What a Productive Day!

Whew, for all my whining earlier in the afternoon yesterday, the last 36 hours saw much get accomplished. I knew it'd all get done, but I just didn't expect to feel so rejuvenated with the process. And as much as I know that only one glass of wine should be drank per day for maximum health benefits, I swear the three glasses I consumed throughout last evening just may have had something to do with it all.

You don't want to know that I was up until 2am this morning, but I'm telling you anyway and it actually allowed me to feel somewhat organized before calling it a night. I finished my Yoga X workout yesterday with much toxin releasing sweat and a few woozy moments, but the overall workout was what finally gave me the kick of energy I needed for the evening. Hub and I made our grocery store run mid-evening to stock up on the week's groceries and then fixed ourselves some sustenance to see us through an evening of studying and grading. Between late dinner and 2am, I made it through the rest of the online assignments (plus the ones that were already turned in for this week), spent 35 minutes responding to emails for my other job that had piled up over the weekend, and then quickly graded the assignments from my two in-person courses.

This morning I woke up feeling great, brewed myself a lovely cup of espresso with my newly found and purchased coconut creamer (which might be it's own blog post), and got started on the most amazingly productive day. Between 10am and leaving at 3pm for my late afternoon meeting, I graded a few late assignments, inputted grades, fixed and printed one of two exams for this week, looked over my lecture notes for tomorrow, emailed my class, and checked my work schedule for the rest of the week. Our entire bedding got washed and sheets & towels replaced, the spare room got picked up, the bathroom cleaned, the dishwasher emptied, the dogs loved on, the house vacuumed, the recycling taken out, and my 70 minute P90X work-out completed. Showered, dressed, snack grabbed, checked in with one of my vets, and out to my 2 hr meeting I went, where I also checked in with my boss and gave a five minute on-the-fly presentation. After the meeting, I chatted with my boss for another 45 minutes and copied my two exams for this week. On the way home, I gassed up the car and purchased stamps to mail our rent check to the landlords (who gave permission for the housemate btw). Once home, I gathered and took out the garbage for its pick-up tomorrow, did another load of laundry, folded the earlier loads, readied my bag and snacks for tomorrow, ground enough coffee to last the week, fed the dogs, took care of the chickens, loved on the cats, and made dinner. As I finished enjoying my dinner, hub came home from a late evening studying for his mid-terms and we chatted for a bit while he prepped his lunches & snacks for tomorrow.

And now somehow it's 10:30pm and we're ready to call it a day, but I'm so thankful for a Monday full of so much accomplishment. Definitely sets the tone for what will be a busier than normal (and desired) work week! Contemplating getting up at 5:30am to complete tomorrow's last work-out of Week 5, but I don't know I'm exactly that crazy yet. :)

Hope you all have had a happy and productive Monday! (And speaking of productive, how the heck did I manage so many posts in January?!)

A Rambling Update

Heya folks---those of you that quietly continue to read along :)

So I've got a major confession for today: I slept in til 7 minutes til noon. I can't believe I almost slept in til noon and honestly I could have slept for another three hours easily. My throat continues to scratch, my mind continues to attempt to list the things I need to remember to do this work week and the things I need to do for my personal life and the things I need to get accomplished this weekend for grading and prepping. We're out of orange juice and Emergenc-E, but luckily I found a package of zinc drops hidden in a cupboard last night. I'm feeling muscles I didn't even know existed in my upper chest this morning from last night's new DVD and I have 90 minutes of Yoga X to get through today, which I'm way too stubborn to miss at this point regardless of how tired I'm feeling. And truthfully I only woke up at noon because the dogs bounded into the room creating a ruckus and stirring me from a dream about my parents modernizing their living environment and in which my father was to undergo major surgery again---probably not the best dream to be woken up from without being able to process the outcome!

The best thing so far about today has been the large cup of coffee I enjoyed that pushed away my headache, the waffles hub made for our brunch this morning (a weekend regular around here now), and the fact that hub and I sat and chatted for a good hour and a half this "morning." I think I've hinted that there isn't much overlapping time during the week for us to really chat and connect, so I've really come to cherish the conversations we do get to have. Especially since this morning a decent portion of what we talked about was the fact that come March we more than likely will be joined in our house by hub's buddy as our roommate---and we're trying to discuss how to make this be a successful transition and living situation for all of us.

Today's one of those days were it's already 3pm and I'm 2/3 of the way through grading my online class and I've read through my work emails to know what I have to take care of tomorrow on my "day off." And honestly, thank God for a Monday more or less at home, so I can get all these extra pieces in line before jumping into the three full work days I usually have (although I do have a meeting tomorrow evening I have to attend and an extra evening meeting another day this week). Before bed today, I still must grade the assignments for my inperson classes, complete my P90X workout, prepare the rent check for the mail tomorrow and email my landlords about said potential housemate, and hopefully venture to the grocery store to stock-up on essentials to make it through this coming crazier work week.

Luckily yesterday was a slower day of book club in the morning followed by extra time at my cousin's house (she was hosting) catching up with her, my aunt, and my uncle. I came home exhausted and attempted to take a nap before getting the energy to make it through the evening work-out. Exercise routine and shower completed, hub brought home eggs and video rentals. We ate breakfast burritos (yea for extra protein) and watched two movies, while I graded the first 1/3 of the online assignments. Both movies were pretty decent so if you're looking for two flicks, check out: 50/50 and Crazy.Stupid.Love, the latter of which was actually suggested to me by one of my vets.

I'm not sure why it's always the third and fourth weeks of my terms that appear to be the busiest, but I'm pretty sure I'll be glad when either a) there's a lull in the term b) we can arrange a relaxing weekend trip home (there's always something about the coast and being back at my parents that even though I'm still grading/working, everything just feels smoother and easier) or c) the term is over. Although there's a lot of event planning to get set-up this term so I'm not so sure that I see option A actually arriving until the end of May.

But as much as I'm totally sounding like a massive whiner (sorry folks!) there have been some really great connections and moments that have happened in the last week as well, and I continue to feel that I'm going to get everything done. I'm incredibly grateful for the great support system I do have and for the easy enjoyment one gleans from furry creatures. Even our fabulously independent and prissy Lady cat has been ambling for some extra love and cuddles lately!

Hub helped out a ton yesterday while I was gone and picked up the yard and cleaned out the chickens mock-coop---two tasks that usually fall to me on the weekends so I was thrilled he went the extra mile. I had a nice chat with one of my brothers to start the weekend and it was great to spend some quality time with two of the book club gals yesterday morning (one of whom I hadn't really seen or talked to since November and who is legitimately one of my favorite people). There are plans being discussed for me to budget to visit two my other favorites who both are living in Georgia and the idea of a long weekend trip to visit my gal who is in San Antonio---a break away, being back in the sunny south, and quality time with some of my favorite gals sounds amazing right now!

Having an extra person in our household, while potentially an extra stressor, does also add extra monthly income and someone who can keep an eye on things if hub and I need to leave town for a weekend. (Did I mention he loves our dogs?!) And let me tell you folks, for being rainy Oregon, we had two beautifully sunny days lately! Add on to all that the little regular fun moments of the days (1940s big band music playing in the kitchen, crazy critters' antics, inside jokes between hub and I, and the list could go on) and really life is pretty enjoyable overall!

If you've made it through this mindboggling ramble, then you sort of know where I'm at---feeling a lil' run down and extra tired BUT trucking on through and thankful for the positives that exist along the way. Oh yea, one more addition, Granny (while she's okay) has been having some unusual health issues lately, so for those of you that are regulars, just keep her in your thoughts.

Sending lots of love, extra energy, and positive encouragement out your way! Here's to the fullness of the week ahead of all of us.

P90X Work-Out Swap-Week 5

Well people, Week 5 of the Lean program swaps a new upper body DVD for the one I did during weeks 1-3. Unfortunately it took until week 3 for me to find a good pull-up alternative, so I'm not going to lie, I'm a little bummed to be transitioning to Chest, Shoulders, & Triceps. And I'm even more bummed because I've got noodle arms after (attempting) to complete it.

My students (aka my built-in accountability partners) jokingly asked me last week if I have had to do any one-armed push-ups or clapping push-ups for P90X and I just shook my head and laughed. Um, apparently, we DO have one-armed push-ups and clapping push-ups and slow-mo push-ups (which are the WORST so far!) and a host of other push-ups in the P90X rotation. Alternate all those push-ups (and more of 'em) with a variety of tricep extension exercises with weights and a handful of other weight routines for the upper body....and you pretty well have the new DVD. Maybe by the 3rd week of it's rotation I might actually be completing a full 30 minutes of all these different exercises, but this week I'm lucky if I made it through 2-6 reps for each push-up set. The good news is I can feel it, which means that it's going to be working. I also realize that these are some of my weakest muscles (and historically are where I've been more prone to injury), so I'm more likely to be noodle-armed than many. But just when I was starting to feel good about making some headway with my shape, a new kink got added to the mix.

This new DVD swap is really the only thing that will change and then in weeks 9-11, it'll get swapped back for the original Chest & Arms DVD that I was doing before. On these weights days, the Ab Ripper X DVD occurs also---and today was the first time that I made it through all 349 total reps---woot woot!

Seems crazy that I'm already halfway into Week 5! It's definitely becoming routine though as it's a part of my daily schedule, and it's not even something I contemplate skipping. (What you want me to socialize on a week day even, don't you know I have P90X to do?! :)) I'm continuing to hope that by the end of all 90 days I'll have done enough to have shaved most the extra padding of my mid-section, but if not then hopefully we'll be into some warmer weather and I might be motivated again toward running. The rest of me is toning up well from the P90X however!

Fill In the Blank Friday: Travel!

I know, I know three posts in one day---no one is ever going to read all of 'em but that's okay! Since these were about traveling I couldn't resist however and I just thought these were great Fill-In-The-Blank-Friday prompts over at the little things we do (where Lauren just had a bambina and a natural waterbirth pregnancy which I loved reading about and you can find here.) Go tell her she's awesome!

1. My favorite place i've ever traveled to is hands-down London--over 300 languages spoken, so much culture, so much art, so much history PLUS open air markets, theatre, amazing food from all over the world, the Tube, and great fashion.

2.  Africa, Australia, back-packing Europe, the south pole, Thailand, India, New Zealand, the Carribean, Washington DC, Maine, Ireland, Alaska, a return trip to my host families in Argentina and I could go on.....is somewhere I'd love to go someday.
3. I pass the time on a plane (or bus, or car ride or train) by listening to music & in contemplation.

4. My three must-haves when I travel are my backpack filled with what I'll need, a Klean Kanteen with water, and directions.
5. My favorite travel companion is God's protection.
6. The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is when striking closed down the main highway to the airport in Argentina right after my bus went through, which otherwise would have made me miss my flight home to Oregon after a year's exchange away.

7. The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling are many of the foods that we simply just didn't ask what they were.....if it's there you eat it, you don't always care to ask but rather appreciate that someone took the time to prepare a meal in your honor.

8. If I could live anywhere else, I'd live: I'm not sure anymore. I love Oregon but I honestly wouldn't be sad to leave again.....maybe we might end up in Texas (don't hate me brother.......) or some other state farther away.
9. I have been to a majority of states in the US except the NE (east of Illinois and north of Tenn/NC).

A Clothes Challenge Week

So I have to share that this week I've been somewhat trying to follow the Winter Fashion Challenge going on over at Freckles in April. Although I didn't really care to somewhat join in until Tuesday---ie I didn't really think I was going to do it and forgot all about it til Tuesday. April posts a different inspiration for each day of the challenge and then individuals are to put together items to wear based on what they already own. 

MONDAY

 

Again I didn't see the prompt for this day until somewhere around 10pm (it was Layers, which technically I followed cause I worked from home in layers of sweats until 3pm....although can I call sweats fashionable?!....cough cough ;)). This outfit above was worn to the diesel class I attended to advertise the center where I work---so about 1 hour total including commute time. Since I was going to the diesel department, I wanted something professional but not over-the-top nice, ie approachable.

Sweater: sale Target (December), Trousers: gifted Macys, brown suede boots: ol' Penneys

TUESDAY: monochrome

I got lots of compliments on this outfit. This is also a take from Sorta Crunchy with the top over a dress look.

burgundy dress: Walmart :(, sweater & belt: Target, brown flats: Stage, tights: Fred Meyer, Jewelry: thrifted from mom ;)

WEDNESDAY: embrace a trend

....which stripes were listed...and I feel like the whole belted look is a current trend too. I debated wearing the awesome modern stripe wrap dress I have (& posted here) but wanted to do something different, and honestly I have only worn this dress a handful of times and part of this goal for me is to use more of what already is in my closet. Honestly I loved this look, even if it's not my most professional outfit.

 cami, striped dress, cardigan, & black flats: Target, tights: Fred Meyer, belt: gifted

THURSDAY

....was "channel someone" (I would have worn my green military inspired dress with brown belt, tights, & shoes....channeled an Air Force flight suit) BUT I woke up with a scratchy throat and extra tired (and needing to do 20 mins of work before heading to the office), which means I just wanted to wear something comfortable & easy (ie really I wanted to wear a sweatshirt!). The top half of this outfit is something I wore in Louisiana all the time but haven't worn lately, so guess this could be 2010 ThrowBack Thursday for me.

sweater: Forever 21, purple tank: Target, black suede boots: Penney's, pants: thrifted Express

FRIDAY: pattern mixing

I honestly didn't think I could do it and then I loved it (which actually is one of the pieces of feedback that Freckles in April says about this one!). I know my outfit is incredibly subtle but I absolutely love some of the examples she gave on her page and I just might give this prompt another major go (stripes on top, flowered skirt below=LOVE!). And for good measure I went off the recent post by Rags to Stitches and wore a blazer to boot!

patterned cardi, flats, jean pencil skirt: Target, red & white striped button-up: Penny's, khaki blazer: inherited from a friend and its Gap

Two extra things to mention about this week:

1) This was the first week after starting P90X that I'm thinner both in the legs and waist...and yes I know my calves are becoming muscular chicken leg equivalents....and just cause I'm thinner in the waist doesn't mean I don't still have 1/2 to 1 inch of extra padding on top of these developing ab muscles! 

2) Thursday of this week is the first time hub noticed I'm photographing my outfits---bahaha I love that man....but he actually thought it was pretty neat. We've started having Thursday evening catch-up chats once I'm home from work, as it's really the first opportunity since Monday that we get much decompression time together--it's nice!

Moments of a Friday Morn

You know those moments when mindfulness falls upon you and you hold those snapshots of vision close to your heart all day? Hub and I had a lot of those moments that we pointed out to each other the weekend after we got married in order to hold us through some of the separate moments we'd spend in the months after. Sometimes though, mindfulness is less of a daily ingrained habit and something we stumble upon only in passing. This morning, I'm not sure if it's the groggriness of the cold I'm attempting to halt or just the relief of the end of the work week (for the most part), but I definitely recognized some of those snapshot moments this morning.....

Hub might kill me (not really) but here are some of those moments of the morning:
---The gentle chilly morning air hanging low and appearing like a protective coat around the community.
---Hearing the smack smack smack of Major swatting my chapstick off the dresser this morning and turning to see him sitting as regal as a king (at least a king in his mind!).
---Hub coming in to check on me still snoozing this morning, wrapped only in his towel after his shower---whit whew!
---Roxi licking my hand happily as I ventured out of bed and propping her paws up to "assist."
---The dogs excitedly following hub around the house hoping to tag along to campus.
---Major darting and rolling around the house all morning like he was a forgotten member of the mission impossible team.
---Gratitude for counters that have been wiped down, hot coffee, and delicious toast.
---And hub all bundled up for his first attempt to ride his bike to catch the MAX to campus, turning on his way out of the drive way with a wave and "toodles!" ;) Haha.

I've got fifteen minutes to throw on my outfit of the day and head out to a different campus to attend the afternoon session of the teaching conference being put on by my college. This evening I'll do my P90X session and hopefully make it another 100 pages in the book club book (which is to be discussed tomorrow morning--ironically I think I'm enjoying it the most out of everyone!). Tomorrow after book club, hub and I are maybe going to hit up BodyWorlds but the couple on the corner that we've enjoyed are throwing a birthday party for their lil girl so we'll have juggle what all we can attend. More assignments to grade online and from my in-person classes and prep-work are scheduled for Sunday, and a longer than normal work week coming up this next week too---woosh!

The extra busy of this last week (juggling meetings, micromananging employees, coordinating a donation drive on campus to raise money for a local non-profit providing services to homeless and low-income veterans, marketing at club fair each day, responding to the usual veteran needs and issues, weeding through 50-100 work emails each day, letting my boss know I'm not re-applying for this position next year, teaching conference attendance yesterday and this afternoon, and still teaching/prepping/grading my courses and responding to their emails) with the added extra busy of next week makes me glad for a morning of mindfulness and rejuvenation.

Hope you have your own moments of mindfulness to take with you through some of those extra busy moments of life! Sending postive thoughts, energy, and prayers your way!