A friend of mine put a quote up on facebook that I simply had to steal: it is just TOO perfect!
"Irish girls are unique in their character...they are a combination of a girl, mother, hooker, and nun. They go from Bambi to Banshee in 3.7 seconds. They can bat their eyes or blacken yours. They can love you with a passion and make you feel like a king. Depending on their mood, they will chastise you for drinking, or match you pint to pint. Uncomprehendable but indispensable...oh those Irish girls."
Happy St. Patrick's Day. Sláinte!
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Wednesday, March 16, 2011
101 Things..... No problem!
I feel like I am on top of the world with my progress lately. I'm being inspired by other blogger's lists, friends creating and diving into their own new 101 lists, and even a couple of Geezers who are out there, seeing the world!
We are one week into Lent. I actually like Lent because I like a challenge (obviously), and I try to do something every year that I will have to push myself to stick to for 40 days. This year, I was a little stumped with what to do, until I came up with a brilliant plan. Maybe not brilliant, since there is no way for me to really MEASURE my success, but I feel super confident about my decision. No, I didn't give up religion, as I posted on facebook. (Sorry all those who were offended, it was meant to be a joke). I decided to not only give something up, but make it one of the seven deadly sins (and hopefully get bonus points with the Big Guy): I gave up SLOTH.
What the heck does that mean?
It is not unusual in my life to sit back and NOT do something just because I do not feel like it. Yeah, I shoooooould go to the gym, but The Golden Girls just came on TV! Or, I take the hassle-free route because it is simple. I know we just went grocery shopping, but ordering Chinese food is so much easier than cooking! .... I can go through that pile of papers later - just set it to the side with the others! But not during Lent! Now, this doesn't mean that I am going to the gym every single day and being the new June Cleaver, fixin' up some delightful dinner with a smile every night. What it DOES mean is that every time I think of doing something and then say "Nah...." without a good reason for why I can't do it, I am giving myself a boot in the butt to get up and do it anyway.
So far, I have gone to the gym, done a major cleaning job in the apartment, created a filing system for all of our important papers and documents (#57 on my list - complete with partitions and labels), tried a few new healthy recipes, paid off my credit card debt in full, set up my exercise ball at work to sit on instead of a chair, bought tickets to more Broadway shows (La Cage Aux Folles tonight!), logged every single thing I ate into a calorie tracker every day, and stopped drinking coffee. (The original goal was just to not BUY any of my coffee for one month so I would make it rather than purchase it, but if I am not drinking it at all, there is no reason to spend money on it!)
Here is a picture of the delicious FISH dish that I made last night! Thank you Cortney for sharing this recipe - it turned out great, and even Andy had a clean plate at the end of the meal. (This was a major feat for both of us, as we are not fish eaters in any way). Parmesan-crusted Tilapia with steamed vegetables and brown rice. Yum.
I am feeling good about this new motivation and the satisfaction I have been getting from being able to say "I actually got this DONE today", and I am looking forward to keeping the momentum going. I still haven't quite gotten to the point where I am springing out of bed at 5am to go to the gym and get home in time to make lunch before getting ready for work, but we're moving in baby steps here. Baby steps.
We are one week into Lent. I actually like Lent because I like a challenge (obviously), and I try to do something every year that I will have to push myself to stick to for 40 days. This year, I was a little stumped with what to do, until I came up with a brilliant plan. Maybe not brilliant, since there is no way for me to really MEASURE my success, but I feel super confident about my decision. No, I didn't give up religion, as I posted on facebook. (Sorry all those who were offended, it was meant to be a joke). I decided to not only give something up, but make it one of the seven deadly sins (and hopefully get bonus points with the Big Guy): I gave up SLOTH.
What the heck does that mean?
It is not unusual in my life to sit back and NOT do something just because I do not feel like it. Yeah, I shoooooould go to the gym, but The Golden Girls just came on TV! Or, I take the hassle-free route because it is simple. I know we just went grocery shopping, but ordering Chinese food is so much easier than cooking! .... I can go through that pile of papers later - just set it to the side with the others! But not during Lent! Now, this doesn't mean that I am going to the gym every single day and being the new June Cleaver, fixin' up some delightful dinner with a smile every night. What it DOES mean is that every time I think of doing something and then say "Nah...." without a good reason for why I can't do it, I am giving myself a boot in the butt to get up and do it anyway.
So far, I have gone to the gym, done a major cleaning job in the apartment, created a filing system for all of our important papers and documents (#57 on my list - complete with partitions and labels), tried a few new healthy recipes, paid off my credit card debt in full, set up my exercise ball at work to sit on instead of a chair, bought tickets to more Broadway shows (La Cage Aux Folles tonight!), logged every single thing I ate into a calorie tracker every day, and stopped drinking coffee. (The original goal was just to not BUY any of my coffee for one month so I would make it rather than purchase it, but if I am not drinking it at all, there is no reason to spend money on it!)
Here is a picture of the delicious FISH dish that I made last night! Thank you Cortney for sharing this recipe - it turned out great, and even Andy had a clean plate at the end of the meal. (This was a major feat for both of us, as we are not fish eaters in any way). Parmesan-crusted Tilapia with steamed vegetables and brown rice. Yum.
I am feeling good about this new motivation and the satisfaction I have been getting from being able to say "I actually got this DONE today", and I am looking forward to keeping the momentum going. I still haven't quite gotten to the point where I am springing out of bed at 5am to go to the gym and get home in time to make lunch before getting ready for work, but we're moving in baby steps here. Baby steps.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
#28 and feelin' great!
After having an outstanding balance for about 3 years on my credit card, I have FINALLY paid it off! I could not be more thrilled about this, as it has been a constant source of stress for me, and now I can wash my hands of it.
My entire life, I have always been pretty good with money. I suppose I was subconsciously preparing myself for a lifetime of working in non-profit theatre? I don't know. But I got my first credit cards at age 18, and have always paid everything in full. Credit card bill, Macys bill, phone bill, etc. Everything had a $0 balance before the next pay period started. About three years ago, after my savings account had taken a drastic hit from living in New York City for several years, Andy and I took a trip to Mexico. Amazing trip, but it wasn't exactly free. The day we got back was Andy's 25th Birthday, so I decided to do something special, and because I am (obviously) the best girlfriend/wife in the universe, I bought him a huge high-def flatscreen tv to replace the old tube we'd had since college. Needless to say, the bill was mighty high that month. I decided to pay half (cause that's what I could do at the time) and save the other half for the next month....but more expenses kept rolling in, and I ended up carrying a balance. Once that balance is there, it is tough to get rid of, and I had a constant nagging feeling in my gut that this debt would take over my life and be the end of me.
I'm being dramatic. It's not like I was in serious trouble, it's just not where I wanted to be, which was in a position to set my online banking to "pay all bills in full each month".
Ladies and gentlemen, after months of strategic banking, I am happy to say that the amount due on every credit card I own (both through banks and stores and whatnot) reads:
AMOUNT DUE: $0
(Insert sigh of relief and joy here)
My entire life, I have always been pretty good with money. I suppose I was subconsciously preparing myself for a lifetime of working in non-profit theatre? I don't know. But I got my first credit cards at age 18, and have always paid everything in full. Credit card bill, Macys bill, phone bill, etc. Everything had a $0 balance before the next pay period started. About three years ago, after my savings account had taken a drastic hit from living in New York City for several years, Andy and I took a trip to Mexico. Amazing trip, but it wasn't exactly free. The day we got back was Andy's 25th Birthday, so I decided to do something special, and because I am (obviously) the best girlfriend/wife in the universe, I bought him a huge high-def flatscreen tv to replace the old tube we'd had since college. Needless to say, the bill was mighty high that month. I decided to pay half (cause that's what I could do at the time) and save the other half for the next month....but more expenses kept rolling in, and I ended up carrying a balance. Once that balance is there, it is tough to get rid of, and I had a constant nagging feeling in my gut that this debt would take over my life and be the end of me.
I'm being dramatic. It's not like I was in serious trouble, it's just not where I wanted to be, which was in a position to set my online banking to "pay all bills in full each month".
Ladies and gentlemen, after months of strategic banking, I am happy to say that the amount due on every credit card I own (both through banks and stores and whatnot) reads:
AMOUNT DUE: $0
(Insert sigh of relief and joy here)
Thursday, February 24, 2011
Lucky #13
I am so pleased to be able to report progress on #13 on my list. My dear friend since elementary school has decided to make her own list, and it is so much fun! I can’t wait to follow her progress, and get together to complete some mutual list-checking-off tasks! Take a peek at her blog I Am A Lady for inspiration on creating your own list!
Her new energy and enthusiasm has also renewed my zest for this little challenge. Hopefully I will have more news soon!
Stay tuned.
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Making bad decisions... for good!
Not long after that last post about how a discussion of Girl Scout cookies led me to attempt to donate blood (which was a fail due to recent travels to Belize), I went home to Albany to find out that my precious little sister in law was, in fact, SELLING Girl Scout cookies.
Have you seen her face? I couldn't say no. In fact, I said YES a lot. All different kinds.
Oh well. The Girl Scouts are a good cause, right?
Have you seen her face? I couldn't say no. In fact, I said YES a lot. All different kinds.
Oh well. The Girl Scouts are a good cause, right?
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