Life and other happenings

Not much is going on here in my little world. I am working right now as much as I can, for some reason I am being possessed by the NEED to pay off bills. As of right now 3 credit cards will be paid off by the end of this year, and to that I feel proud. I am hoping that Penguin and I can buy a house next year, if not, I will just keep chugging away and maybe by 2011 at the latest we will become homeowners. Since I started with the pledge of starting October by getting in Shape thanks to the 30day Shred and Enell, I am starting to eat healthier too. Yes, Penguin and I did start to decrease our carbs, but just yesterday, I chose Smart Ones deserts over "real ice cream" as Penguin calls it. The desserts I chose have WW points, so while I can't afford to do WW right now, I can continue to try to watch my points. This Saturday is Kim and Phil's one year anniversary housewarming party and I am looking forward for the opportunity to see their new crib. (OMG did I just say that?) Anyway, before that I decided to join them for Step Out. It is a 5K run/walk, which of course I am walking this time around. Let's see how I do, and maybe I will try to find a 5K monthly and maybe by next spring I will be able to run them. (Wish me luck with that day dream). Anyway, not much else to report. Unfortunately, I will not be heading to Pittsburgh on Sunday, with the finances right now I chose to work over going out there. I am saddened, but I also need to do what is best for Penguin and I. Hope everyone has a good week.

New Do

Well, yesterday I got a new haircut. Here it is. Hope you like it! And no, I don't know how to turn the picture. Sorry.

New Plan..

So, I know I have said this before, many many times, but I have finally decided on a way to make myself happier amongst all of this stress. So, payday is this week and I am going to go to the enell website. J lives by them, and if they are good enough for her, they are good enough for me. Besides, I need a sportsbra for soccer, so it better get moving on getting one. But wait, there is more. I get out of work at about 7-715, and I am not always completely tired by that time. So, my plan...when I get out of work I am going to do the 30 day shred video that J gave me. I promised her I would do it, and I want too...no I need too, I just came up with other ways of putting off getting moving. Penguin and I have started to eat better...at least I don't always snack all the time, so now, I have an even better way of making sure I watch what I eat. I still try to eat the WW stuff, I might not be able to do ww right now, but I know how about how many points a day I was able to have. I also know I need to start running in order to get in shape for soccer, but who am I kidding. Sometimes going up the steps winds me. If I can get in shape starting with the 30 day shred, that will give me more motivation to keep it going. At the garage sale over the weekend I met a lady who lost 50 pounds in 5 months doing the Wii active game. While spending that kind of money is not a priority right now, it is something in the back of my mind that I have wanted now, probably since it came out. I also still get recipes and stuff from hungry-girl and I fell in love with one of her cookbooks. It is like 200 recipes under 200 calories. There is an entire chapter on cupcakes! So...that is what I am going to do. This weekend I am going to order my first enell sportsbra. And start the 30 day shred. Then, for my birthday, or well probably sooner I will order a second one. With playing soccer, I should probably have more than 1 sports bra. Anyway, that is my plan. I can work out and work off some of the stress all at the same time. Yeah, that does sound like a plan. Well, I better get back to work. Have a great day!

Tuesday

Things in the igloo are going. That is all I can say. Penguin has filled out a boat load of applications and we are kinda in a holding pattern. I try so hard not to show my frustration, and the harder I try not to show it, the more it comes out. I don't know what is wrong with me, and I feel terrible that Penguin always seems to bear the brunt of it. I wish I could find a magic genie lamp somewhere and poof make things better, but I can't and it frustrates me that I have no control over this. I just pray to God that things get better before I make them worse. It's going to be kinda crazy for me for a while until he finds a job. I feel the need to work to make sure that all the bills can continue to be paid and we will still have extra to grocery shop. If you talk to me on the phone or in person and I seem kinda short with you, I am apologizing now. I don't mean to be, and yes, I will be OK. I am just stressed. Sorry that I try so hard to keep things to myself and yet it comes out of me like I have diarrhea of the mouth. Hope all is well wherever you are.

Finally

I finally was able to upload some pictures from my digital camera, and Penguin found the cord for the other camera, so I know there will be more pictures shortly. If you follow me on facebook, you will see all of the honeymoon pictures that we took in Vegas on the one camera. Here, are some other pictures that I truly enjoyed. I cannot take the credit for all of them, but they were on my camera so I will put them here. The first is of my goddaughter and her mom from her soccer game in Philadelphia....

Here is one of my mom and the Philadelphia skyline...












And finally, one of my favorite pics that I have to upload right now from Vegas...









For those that don't know it, this is Joe's tribute to Nana H, and the Slovak Mafia.

Up and comings

So, this weekend is the neighborhood garage sale where my folks live. Penguin and I are heading there tomorrow to go through some of the stuff we left behind and to help them get organized for it. Then, my cousin the princess is coming over to her Vacation home to have a hangout and movie night. I am looking forward to that. I work Saturday night, so it will be a pretty low key weekend. Today, after I spoke with my sister J, I made it official. I applied for a job here in the hospital network that if I get it will increase my pay by $8/hr. It's not a lot, but it is something. If I don't get it, I will be a little disappointed, but I will just keep on doing what it is that I love. I am also in the process of finishing up my application to grad school. I have decided that I am not going to put it off anymore. I am looking at Drexel University's Acute Care/Critical Care Nurse Practitioner program. Tomorrow, I am mailing out my references and am going to work on finishing up my admission essay. Really, not much else is going on. Our lives haven't changed since we got married, just seems a lot less stressed at times. Hope everyone had a good week. See you all soon!

Tuesday was day 1 of our less carbs

Today was the first day of Penguin and my attempt at restructuring the way we eat. We have decided, that instead of making carbs the main piece of our meals, we are going to try to make it more of an accent piece. So, today, (well actually he started it last night), Penguin put a pork shoulder in our crock pot with some bbq pork spice packet that he got at the store, and we had pulled pork for dinner. Our dinner accents, Caesar salad and corn on the cob. For Penguin's first attempt at pulled pork it was yummy! For tomorrow, he already started it, again in the crock pot, and it is some chicken dinner thinger. Maybe we will start using the crock pot more often on days I work. So, here is what I am asking. If you have any crock pot/slow cooker recipes, send them our way! We would love to give them a whirl.

Weekend Recap

So, it was a crazy weekend for Penguin and I. First, we traveled through the rain and floods to Philadelphia on Friday to see my cuz Abbz play soccer. While her team (University of Pitt) lost, Abbz left the game with some killer sexy knees. Then, when the rain slowed down on Saturday, we headed to Brooklyn to hang out with the Brooklyn crew. We spent a lot of time just catching up and hanging out. Finally, Sunday was absolutely beautiful, and we traveled to Philadelphia again. This time, mom joined us as we watched the Abbster play soccer again. Unfortunately, Pitt lost again, but they did play better than Friday. I got to see Abbz again, and actually I have now seen her play more soccer in college than she played in soccer. As far as I know, she is the only frosh on the team to play all of the games. In fact, Abbz has played 940 minutes of soccer so far in her career. Every minute of every game. So, because of her, I am going to start getting in shape again. Not really because of her, but I was influenced by her. I have looked up local adult soccer leagues, and am waiting to here if there is a chance I can play again. I loved soccer, and miss not playing. So, hopefully I can play again, although I know I won't be like her. She rocks socks!

Cross your fingers...

Today is a big day for us. Penguin is going to take his placement exam so that he can start taking classes here at the local college. He is hoping that they offer some classes with a late start, like um October, but if not, he is slated to start Spring '10. I am really proud of him, he puts up with a lot of my gentle nudging, and finally, he is going back to school! Yay! Anyway, our apartment is starting to become a home, and I am going to try to take some pics this week and post them on here. I am still trying to find the cable for my cameras so I can upload Vegas pics, hopefully I find them or I can get the pics to go onto a memory card and then just put them on a disc to upload. Hmm, that sounds like a lot of work. I am also looking forward to Friday...Penguin and I are hoping to head to Philly to catch a Drexel soccer game. Actually, we are going because Abbz is playing against Drexel, but none the less that is one of her closest games. Other than that, not much else to talk about. The ICU here is busting at the seams, that we are sending critical patients to other hospitals. We even had to move 3 patients from the unit to a different unit, with an ICU nurse (tonight was my turn) and a nurse from that unit. All in all it seems like someone stood out on the highway with a sign that reads "4 hots and a cot" and then the bus pulled up and emptied out. I am not complaining....TRUST ME...it was way to early in the year for our census to drop and to have to use PTO. Anyway, that doesn't seem to be the case right now, and I am ok with that.
I hope everyone had a good Labor Day, I spent Sat with family and multiple picnics, and then spent Sunday and Monday working. Between work though, Penguin and I managed to catch up on Supernatural just in time for the new season to start on Thursday. Here's to a great week!

Something I Love

For many of you, you know how I love the most random things. One of these things that I love, is yogurt. Well, thanks to Hungry Girl, a website that I love, I found a new yogurt that I love, and that is good for you too. Well, Yoplait and Fiber One teamed together to make a 50 calorie snack yogurt, and I absolutely love, love, did I say love, the Peach flavor. It tastes just like a peach, and you can't even tell that there is fiber in it. It did however leave a little aftertaste in my mouth, but, it could also have been because I drank a cup of coffee before I ate it. HMM... Anyway, I also bought the key lime pie flavor, and I am looking forward to trying that too. Stay tuned to see how I like that one, and if there are any other flavors. In the mean time...have a great Friday!

Footnote:
(And no, this is not a commercial, I just thought I would blog this for those who are still trying to watch what they eat and want suggestions.)

I'mmmmmm Back!

Well, to some of you, I am sure you didn't even notice I was gone. And, quite frankly I wasn't really gone just preoccupied with recovering from the wedding and the honeymoon, and helping Penguin make our little abode more homely. We have also been going through wedding pics and writing out thank yous and I have been working mad crazy. We were going to go away last weekend, and I was hoping for some killer pics, but, Mother Nature had other plans, so we stayed home and spent some time hanging out with the family. Then, on Monday, Penguin and I went to a funeral and then unbeknownst to me I had to work. (I really thought I was off Monday, but apparently this is my four day week). So, between sleep, and trying to keep the abode clean, and changing my name on almost everything, I barely have time for myself. I am going to try to be more faithful at blogging, because it seems to be my outlet. I have to admit, it was like 1000 times easier to change my name with the government than where I work, and every time I turn in the materials that they need, they always need more! I am hoping to go to the DMV today and get my license changed, then I just have some last minute things to do. This weekend, my in-laws are coming in from Brooklyn, so I get to spend Sat with a boatload of family. Sunday and Monday I work, so my Labor Day fun is only one day. I can't believe that we are already in Sept, and this weekend Penguin and I are married a month already. Everyone at work keeps asking me how our relationship has changed since we got married, and quite frankly all I can say is that besides having a shorter last name, and for some reason sleeping longer, nothing else seems different. I am hoping that is a good thing. Anyway, I am back, and hopefully will be able to get our honeymoon pics off of my camera so I can post them on here and on facebook. Until then... here's to one of the final ways to get funnel cake...