SO Much Going On!!

So we last spoke, if you will, on Saturday the 15th. I had run a race with my co-workers and was getting ready to start partying. The party was fun. I got away for a little bit with Liam and Candy, which was great getting to know them. I didn't spend too much time with Tony, which ultimately was probably better for me, but it was very nice to see him. And ultimately, after waking up super early on no sleep and starting drinking at 12pm after not having drank in almost a month... I managed to stay up till about 10:30 then I cozied up into bed, which I am thankful for. I missed out on fights and a couple other random dramatic things that I am sure I wanted nothing to do with.

Sunday I got up nice and early and cleaned up for Bill. He put on such a great party he shouldn't have had to clean up to. Bill, Tony and I chatted for a little bit. I was supposed to go to another St. Paddy's party, but with the chaos of the next two weeks I stayed home and got A LOT of Taft work done, which I could not have been more thankful for. Sunday at work was actually ok, despite having not wanted to go in, in the first place.

Having to actually work in the office is never fun, but I dressed up for St. Paddys and it was actually pretty quiet, which I was entirely thankful for. I was able to take a little bit of a nap and eat a delicious meal (added back in steak and that was lovely... only very mild side effects). Then I headed off to Jake's for the celebrations. It was low key and more fun than I could have guessed. A bunch of friends from the club showed up, made some new friends, learned a new card game, and all in all had a blast. I am so happy I did not blow it off.

Tuesday was the day to put in my two weeks at the day job, which I was very happy about. My boss did her best to make me feel bad about it, but I know it was the right decision... which reminds me I promised a run down of the two jobs and what I chose...

Job 1: Operations Assistant with a Ticket Brokerage firm -- company has been around for about 6 years. 2 person company (one potentially leaving in the semi-near future), great vision and dream for where they want it to go and where one could go with it. Lots of responsibility and challenges. Opportunity to really learn lots of new things, including how to run a business -- they are going away for 5 weeks during the summer and need someone they can trust. Get to focus on music, sports, theater, etc and learn as much about each as possible. Good base pay with some bonus potential, M-F 7:30-4:30, hour lunch, about 20-30 min commute, health benefits and vacation after 60 days, ticket perks. Very desk oriented, potential down the road to do more marketing, event type stuff and help grow the business.

Job 2: Corporate Sales with a Software Programming company focusing in automation amongst other things. Company has been around about 5 years, very established, growing and has been recognized in major tech media. 3 people, looking for a developer, this position created new. Lots of responsibility to build current client relationships, create new client relationships, and general networking, joint ventures, etc. Challenge to learn tech speak, I would want to take some programming courses to be well versed and able to speak intelligently with potential customers and clients. Flexible schedule, time off, good base pay with commission scale in place (able to be altered as more information is gathered), no office, cold calling and office visits, travel to Denver and Boulder, health benefits. Realistic view for company growth and path with opportunity to take over all/most marketing down the line.

I ended up taking job #2 for a variety of reasons and I am pretty comfortable in my choice. Ultimately, I am much more likely to be able to quit both part time jobs with the second position verses the first. Of course, that is not something that can happen immediately, but at least I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.With all the job stuff so many questions of should I move or stay or all sorts of things came up. I was able to sign a lease with my current apartment until Aug 1. I need to find a roommate to be able to stay here and afford it. I figure that is a good time because by then I should be able to quit at least the club and then move somewhere half way between Denver and Boston to make my back and forth commuting a little easier.

Soo many great things happening. On top of jobs and housing Travis is here to visit!! I will give you that run down next time. On Friday night I won the area Table Topics Speech Contest and will be heading to the district contest on April 12. I was a bit surprised and even more so, when I found out the person before me gave a VERY similar answer to my response. I can proudly say I earned my 3rd trophy just this year! So now I get to go and speak in front of even more people and hopefully wow them with my speaking abilities and my confidence in myself. That win definitely made up for my blah speech in club on Thursday night.

Well know I am completely exhausted! Stay tuned for updates on my time with Travis, roommate search, and some of the last days of working at Legacy... oo and 4 nights in a row of working at the club, and finally a potentially date and not from OK Cupid -- I totally gave up on that crap!

Till next time, thanks for reading!

WHAT A WEEK!

Well this has been a crazy and interesting week for sure! I saw the therapist, but then realized I probably have health benefits that cover this... which I do, so now on the hunt for someone who is at least covered by my insurance (my current insurance will pay for the first three visits, super awesome! I missed the nutritionist because I had the time written down for the wrong time, but that actually worked out well since she apparently does not do Elimination Diets. So now I have to wait until March 31st so see the next one, by which hopefully most items will be added back into my diet. But there is some testing she talked to me about that I will probably suck up and pay for.

The interview went well and I should be getting an official offer today, because I got an official offer from the other position on Wednesday and they want an answer on Monday. I really want to consider all of my options and visit the pros and cons of each position and make an educated decision. The funny thing is I am already trying to figure out if I should stay or move. Do I want to deal with a roommate, can I afford living on my own. What is the commute like for both jobs, etc. The exciting part is that on Tuesday I will get to put in my notice! Yay for life changes and taking chances.

I have now had two dates from OKCupid... neither were anything of special note. Both the conversation was good and flowed easily enough. Just neither really provoked any kind of lust or interest beyond talking. I have only been doing this for about a week and I am already completely over it. I am so not the type to really focus on trying to find someone. While I would love to have someone special in my life, I am not afraid of being alone. I guess it will happen when it is meant to be... and speaking of things meant or not... Tony and I finally talked and worked things out and I am very happy to say that he recognizes he is stuck with me as a friend in his life for a while. And I am perfectly ok with this, it actually makes me very happy to have put it in its place.

I started today with a 5+ mile walk with some work friends, am headed for lunch at my bosses place and then the partying and chaos of the next two weeks begin. I have an insane amount of shifts at the club because a server quit and the other one is on vacation. I have parties today, tomorrow, Monday and Thursday. I give a speech on Thursday in my toastmasters club and then have to speak at an area contest for toastmasters on Friday. Travis comes in on Friday night, and I am doing my best not to have nine million things that I want to do with him. I am absolutely utterly ecstatic to have him coming to visit!

Things are definitely looking up and I could not be more excited. Then next two weeks are going to be insane and awesome I cannot wait. But first I must finish laundry, vacuum and get myself ready for the celebrations! Hope everyone has a great week. I will do my best to check in and give you an update sooner rather than later -- at least a little bit about the jobs and which one I choose and why.

Happy St. Pattys!! Erin Go Bragh!

Taking its Toll

Diets... bagh! I am a healthy eater, but this is extreme! I just want pizza, beer, mac and cheese, and ice cream! But I am getting there. I successfully added rice into my diet on Thursday and the next item gets added in tomorrow. I have so many options and they have been switching back and forth. I just cannot decide what will be easy on my stomach to add and a good base item to have in the diet. Taking suggestions if you have them... they say to wait a little while before you add back in the big offenders like wheat and dairy... So I plan to do the dairy in stages and wait till the end of the month for wheat.



I am definitely in a funk... I am having some combination of a brain that won't shut off and just going along with the motions. I just want to find some sort of even keel, middle ground. I am an overload of emotions lately, and I truly do not know how to deal with that.I am going to see someone on Monday, and damn I had NO idea just how expensive that was going to be.

Monday is looking up to be a day of learning, growth, and potential change. I am meeting with a therapist to hopefully help quiet my head and get me back in-tune with myself;  a nutritionist to help with this diet and getting my fibro under control; then I am going to check out a new town. I am meeting with a friend who has a company that is interested in bringing me on to find out if it will work out for both of us; and ending off the day with a date! Weird... it will be my first date ever from online dating site... intrigued to see how this goes.

But first, tomorrow should be fun as I am going to Nederland for the ending of the Deadman Days. It is this whole, big three day celebration of a dead man conserved in ice. There are all sorts of events like polar plunges, frozen turkey bowling, volleyball, breakfasts, etc. It will be nice to get out of my house, off of my couch, surround my people...

I need to find a new creative outlet. My wrist is still pretty messed up from snowboarding, which limits a lot of my exercise. Plus my gym membership has run out so I am in serious need of some home exercises, motivation, energy, a exercise buddy... something, anything... I cannot wait to add more regular foods into my diet and to figure out this emotional crap so it can get back into a good routine and back on track.

I was trying so hard to focus on one thing at a time (my health), and the universe just did not want that to happen. I am not sure what I am supposed to do, but I know I need to do something, I cannot just be thing, do nothing, hope for something to change...

UGH BUZZZ BUZZZ BUZZZ...

Perhaps I will get in another update on Tuesday to let you all know how it goes...

Looking on the Bright Side

So a lot and not so much has happened since my last update. I was a little disappointed that I didn't write this yesterday, but perhaps I will get in two blog posts this week. Each update gets me $2 toward my wish list. Which is going pretty well, I must say. Some days are obviously much better than others, but I also keep getting great deals on things I need so my earnings are not adding up as quickly as I would like to pay down that existing debt. This week I slacked a little bit, but I am pretty sure that is because of the diet I am working on.

After being diagnosed with Fibro and my stomach being a bit on the fritz I decided it was time I took my health seriously. So I decided to do a true Elimination Diet. For two weeks I can ONLY eat fish, turkey, lamb, wild game, vegetables (minus night shades), fruits (minus citrus fruits), coconut milk, coconut and olive oil. I do feel better and am eating VERY well... I mean lamb medallions, mashed sweet potatoes, and roasted broccoli. Stuffed Cornish hen is on the menu for tomorrow night. Honestly, though I cannot explain how badly I want pizza with beer followed by that new Ben and Jerry's ice cream!! They said cravings should be diminished by now, but they are not... I get to start adding things back in, one at a time starting at the end of this week. EXCITEMENT! Except it is only one item every 3 days, because you have to monitor for reactions. So maybe by the end of April I will have figured it all out. And not have to cook 3 meals a day, its getting very tiring... mostly all of the dishes are just getting annoying.

My gym membership ended and that is sad, I will truly miss the pool and hot tub and sauna, etc. I would be excited to get back on the pole except I sprained my wrist snowboarding at Loveland a couple weeks ago. Which means I am in a bit of pain, but I have some workout dvds that I want to start and get into. Of course with the diet, it is difficult to get in enough calories so I am pretty hesitant to exercise too much at the cost of all of my energy being completely non-existent. So it is all about finding that balance... which is going to be even more complicated by the fact that our third waitress quit at the club and now I am back to 4 shifts a week...

There are many other little things, I still need a new roommate, I haven't heard from Tony in days, which is twisting up all sorts of emotions... anger, confusion, sadness, worry, etc. He is my best friend here... not sure when it happened, but it did and I miss him very much. I was hurt a bit on my birthday by the minimum number of calls and cards... I think I have gotten over it, but I must say I was hurt... so there is that, but what can you do... I guess being 2000 miles away makes everything a little more difficult to handle. But I did have some amazing people here that made up for it.

I am super excited for another cheap day of snowboarding -- my last Loveland trip only cost me $45 plus gas... and I have another of the same deal which is freaking awesome, considering the normal lift ticket costs $60. I have definitely gotten better and am looking forward to continual progress. My own equipment is definitely on my wishlist!

As per usual I find myself wanting to work on sooo many things at once, my two business ideas, finding a new job/career, health, exercise, life goals, meeting more friends, trying new activities. And while some of these things clearly go hand in hand, I have to keep reminding myself ONE THING AT A TIME!! So health, it is first and the rest will come in time... I just have to stay focused and keep a running list for all of my grand ideas, schemes, and plans.

Until next time.

Getting Ready for Big Changes

We left off we me getting ready for a Celebration of ME! The week was chaotic and ridiculously busy as I tried to adjust the apartment to non-roommate mode, bake and cook for the party, and worked my butt off! I was determined to make my mini vacation, just that. I did not want to have to even remotely contemplate the idea of work for any of the three jobs. I must say I did a mighty fine job when all was said and done.

My gathering at the house was great. Small, but filled with important people. It was so nice to just hang out and play hostess for a little bit. It has been so long since I was able to do that. Plus who doesn't enjoy cleaning up when you are nice and buzzed on good times and awesome punch. Of course I went WAY over board on both food and drink, so I have been eating the remnants all week and slowly passing off the rest on the unsuspecting fools at work lol. They really do not seem too upset about it.

Vacation was amazing, but as per usual too short. The freedom of three whole days was absolutely outstanding. Tony picked me up fairly early Sunday morning, I packed up some snacks, most of which we didn't even touch, and some booze and we hit the road. Lovely traffic made our drive quite a bit longer than it should have been, but we ended up driving through a town that he had spent at least a few summers as a troubled youth. It was cool to be able to put a picture to many of the stories I had already heard and add more stories to the list. We checked into the hotel around 2pm and were quite pleased with our accommodations. Of course I was the cause for him getting his car stuck in the snow... to be fair his car is about 3 inches off the ground (if hes lucky) so I am sure it doesn't take much to get him stuck haha. Thankfully, after waiting around for a bit (the lady at the counter was pretty scatter brained - although she did manage to pour us a beer) the bartender was getting ready to come on shift and helped push us free. A late lunch early dinner at this awesome little Mexican place Joe introduced me to, turned into the rest of our day as we moved on to Grumpy's as awesome local bar. It was full of dogs, quirky locals, and good music and drinks. After a bit we went back to our Inn to keep the bartender company - where we discovered easily one of the best Bloody Mary's I have ever had, which also came with a beer back. Love at first sight and sip. Onions, two types of hot peppers, olives, bacon, celery salted rim... soo yummy.

Monday was my first day snowboarding in the real mountains. HOLY AWESOMENESS! It was a little tough starting, the altitude kicked my butt and we went on a green because I was nervous, which was easily the worst decision ever... those flat areas are killer! And not in a good way. Sadly I had NO idea the lifts closed at 4pm, so we only got in like 3 runs, and poor Tony was held back all day waiting for my slow self, but I think he had fun anyways. So of course we went back to recoup with some bloody marys and a cheap pizza.

Tuesday we slept in ... well at least Tony did, I apparently passed out hard relatively early for us. It was sad to have to pack up, but there was still at least one more adventure ahead so off we went. We had to settle for lunch over breakfast in a nearby town because of our lazy morning. Then we went snow tubing. It was fun, could have had a little more excitement factor with some big bumps and stuff, but overall a good time. Thankfully, the ride home was pretty smooth, but for fear of traffic I got dropped off and left to my own devices, which ultimately just turned into a long nap and an evening of lounging around.

The rest of this week has been about preparing for the big changes I have to make. I have been working with my goal chart, and will have at least two of my "pre-purchased" wish list items "paid off" lol. Have not exactly worked as hard as I could with the chart, but I am definitely getting better and am challenging myself everyday. Tomorrow starts a new week and a new goal amount. And then on Tuesday or Wednesday (have to see how much meal planning and what not I accomplish) I start the lovely elimination diet. I am already trying to figure out which thing I will miss the most and want to try and add back in first lol. I have been doing pretty ok in recording my food intake already so I think I should be ok as far as the tracking portion of it this time around... its more just the self control to not eat the random food that always seems to be around at work.

Well writing in my blog just earned me $2.00 toward my wish list deficit. :-) At least I am finding ways to motivate myself. Have a great weekend everyone!

Cheers!

Celebrating Me

Well I was going to start off this post with an apology of how I have not been keeping this updated, but then decided against it. I know I am not good at updating regularly, but then a light came on. Part of what I have been working on in this New Year is finding a way to create better habits for myself. More on that later, let's catch you up from where I last left off...

So I am back from home, and forced back into the daily grind, basically immediately. I started off pretty well with the gym and exercising. Then came all of this crappy single digit weather and snow and of course I did not want to leave the house. So I started exercising at home... kind of. Then I got busy, then I got sick... then its now haha. I really want to get back to exercising everyday and doing the pole, just need to find the motivation. But, again, there will be more on that later.

I was doing pretty good with eating healthy for the first couple weeks until I sucked it up and went to a holistic doctor. Of course he just told me I everything I already know... eat well, sleep well and exercise. And of course part of eating well is finding out what bothers my stomach, and inflames the fibro... which means an actual and recorded elimination diet... So of course, for me to do this right I had to start ridding my house of all of the bad and tempting food... and there went my healthy eating. I start the elimination diet after I get back from my mini-vacation. So that should be fun and difficult, but hopefully rewarding...

I made some awesome New Year's cards for my friends and family, if you did not get one I apologize, let me know and I can send you pictures. It was nice to relive some of my adventures on my way out here. I actually got to do that twice as I also did a speech on it at my Toastmasters Club. Which if I haven't talked about it a lot, I should apologize because I truly love my club and the challenges it brings me every week.

I applied for another job, but I am not doing as well as I would like as far as working toward that future. But I am working on that and this is where it all comes full circle to the latest thing I have been working very hard on putting in place. It started with a wish list. Now if you know me, you know that I am not very free with my money and spending on myself.But the list was actually kind of all encompassing. My roommate is moving out to take advantage of a really good deal, so I cannot begrudge him that, but with him leaving I realized a bunch of things I do not have and want! lol and therein the wish list grew. (See below lol)

Well what is a wish list, if you are too frugal to purchase the things on that list?? So I came up with some other lists... things I wanted to accomplish and turn into healthy habits daily and weekly. Each wish list item was looked up and determined how much it would cost me to purchase. Each hopeful habit was given a "worth". And it built from there. I just started it on Sunday (which was Superbowl Sunday and the beginning of a serious sickness) but I have high hopes for it going forward.

Such high hopes in fact, that I am seriously considering working with this further to market and potentially help other people create better lives for themselves and be responsible with earning the things they want in life. There can be a lot of work and options that go into this, but I think it could help many people. It combines organization, goal setting and achieving and helping people -- these are all things that I have a very deep interest in... now just to find a way to move forward with this... any suggestions??

So here I am on my path... forcing myself to look for a new roommate (despite not really wanting one), getting really to start a life changing diet, having to find a new exercise routine (my gym membership is not getting renewed at the end of Feb). But before I get too serious about all of that...

I get to celebrate my first birthday in this beautiful place. I am having people over to my place for the first time yet, which you should all find shocking and as exciting as me. I mean seriously I moved in in July... and no parties yet?!?! What have I been doing?? THEN!! I am taking myself and Tony on a little vacation for our shared birthdays to Grand Lake and Winter Park. Now that is a long story, for not this platform, but it is what it is and we take it one day at a time. But we are sure both excited to get a way for a little bit and do some snowboarding.

After the celebrations come all of those changes... so wish me luck and if you want to know more about my little wish and reward system let me know :-)

Cheers!

*Star*

New Year, New Me.. Not Quite So Much

Many people at the New Year resolve to have a NEW THEM... not I! I like me, quite a bit and while there shall be some positive changes then general make up of who I am and what I am about will stand firm and strong.

With that being said some plans for the New Year if you will.

Health! Last year I was diagnosed with Fibromyalgia and this means that I need to start making some changes in my life in order to assist in easing the pain and fatigue associated with it. So that means daily exercise. Going back to an elimination diet (although like the last time I did this I think I will be waiting until after my birthday lol). And the most important part of the puzzle is more and better sleep... this one is going to be difficult, because in order to do that I need a career/job change.

So that is the next step... new job, career, maybe school, maybe some certifications... We shall see what comes... While I want to make this a priority, however, I am putting a bit more focus into working fitness into my schedule first, as I know that is the hardest for me to keep up with. I have to get into a rythme with that and then I can add into my schedule the next time consuming thing. I do have one resume in to a company in Boulder that would be a great opportunity, still waiting to hear back.

My visit home was amazing and chaotic and I am pretty sure my liver hated me for a good three days after getting back lol. It was amazing seeing everyone and spending time with family and friends. Finally meeting chele's guy Dan, copious amounts of time with the niece and nephew, and even a couple good fashioned Roaster nights. Boston was fabulous, NY was fun and really made me want to get back on the pole.

And of course there is always adventures! There are too be many more adventures in 2014. Checking out Wyoming and Utah. Probably another trip to OK for Abby's baby shower. First ski/snowboard trip of the year to Winter Park with Tony for our Bdays to see Joe! And hopefully with a new job will mean new adventures too!

Here is to a good year... and hopefully a better record of updating this thing haha