Christians Like and the guy who writes it mentioned that there is a blog every Christian blogger must write the day after the election. So that's where my title came from. You should check the link out, even if you used to go to church or a Christian college but don't anymore because it is highly likely you will find many a post hilarious.

I have to say that I am excited and proud that Obama not only won the Electoral College votes but the popular vote. The Senate and House now have Democrat majorities and I am almost giddy to see how things change. The past eight years have taken their toll on a lot of aspects of America and it truly is time for some things to change. I have every bit of confidence in Barack Obama to be the agent of change, to surround himself with a great group of advisers, and to make good picks for the Supreme Court when it comes to that.

All in all, I am a happy girl. And who knew that this election would be called by 11 pm?!

the job dilemia

I currently work 3 pm to 11 pm at a hospital as a secretary. Sometimes I really like it because I learn random medical kinds of things and some of the people I work with are really fantastic. Sometimes I hate it because I do not get credit for most of what I do, doctors can be cruel, and nurses have high stress jobs that sometimes mean they take things out on people that have nothing to do with what is causing their headaches. The hours are alright. I like being able to sleep in a little bit and I never have to deal with traffic. It is a little hard to have a social life because almost everyone else has to get up earlier than I do which means they go to bed earlier too. Family time is relegated to weekends.

A friend mentioned the possibility of there being an opening I'm qualified for at the place where she works. I went ahead and emailed the contact she gave me just to get more information and I'll just kind of see what happens. I haven't even heard back but it kind of has me thinking. Maybe it wouldn't be so bad to find something in the 8 am to 5 pm realm. I don't think it would be that hard to find the same pay rate I currently have if not actually a higher wage. I definitely need health insurance that isn't going to drain my checking account but that's the biggest thing I'd have questions about.

So what do I do? How do I decide? I have a perfectly decent job and I know the demons I have to deal with. I had a bad day last week and one of my co-workers told me I didn't really have it all that bad. I guess she's right but sometimes I really don't think they understand all the stuff I have to do that is surrounded by attitudes and general grumpiness. But is that really going to be different at any other job?

Maybe I'm dissatisfied because I've been there for awhile and I'm bored. I've had a strong case of wanderlust for a long time and since I haven't moved, maybe that has transferred itself into my job. I think it would be truly awesome if I could just quit and go to school full-time. But I do believe that opportunity has completely passed me by.

ww goals

Okay, so this is what I decided about Weight Watchers goals for myself. I want some stuff to look forward to which could be seen as bribing myself or simply marking milestones that I make for myself. Either way, this is what I've got so far:

-10 pounds: haircut
This gives me some time to figure out what I want and to ask friends where they go for a haircut. I will probably land on Supercuts, but you never know. And 10 pounds is something that I can do that shouldn't take that long and is an amount that should be marked with some kind of something.

-25 pounds: find out about becoming a Mary Kay consultant (or whatever the official word is)
I need to spend some more time thinking about it but I think I could rake in some cash from co-workers if I were to be selling Mary Kay stuff. Doing parties would be fun and like I said before I love the skin care items I have and can definitely sell something I believe in.

Hmm, I guess that's all I've got so far. That's enough to keep me on track this week though!

my appearance

Mary Kay skin care stuff is seriously kickass. I love it and I've only been using it for a few days. I'm totally sold. I guess the next step is to get actual makeup, but I'm pretty set on eyeshadow and whatnot for the time being. After I drop some weight, I think I might look into becoming a consultant or whatever because I can totally sell stuff I believe in. I just don't know that anyone would take me seriously at the moment in my ridiculously unglamorous norm.

My hair has gotten pretty long again. I kind of like and it kind of drives me crazy at the same time. I need a trim and some layers to make it look nice and like I did something to it on purpose. But the past week or so as I've been thinking about maybe actually styling it before going to work instead of showering and waiting for it to air dry a little bit and sticking it all in a ponytail, I've noticed how dry the ends are. I'm toying with the idea of getting a mildly drastic haircut. K didn't seem too distraught at the idea when I bounced it off him today. My mom will hate the idea, but then she'll like my hair when I actually get it cut. So now I just need to figure out what I want it to look like and if I should just do it whenever or if I should make it a weight loss goal reward.

My mom and I just restarted Weight Watchers together. I'll start doing specific updates again starting on Thursday since that's our meeting day. I'm really excited about it and pleased with our decision to go together and everything. I can drop 10 pounds without a lot of struggle and then it all unravels. I asked my mom if we could go together because she will be a great encouragement to me even without being very specific. Plus she always has great new snack discoveries. So far, it's going alright. This weekend has not been fantastic, but I made better decisions this weekend than I did last weekend and I am aware of how it could have been even better. I think that's how it all works. Eventually it adds up into it just being a state of mind rather than having to immediately going to log everything you eat after every meal or snack. I am slightly mortified about how much I currently weigh, so I'll probably just mention how much I've lost/gained each week without giving a total.

I just want to say again that I love the fall time change. Did you know that for up to three days after the time change in the fall there are less heart attacks and that for up to three days after the spring time change there are MORE heart attacks? It's all a matter of sleep. Make sure you're getting enough!

it's november, how did that happen?!?

In the spirit of NaNoWriMo (is that right?), I'm going to try to post a blog every day for this month. I don't know how well I will do, but I will try. K is doing the novel writing thing and based on his recent drawing attempts, I'm pretty excited to see the result. My man is this amazing artist who doesn't seem to be completely aware how impressive his drawings are. Especially when he insists they are just sketches. My mom wants one of his sketches, literally as is, in a frame for Christmas.

Here's my random news for this post. My sister is pregnant! She is having a rough bout of not being able to keep anything down for very long. She was throwing up at one point and my niece went into the bathroom crying. My sister told her she was okay and it wouldn't last too much longer but she was just a little sick. My niece kept crying and then told my sister "I just don't want you to throw the baby up!" Four year olds are seriously the best.

Don't forget to change your clocks! Just another reason why fall makes me happy, an extra hour of sleep. :)