Is It Just Me?

I don't know if a person is supposed to feel lower back and neck pain when they are doing certain workouts but I certainly do. This is the exact reason why I don't do/like crunches and why so many other moves are just not a part of my self-approved workout list. I'm fine with really creative sit-ups but other moves that I'm supposed to relax my neck but keep my shoulders off the ground? No. 

It'd be really great to know if other people experience this same sort of super discomfort because when I'm doing the group workout classes, I look around and everyone else can put in a good effort where I can barely do one without taking a moment to rub my neck or back. Am I just weak?

Memory Preservation

Really wanted to share some beautiful moments from my brother's wedding.  Click the link below to see.

http://vimeo.com/102047940

Spin To The Bed

It's been a month since I last did a group workout class let alone a high intensity one (and I still gotta get the last day of the cruise typed up!). I had originally decided to try yoga at 3:30 since my original Monday class was moved to 7:30. Then when I went to sign up I thought "why don't I try spinning at the rec?" And thus I sealed my fate of exhaustion. That ride kicked my butt and totally made me feel out of shape. I used to be really good with spinning-- well not like amazing but I did good enough to get through the class at a healthy challenging pace. I would go like once a week and even buddied up with one of my sisters, Danielle, to go to the class and do abs after. 

This new spin class was really tough on me and it's good because it's what I need to hop back on the bike, so to speak. It sucked just a little because I wasn't prepared. My body was just done after that spin class-- so done I just wanted to shlump and lay but for some reason my back was hurting. Thankfully the bicycle ride home is mostly down hill and only 10-15 minutes. 

So tomorrow I'm not sure yet what I have planned but I know I'm working out. It may just have to be arm day or something because I'm feeling so tired physically that my brain is running extra for it. Maybe it'll be a just Just Dance day. Probably not that though because Alex will need his rest when he gets home from his 4 AM. We shall see. 

And thus Monday says farewell. 

I Want To Participate

This one got me off my lazy bum today. I may not have anything exciting to do (until my spin class at 6) but getting out the house is good. Publix here I come!

To explain the title of this post quickly, Alex and I went on a walk with Penny a couple months ago and we were discussing how artists paint such beautiful, emotional events. I pointed out that, while they recorded and brought to life these moments in time, immortalized-- in a sense-- those moments and people, they themselves were not taking part. I concluded that there are two types of people, and yes people can be a little of both but, the first is a Participant: one who lives the adventure and feels the emotions and life in that moment. The second, (and this one was hard to name) the God's Eye: you have the ability to look all around you and present life and wonder within an image or a book but you must give up your own joy and wonder of those moments to create them. Art is beautiful and there is nothing wrong with being the God's Eye or the Participant... I just know if I get to my last day and look back and all I see is the lives I've observed without me in it, my heart would weep.
I want to see others in their sadness and happiness but I also want to see me next to them. I know there are many ways of describing and observing the artist themselves but this was what came to mind that day-- and what came to mind again when I saw this Hunchback quote. I love to paint, but I want to participate more.
Namaste.

Can Count on Change

Friday for you; Monday for me.

This is one of those mornings that I would really rather stay home and snuggle with Alex than go to work. I've said before that I like my job, it's pretty easy, but the only down side is working weekends. Everything happens the days that I work or at night when I can't really go out unless I'm willing to sacrifice sleep.
At least I can count on that it's not permanent; I don't have much longer in school then I can start something new.
Another upside is that my boss says they won't need me on Sundays starting in October-- I just need to decide whether or not I want to work Mondays and keep getting the nice paycheck I get. It really depends on school schedule and if I get an internship or something along those lines.Either way it will be nice to have Sunday off, at least. Sunday brunch plans to come, for sure!

I didn't post for yesterday did I? Well I spent it watching Lost Girl (because Netflix finally got Season 4!) while working on some sewing-- moreso threadcutting than sewing. I took apart some old clothes to get fabric to work with. When I did sew I think I messed it up (I was trying to make a mini clutch purse) because I moved too fast... I'm not sure maybe the tension was too tight. I'll be working with it more so I can figure it out and get some projects going... hopefully I don't just suck at sewing.

Hope everyone enjoys the weekend ahead. I'll be at the shop.

Namaste.

Yes, It Is.

I really need to get some fabric and/or something to paint. Yesterday I spent hours watching Say Yes to the Dress and my brain feels fried. I also need to get back into the habit of laying down earlier. Alex's 4 AM's make it tough because we usually lay down at the same time but he's been napping during the day so by the time he's up again, I'm just starting to feel tired. I'd also really like to get back to my gym classes. I was supposed to start back again this past Monday but the schedule was changed for the new summer semester (which started weeks ago but I haven't been since after the cruise) and Cardio Craise, which was at 10 AM is now 7 PM. I know this is good for the instructor since more people will attend her class (when I went last semester, there was only ever like four other girls and I don't think one of them was a come back). It's just a bummer because I like to work out in the morning to get it out of the way and not worry about making time for it once the day really gets going. 

It may be possible to do later classes now with Alex sleeping during the day. That might be what I need to do. 

Speaking of working out, the gym is calling. I finished my banana so I'm going to head over to my apartment complex's gym. Snoozy elliptical but it's something!

Considering Birthday Plans

Yesterday was Susy Tuesday and it's always nice spending time with Kaitlin. I finally got her over to TacoSon and she loved it. She said it's her second favorite burrito of all time (first is Miguel's, of course-- she loves that place. For good reason: their salsa kicks butt!). So we ate that, then went over to Micheal's for paper and stuff for Kaitlin to use on a work project. Then we went to HomeDepot for clear coat to put on the Poke'mon board and then I think we went to Target to get colored pencils (WAY cheaper than Micheal's pencils).
When we finally made it back to the house, Alex laid down for a nap because he's on 4 AM's at work for a while (back to school time). It's tough adjusting to a new schedule because all the normal routine and such gets messed up and then we don't get to spend as much time together and then when we do spend time it's a concern about him getting enough sleep. It's rough but we'll make it through, it's only for a month or so.
While he was napping, Kaitlin and I ate ColdStone ice cream (somewhere in the time frame of Susy Tuesday we made it there) while looking up numbers to celebrate our birthdays Harry Potter style by going to the new Harry Potter section and stuff. We need a third person to make it more affordable so, Colie, I'm going to be calling you soon (since it is also your birthday in November!) to see if we can all do this together. If not, maybe my parents can help pay for some or maybe we'll just have to try for other options. Maybe only do a one day park-to-park and just get there before they even open. We know what rides will be the longest wait: Gringotts and the Hogwarts Express. And if we go during the week prior to Thanksgiving, maybe it'll work out... we shall see.
It's probably good to come up with a plan B. 

Poke', Don't Poke Me.

 

I finally finished the Pokemon board.  The Ninetails didn't come out like I wanted her to-- I made the mistake of using marker to make sure I remembered some of the shadow details and it shows through the paint but it doesn't look awful. I'm happy Alex and I can finally really use it. Now it's time to find another painting project to do... or not, I mean, I do have to practice my sewing if I hope to make a good quality costume for MegaCon in the Spring.

Put On Your Sunday Clothes

Summer is in the air!

Beautiful beautiful moments to come.

Crafting, painting, sewing- oh my!

Susy Tuesday, TBCC, moving to a new place- that's right!

So much to wonder, so much to see.

Summer is finally here and I can't help but jump with glee!

About Five (Minutes) To Share

Last night the AC went caputtie again but it somehow defrosts itself if we melt for two hours or so. It will be so nice to be in the new apartment in September. I do hope the babies make a comfortable transition to the new place, though.
On other notes, I'm almost done with this ugh summer semester and happy to be getting into my real summer break. I look forward to finally finishing the poke'mon board (I'm ashamed at how long it's taken me to do-- even though it hurts my neck after an hour or so). I can also finally start working with the sewing machine-- clutch purse here I come! I look forward to sharing crafty stuff with all of you.
Also, I just want to state that I have gained two pounds from the cruise but that happens, right? I've heard so many people complain about gaining weight on cruises and now I totally understand why (which reminds me I need to finish posting about my cruise! I'll get to that asap after school stuff is done). There's so much food and it's all already paid for so why not try everything-- why not do everything? But I am back in good habits (minus this weird morning of not sleeping well). I look forward to getting back to the gym classes this Monday. I'm so ready to kick my own butt into shape.
I hope everyone's weekend is off to an awesome start!
Namaste.

Me Picking Up My Own Feet

While I'm on my lunch break at work I want to take a moment to reflect on this past week. I had a hard time with getting myself motivated enough to do school work and when I get home tonight I need to get some serious time in to finish an assignment and work on one more that's due tomorrow. I can do it. Somehow.

Tuesday night Alex and I finally made it to the Hacker Space where we met really nerdy people who were super nice and willing to educate. We were shown multiple demonstrations with 3D Printers and while they are pretty awesome and have good future prospects, the necessity just isn't there yet. 

Really thinking about it now, the mysticism of 3D a Printers has been cleared out and raw mechanical understanding remains. All they do right now is melt plastic and create something a computer program tells it to make according to different structural options-- basically just different ways of building layers. Thanks to Kaitlin there is still some wonder to 3D Printing. Apparently there is some girl who figured out how to modify one for producing her own makeup. Pretty cool but I haven't looked into it myself. 

Yesterday I finally got to do Susy Tuesday (and will see her again on actual Susy Tuesday!) and we just hung out and caught up. I took her to this awesome cupcake place right next to Busch Gardens and words cannot express how glad I was that there was at least one peanut butter cup cupcake left. This girl works hard and totally deserves to feed her inner peanut butter monster. I really missed her and I'm so fortunate to have her nearby. Our time together ended yesterday because I had to take her to work but the day still ended nicely. Alex and I went to The Pub on Bay Street and Alex was in love. I thought it was pretty awesome too- another place that made me wish I enjoyed beer. Fish & chips and the cheese balls were awesome though. 

Three Minutes

I have three minutes before I have to finish getting ready for work to write this post. It's been too long since my last post and I must say that it's been hard. I don't like how lazy I've been with so many things and it's going to change. It has to change. I know I've probably said it before but I need to keep on putting in a real effort. Not posting for this long is a real bummer because I've missed out on sharing so much (note to self: the butter in the fridge is bad. Throw it away). I don't know how I could possibly catch you up on all of it but I'll keep trying to post more posts to get up to what day I should be on... or maybe I should cut my losses? No. I really want to have a post for each day since I started-- whether it's about that day or not. I do have a post on the laser cat toy in the works so that'll be something fun to share.
I really am just relieved that this summer semester is almost done. I'm disappointed in myself with how I let myself get behind but it's my own fault and I need to accept it and grow. Procrastination finally didn't work out for me so hopefully that's the kick in the butt I need to be motivated with school in the Fall.
I hope everyone's weekend comes out to a great start tonight. I'll be working, as usual.

Namaste.

Stress Will Weigh You Down

Playing catch up with blog posts is tough and bothersome. There's no room to miss a day.
I'll do my best but it's better not to be stressed over it-- I have enough going on.
I need to work on my assignments, prepare for my online presentation, and then I get to spend time with Kaitlin later today.
I hope everyone's weekend is off to a good start. Let any stress you have go-- it'll weigh you down and make it even more difficult to take control.

I Didn't Forget Entirely

So I did write one post for yesterday but I did not publish it. Here is the second and I'll somehow have to get the two for today in later. Alex and I are going to do tennis after I get off of work so we'll see how I manage.

Portions are almost impossible on a cruise. There's so much food and it's already paid for. Now with the buffets it wasn't a problem since there was only a few selections for vegetarians/pescetarians. Likewise with dinner but dinner included appetizer, entrees and dessert. The main menu (which consisted of nearly ten items) changed every night and there was no way I wasn't going to try everything I could. Just wanted to shpeal about the food real quick before I climb into the next day on the cruise.

Wednesday, July 2nd the cruise was supposed to take port in Coco Cay but weather did not permit with the tropical storm brewin and stewin up the east coast. So the captain gave us a day at sea. It started out with cloudy weather but cleared up and turned out to be a sunny partly cloudy day. The family spent time by the pool, my brother won the belly flop competition, and my brother, Gina, and I went rock climbing. We all made it to the top! It's been a long time since I had rock climbed (like over ten years) and it saddens me that I have such a fear for heights that it caused a panic attack near to the top of the wall. I ran out of options and couldn't see how to climb any further. The person holding my line helped me out and I made it to the top and rang that victory bell. Very exciting. My fingers hurt afterwards.
I think I may have taken a nap before dinner.
After dinner was karaoke. My brother and I sang Barbie Girl by Aqua and my goodness I forgot how high pitched the song is. After karaoke was a Battle of the Sexes game. I made the mistake of volunteering for the round where we have to pop a balloon on a team mate in rather suggestive positions. Mine was from behind. I tried to pop a balloon by humping another girl. It wouldn't pop and we lost. It was very awkward infringement of my family.

After Battle of the Sexes ensued more awkwardness with a game called Quest. It was done in teams of six. On my team was my dad, me, my brother, Jenny, Gina, and Michael. The object of the game was to do whatever task was given. For example: a male team member comes to the floor wearing four bras on their head. Another quest was a team member doing the worm-- which is how I hurt my left knee. Never try the worm without seeing someone else do it first. Watch your knees. What made this game most awkward was me trading clothes with my brother in front of my family and the crowd. The quest was to trade clothes with a person of opposite sex on your team. I traded my dress for his shirt. Then he and Jenny shielded me from the crowd so I could redress. Not that the crowd hadn't already seen my bra and undies. 

So that was all awkward but tons of fun. 

I passed out afterwards but before I closed my eyes I mostly just thought of Alex and how I'd be seeing him again soon. I had fun but it really made me miss Alex because I know he would've made it even funner. (People use the word fun that way but I'm still skeptical about it being proper. Heck we live in America, propriety doesn't really matter anyway).

Chaotic Mind

Some giggles.

I realized on my way to work this morning that, despite my calm exterior, my brain is still running with stress. Who knew that a vacation of a cruise with family would wind me up so badly? I should be able to relax now but I do have school work I need to finish and turn in in addition to getting my books for the fall. I really need a daily planner because I can't keep pushing myself like this-- to the point that I'm doing absolutely everything last minute. I've been a procrastinator but just thining how fast time goes... I need to find a way to make everything fit and still be able to sleep and spend time with Alex and my friends.

I really want to just finish this ridiculous summer semester, enjoy what little summer I actually have, and get a good start middle and end to the fall semester. 

And that's why I'm stressed. Too much in my mind. I've been getting the morning relief with yoga and laughing while trying to do yoga with my babies but when I'm at work and it's so slow... My mind is set loose. 

Having August 2nd off for TBCC will be nice-- it's always a special occasion to have a Saturday off. I really want to make the most of it. 

We Have Lift Off

Why is there no rum cake?

On Tuesday, July 1st we took port in Nassau, Bahamas. It was nice to spend time with the family but rather disappointing to finally be somewhere other than the United States and not really feel like I'm somewhere else. Yes the buildings were different and the streets were cluttered and dirty (but that just makes me think of New York). I think it's because I'm a Florida girl and anywhere that is warm and beachy is going to feel similar to home-- and anywhere that allows for walking to most places makes me think of NY.
While my mother and new family looked at knock off purses I discovered that I'm not a Michael Kohrs fan. It's too flashy for me. I like my subtle, brown bags (though there was this super cute boho/Moroccan style bag that a lady had on the cruise that I really liked).
Somehow there was some time to stop in some shops and I found a shop with locally made hot sauce and spices (SCORE!). I purchased two different hot sauces for Alex because we never have any for him during taco night. I also got two different spices. One was a blackened seasoning which we used with some fish last night. There was so much flavor and punch, I did not regret getting it. The other spice was a Caribbean blend spice. It smelt good but we haven't had anything to use it with yet. I totally should have bought some rum cake because after that I didn't have another opportunity to buy some and try it. The one thing that is specifically bahamian and I didn't get to try it. Poo.
We had lunch at the Hark Rock Hotel there and I had a decent veggie burger. I was really hungry so it's difficult to accurately judge. I enjoyed the Hark Rock but it's moreso a meat-eating place.
Afterwards we went back to the ship and I took a nap while watching food network. Food network is da-bom. Always relaxing. I woke up to get ready for formal night which was nice. I got to wear my 50's wiggle dress from Bettie Page (now called Tatyana). I also got to see a really cute retro dance/music performance that night in the ship's theater.
Also got to watch a fun couples game show that made me miss Alex even more. There was this old couple who'd been together for fifty something years and were still happy-- they still kissed like teenagers. They were so sweet together and I know that one day Alex and I will say we've been together for fifty something years. Just like this:

The Force Between Us

This morning I gave Alex a kiss before taking Penny for a walk because he'll often be already gone for work by the time I come back. I was coming around the corner when I saw him waiting to get into his car-- waiting for me. I waved and quickly dumped Penny's poop bag into the garbage so I could sprint across the street (safely) with Penny. I needed one more kiss to get me through the day. I tapped on his window with a smile and he happily opened it to give me the life force that makes each day matter.

It's funny how important and how special a simple thing like a kiss can be. People make kisses so complicated but in reality, when you're with your other half, a kiss is like being a magnet. You just get close and your lips meet. Like the force of nature it is. 

People search their whole lives for a perfect person but the problem is that they have the perfect person in their mind already. You can look for certain qualities and features in people all you want but when you des ruminate based on these restrictions you could be passing up your other half. The perfect person isn't going to be everything you expected and everything you looked for at first. Once you give them a chance, you find out that you were looking all wrong and your heart weeps with joy that you gave them a chance.

Once you're with them you most likely won't get everything you had thought you wanted in the past. This is a good thing because this person helps you find out more about yourself and the aspects and personality they carry with their being become more meaningful to you than the very air you breathe. And thus a kiss between two energies becomes a self-sustaining life force. Together, drawn by force (and chance), kept by compassionate love. 

Boarding Her Majesty

The trouble with cameras and busy other people? Some is always left out of the picture (in this case my mom).

On Monday, June 30th I boarded Royal Caribbean's Majesty of the Seas with my parents, brother, and new family members. I believe I mentioned in my previous post that I managed to take very few photos of my own so almost photos of the cruise and the wedding are harvested from other people. (I need to work on harvesting more. I only have what I found on Facebook so far).
Shortly after boarding we had to do a Muster Drill which my parents were very flustered with since all they did was spend a minute showing us how to use the flotation devices. Afterwards we all met on the deck over-looking the pool and just talked and took pictures. Then we got ready for dinner (which my mother was not happy that I wore my black sweater for). It was the only actual casual whatever night so I just wore what I had on. The ship was really rocking because of the developing storm in the water so we were all feeling a bit nauseous. After some bread I was able to endure (Funny side story: a couple days into the cruise my father found out from someone else on the cruise that his motion sickness patch wasn't even on right-- he was able to psychologically make himself not get sick. Of course, being my father, he still wanted to wear the patch. I did just fine without a patch as long as I was busy, sleepy, or eating. I was surprisingly able to keep to these key three throughout my time on the actual ship.).
After discovering first-hand that Jenny's family is notorious for being late (like actually late not just five minutes), we were able to over our meals (and my goodness did I need to order a lot!). Being on a cruise definitely promotes being a fatty because each night there would be a new main menu as well as dessert menu. They had their staples every night but I was more interested in what wouldn't be available the next day. This first night I recall getting escargot (it wasn't prepared very well so I didn't enjoy it at all-- it was like they just put cheese on the snail and called it a night) and another appetizer (unfortunately this one slips my mind). For a main course I ordered the vegetarian chili tortilla dish (this kitchen actually made tortillas look attractive on a plate without adding ridiculous garnishes). For dessert I ordered a rather dry chocolate cake and a special strawberry mousse tart (there were a lot of strawberry dishes made available throughout the cruise).
After dinner we all went to the comedy show which wasn't very funny aside from the "NASA" joke (I had made a comment regarding the identical names of NASA and Nassau earlier that day). Then I decided to turn in. I couldn't relax because i just felt so much energy built up so I made a trip to the ship's gym. Apparently I missed out that night at karaoke because my brother sang an ol' blue eyes song (Frank Sinatra, for you non-big band fans). I was content with the gym then passing out on my wonderfully set up pull-out sofa bed (I tell no lie-- this bed was extremely comfortable for a pull out. I was amazed and slept better than I had for the past three nights).
Aside from what I just shared and the stress of trying to coordinate and work with my parents, I spent a lot of moments wishing Alex could have come. It wasn't because I didn't want to get to know my family better, it's because Alex is my other half and being on such a new adventure without him didn't feel quite right. I did my best to make the best of everything but in the end it wasn't what it could've been if I had Alex. He keeps me on my feet, on the ground (yes, it's possible to be on your feet not on the ground- it happens when you're a person who leans a little between weird and crazy).
To keep it simple: I really missed him. And the fur babies, of course.

It's Make Up Time-- and Not the Fun Kind With Kaitlin

I have twelve days of blog posts to make up for. How am I going to catch up? Two posts a day for six days. That'll be interesting. Here's my start on playing make up/catch up.

Not only am I behind in my blog posts but I'm also further behind than I'm comfortable with being in my school work. I'm really tired of online courses because there is so little motivation that even when I get excited about the topic it's hard to keep me there because there's no stimulus of hearing other people actually discuss and present. Some professors will say that doing video chat and such online makes it the same as a physical class but I highly disagree because of the digital crippling of social interaction. Physical class allows for people to meet and talk about topics other than class without seeming creepy by going out of the way to message a colleague (hey I see you have a LOK avatar, I really love that show.) It doesn't sound too weird to me because Alex has really got me to a point of being okay with speaking randomly to people-- I just need the opportunity to do so. Online class you just log on, listen to the professor read the slides to you, read a colleague's question about something the professor just answered. Yeah, it's lame. I miss feeling challenged in the classroom and, as weird as it is to say, mentally punished (whether by myself or the professor through a pop quiz) for not doing the readings.
So I have quite a bit to do this weekend and next week and then I'm free until fall semester at the end of August. Wow summer goes too fast... summer semesters are poo.
One week. I can do this. Silly annual cold is out of the way. I can do this.
Oh, yeah, if you didn't catch my Facebook post, I was sick the past three days. It figures: attend my brother's wedding, go on a family cruise, come back to work, then be sick for days so I can't focus on my school work. Poo.

Hurricane In-Season

I'm here at a Hurricane Grill in PSL and it looks like I have six blog posts to make up for. Of course you all understand why and are wonderfully forgiving of my absence. I know you are all also eager to hear more about my brother's wedding and the cruise. So here I am working on catching all of you up.
This post is to make up for Sunday's post. You may have seen a post on Sunday but that one was making up for Saturday since I was busy with wedding stuff that day.
I woke up to go get hair and makeup done by the stylists selected by Jenny. They were both very nice and talented. They opened up my eyes and made my hair gorgeous.
(Quick note: I don't have any pictures really of this special day because I was a bridesmaid and there are no pockets on a bridesmaid dress. I was indeed mushed around the hotel with the other girls and Jenny to take pictures in the Florida sun so there will be pictures eventually. The families also got photos so I just have to snatch 'em.)
While we're on the topic of beauty stuff, I want to share that I have gotten compliments about me looking like a model. A very generous compliment if you ask me. Jenny was the most lovely I've ever seen her. Thinking of it now, she's the prettiest bride I have ever seen (and I've seen a lot on TV). Her fun and loving personality made her beautiful appearance that much more radiant. A true bridal beauty.
Her and my brother did the "first look" thing before the ceremony and it was lovely. It was so special that I'm happy I got to see. I know my mom wishes she could've been there too but so much was going on I was just following instructions. Luckily my amazing partner Alex stayed with her while everyone else was doing photos and running around.
There were a lot of tears on this special day-- as is appropriate. All happy tears. Mine were a mix of happy and worried. I'm getting to why. I'm not worried for Jenny and my brother-- they are wonderful together and I'm so happy to have Jenny and her family now a part of my own. I was all smiles and happy praises throughout pictures and the ceremony. It was at the reception that I cried. The tears came fast when my parents danced to their own wedding song as their wedding anniversary was the next day. Seeing them together like that was so beautiful, so special-- a good omen for my brother and Jenny's own marriage. After almost 30 years, my parents are still somehow together. The tears came because I hadn't seen my parents look at each other like that in a long time. After the initial beauty of the moment I became worried-- how long will it be until I got married? (That seemed to be the statement of the night: "You're next." As in, I'm the next to get married). Will my parents make it to my wedding with all the health issues they've been having? I don't want to have one of those days of sad mixed with happy. I want my wedding day to be one of the happiest of my life, not one without a parent. I want them to take better care of themselves but they've denied any of my help and suggestions. It's up to them whether or not they make it.
That was the only time I cried.
I wanted to cry a few times while on the cruise but I'll get to that in coming posts.