autumn fog love.

there's a lot of talk about paint colors flying around and i wanted to briefly mention my recent favorite, autumn fog. it's a basic valspar color (from Lowe's), and it's what we decided to go with on our lockers and book shelf.

here's a tumbnail of the color (which i'm sure isn't true, but it gives you the idea...)

and here are a few shots of it in our living room...

 

i love that it's got this cool, misty feel to it... like... well, a foggy day in autumn. 

and i love the light color on the inside of the bookshelves... so much brighter and happier than the black bookshelves we were previously working with! you can really see the difference in the shot above, with the smaller, black bookshelf right there, looking so much heavier and sadder than it's autumn fog friend.

 it's a nice neutral for the fresh green that i've been digging... it allows my green to sparkle and say "ooh! ooh!! look at me!!" while still keep it balanced. i'm all about the zen in my decor :)

i still have about a quart left and am debating on whether to use it on more furniture, or to save it for maybe a room when we move [can you tell i'm starting to get excited about moving?? i'm already thinking in terms of decorating & we don't even know what city, much less what our new home will look like!!]

i'm linking in to the nester and her paint post... come on over, she's talking about her own lovely paint choices, and how to choose paint :)

mcfatty monday #3.

ugh. this week sucked. there. i said it.

the back story is that steve got sick on monday and has had cold / flu symptoms [read: miserable] all week. he's only starting to feel better now, a week later.

so, here's a quick run down of the good and the bad.

good: on monday i did workout video... or about 3/4 of it. [which is more than the 1/2 of it i did the night before, so i count this a success.]

bad: that was the only working out i did all week :(

good: my average weight this week is down .7lbs :) [for those of you who may not have great eyesight, that's *point* seven pounds... not seven pounds! that would not be healthy!]

bad: this is not because i ate healthfully... it probably has more to do with the fact that i'm in a natural ebb in my monthly water retention.

bad: i may nor may not have eaten a whole pint of ben & jerry's...

good: i didn't actually eat the *whole* thing...

bad: the only reason i didn't eat the whole thing is because steve ate a little of it.

good: i was at least thinking about my choices... even if i wasn't making good ones.

good: sitting here on sunday night, i'm feeling good about this up-coming week... like it's not going to be as crazy and unpredictable as last week... and feeling organized and in control helps me to make better choices.

ok, so i noticed that a photo can be worth a thousand words... and while i can't believe i'm putting these very honest photos up, since i blog under a pseudonym, and i left my face out of the photos... i'm ok with sharing what i look like... not holding my gut in or wearing shapewear, or a more flattering outfit... in fact, i even changed into clothes that are fitted, so that you can compare more easily, week to week. also, please forgive the awful photography... it's well after dark on sunday night, and besides... a bad before photo only makes a good after look that much better :)

not awful... but not fit either :) [this is my problem... i don't hate my body... i'm comfortable in my skin... a little too comfortable, if you know what i mean.] but when i look at these, and i know that this is what i look like in real life... well, it motivates me :)

i'm also thinking about taking my measurements... the photos are great, but there are a few key widths... like my hips/backside, and my arms... when they're more toned, clothes fit better, etc. i feel like this will also help me to see if i'm getting the results i want [as opposed to just results in general]. of course, all this planning isn't worth a [darn] if i don't get my booty moving and do some working out :)

so here's to week 4 being even better than the previous three!! :)

also, i'll be linking to the mcfatty monday post over at heir to blair... if my sob story is challenging you to do something, some on over and link up too!

button me up!

well, i made myself a button.

that's right... i said made. what kind of diy blog would this be if i just hired a graphic designer?? actually, it would be a professional diy blog... ha!

seriously though, i'd dipped my big toe into the ocean that is graphic design before, and i enjoy working on these things myself. some day, when i'm a super blogger, i'll revamp my button, and hire someone who really knows what they're doing to get me the hook up :) but until that day comes, i'm working with what i've got, baby :) so i pulled up julie & julia on netflix for inspiration and went to work :) [let's be honest... it's every blogger's favorite blog-related movie!]

so if you have a sidebar where you flaunt your fav's... and if this b-log falls into that category, feel free to grab it :)

<a href="http://mylifeasprose.blogspot.com" target="_blank"><img alt="my life as prose" src="http://i1223.photobucket.com/albums/dd516/mylifeasprose/button.jpg"/></a>

the plague and home decor.

so if you've noticed, there haven't really been many crafts around here in awhile. this is due to the fact that a lot of my blog time has gone to working on making a button [which i have been unsuccessful at thus far], cleaning up the appearance [the mauve was starting to stifle me so i went with a cleaner look while staying with the blogger templates... you like??], and tending to my poor, miserable, sickly husband.

here's something i haven't really talked about much on here... my husband got really sick last year this time. like for months. like he literally could not eat. like he lost over 100 lbs. like he checked into the emergency room twice. like over $1,000 worth of copays and meds [even though we have *really* good insurance... state employee-good insurance].

[source.]

it was scary. thankfully, it hit when we did have insurance, instead of 6 weeks earlier, when we didn't have insurance. [quick sidenote: never in my life have i been so supportive of obamacare. just sayin... going w/o insurance will change the way you think about those things.] also, thankfully, he had been a little husky to begin with, so loosing 100lbs didn't render him skeletal. but the thing i learned was that his body started burning muscle too... so my heavy, but muscular husband began to look like a melting snowman. it was awful.

it lasted a long time, too... from mid-march until early september. and even now, he still has lingering issues, but they're manageable with medicine.

why am i telling you all of this?? because when he got sick this week... not sick like he was last year, but cold / flu sick... i couldn't change gears. i had to stay home with him. pathetic, right?? i mean, he's a grown-@$$ man, he can make sure he takes his nyquil and drinks his apple juice. but because he'd been so sick for so long last year, i was deathly afraid that he would spike a high fever and i wouldn't be there to bring him to the hospital, or to call the doctor.

the good news is that after being miserable for 5 days, he was finally able to get a dr to prescribe him antibiotics. [can i just ask this: since when do you have to be full-on sick for over a week just to get a z-pack?? is this the backlash to the over prescription of antibiotics?? i've *never* had to suffer through a full week of torturous symptoms before getting an rx... but maybe that's just because i haven't gotten sick like that in a few years?? ok, rant over.] so now he's sleeping... and in between sleeps, he's been a little more alert, and himself, which makes me think that the antibiotics are doing their job :)

all this to say... i've been having enough difficulty this week, trying to work from home while keeping up with the cooking and cleaning and laundry and nurturing... i feel like a stay at home mom who is also trying to work a full time job from home... and i'm even taking some comp time i had saved up AND a vacation day!! [seriously... how do those women do it?? they must have an office to hide in and get stuff done... because i can't fathom any other way to get anything work-related accomplished!!]

so anyway... since i've deprived you of the only real reason you come here [not to hear about my piddly existence, but about what i'm doing to reinvent our home], i have two little sneak peeks for you....

[whoops!! this is where i hit "enter," forgetting that that makes blogger post!! so sorry if you were in a reader and thinking "um... there's no photos..."]


i wanted to add a little punch and some razz-a-ma-tazz to the room, so these fabrics will likely be featuring soon... if i can get caught up with work stuff, and get the husband well, and stop playing around with html and get back to decorating and updating... :)

[by the way... did you know that i have a facebook?? you can find a link on my sidebar that will bring you to my page... and we can be friends! :) ]

brand loyalty: hilton & southwest.

i've learned a lot at my job this year. i kinda knew that i would be learning a lot, since the job was so intimidating, and came with a laundry list of new challenges. the big surprise, though, is all the stuff that i didn't expect to learn that i'd like to pass on to you... specifically, the best travel brands.

ok, so i did the math, and i traveled about 18-20% this year. that means that out of every 5 or 6 days that i worked, i traveled 1 of them. since i hadn't flown much before this year [having gone to college a drive from home, etc], i didn't have a lot of brand loyalty. now, i do. if i could shout it from the mountaintops, i would... southwest, southwest, SOUTHWEST!!!


here's the thing... i've only been traveling for work for a year, and early on, i didn't stick with one airline, i hopped around to whoever was cheapest [even if it was only by $10]. and yet, i earned a free flight with southwest in november. crazy, right??

even better yet, i've flown with them on 16 one way flights... and i can only remember once that my flight was more than a few minutes delayed. in contrast, i *regularly* arrive a few minutes ahead of schedule. in today's air travel, that's just unheard of. granted, they probably pad their times... but who cares??? all i know is that they set my expectations, and then consistently exceed them. now that's a company that i'll be loyal to... time and time again.

the other thing i love about southwest?? they go everywhere i want to be. flying home to my family? they're there. flying to steve's family?? there too. flying to my best friend in the-middle-of-nowhere-minnesota?? check-a-roo! flying to all the major areas where i do business?? check and double check. and with their expansion over the past few years, they probably fly wherever you want to be too.

the last thing i love about southwest?? their flight attendants. seriously. i've even put in corporate emails to southwest naming particular flight attendants who have been uh-may-zing.

the other brand i've recently come to be married to?? the hilton chain of hotels.
it started on a trip this past fall. i'd booked with another hotel chain [i'll call it brand x], thru the southwest website. i had forgotten to write down the address of the hotel, so when i got off the plane in this city, i got directory assistance to connect me with the x hotel. when the receptionist answered, i gave my name to confirm that i had the right place... he couldn't find my reservation. so i asked if there were any other x hotels in town... he faltered and said "not that i know of." [um, if you work for a chain, you probably should know whether there are others of your brand in town... just sayin.] that should have been red flag #1.

so at this point, i have to cancel a work dinner to sort through the hotel craziness. i decide that the best thing to do is find free wifi so that i can make sure i'm not crazy and locate not only the x hotel address, but also my conf number, etc. so i went to mcdonalds, because they're the most reliable wifi in strange places :)

i get on my laptop, and sure enough, my reso is at x hotel, the only one in town. i punch the address into my gps and head there. i get out of my car in their parking lot and am greeted by a pan-handler. [*hate* that!! it creeps. me. out. every. time.] flag #2.

i go inside and find out that the reservation had gotten lost in translation, between southwest and x hotel. they can't help me, since they don't know if i've already been charged, and don't want to double charge me. fine. so i get on their wifi, and get the southwest customer service person on the phone. i ended up having to then hand my cellphone to the hotel receptionist, who proceeded to argue with the southwest rep, using my cell phone. um, flag #3 much??

while i wait at the front desk, someone comes down in the elevator and complains that their bed is broken. [flag #4.] another person calls the front desk and it's clear that they're having difficulty placing a long-distance phone call. [flag #5.] there's also an issue with parking with a third customer. [flag #6.] all of these issues were met with excuses or non-answers. also, instead of focusing his attention on my issue [which i tend to think is relatively important], the receptionist also answers phone calls and tries to check other guests in while processing my info and check in as well, even though he's not the only one standing there. [really?? have i seen enough flags yet???]

i. was. steaming.

my jaw was clenched, and i was trying so very hard to not flip out and go on a tirade about how awful this guy's customer service skills were.

and then i decided. i coolly asked the receptionist, "have you run my card yet?"

he said that he hadn't.

"then i think i'm going to go somewhere else."

i was furious. what should have been a quick ride to my hotel to check in and drop off my things had become a two hour ordeal. it was waaay past dinner time, and i still hadn't felt like they'd done anything to apologize for the situation, other than to blame southwest. [um, if they're so awful, then you shouldn't partner with them. it's called free enterprise.] {can you tell i was pissed??}

so i got back in my rental [thankfully, the pan-handler was nowhere to be seen], got back on the highway, and headed towards the airport, where i'd passed a bunch of hotels.

i saw a hilton first. i went in and asked if they took the state rate [since i technically work for the gov't, we get discounted rates.] he told me that that night's rate was actually below the state rate. i could have kissed the man. he also gave me a complimentary bottle of water. and they had a business center, where i was able to print out my boarding pass for the next day's flight home. also, they had a little bar and grill... after i'd dropped my things in my room and called steve to quickly tell him about the craziness, i went downstairs and had dinner. and in the morning? free coffee, complete with flavored creamers.


every single time i've traveled since then, i've stayed at a hilton. their beds are luxurious, and their service is top notch. i may not love that i'm probably contributing to a certain someone's trust fund...

[ahem.]

but oh well. with all the travel i do, it's *completely* worth it to stay in a nice hotel... especially when it costs the same to the budget as a mid-range hotel. also? their awards program is stellar. since september, i've stayed with them only 4 times total, and i've already got enough points for two free nights. seriously.

so now you know my brands. it's something i wish i'd known a year ago, because it would have made travel a little more pleasant... and even more fruitful :)

as an fyi, i'm not being paid to write this, or compensated in any other way... like with rewards points, etc [though i would like that!]. these are really and truly my sincere opinions and experiences, meant as a help to you.

however, if you work at southwest or hilton and want to contact me, it's mylifeasprose@gmail.com ;-)

the state of the... uh... union(?).

i have political thoughts... but that's not what this post is about.

i started this blog because, well, i needed a hobby. i know that that sounds so silly, but the fact of the matter is, we'd moved across the country, and i had a few new friends, a new [seriously intimidating] job, and a husband who was a full-time student.

because my life had changed so dramatically in twelve months, and i had some serious responsibilities, i needed something else in my life to balance the stress... i was finding that in the evenings and on weekends, i'd be fretting about my job... about choices i'd made, or wording i'd chosen... i'd also be thinking about things i couldn't change... like a lack of experience or knowledge of some of the key pieces of my job, like networking across numerous state educational agencies.

and while i would have *loved* to have just fallen into steve's lap on the evenings and weekends, and tune it all out, he was busy studying... which i couldn't begrudge him, because that was the *whole* reason we'd uprooted and moved almost as far as is possible within the continental united states.

i needed a hobby. bad.

[source.]

and i've had lots of blogs over the years... my first was on xanga :) around the same time, i was introduced to the nesting place, and had noticed that our little apt that was originally intended to be a living space for only 6 months, had become the living space for 12 months, and was now destined to last us a full 24 months. and as i'd always expect to have one foot out the door, i hadn't really made an effort to make it home.

this became the perfect storm for the birth of a blog. i had become addicted to the nester and anything she linked to, i needed a creative outlet, i needed to be at home where i was, and i needed to find a sense of accomplishment and identity in something other than my job.

so here i am, about five months later. ironically, i'm about to celebrate a full year at my job too. and once again, i'm simultaneously looking backwards and forwards...

backwards...
i'm really glad to have this blog. i'm happy with the way it's grown, and it's been a great hobby that has helped to motivate me to really turn things around in our home. that is invaluable.

even more importantly, it's helped me to have other things in my life [blogging, crafting, decorating] that aren't work related... and that i find satisfaction in. that was really the whole point. consider it a success! :)

i do have to admit, though, that i have just a tiny bit of blog envy. i mean, when i look at people like john and sherry, i can't help but turn a little green with envy. [can i tell you a secret? i'd love for this thing to turn into more than just a hobby...]

forwards...
within two months, we'll know if and where we'll be moving. we'll have an idea of what kind of stipend steve will be earning as a phd student [thank GOD for the stage of the game where pay they pay you for you going to school!!], and i'll be job-hunting and apartment hunting, and move-planning.

there was a time when i took all this change and sacrifice very matter-of-factly. i'm happy to say that this time around, it feels more like an adventure. i've enjoyed arizona, but i don't know that it's where i want to stay for the next 5 [or so] years. i'm ready to start doing the things that my peers have already done... have a child... own a home...

and so i guess this post is really all about checking in... taking a quick temperature read to see where things are at... in the blog, and in our life. and i have to say, that overall, we're doing pretty good :)

things i hate: broken glass.

so you saw how i single-handedly tore apart my kitchen yesterday, right? well, i didn't want to get into it in my mcfatty monday post, but i hate broken glass.



no, wait. hate really isn't a strong enough word... loathe? abhor? despise? maybe by combining the four, you get the idea.

where does this insane rage against broken glass come from?? i don't know. my mother, probably. she's a clean-freak, and i wish i had a little more of her "war on dirt" in me. also, shattered glass is sneaky... you can sweep and mop and even wipe up the floor while on your hands and knees, and still find shards.



does anyone else get this paranoid about broken glass? should i be checking myself into an institution??

mcfatty monday #2.

ok. so here it is... in black and white [or rather, those colors that coordinate with my blog... i mean, it's b/w when i type it into the little composition box, but i don't think that's how you see it... but i digress] ...i am a lazy son of a gun.

let's review, shall we??

monday: made declarations and public commitment. best of intentions... but my busy monday schedule got the better of me. total workout: nothing.

tuesday: best of intentions. again, schedule got the better of me... sum total workout: nothing.

wednesday: best of intentions. again, schedule (and wicked!) got the better of me... sum total workout: nothing.

thursday: best of intentions. again, schedule, and tiredness got the better of me... sum total workout: nothing.

friday: do i need to go on or are you getting the picture here???

you can fill in until sunday... when i finally decided that i NEEDED to have done something before today, so that i don't look like a COMPLETE loser... so i pulled out tracy anderson to kick my @$$.

i got through the warm up and went to pull out our folding chair for the leg exercises... the chair was tucked in next to ric-rac shelves in the kitchen... long story short, i must've caught the edge of the shelves with the chair because it all. came. tumbling. down.

what a mess!! and steve was out with a friend, watching the football game, so i was home all alone :(

the worst part was the shattered glass... we have those nesting glass pyrex measuring cups... or i should say had, since the medium one shattered... all over the place. ugh.

this mess was in the way of the only entrance to the kitchen, and the supply of cool drinks, so i had to clean it up before i could return to the work out.

...so any way, i did finally do some of the work out... not all, since i was so emotionally worn out from having all our stuff tumble down... but i did make myself do the first 20 mins of it, so that this week wasn't a complete fail.

and i weighed myself 4 times... and i feel like i need to clarify on that... i know that many peoplesay that you should do it, but did you know that studies have shown that people who are more fit tend to weigh themselves more often?? i don't expect that my weight will change day to day based on my choices... but i do like to have a more accurate data set... so i'll be averaging my weight each week as a benchmark. i know. i'm a geek. i can't help it, i like good data.

and aside from the workouts, i did a pretty good job of eating lighter and with smaller portions, so that's a big step in the right direction :)

so... all in all, week one wasn't great... but it wasn't a complete fail either... thankfully!

skinny jean love.

so i had successfully avoided skinny jeans until about 2 weeks ago.

here's the thing... i'm getting into my late 20s, and i just don't want to be one of those women who doesn't understand that she's not 19 anymore. plus, and at 5 ft tall, and quite a bit over my ideal of 115lbs, i'm not exactly "skinny," per se'.

but while my mother in law was here, she and steve wanted to see an important college football game (the something bowl). being from new york, i couldn't care less.... but tagged along to the sports restaurant with the big screens. by about half time, i was ready to walk around and went out into the mall to window shop, when i stumbled upon old navy.

now, i told you that i'm back up [and even beyond?] my early college weight. *ugh* i'm so embarrassed and really need to do something (aka mcfatty mondays) but i also had worn through a pair of jeans or two, and was running low. i figured it wouldn't hurt to look through the after-holiday clearance jeans while steve & his mom shouted at people on a tv who couldn't hear them.

so i loaded up my arms with like 12 different styles and sizes... and even added jeggings to the pile as i headed to the fitting room.

wouldn't you know, the 2nd pair i tried on fit like a glove. not only that, they're a size 8!! [i don't know that i'm back down to an actual size 8, but i'm happy that the tag in the jeans says that!]

so i ended up bringing home the skinny jeans in the flirt style [i feel like i'm too old to be buying jeans that are called "flirt" style... but if they fit, i'm a happy camper.] here's a shot from old navy...


and because they were on clearance, they were only like $15!! i ended up going back a few days later and getting a second pair... in size 6 :) ...and at that point, they were down to $11!!!

i hadn't bought jeans from old navy since i was in high school. i'm happy to bring my business back there... especially for $26 :)

washer?? what washer??

i've told you before about how we had to have our laundry machines out in our livingroom, right? even typing that is painful to me. it's like i'm still living in my first apartment... the only difference was that back then, the sheer fact that i was living on my own was enough, and i didn't care if the floor sloped, or that bats got in. [twice. bats got in twice. but that's another story for another day.]

but now that steve and i have been married for three and a half years, and are on our third apartment together, [and one of us is officially in their 30s now], i'd like to hope that i'm starting to get a handle on this whole "creating a home" thing. which is why i feel like my laundry machines are my homemaking nemesis.

i'm going to pull from the archives [aka, before i started redecorating our apt] to show you the wretchedness that is our laundry machines out in our living room...

[it looks like a frat house to me... or one of those apts in the student ghetto near a college... *shudder* also, those little black things are magnets... for awhile i was using it as a magnet board]

if you look to the right of the w/d, you can see that i hung a red curtain where the w/d *would* have gone, had it fit. and because they need those hookups, and because there really isn't anywhere else for them to go, they had to go right there. [seriously, i can't believe that i'm showing you this.]

when i found out that my mother in law would be visiting, i put together a to-do list... which was really a wish list of things i wanted to change about our main living space. here's #3 on the list...

#3. find a way to make the laundry machines (and the space behind them) look nicer... maybe even like they belong in the living room [a girl can dream, can't she? i mean, this is just brainstorming... a wishlist of sorts...]

so on black friday, when joann's was having their outrageous sale, i looked around at their deeply discounted fabrics to see if i could come up with something... and this is what i found...


[if you're a ridiculously faithful reader like katie, you'll remember the sneak peak i gave you waaaaay back in december. even then i had an inkling of how i wanted to use it.]

because i got it on black friday, it was something ridiculous like $1.50/yd. so i got something like 6 yds... to put on the side of the machine, and to change out the red curtain. if i wasn't afraid that it would be a fire hazard, i probably would have tried to put it on the back of the machines too... but it just made more sense to keep it open... i mean, i want it to be pretty, but i also don't want to burn the place down. y'know?

so i decided that i wanted to try hanging the fabric on the machines... almost like wallpapering them with the pretty navy & cream print. the problem was, i wanted something that would be easily removed, and maybe even easily washable. i also wanted it to lay flat / flush against the machines. i didn't want any ruffling or pleating.

well, here's what i got....

the shot above is the view from the couch :) i have to say... for less than $15, i *LOVE* the outcome!! i mean, it brings in the navy, and a nice, clean print... and it camouflages the w/d.

below is a shot from pretty much on top of the television... but i wanted to give you an idea of how a few of the new elements complement each other :)

do you love it?? i know i do!! i can't even begin to describe how much bigger our livingroom feels!! it's incredible!! i'll have to do a post to compare the furniture changes and color changes... and the crazy part is that i'm not even done yet, but the impact on the room itself is incredible!! :)

are you wondering how i got the fabric to stay?? magic!!

no... not really. i just measured the length i wanted (which was the height of the w/d, plus a little to fold over the top), and hemmed all four sides. then i hand-sewed on a few plastic rings, and put a few of those 3M plastic hooks on the top of the dryer. i hooked them on and never looked back. here's a shot of the hooks...

it's a little hard to see... but that flat surface is the top of the dryer :) i've thought about hot-gluing magnets to a few key places around the edges, just to make sure it snaps into place... but honestly, i haven't had a problem yet, so why mess with a good thing. am i right??

gosh, i love the way the pieces are coming together... it almost makes me sad that we'll probably be moving in about 6 months. almost.

as always, i'll be linking to some of my favorite linking parties :) you should join the fun!!

wicked!

i had big plans to come home and work on a few blog posts that i've been needing to share... but then i won the lottery to the national tour of this little production...


so i'm sure you'll forgive me if i took the night off for an inpromptu date with steve ... and glinda and elphaba. ;-)

no, oz never did give nothing to the tin man.

...that he didn't, didn't already have.

so i'm home again from my trip. and after sharing with you the not-so-fun side of travel for work, i wanted to share with you what happened the following night...

one of the people i was having trained to run these trainings [say that three times fast] was riding along with me from the ed dept building to the hotel, and she asked what i'd done the night before... i told her my story of exhaustion [though i did leave out the part where i cried in my beer... though it was metaphorical tears... and not beer... but whatever...] and she asked if i wanted to do dinner that night.

i took her up on it... and we ended up going to the restaurant that i had *hoped* to get to the night before, and her husband met us [he had traveled with her from the east coast] and i had such a wonderful time.

[source.]

let me tell you a little about this woman... she's my mother's age, but at first blush, you'd think she was only in her late 30s. she's sweet and stylish in a very understated and age-appropriate way. she's got three kids, and just earned her phd. the most amazing thing about her story?? she didn't go to college (no community college or anything) until she was 38. and as we shared our stories, and laughed, and philosophized on why life is the way it is, she said the following:

people say that you can have it all... and they're right... you just don't get to have it all at once.

and that really stuck with me... because this woman has everything i hope to get out of life... a family: a marriage that has stood the test of time & three kids... and a fantastic career: a phd in a field that she really enjoys. and here she is, in arizona for a week in january, and her husband was able to tag along and play golf while working out of the office. and to top it all off, she has a good relationship with her adult children. if that isn't the whole package, i don't know what is.

[source.]

her life really inspired me.

and she also really encouraged me. in the car, she asked how old i was [which, i have to admit, is usually my nightmare, because i just know that no matter what the number is, i'm not old enough to be managing or directing people who are old enough to be my parents, and whose experience and education certainly outrank me]. but not with this woman... i told her how old i am, and she was and wasn't surprised. she told me that she guessed that i was about her daughter's age, but that she was really impressed with how i was able to talk with people and get them to do what i needed them to do. i don't remember how she phrased it, but the effect was that while i'm young, i don't come across that way.

what a compliment!! in my job, i often feel like the annoying youngster... like topher grace in "in good company," the one who has all the jargon and none of the experience... and as a result, none of the respect of the folks who have been around the biz for a few years. so for her to compliment my people skills and management skills??? let's just put it this way... i can ride that compliment for awhile :)

i was just thankful, to God, that he gave me that boost i needed last week. because i really did need it.

mcfatty monday #1.

heir to blair in one of my favorite blogs. maybe it's just that sarcastic, working women make me laugh?? because bye bye pie is also on my top five.

anyway, i just found blair a few months ago... to be honest, i don't even know how i stumbled onto her blog. but i immediately subscribed, and if you've ever read her, you'll know why :) [if you've never been, read my post FIRST, ok?? then go to her blog... because i know you may never come back.]

so the actual point of this post is that blair is changing up her "mcfatty mondays" and inviting the rest of us to join in and use the accountability to motivate us.

can i tell you that since i posted my sort-of resolutions, i haven't done SQUAT about #1. "stop being fat." seriously.

i told myself that i was going to eat smaller portions... that lasted until my mother in law came and we ate out every day. [that is not an exaggeration.] and then i was away for work... so portion size was not controlled.

i also told myself that not drinking cuts out a TON of calories. i *told* myself that. and then i ordered a glass of wine. or a beer. i even told my husband i was going to try to cut back. and then didn't really make any effort.

i *also* told myself that i was going to weigh myself every day and do one of my workout vids each day [and what decade am i from?? who even calls a dvd a vid anymore? i'm officially old. and out of touch.] so i weighed myself every day that i've been home. while depressing, i can safely say that i haven't started one of the dvds. not. even. once.

so it's clear. i need a support group... i need people that i'll have to answer to. and we're good enough friends for me to make you do that for me, right? right.

so i'm going to try and do this. we'll see if i actually do anything, or if i'm just a lot of talk, and good intentions, like before. and you know, if you're interested, you're welcome to join the group at blair's blog... just sayin...

poll results.

well, our moving poll closed... i had set it up so that the poll ended on the same day that steve submitted his last application. so, as you may imagine, a huge weight has been lifted, as all the deadlines were met, and we've done everything we can. [i say "we" because i proofread almost all of the documents, etc.]

and so, the poll question was...

where do YOU hope i move next summer?

...and here are the results...

#votes ..... location
8 .... seattle, WA
4 .... tucson, AZ
7 .... boulder, CO
6 .... chicago, IL
0 .... bloomington, IN
2 .... south bend, IN
15 .... charlottesville, VA
8 .... baltimore, MD
7 .... ithaca, NY
6 .... syracuse, NY
2 .... philadelphia, PA

so the clear winner is the university of virginia, charlottesville, with 26% of the votes :)

and the university of washington, seattle, and johns-hopkins university are tied for second, with 14% of the vote each.

UVA is no surprise to me, as i know that many in the blogosphere are southerners, and that's the only real su-thern school on the list :)

what i think is most interesting is that you have absolutely no love for the university of indiana at bloomington, and very very little love for upenn and notre dame!!

thanks for voting :)

all that glitters.

so you may have figured out by now that i travel quite a bit for work. i remember how when i first landed this job, i had visions of myself in high heeled pumps and a pencil skirt, stalking through airports. sexy. powerful. confident. ready to take on the world. like sandra bullock in the proposal.

travel seems so exciting and exotic. my best friend asked me about it recently. she's a stay at home mom to a vulnerable baby, so the idea of hopping on a plane to conduct business on another coast is thrilling.

can i tell you something? it's not really like that. in fact, tonight, all i really want is to be at home with my husband. in fact, i'd trade my best friend in an instant.

what travel really means is that i wait a lot. i wait to check in for my flight. i wait to get through security. [only once has that been exciting. and not in a good way.] i wait to board the plane. i wait for the flight to be over. i wait to get off the plane. i wait for luggage. some times, traveling just means a lot of time that i'm unable to be productive [enter screaming babies on planes, or lack of free wifi].

and then there's nights like tonight.... my work day started at 8a and went until 6:30p i was exhausted at the end of it. and we've all had those days... and for me, the thing i want most on a day like today is to get home, put on my yoga pants, and snuggle on the couch with steve. i want to vent about the day, or watch a sitcom and zone out... i want familiar food for dinner, and i want him to hug me, because nothing in the world feels better than my husbands' arms around me.

instead, i end up back at my hotel, tired, emotional, with a sense of guilt. i'm tired because it's been a long day at work. i'm emotional because i'm running on emotional fumes [esp after going straight from having a house guest to traveling for work... i haven't had a few days in a row of normalcy with my husband in over a week]. and i'm sorry, but the phone call after that kind of day is bittersweet... bitter because there's nothing worse than only being able to hear the person you want to hold, but sweet, because the hearing is better than silence.

and the guilt... this part's kinda hard to explain. after a day like that, the last thing i want to do is try and go out... especially alone. i mean, i feel like my options are: a) get take out and stay in, watching tv for 4 straight hours, alone in my room... OR, b) go out and sit at a table for one. either way, i feel a little pathetic.

and the guilt for me is that if i choose to stay in, i'm missing this opportunity to actually do the "fun" part of traveling... i'd be taking advantage of this new place, and the culture it could provide me.


so tonight, i called home, talked for about 10 mins. [well, we really talked for like 5 mins, and then sat in almost silence for 3, and then decided to chat later... for me, it was because talking to him was making me too sad and lonely, so i needed to hang up and call back before bed. plus, he was in the middle of getting stuff done, so i didn't want to be a bother, esp if i wasn't saying anything.] then i got on the internet, and tried to cheer myself up by reading my blogs... and decided to go out for dinner... after all, i had a cute outfit on, and it's only day #2 of a 4 day trip... can't stay in just yet. i even found the menu to one of my favorite restaurants in this city [let's be honest, i've only been to like 4 restaurants in this city but it's one i knew i liked, and had a dish that was definitely worth repeating].

but then a funny thing happened... as soon as i opened the door to my room, i changed my mind. i suddenly didn't feel like getting my car out of the hotel garage or driving to another part of town... i just wanted something quick and easy... so i left my car keys in the room and headed to the hotel bar/restaurant.

you know why i did that? because at least here i can use the wifi and be distracted from the fact that i'm in a 13-story building full of people who don't even know my name. at least here, through this blog, i have someone to talk to, who [kinda sorta] knows me.

and that's what traveling is really like. it's a lot of time waiting, and a lot of time alone. and it's a lot of time away from the things that are familiar and comfortable.

it's official. i'm over traveling for work.

you like me!!

...you really really like me!!

i'm really feeling the blog love lately, since my pretty little window mistreatment has been getting featured around the blogosphere :)


just wanted to give a shout out to the ladies that featured me :)

...belle before and after :)

...waking lucia :)

...house of hepworths :)

...me making do :) [btw... *love* that blog name!! wish i'd thought of it!!]

thanks to each of you for the blog love :)

tucson.

tonight, i'm proud to live in tucson.

head over heels.

you know, in all the craziness with the lockers, i didn't tell you much about the bookshelf we also got from the auction.

it's a 7 ft beige bookshelf, metal, something very typical of an office.

here she is on the front porch, the place i do any of the work most people would do in a garage or driveway or basement. [my poor neighbors... i wouldn't blame them if they hated me.]

i decided that since i really liked the foggy grey i'd put on the lockers, i'd do the same with the bookshelf. i have to tell you, i did a quick and dirty job... i didn't go into every corner, and i didn't worry about primer or sanding or anything. i know, i know, it will probably get all scratched up and ugly in the next move, but i don't care. maybe it's because i'm lazy? maybe it's because i'd laid back? whatev.


so i painted this guy, and had him ready to move into the apt... but the problem was, i needed to make a spot for him [the plan was next to the lockers, but there wasn't enough space, since the desk that had been there previously wasn't quite as wide.]

here's the space that isn't quite wide enough...

[don't mind all those cords... they're for the printer.]

so we moved the milk crates that we use as a shoe cubby, and moved the black bookshelf to the left... all the way to the edge of the carpet.


it doesn't seem very far, but it's far enough to get the bookshelves in :) [you can tell because the poster is still up.]

[please note that stack of boxes to the right of the lockers... they, too, get a make over in this post...]

and... drum roll, please... you're going to *love* what this lovely bookshelf does for the wall...

really really great, huh?? all our stuff on the shelves warms up the space, and the depth of the shelves is *perfect*!! it's deep enough for all the stuff i wanted to put there, but not as deep as the lockers!! and having them next to eachother makes the lockers seem less massive by comparison. [you know... like how you'd rather not be photographed next to your stick-thin cousin, right? right??]

i need to do a little finessing with the styling, but at this point, the main goal was to get things settled before my mother in law came! [as it was, i only got 3 hours the night before she came, and steve only got 1!! he's such a trooper!!]

ok, remember that stack of boxes?? well, i went through them and was able to condense just a little, then i used a $3 roll of wrapping paper to hide that they're moving boxes and put them on top of the lockers, to be stored...

how do you like them apples?? too bad it only took me 18 months of living here to figure it out, and we'll likely be moving in 6 months... but i'm still proud of myself :)

[i wish i could get you a shot of the whole wall... but that would mean i'd have to step back, and as is, i'm in the hallway taking these :) ]

so, i am no longer ambivalent about these lockers... no ma'ams [and sirs?]... i am head. over. heels.

:) :) :) :) :) :) [that's what i do whenever i look at that wall.] :) :) :) :) :)


...as usual, i'll be linking to my favorites :) check them out, they may become your favorites too!!

the threat level is orange.

ok, so i told you i'd have a locker update today, but there's something that has to go up today... trust me on this one.

you know that i travel a lot for work... i mean, that's why i started the "where i was" style posts... because i've been traveling quite a bit in the past 12 months.

...well, let's fast forward to ten minutes ago... it's 6.45a and i'm getting on a plane for LA, to go do some work there today, and fly back tonight. i'm not usually able to just go for one day, so lucky me, i don't have to even carry a rollerboard bag... just my big purse/laptop carrier. and usually i'll toss my toiletries in there, in the FAA approved quart bag, nothing more than 2.5 oz each... i know the drill... i mean, it's what i do. i'll even go so far as to say that when it comes to getting through the security check point, if you had the choice between being behind me and someone else, you should choose to be behind me... i've got this thing down to a science.

but because i'm only going for the day, and not bringing toiletries, i figured i'd chance it and not go through my bag to take out my hand lotion. no quart bag or anything. i'm a rebel like that. after all, it's just a day trip, right??

so i go through the metal detector, and i'm waiting for my bag, and i see my bag in the scanner and the guy behind the screen calls for a bag check. the bag check guy walks over and i hear him say, "oh, you're going to love this one. [points to the monitors in two place] here. and here."

so the bag check guy takes my bag out and asks whose it is... i tell him it's mine and we wait for my laptop and shoes to come through. [by the way, that's the order they come through, so that shoes are last... when i say i have this down to a science, i mean science.]

he says that he has to go through my bag, and i say "ok, sure." he suggests that we go behind the plexiglass into the little room and that i take a seat in the little chair. i do this.

before he opens the bag, he asks, "is there anything sharp or pointy in here that could scratch or hurt me?"

i say, "no. but there are pens in there... i guess they're pointy."

he reaches into my bag a pulls out a kitchen steak knife. i gasp and apologize profusely. you see, i had brought it to work on tuesday, to slice up one of those big, juicy oranges. and nicely cleaned it and dropped it into my bag to make sure i didn't leave it at the office. brilliant.

and because i'm all laid back about this trip, it being only for the day and all, and since i haven't flown for work since november... i'm not exactly on my A game. maybe my science is slipping??

so i have the option of going back outside security with my contraband so that i can somehow get it home and keep it... or they can dispose of my weapon. [he didn't use these terms... he was very nice about all this.] i opted to part ways with the evidence that i was a terrorist.

and in case you're wondering, the threat level today is orange. and they're literally saying that over the PA right now.

faux ottoman.

remember the little tease i gave you a few days ago, a shot of some navy fabric with pins in it??

well, this is what it became...


[my apologies for the poor photos... this was taken while we were finishing the cleaning and decor updates before my mother in law came! some day, i'll have time, and i'll work on projects during the day, like normal bloggers do, and i'll take lovely photos with natural light :) at least this time, i got the natural light!]

do you know what's under that lovely navy cover with an inverted pleat?? one of these...

what can i say? i like to make storage pretty :) and since we don't have any real furniture, i'm working with what we've got :)

i have a couple of pillows i'm going to recover in a pretty new fabric to set on top of this guy to really make him look like an ottoman... but i ran out of time before the mother in law came :) plus, it wouldn't be me if i weren't starting a new project, and leaving it half-finished :) i swear, it's how i keep you coming back for more :)

and speaking of leaving you hanging... tomorrow, i'll have an update on my feelings about the lockers. [don't know what i'm talking about?? check this out.]

...and only 8 more days to vote on the poll on my blog about where i should move to...