60 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

Yeah, I am avoiding work...so sue me!!!

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60 Things You Possibly Didn't Know About Me

1. What is in the back of your car?
old rotors, some other car parts that I have no idea what to do with. oh, and a california license plate.

2. When was the last time you threw up?
a few weeks ago when i was sick. ugh.

3. What color is your toothbrush?
white and blue.

4. Name one person that made you smile today?
barbie

5. What were you doing at 8 am this morning?
on the bus with adam on the way into carnegie mellon

6. What were you doing 30 minutes ago?
working and drinking coffee that is not doing its job! :-(

8. Have you ever been to a strip club?
no but i have had a stripper come to where i was.

9. What is the last thing you said aloud?
good morning

10. What is the best ice cream flavor?
chubby hubby by ben & jerry's
anything with peanut butter, chocolate, caramel and pretzels really!

11. What was the last thing you had to drink?
latte...it is morning after all! ;-)

12. What are you wearing right now?
jeans, brown shirt, tennis shoes, my hair is in a pony tail and i have
no make up on. yeah it is one of those days. ;-)

13. What was the last thing you ate?
scone

14. Have you bought any new clothing items this week?
nope

15. When was the last time you ran?
playing with marco during my visit to california

16. The last sporting event you watched?
basketball

18. Who is the last person you sent a text message to?
barbie this morning

19. Ever go camping?
yeah but it has been a while

20. Do you like rollercoaster?
i used to love them but not so much now.

21. What were you doing last night?
met daniel for dinner and margaritas

22. Do you have a tan?
hell no

23. Look to your right, what do you see?
usc mouse pad, phone, coffee cup, picture frame, an apple

24. Do you drink your soda with a straw?
depends on where i am

25. What did your last text message say?
"baltimorge"

26. Are you someone's best friend?
sure am

27. What are you doing tomorrow?
working and then watching thursday night tv!!!!!
i also can guarantee that i will be talking to heidi
about survivor. :-)
grey's is back tonight!!!! lost is back tonight!!!!!

28. Where is your mom?
at work and hopefully finding someone else to bug about their life!
get off mine!

29. Look to your left, what do you see?
flowers, flowers, keys, paper on my desk

31. What do you think of when you think of Australia?
beaches and kangaroos

33. What is your birthstone?
red garnet

34. Do you go in at a fast food place or just hit the drive thru?
depends on who i am with and what we are doing

35. What is your favorite number?
9

36. Do you have a dog?
no but i can visit dogs when i want.

37. Last person you talked to on the phone?
heidi

38. Have you met anyone famous?
sure have

39. Any plans today?
work, help out a student on a research project, i need to buy coffee, take a walk at lunch

40. How many states have you lived in?
three

41. Ever go to college?
oh yeah to the best one! USC baby!!!!

42. What do you want to be when you grow up ?
a writer

44. Last song listened to?
I am listening to High by James Blunt right now before that it was Make this Go on Forever by Snow Patrol
Yes, my music tastes go beyond country! Sheesh!

47. Favorite pair of shoes you wear all the time?
tennis shoes

49. Are you jealous of anyone?
nope

50. Is anyone jealous of you?
i hope not

51. Do you love anyone?
i love lots of people

52. Do any of your friends have children?
yeah

53. Do you eat healthy?
i try

54. What do you usually do during the day?
work

55. Do you hate anyone right now?
nope

56. Do you use the word 'hello' daily?
yep

59. Have you ever been to Six Flags?
oh yeah...we went in college. what a blast!

60. How did you get one of your scars?
scar on my pinky finger i got washing a glass and it broke. it was the first time i ever got stitches.

Family Time

Here are some pictures from last week when Barbie flew in for a visit.

Amber and I with the not so focused Cameron. Still a cute boy though!!!

It is a rare time when we are all together and able to get a picture!
Me, Am, Barbie with Cameron.

Mom was not really paying attention to the camera!

Mom, Amber, Barbie and Cameron
I seriously wonder what was over there that he kept looking at...
I am guessing it was the dog.

Must Be Doing Something Right...

I have been sick for the last week or so. I am talking about the exhausting bug that seems to be biting everyone around here. It has sucked because it was quiet at work and I had hoped to get soooo much done. But I have been sick. Ack!!!

This morning my alarm went off and I was annoyed that it was going off. I got up, got dressed and headed out the door to Weight Watchers. I was not thrilled about the approach to the scale as I knew that it was going to be up because when I am sick I eat. I know we all eat but I eat things that are comforting to me. I stepped on the scale and it was over and Barb handed me my book back. I looked on the spot and gasped out loud..."I stayed the same?!?!?" Barb told me to get out of her sight that she had just told me that and that I needed to just relax. I went into the meeting room and chatted with my friend Cath.

We talked about the inner battles that we all fight. We talked about the fact that the inside has to be right before the outside will follow. Then I realized that I must be doing something right because even with sickness I was able to take care of myself and NOT gain weight! This is not an accident. This is because I have made these little changes over the last (almost) year and many of the healthy ones have stuck. And with those in place I was able to not damage any of the progress I have made. For this I am grateful!

Taking care of myself is hard. I would rather take care of everyone else around me. I am working on it. I have been working on it. I am getting better at it. I am worth it. I am valuable. I must take care of myself so I can have the honor and pleasure of taking care of those around me. Must be doing something right....for that I am grateful!

I am also grateful that due to being sick that I was able to tackle some tasks at work that I have been putting off for much too long. So now when I get to my office on Monday morning my desk will be clean and my computer is now organized and does not have crap all over the desktop any longer. It is a huge accomplishment and for that I am grateful!

My mind feels better and my body is slowly getting there! Must be doing something right!!

Close Your Eyes...

take a deep breath

who, what, when, where



makes you happy?????

It is quite simple and something to definitely mediate upon as it gets to the roots of one's person bliss. I was reminded about a very blissful, joyful and peaceful time recently. It made me smile from the inside out to think about that time. I could feel the environment around me, I could see the people there with me and I still felt the consuming sense of joy of that time.

So I started to think about other times, other places, other people, other items. It was like unlocking a secret treasure trove all of my own making. It is quite cathartic and probably very healthy. But what really got me going was the thought that we all can work to re-create these times, events, etc.

The other night I was chatting online with an old friend who asked if I remembered the week we spent reading before Troy Camp. Immediately I smiled and was filled with a sense of that time. Later that night I was able to close my eyes and see the apartments, the crappy couches we had, the boxes packed awaiting movement to storage, the smell of the warm summer California air as the breeze blew through the open door. We read all day and all night and shared books, discussed them, swapped them and just relished in our youthful freedom.

Oh, to have that again...but then I stop to think- Nah, I really like where I am right now. But the joyfulness of that memory is something that no one can ever take away from me or my friends. There are many other memories that have started to pop up and make me smile.

Just for today...take a moment and stop and remember a time when you smiled from your insides out and just see if you don't smile today in this moment.

Finding Balance

When I think of balance I think of all these pieces of my life that should be balanced. Today I am realizing (or maybe I have always known) that all these pieces are connected and the balance is a fine art that one must constantly work at. The thing is that not only are all the pieces of my life connected but they are connected to the universe around me. All this is daunting and can lead to unbalance all over the place.

But somewhere along the way for this "all-or-nothing" girl, I have come to see that little actions in attempt to find my balance do make a difference in the larger universe. So I have been doing my little part for a while now and I have to say it is nice to finally see things somewhat balanced.

I participated in Earth Hour a couple Saturday's ago. It was a nice, peaceful way to power down and find other ways to spend an evening...well, actually an hour...but it sure felt long! I spent some time with candles lit and opted for meditation and prayer. This lasted for about 15 minutes. I am not good at it but it is enough. Then I futzed around online. I am not sure that this was part of the plan for the event but I was using my battery so I thought it might be okay. All I know is that there were no lights or appliances on and I was not ready to go to bed. Eventually, the hour went by and then I was tired and ready to go to bed. I was part of something bigger than me and for the betterment of the world. Just another part of finding balance in my life.

Speaking of balance and being in tune with one's own body...

A week ago I woke up very early and felt lousy. I knew with the sore throat and achy body that it was time to send out an email that I was staying home today and turn off the alarm clock and crawl back into bed. All of which I did! When I awoke later that day I felt better but still not good. I actually ended up with the worst headache the following day and stayed home another day. Why? I am trying to take better care of myself and this was just the first step.

I am tired. I mean really tired. Exhaustion consumes me and I have come to realize that all I seem to do is worry about everyone else and always seem to put me last. *sigh* I know this is a problem and I know that I need to deal with this to deal with my addiction. (Relax folks...I am a food addict...which honestly is worse than any other because you can't stop eating!)

I eat when I am happy. I eat when I am sad. I eat when I am mad. I eat when I am hungry. I eat when I am bored. I eat to stuff the pain. I am happy to report that after years in therapy my binging has lessened. This happened because of my hard work and dedication to me. No one was able to do it for me or fix it for me. But it also goes back to the title of this blog...finding balance.

I need to work on finding balance in all parts of my life and then all the other stuff will either fall away or fall into place. I know this to be true. I have been slowly and steadily losing weight. It may not be obvious to anyone else but me but it is happening. I am doing this for no one else but me and it is working this time because I am working at finding the balance and the mind-body connection to make it stick. I am not obsessed about it. I am not afraid of it. I am just being present on a regular basis and making this work one baby step at a time.

I have taken steps to work through past events that have been blocks for me. Even if nothing comes from my actions I know in my heart that I have put the truth out there and that can never be a bad thing. I am becoming more and more the person I dreamed of being when I was young and innocent. That makes me happy beyond all belief.

Enough rambling from me for today! :-)

A parting thought to leave you with...

If the only prayer you said in your life was "thank you," that would suffice. --Meister Eckhart