Life on the edge...of being a blog...

So wow...it's one of those deep questions.  Is a blog really a blog if the blogger doesnt frequently post blogs? Will have to think on that one for a bit.

The last post was written in February...with snow on the ground and cold, cold misery in the air.  But, temperatures have warmed, and life is now good!  Except for that humidity.  But whatevs, i'll take this weather any day over snow & chattery teeth.

The spring semester wound to a close in early May, thank goodness! Now we can put microbiology behind us & concentrate on getting into a good school.  Hopefully one of them will take me...or both! Should know by the end of july/first week of august...any & all good vibes sent this way would be stellar!

Not long after the semester wound down, I met my mom, grandma & aunts & cousins in Rocheport for a girls weekend. It was SO much fun!  We all had a great time, and while I knew I was related to amazing women, this weekend just reinforced that feeling. We rented a house & while we were there went walking on the Katy trail, went antiquing around town, took a cooking class, and had a tasting & dinner at the winery up the road.  I HIGHLY recommend such a trip.  We had a great time.  You know, except for that a/c that broke.  Details, details.

Hmm...what else? Weeelll...I've been thoroughly enjoying my summer break from school by being as crafty as i can!  So far I have made NINE reversible aprons from this pattern.   Here they are being modeled by some very lovely women...well, you can sort of see them...but everyone got a different apron made from some very cute cotton fabric (if i do say so myself!).  Can you see me being a cheeseball in the background?  Guess this is what a night of making aprons with zero sleep will turn a person into. :)

(photo credit: the beautiful & talented http://chickinczech.blogspot.com/)

About a week ago we hosted a baby/bridal shower at our apartment for some girls I work with (one was getting married, a different one having a baby), and I promptly got to work on a baby afghan after finishing up the supercute aprons. 

Unfortunately I'm a fun hater & have no pictures for you of the afghan...but it was pink & brown & white, and just all around soft & cushy & wonderful.  It even had baby pink fleece binding on the sides to cover up the color changes.  CUTE!  Aside from the recipient being a July baby & thus not so much in need of warmth, I'm hoping it will be a keepsake for her.

After finishing up the baby afghan, i decided to make a SECOND baby afghan!  Crazy, right?  Nah.  So this one is pink & light green & white.  Supercute too. I dont have a picture for you yet b/c my camera is dead, but I will post one soon.  And by soon I mean sooner than Halloween. :)  And btw...this second baby afghan is NOT for me. Or for an offspring of mine (which i have none).  Or for an offspring which we are expecting (which we are NOT).  While I do have baby fever & readily admit to it...the sometimes blogger of this here blog is not about to be a babymomma just yet. :)    Side story...this weekend i was showing my grandma my progress on the afghan & she asked me with a twinkle in her eye in ever just so the right tone of voice..."and...so who might this blanket be for?"  Hehe...sorry, not so fast...unless than whole nursing school thing doesnt pan out.  Then maybe.  Ask JN.

So ANYway.  I guess I've been going through craft withdrawal b/c i have crammed more craftiness into the last month and a half than even martha stewart herself could shake a beautifully hand-painted self carved stick at.  Oh yeah, i forgot...i altered some clothes in there too.  Details.

So...if anyone is out there still reading...please tell me i'm not the only crafty crafterson out there...what are you working on for your summer projects?

smooches!
kt

The past decade - Newlywed-style!

My cousin's wife gave me this idea, and I thought I'd test Jeremy & I's memories to see where we've been for the last 10 years!  First installment - the wife!

2000 - The year two - thousand....Anybody remember those skits from Conan O'Brien? :)    Hmm...well, i dont remember a ton about that year, other than that it was partly my junior year of college, partly my senior year.  I lived with my dear friend Erin, who was the best roommate E.V.E.R. I loved living with Erin, and we had great times together in the 2 years we lived together! This year we lived in a house above some army ROTC kids, and it was a crazy, fun fun year.

2001 - This was a mixed up, busy, bittersweet year.  It started off terribly - I lost my friend Steve in a tragic accident in February, and bumbled my way through the next few months trying to make sense of the loss & cope with the grief.  Thank God for family & friends to lean on, because I did a lot of leaning during this time.  A lot of my friends at Truman graduated the following May, which was great for them, but somewhat sad for me!  I was sad to see them go!  But, this was my last year of college at Truman.  I studied abroad for 3 weeks at the end of the Spring/beginning of Summer semester, spending a week in Belgium and two weeks in Russia - Moscow & St. Petersburg.  I studied the emerging European Union, got to tour NATO headquarters, got lost in Bruges, got to touch the North Sea, toured Antwerp, studied at the Univ. of Moscow, toured the Kremlin & Stalin's tomb, walked through Red Square & past St. Basil's Cathedral, experienced an 8-hour red-eye train to St. Petersburg, toured the Hermitage...and much more!  That's just the highlights!  A life-changing experience, for sure.  The last semester was a blur, ending with GRADUATION!!  And a move from Kirksville to StL to KC, all in the span of 2 weeks.  Whew!

2002 - Moved to Kansas City & started a new job.  Pretty much didn't know a soul in the area, save for my cousin Sarah, and an old BF.  Made lots of new friends, and lots of trips home to StL.  After 9mos in the metro area I got smart & moved closer to my job & into downtown KC.  I also volunteered with the ACS late this year, starting a long relationship with the organization in memory of my Grandpa Norb, who lost his battle with cancer that March.

2003 - I was diagnosed with high cholesterol, and turned over a new leaf in an effort to get healthy & stay there.  I started running & changed my eating habits - in August I started training for my first marathon.  In October I ran my first half marathon - the Kansas City Half Marathon sponsored by Humana.  Also did a handful of other races, including the Great River Road Race in Alton the day before (or was it the day after?) Thanksgiving.  I did my last long run, 22 miles, around Lake St. Louis (literally)...with mom right there the whole way, knitting scarves for fundraising in between driving to each of my 2 mile water & fuel stops. That's one heckuva coach!  I also started working part time for the ACS in the spring of 2003, with my first shift falling on the one year anniversary of Grandpa's death...definitely gives personal meaning to the work done here.

2004 - Started the year with my first marathon in Hamilton, Bermuda with a time of 5:02; mom came with me & was one of my greatest supporters - she helped me to raise over $5,000 for the American Stroke Association!  I also had lots of help from friends & family in the form of running buddies, fundraising buddies & supporters, and just good vibes overall!  This was also the year I kicked the smoking habit, definitely  no small feat.  This was also the year I moved into the HL as the resident.

2005 - I ran TWO marathons this year!  The Walt Disney World marathon in Orlando Florida in January, and then the Chicago marathon.  I ran both of these with Mom, and we fundraised for the Disney marathon - an additional $3k!  And guess what - i ran THREE half marathons that year too!  Art & Sole St. Louis in April, Louis & Clark in St. Charles in September, Waddell & Reed in KC in October.  Talk about an overachieving year!  Who was that girl?!  Oh yeah, and if you can believe it, I squeezed in a trip to Italy with 3 of my BFF's!  We spent a week in a villa outside of Milan, and it was just amazing!  It was a little like the movie Planes Trains & Automobiles at times, but overall a memorable & relationship building trip for us. If it wasnt for sure before, it was now - these girls are FAMILY.

2006 -  I've racked my brain & can't come up with what races I ran in 2006.  It looks like for awhile my life was defined by what race i was training for.  But, 2006 was still a big year.  I started dating Jeremy in April, started a new job at the Big C in April also.  In August I moved out of the HL & in with my dear friend Denise.  So i guess that's enough change for a year!

2007 - Yet ANOTHER marathon this year...the Chicago marathon.  That race now qualifies as both the best & worst race in my life yet.  We only made it to mile 15, and I was a dehydrated, sore, sorry mess at that point.  They called the race due to lack of resouces (they ran out of water) and heat warnings. No lesson lost though, I decided to stop running for awhile until my heart was in it again.  It wasn't such a bad year though!  On Christmas Eve 2007 Jeremy proposed!

2008 - This was the deja vu year.  I returned to the mutual fund world, working alongside Jeremy & lots of old friends again for the first time in 2 years.  Also returned to the HL as the resident.  Funny how life comes full circle.  Spent the year planning for our wedding.

2009 - I got married! In April I married my heart Jeremy, surrounded by our family and friends.  Followed by a week in St. Lucia, aka Paradise.  In January I went back to school & had a 4.0 year, albeit one class at a time.  Also managed to get back on the running wagon & ran the Kansas City Half Marathon with my amazing & inspiring Mom.  Then I fell right back off the running wagon.

Reflecting back on all of that - goodness!  It was a busy 10 years!  There was a LOT of growing up done.  High highs (marriage, marathon finish lines), low lows (losing friends and family).  Personal growth.  No wonder I'm so tired!!

Hopes for the next decade, in no particular order:
-Run some more marathons!  Make exercise a more regular & less fitful part of my life.
-Graduate from nursing school, find a job I love so much that I dont mind going to work.
-Buy our first house.
-Start a family.
-Travel & experience new things!  this one's kinda general, but applies!


In the next installment - cross your fingers that i can get the last 10 years out of JN!  I've only been here for about 3 1/2 of them, so there's 7 years to go! :)

marvels of modern technology

Today is the first day of 6 consecutive days during which my only responsibility will be to put on sunscreen, get enough sleep and make sure i drink my fair share of beer. Or jack & lemonade. Or jello shots. Whatever. :) I like those kinds of responsibilities!!

Through sunday we will be floating on the current river with a bunch of my friends from high school, and then sunday afternoon through wednesday we'll be on Tablerock lake with my family. ~sigh of contentment~

The last 2 days at work have been kind of stressful...I've been stuck in all day planning & strategy meetings. Not that I dont thoroughly enjoy planning things, or working on my strategery, 8 hours a day straight of that can get kind of tiresome. Theres only so much planning you can do in your efforts to take over the world...sometimes you just gotta go on instinct. :)

During our planning & strategizing, we took time out for a team builder. I have to say, this is one of my most favorite things about working for my current employer...the effort that is put into helping you get to know your teammates & build positive relationships with all of them. I havent ever been in a group that works so hard, and so well together. The proof is found in our laser tag scores at the end of the teambuilder. Holy cow that was fun! There are some people you look at & think they are so calm and introverted, but once you put a laser gun in their hand & give them a dark warehouse to run around in, they become the craziest laser gun shootin associate you've ever seen! It was absoloutely hilarious.

So...I'm on the highway right now typing this, and we're about to go down a huge hill & lose my signal...so i'll update more later...hopefully with pics of the float trip.

Toodles!

This is the part where you want to give up...

Hey there!

I'm baaack....seems that since i don't post at work, the only real time i have to blog is tuesday nights, before i head to bed...so maybe this will be a weekly post? hmm...we'll see...

So, last week was a good week! I brought my lunch to work every day, a turkey sandwich on whole grain bread, mustard (sadly, no heart-stopping mayo), and 2% american cheese...some grapes...yogurt...an apple...also some yogurt, an orange & pretzels to snack on during the day. I also managed to keep my eating out at a minimum, so i saved both calories & money. woot! :) This week is starting off well, but i have 2 lunches scheduled during the week, and a girls night out dinner on thursday, so i'm trying really hard to make good choices. Today was one of the lunches scheduled, my team at work all went out to eat together to welcome some new members of the group. We went to the ameristar casino's sports restaurant...and instead of the mushroom & swiss burger i SO wanted to have, i opted instead for a grilled chicken sandwich. i had a few of the fries that came with it, but avoided them for the most part.

On the exercise front...lets see, last tuesday I posted about my workout that night...then wednesday I didnt do anything, recovered from that madness. Thursday after work I went swimming in the pool at the gym at work...which was definitely a reality check for my fitness ego. First i had trouble finding the pool from the locker room (total blonde moment), and then i proceeded to try & drink the entire pool. or at least, that's what it felt like from the amount of water i choked down! The last time i did laps of any sort was high school, sadly almost 10 years ago. oy. i dove into the warmup (no pun intended!) :), only to find out that i was so out of swimming shape that that was more like doing my actual workout, no warmup. I suffered, stuttered & sputtered through the workout, and when i saw the cooldown part of the workout i wheezed in disgust, dragged myself out of the water & shuffled back to the locker room in defeat. ~sigh~ Why cant i just be in good shape by the want to be in shape alone? all this...this...effort! It's wearing me out! :)

After that, i took the weekend off. We went to the lake & had a great time...just slept, and slept, and sunbathed, and went riding on the 4wheeler, and slept some more. awesome.

So, the new week starts with a bang yesterday, and so i'm back trying to stay on the wagon. Got up, made my usual lunch/snacks for the day, and headed off to work. oh wait--headed off sans gym bag. d'oh! so i ran when i got home...i was out there for about an hour, did about 4 miles i bet....give or take...had to walk some, but i ran the majority of it. Given that it was so hot, and humid, and i wasnt in the shade much if at all, i felt it was an hour well spent...i mightve been able to up the effort a scotsch, but i was pretty satisfied with the workout overall.

Today, no workout...i had to work tonite at the HL, and ended up cleaning 4 rooms. i'm hoping that counts for some exercise, because let me tell you, i'm pooped!

I have lunch plans for tomorrow, but am still planning on taking the gym bag so i can get a weights session in...and then thursday i have plans to meet with a friend who is good at swimming, so he can help me with my stroke, and hopefully motivate me to not be a sputtering, floundering, uncoordinated, whale-like person in the pool. :) i'll let you know next tuesday how it goes.

have a good week!
xoxo

a couple of after thoughts....
--i stepped on the scale this morning...that damn needle hasnt moved one iota! hex on you, scale!
--not sure if i shared or not, but i got the results back from my cholesterol test...brace yourself...310 total count. doesnt your heart stop working when it hits like, 290 or something? geez. time to up the fitness/healthy efforts.
~sigh~

**Sigh**

You are reading the post of a very tired girl...the last 4 workdays have been H-E-L-L...loong days at work, being busy nonstop from the time i get in till i leave, not getting to eat lunch until 4pm on a regular basis, guaranteed stress headache by 3:00 everyday. Booo....yes, this is me whining.... I want one day, just one, when i'm not asked to do 10 million things with the clear expectation that i will have time to do those 10million things when really there's only time to reasonably to 1 million of those things. no no no more!!! i would also like a day when i can comfortably get my job done and still have time to leave my desk to use the restroom or get lunch without someone standing at my desk when i get back with SOMETHING ELSE for me to do!! NO MORE!!! AAARRRGGGGHHHH!!!!

Have you ever seen that cartoon with the duck standing over his computer with a big sledge hammer? That's me, only its not just my computer, its the whole desk...computer (complete with zillion unread emails), phone (complete with blaring red light of voicemail doom), and papers strewn about. The whole kit & caboodle.

Ok...i'm done whining now...i think i got it out of my system...

On another note, happy st nicholas day everyone! I brought in cookies & fudge to work today to celebrate, although i believe i may be the only person in my group, possibly the whole company, who celebrates the day. heathens... ;) j/k.

On another note as well, I am taking a long weekend and going to Chicago this friday for a little R& R with my friend Denise. Cant wait!! Even though i know it is going to be INSANELY cold there, i'm so excited to have a weekend where it is my job to relax, spend some money christmas shopping, drink some margaritas and have some fun. Woohoo!! i seriously cannot wait...less than 72 hours!! Once we get there i may just hide in the Marshall Fields and not come back. It's a big department store...surely it wouldnt be THAT bad to live in...