This year has been filled with so many changes I don't even know where to start! I feel like a snake that was long overdue for a decent skin-shedding so now I'm shedding about 20 layers of skin at once and boy does it itch! But really, that's the best way I can describe this feeling inside of me. I itch.
I think you all know by now, but I left my job at Pizza Pipeline after 6 years in the company. I had thought that I still had 1-2 years left there, but an amazing job opportunity just fell into my lap and I couldn't pass it up. In July I accepted a job working as a Passenger Service Agent for Horizon Air at the Spokane Airport. Right now I am not scheduled for very many hours but my supervisors have all told me it is very easy to pick up shifts. So it will be hard not knowing for sure my schedule or hours every day for a while but I have made the necessary adjustements to my budget to accomodate this time in my life until I can move up in the company.
I am displeased because my phone has decided I don't need to take pictures anymore. I really want my contract to end with Sprint, so I am not getting a new phone. That means no pictures for a while. :( If I had a working camera phone I would post a (weird) picture of my fingernails. Because for the first time, they exist! After 10+ years of nail-biting and 6 years of working in food service I decided I just didn't have the capability of growing a decent nail, and I was fine with that. It was at the end of my week I spent at CSA101 training in Seattle that I first noticed my fingernails were actually growing. What! And now, 3 weeks down the road, I have real, honest to god, long(ish) nails. It's really weird typing with them. I haven't decided if they are going to stay yet, but for now they are a novelty and I am obsessed with them. I don't know what cured me of my nail-biting but apparently I just don't do that anymore. Which is just fine with me, way fewer gross fingers in my mouth this way. ;)
Another thing that I do now is my hair and makeup every day. Every. Day. I used to not care, because I was going to wear a hat all day at work so why bother with the hair and all my makeup was sweated off by noon at the latest (thank-you 500 degree oven!). But now, my makeup lasts all day! My hair stays in place, and lets face it, passengers like it when their agent looks good.
On that subject, I freaking LOVE my new job! Everyone is soooo nice, friendly, and helpful. Even the customers are great. I have gotten so many compliments on my customer service and smile, (from passengers) I can hardly believe people are really this nice! It's nice to be around people who appreciate me and take the time to tell me so. WAY different from working in the food service industry. Oh boy is it different.
In my personal life I've been making a lot of changes too. That's where most of the "itchiness" comes in. I feel like I've made so many adjustments already but still the itch persists so I know there are more changes to come!
I decided a few weeks ago to quit drinking for an undetermined amount of time. This decision came about in part because I need to tighten up my budget for a while until I get more hours at the airport, and in part because I really haven't been drinking that much these days so when I do I feel it's a waste of time and money anyways. I have a lot better things I could be doing with that money every month like paying rent, or making a car payment, right? It's been hard making the decision to quit, even if it is just temporarily though. With my friends, drinking is a social thing, which is fine! It just makes it hard to hang out the same way when I'm the only completely sober person in the room, but I am trying to still hang out and participate in the same activities regardless. A third reason I'm not drinking is because of the years I spent drinking while in a negative mood. My body became programmed that way to think that when I was drinking, something was upsetting me, and something usually was. I have washed my hands of those negative ways now, but still my subconcious has not figured out completely how to drink happily so I really want to take some time to reprogram myself in that aspect.
I am so happy right now. So this is what happiness feels like! About 2 years ago I was so burnt out on everything in life. I was sick of the dating game, I was sick of my job, I was sick of Spokane, I was sick of almost everyone in my life. I was miserable and didn't know what to do. I had acquired several thousand dollars worth of REALLY stupid debt so I felt like I was stuck with no way out. It was then that I started making positive changes in my life, and although it has taken a few years, I am proud to say I am now bad debt free and am living my life extremely positively and I refuse to sink back into that negative thinking. Turns out, you can change your life just by changing your thinking because by changing your thinking you almost unconciously change your actions! Last Thanksgiving I was visiting my brother Joel in Houston and we had a really nice long talk in the car my last night there. All my plans for changing my life were then in the baby stages of action and I told him my life was going to be different the next time I saw him. Well, I'm planning on going to Houston here in about 2-3 weeks, and I didn't lie! (I'm actually ahead of schedule too, it's only been 10 months, it didn't even take the whole year!)
I don't know what layer of skin I will be shedding next, but so far all the layers I've lost have made me a better person, so I am no longer afraid of what the future holds. In fact, I am SO excited for the future now. Onwards and upwards :)
Thursday, August 21, 2014
Friday, June 6, 2014
Winds of Change
Today marks exactly 1 week until the end of regular classes at SFCC. In just under 2 weeks I will turn in my last final and be DONE with classes for the year! And what a year it has been.
Some might call me crazy for pulling the ridiculous schedule I did these past 9 months. Working 50+ hours a week (while managing the most profitable Pizza Pipeline in Spokane I might add), taking 3 classes for the past 6 months (13 credits so I could reap the full financial benefits of being "full time"), playing on a PJs pool league, taking a few mini-vacations with the boyfriend, and somewhat maintaining a social standing with my closest friends.
I am SO glad school is almost over. These weekends filled with homework are definitely less than ideal! It will be awesome to be able to actually relax in my spare time, although by "relax" I probably mean do volunteer work, or disc golfing. Either way, I will be doing something I enjoy rather than plugging away doing meaningless homework assignments.
A few exciting things that are happening in my life: First, I have to give a shout out to my baby sister Hannah who is graduating from high school this week! I remember how exhilarating that day was for me and I hope she is equally excited to be done with this chapter in her life. For those of you who haven't heard, I am throwing her a graduation party at Rooks Park in Walla Walla on June 22nd. If you would like to attend, just let me know. The more the merrier! Secondly, my little sister Sarah is coming home from her year of studying abroad in France! I am also so extremely proud of her for being much braver than me and leaving the country and all that she knows for so long. I can't wait to sit down and chat with her and hear all about her adventures and hug her so tightly after she returns safely. More highlights of my family include baby bro Jonathan turning 15 and enrolling in drivers ed...scary! I can't wait for Joel and Dani's baby BOY to be born in August. I never knew being an auntie was so awesome until I met my niece Piper. My lil bro Joshua is so crazy good at soccer and excelling at school that I feel like a slacker compared to him! And of course there's Tony who will be getting married in October. He's all grown up! *sniff sniff* ah, life....
In my life I have a few exciting things happening too I guess. The Pizza Pipeline I manage is getting remolded, finally!! For those of you who have been inside of the store, you know it has needed this remodel badly. I am actually moving into my new office today :) Which brings me to my next segment: This is why we can't have nice things.
I have BIG plans for my new office! The old one had random collections of....well...everything from managers of years past. Now that we are moving I would finally like to get organized and get rid of some ghosts that reside in the old office walls. The first thing to go will definitely be the office chair. Sitting on that thing has been known to cause damage to your tail-bone. I'm thinking for my new office chair I want something regal that demands your attention and respect and screams, "I'm the boss" (for under $30)
Secondly, I will be getting a new filing cabinet that isn't broken and can fit all the employee files into it!
Thirdly, my back storage room. It is so big. So. Much. Room. For. Organization.
I realize that by now a few of you are scratching your heads at all this talk of me organizing. Especially those of you who have ever been in my car or my room. Uhhh we're talking about the same Beth, right? You caught me. It's true. While I very much enjoy a carefree, unscheduled lifestyle in my spare time, I am one of the most highly detailed, organized people ever when it comes to my professional life. I like things to be done right, the FIRST time. But enough about work, I do have some plans for me and my future as well.
I have been trying (unsuccessfully, clearly) to break into the airline business for 2 years now. Being a flight attendant is the job I have dreamed of doing since I was young. But alas, my job qualifications apparently are not a match for this job in the eyes of the hiring managers. Since I have been shot down so many times for being a flight attendant, I have lately turned my attention more towards working at the Spokane Airport for an airline doing reservations and such. Fingers crossed on that one! I think I need to expand my resume more to show I actually have skills (besides being ridiculously good looking and making the tastiest pizzas in town). So I am going to try to volunteer part-time this summer on the weekends. I know, that doesn't seem like much of a "vacation" but I do need to expand my skill-set so I don't have to make pizzas the rest of my life. And what looks better on a resume than volunteer work? Plus I get the satisfaction of helping a non-profit organization that truly needs my help. And who knows, I may find a new life calling while volunteering and be able to start actually working wherever it is I volunteer instead!
Well that about uses up all my time I had for a study break, so back to the grind. Only 2 more weeks. Less than that even. I can do this.
Some might call me crazy for pulling the ridiculous schedule I did these past 9 months. Working 50+ hours a week (while managing the most profitable Pizza Pipeline in Spokane I might add), taking 3 classes for the past 6 months (13 credits so I could reap the full financial benefits of being "full time"), playing on a PJs pool league, taking a few mini-vacations with the boyfriend, and somewhat maintaining a social standing with my closest friends.
I am SO glad school is almost over. These weekends filled with homework are definitely less than ideal! It will be awesome to be able to actually relax in my spare time, although by "relax" I probably mean do volunteer work, or disc golfing. Either way, I will be doing something I enjoy rather than plugging away doing meaningless homework assignments.
A few exciting things that are happening in my life: First, I have to give a shout out to my baby sister Hannah who is graduating from high school this week! I remember how exhilarating that day was for me and I hope she is equally excited to be done with this chapter in her life. For those of you who haven't heard, I am throwing her a graduation party at Rooks Park in Walla Walla on June 22nd. If you would like to attend, just let me know. The more the merrier! Secondly, my little sister Sarah is coming home from her year of studying abroad in France! I am also so extremely proud of her for being much braver than me and leaving the country and all that she knows for so long. I can't wait to sit down and chat with her and hear all about her adventures and hug her so tightly after she returns safely. More highlights of my family include baby bro Jonathan turning 15 and enrolling in drivers ed...scary! I can't wait for Joel and Dani's baby BOY to be born in August. I never knew being an auntie was so awesome until I met my niece Piper. My lil bro Joshua is so crazy good at soccer and excelling at school that I feel like a slacker compared to him! And of course there's Tony who will be getting married in October. He's all grown up! *sniff sniff* ah, life....
In my life I have a few exciting things happening too I guess. The Pizza Pipeline I manage is getting remolded, finally!! For those of you who have been inside of the store, you know it has needed this remodel badly. I am actually moving into my new office today :) Which brings me to my next segment: This is why we can't have nice things.
I have BIG plans for my new office! The old one had random collections of....well...everything from managers of years past. Now that we are moving I would finally like to get organized and get rid of some ghosts that reside in the old office walls. The first thing to go will definitely be the office chair. Sitting on that thing has been known to cause damage to your tail-bone. I'm thinking for my new office chair I want something regal that demands your attention and respect and screams, "I'm the boss" (for under $30)
maybe something like this.
ahaha. just kidding. But I am excited to get a new chair that I can actually sit comfortably in.
Secondly, I will be getting a new filing cabinet that isn't broken and can fit all the employee files into it!
Thirdly, my back storage room. It is so big. So. Much. Room. For. Organization.
I realize that by now a few of you are scratching your heads at all this talk of me organizing. Especially those of you who have ever been in my car or my room. Uhhh we're talking about the same Beth, right? You caught me. It's true. While I very much enjoy a carefree, unscheduled lifestyle in my spare time, I am one of the most highly detailed, organized people ever when it comes to my professional life. I like things to be done right, the FIRST time. But enough about work, I do have some plans for me and my future as well.
I have been trying (unsuccessfully, clearly) to break into the airline business for 2 years now. Being a flight attendant is the job I have dreamed of doing since I was young. But alas, my job qualifications apparently are not a match for this job in the eyes of the hiring managers. Since I have been shot down so many times for being a flight attendant, I have lately turned my attention more towards working at the Spokane Airport for an airline doing reservations and such. Fingers crossed on that one! I think I need to expand my resume more to show I actually have skills (besides being ridiculously good looking and making the tastiest pizzas in town). So I am going to try to volunteer part-time this summer on the weekends. I know, that doesn't seem like much of a "vacation" but I do need to expand my skill-set so I don't have to make pizzas the rest of my life. And what looks better on a resume than volunteer work? Plus I get the satisfaction of helping a non-profit organization that truly needs my help. And who knows, I may find a new life calling while volunteering and be able to start actually working wherever it is I volunteer instead!
Well that about uses up all my time I had for a study break, so back to the grind. Only 2 more weeks. Less than that even. I can do this.
Monday, February 3, 2014
I'm thankful for...
Okay, so I know it isn't November anymore, but lately I've been needing a few reminders that my life doesn't really suck, at all.
Some of you know I've been dealing with Winter Depression for the last 7 winters since my dad died. You would think by now I would realize the symptoms and be able to cope effectively. Nope... It took me 3 weeks of being miserable this year before I remembered "oh, hey, remember how you get depressed in the winter?! Lets do something about that!!" Seriously. 3 weeks. So thanks all you great friends of mine for sticking by me through that super not fun period. Now that I realized what I am going through and am not just 'going crazy' I am coming up with some remedies to get me through the next month of clouds. One of the things I came up with was writing a list of things I am thankful for. It is REALLY hard to do that when you are wallowing in the mud of depression, I promise. But so far, it has been working fairly well.
I am thankful for a job that pays well enough to pay the bills and still be able to save
I am thankful for the ability to be in school without paying a dime out of my own pocket
I am thankful for friends who care enough to still be around me in my moodiness (Mindy, Buddha, Jlo, Max1, Max2, Dan-the-man)
I am thankful for alcohol (oh yeah, that just happened)
Also I am thankful for my bartenders (Meadow, KC, Tazshra, Courtney - you guys have to deal with my crap probably the most!
I am thankful for weekends
I am thankful that winter only lasts a few months out of the year
I am thankful for my studded snow tires that allow me to get around safely in this white crap
I am thankful to my last week's self who remembered to take her vitamins so I could be healthy today
I am thankful that I have such a wonderful adopted family here in Spokane (Kourt, Kery, Krystal, Merytt, Josh, Peyton, Andrew and Brynlee, you guys are so good to me!)
I am thankful for still having random conversations with two of my besties Emily and Shilah. If the day finally comes when we lose touch I will cry giant, ugly tears. Fact
I am thankful for my little sister Hannah who randomly sends me funny snapchats, texts, or calls out of the blue just to tell me something about her day
I am thankful for my little sister Sarah who is much braver than I in almost every way and inspires me to do scary things, like study abroad for a year (I may be copying you soon...but in Spain)
I am thankful for my little brothers Joshua and Jonathan who still try to keep in touch with me even though we barely know each other. For the record, I think you both seem pretty awesome and I hope someday we can be best friends.
I am thankful for my older brother Joel who has always been exactly the type of big brother that I need. I can't think of a single time he has ever let me down, I'm so glad we got to have some good conversations the last time I was in Texas!
I am thankful for my sister-in-law Dani who makes beautiful babies with my brother and thinks I'm awesome even though we both know I'm weird
I am thankful for parents who raised me to be strong enough to get through the rough parts of life
I am thankful for random people I may not even know well who connect with me on facebook and offer me support and love from miles away
...I think that about wraps things up for now. I feel pretty good after typing all that out. Ha! Take THAT depression.
Also on my list of anti-depressants is possibly trying tanning...I know right, so weird. Still thinking about that one. So if anyone has any thought on that besides "you're going to die of skin cancer" let me know :P
Some of you know I've been dealing with Winter Depression for the last 7 winters since my dad died. You would think by now I would realize the symptoms and be able to cope effectively. Nope... It took me 3 weeks of being miserable this year before I remembered "oh, hey, remember how you get depressed in the winter?! Lets do something about that!!" Seriously. 3 weeks. So thanks all you great friends of mine for sticking by me through that super not fun period. Now that I realized what I am going through and am not just 'going crazy' I am coming up with some remedies to get me through the next month of clouds. One of the things I came up with was writing a list of things I am thankful for. It is REALLY hard to do that when you are wallowing in the mud of depression, I promise. But so far, it has been working fairly well.
I am thankful for a job that pays well enough to pay the bills and still be able to save
I am thankful for the ability to be in school without paying a dime out of my own pocket
I am thankful for friends who care enough to still be around me in my moodiness (Mindy, Buddha, Jlo, Max1, Max2, Dan-the-man)
I am thankful for alcohol (oh yeah, that just happened)
Also I am thankful for my bartenders (Meadow, KC, Tazshra, Courtney - you guys have to deal with my crap probably the most!
I am thankful for weekends
I am thankful that winter only lasts a few months out of the year
I am thankful for my studded snow tires that allow me to get around safely in this white crap
I am thankful to my last week's self who remembered to take her vitamins so I could be healthy today
I am thankful that I have such a wonderful adopted family here in Spokane (Kourt, Kery, Krystal, Merytt, Josh, Peyton, Andrew and Brynlee, you guys are so good to me!)
I am thankful for still having random conversations with two of my besties Emily and Shilah. If the day finally comes when we lose touch I will cry giant, ugly tears. Fact
I am thankful for my little sister Hannah who randomly sends me funny snapchats, texts, or calls out of the blue just to tell me something about her day
I am thankful for my little sister Sarah who is much braver than I in almost every way and inspires me to do scary things, like study abroad for a year (I may be copying you soon...but in Spain)
I am thankful for my little brothers Joshua and Jonathan who still try to keep in touch with me even though we barely know each other. For the record, I think you both seem pretty awesome and I hope someday we can be best friends.
I am thankful for my older brother Joel who has always been exactly the type of big brother that I need. I can't think of a single time he has ever let me down, I'm so glad we got to have some good conversations the last time I was in Texas!
I am thankful for my sister-in-law Dani who makes beautiful babies with my brother and thinks I'm awesome even though we both know I'm weird
I am thankful for parents who raised me to be strong enough to get through the rough parts of life
I am thankful for random people I may not even know well who connect with me on facebook and offer me support and love from miles away
...I think that about wraps things up for now. I feel pretty good after typing all that out. Ha! Take THAT depression.
Also on my list of anti-depressants is possibly trying tanning...I know right, so weird. Still thinking about that one. So if anyone has any thought on that besides "you're going to die of skin cancer" let me know :P
Thursday, January 16, 2014
Health Care
I am having a bit of a problem with the new health care laws.
Honestly, when I first heard about ObamaCare I though it was a great idea. Affordable health care for everyone! Yeah!
...I think I and the government have a little bit of a different of opinion on the word "affordable".
For starters, what the heck is up with the website? It sucks! I would expect more from a site like that. Secondly, apparently the website couldn't figure out my stuff because it told me I need to call this 1-800 number to get my quote. Who has time for 1-800 numbers? Also, if the website is so crappy, I'm gonna be even more apprehensive about calling because I can only imagine the lengthy wait times. Thirdly, my account has now been blocked "due to multiple access attempts" um, I'm sorry that I have SO many username/password combinations that I can't possibly remember them all. 3 attempts and then your account is locked "forever" is pretty extreme if you ask me. Because I have tried to log on several times since I was given the message to call a 1-800 number to see if maybe the website had fixed its issues and maybe I didn't have to call anymore. But nooooo, instead of the problem being fixed, I'm blocked. Thanks Obama! (That last was a reference to Jenna Marbles 'thanks obama' youtube video. here's the link, because she's hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkQxHlr2fXM ENJOY! But for reals, I think this one is actually Obama's problem.
Since I can't access the ObamaCare-sanctioned website, I decided to look into private health insurance sites. Now I'm really upset. You're telling me you want me to pay $165 a month for "just in case" insurance? Oh yeah, and then there's a $500+ deductible. Uhhh...no. I was more looking for like a $50 a month plan. You know, since I haven't been to the doctor in over 6 years, have no preexisting health conditions, am a young (23 year old) non-smoker, who is actively NOT trying to get pregnant. (I threw in that last one because I feel like if someone is on birth control they should get an extra discount since there is almost no chance of becoming pregnant and incurring the related doctor visit costs.) I also exercise regularly, eat healthy, (healthily? healthfully? sp?) and am not obese.
To further rant, the "crappy insurance" (because $165 is so cheap it covers almost nothing) wouldn't cover dental, doctor visits, or prescription meds. Basically everything is coming out of my pocket, unless something totally catastrophic happened like an extended hospital stay or major surgery, only then would I really NEED insurance so I wouldn't be left with crippling debt. I don't see anything like that happening anytime soon. I would like just in case insurance, but I feel like it shouldn't cost that much money.
In my opinion, I have a much higher chance of getting in a car wreck than needing to seek medical attention for some reason. My full-coverage car insurance is only $77 a month, and that's with 2 speeding tickets on my record. But you want me to pay $165 a month for something I haven't had to use in 6 years. NO THANKS! I know there are slightly better rates on the ObamaCare website wahealthplanfinder.org If I remember correctly the least expensive plan was $120 with a $5,000 deductible. Don't quote me on that, I am going off of memory here from a few months ago when I first checked. I am not paying that! Especially not the first year when the penalty fee is less than $100. I will just pay that for now. When it goes up? We'll see then. Hopefully whoever our new president is next term can iron out some of these kinks in the system.
By the way, I feel extremely under-informed on this topic, and I hate spouting out random, wrong, facts. So I welcome feedback on this topic (all topics I post about, but I am particularly interested in learning more about this one). So please let me know if I am missing something, or if you just want to discuss this subject further.
Honestly, when I first heard about ObamaCare I though it was a great idea. Affordable health care for everyone! Yeah!
...I think I and the government have a little bit of a different of opinion on the word "affordable".
For starters, what the heck is up with the website? It sucks! I would expect more from a site like that. Secondly, apparently the website couldn't figure out my stuff because it told me I need to call this 1-800 number to get my quote. Who has time for 1-800 numbers? Also, if the website is so crappy, I'm gonna be even more apprehensive about calling because I can only imagine the lengthy wait times. Thirdly, my account has now been blocked "due to multiple access attempts" um, I'm sorry that I have SO many username/password combinations that I can't possibly remember them all. 3 attempts and then your account is locked "forever" is pretty extreme if you ask me. Because I have tried to log on several times since I was given the message to call a 1-800 number to see if maybe the website had fixed its issues and maybe I didn't have to call anymore. But nooooo, instead of the problem being fixed, I'm blocked. Thanks Obama! (That last was a reference to Jenna Marbles 'thanks obama' youtube video. here's the link, because she's hilarious. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jkQxHlr2fXM ENJOY! But for reals, I think this one is actually Obama's problem.
Since I can't access the ObamaCare-sanctioned website, I decided to look into private health insurance sites. Now I'm really upset. You're telling me you want me to pay $165 a month for "just in case" insurance? Oh yeah, and then there's a $500+ deductible. Uhhh...no. I was more looking for like a $50 a month plan. You know, since I haven't been to the doctor in over 6 years, have no preexisting health conditions, am a young (23 year old) non-smoker, who is actively NOT trying to get pregnant. (I threw in that last one because I feel like if someone is on birth control they should get an extra discount since there is almost no chance of becoming pregnant and incurring the related doctor visit costs.) I also exercise regularly, eat healthy, (healthily? healthfully? sp?) and am not obese.
To further rant, the "crappy insurance" (because $165 is so cheap it covers almost nothing) wouldn't cover dental, doctor visits, or prescription meds. Basically everything is coming out of my pocket, unless something totally catastrophic happened like an extended hospital stay or major surgery, only then would I really NEED insurance so I wouldn't be left with crippling debt. I don't see anything like that happening anytime soon. I would like just in case insurance, but I feel like it shouldn't cost that much money.
In my opinion, I have a much higher chance of getting in a car wreck than needing to seek medical attention for some reason. My full-coverage car insurance is only $77 a month, and that's with 2 speeding tickets on my record. But you want me to pay $165 a month for something I haven't had to use in 6 years. NO THANKS! I know there are slightly better rates on the ObamaCare website wahealthplanfinder.org If I remember correctly the least expensive plan was $120 with a $5,000 deductible. Don't quote me on that, I am going off of memory here from a few months ago when I first checked. I am not paying that! Especially not the first year when the penalty fee is less than $100. I will just pay that for now. When it goes up? We'll see then. Hopefully whoever our new president is next term can iron out some of these kinks in the system.
By the way, I feel extremely under-informed on this topic, and I hate spouting out random, wrong, facts. So I welcome feedback on this topic (all topics I post about, but I am particularly interested in learning more about this one). So please let me know if I am missing something, or if you just want to discuss this subject further.
Tuesday, January 14, 2014
Low Carb Diet
Oh hey,
I'm back again, so soon!
Today I am going to go into detail about the diet I've been on, the pros and cons, my overall feelings about it...and so on and so forth. Just a disclaimer, if you don't want to hear about it, stop reading now!
For those of you still reading, yesterday officially marked 4 weeks of being on my low carb diet.
I have lost a total of 5 pounds, 2 inches off my waist, and 2 from my band size. Whoo-hoo!!
On the first week, I lost about 3 pounds. Everything I read warned about this: if you don't stay very hydrated during this diet you are going to lose water weight. So that happened. Then the next week I lost another 2 pounds. Going great! The third week I....gained 3 pounds? Not really sure what happened there, but I am pretty sure it had something to do with the 3 days of binge drinking I went on. (Week three was my last week before I started school aka my last week of freedom.) To punish myself, I did not go wild on cheat day. I had a sandwich, that was all the cheating I was allowed. Cuz let's be honest, 3 days of being drunk is pretty cheating, even if I was drinking whiskey diets the whole time that have no carbs, alcohol is not a part of this diet! Anyways, week four I lost those 3 pounds again. Bringing my total to 5 pounds.
It was REALLY hard to weigh myself only once a week. I know your weight fluctuates through the day and you should weigh yourself at the same time of day for an accurate account of weight loss which I did for my weekly weigh-ins! Especially the first week (after the initial carb cravings died down) I didn't feel like I was on a diet at ALL. I mean, who eats steak and eggs when they're on a diet?
Speaking of those cravings. Those cravings sucked. The first day was kind of whatever...I'm sure I've gone one day in my life before with just a few carbs, so no big deal. Day two my body was like, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME? I ate until my stomache hurt because I felt so hungry. That's when it dawned on me that maybe part of my over-eating problem before the diet was due to the fact that I ate when I was hungry. And half the time it probably wasn't hunger, just carb cravings. The third day I was fantasizing about eating an entire loaf of bread. Just the bread. All of it. The fourth day was actually not so bad, but all I wanted to eat all day was a goddamn sammich. And then that was about it! Getting through those first 3 days was the worst part of the whole diet. Now, I rarely have carb cravings (except for the day before cheat day when I start compiling a massive cheat menu)!
I wanted to talk about the effects this diet had on me as far as hunger though. I've always HATED girls who are all like "I forgot to eat today...and yesterday..." seriously? go eff yourself. I've eaten 5 times today and I'm still hungry! So, not to be that girl, but I sometimes forget to eat on this diet. My meals are very filling. I don't even have the urge to snack most of the time! Now I know that sounds great and all, but it turns out when you forget to eat and then go out drinking there can be rather disastrous results. I am not going to go into detail because honestly I'm embarrassed I was such an idiot not to think about eating before drinking, but I ended up blacking out on day three of my binge drinking (remember, I mentioned it, during week three of the diet, the week I gained 3 pounds back). Just to be clear, I do NOT enjoy drinking to the point of not remembering the night. I have a lot of friends who do, but I can't stand it at all. If I'm out with my friends having a good time, why would I want to not remember the night? I love my memories! So, definitely didn't mean to do that. I'm guessing the black out was a result of A. not eating a lot that day. (it was my day off, I wasn't on my work schedule to remind me, plus I didn't do ANYTHING all day prior to drinking so my body hadn't needed anything to give itself energy. and B. the fact that I am a beer drinker! Love my beer (blue moon is soooooo good). But, since beer is basically all carbs, for this diet I have switched to hard alcohol only. And I also forgot that would get me drunker than beer. So I was drinking normal beer amounts and BAM! Suddenly my night was gone. (I got home safe and sound, no worries, one of my roomies came and picked me up. I remembered who to call at least!)
So I guess my point is, you really shouldn't drink on this diet. I already knew that, but when I'm already giving up SO many guilty pleasures right now between working full time, and taking a full load of classes, AND being on a breadless diet, I didn't want to give up one more thing. So I decided drinking could stay. Although that has now been revised to "drinking can stay, but only one night a week, and if I am in a safe place and have a ride home and do not drink heavily!" That should cover it, right? It has to.
So I'm thinking I will stay on this diet a while longer, but with a few changes to what I am eating. Currently I am eating just a ton of meat. (I have one salad a day, don't freak out like my sister Hannah did when she came to visit.) Yes, I just ate steak and eggs for breakfast. But I'm going to have salad for lunch! Salad with pepperoni in it...or ground beef...and then I'll have bacon-wrapped meatloaf for dinner.
Yeah, that completely stays within the confines of a low carb, high protein diet, but I'm not too sure how healthy it is for someone like me who has massive health issues running in the family. So I am going to commit to this diet for another 4 weeks, but trying to get most of my protein from vegetables and chicken, turkey, and lean beef. No more bacon. (Or at least not as much)
I don't know what to call this diet. I called the last one "the opposite of vegan" diet. This one can be the healthy protein diet? I dunno, we'll work on the name later.
That's about all I've got for tonight. Homework time!
I'm back again, so soon!
Today I am going to go into detail about the diet I've been on, the pros and cons, my overall feelings about it...and so on and so forth. Just a disclaimer, if you don't want to hear about it, stop reading now!
For those of you still reading, yesterday officially marked 4 weeks of being on my low carb diet.
I have lost a total of 5 pounds, 2 inches off my waist, and 2 from my band size. Whoo-hoo!!
On the first week, I lost about 3 pounds. Everything I read warned about this: if you don't stay very hydrated during this diet you are going to lose water weight. So that happened. Then the next week I lost another 2 pounds. Going great! The third week I....gained 3 pounds? Not really sure what happened there, but I am pretty sure it had something to do with the 3 days of binge drinking I went on. (Week three was my last week before I started school aka my last week of freedom.) To punish myself, I did not go wild on cheat day. I had a sandwich, that was all the cheating I was allowed. Cuz let's be honest, 3 days of being drunk is pretty cheating, even if I was drinking whiskey diets the whole time that have no carbs, alcohol is not a part of this diet! Anyways, week four I lost those 3 pounds again. Bringing my total to 5 pounds.
It was REALLY hard to weigh myself only once a week. I know your weight fluctuates through the day and you should weigh yourself at the same time of day for an accurate account of weight loss which I did for my weekly weigh-ins! Especially the first week (after the initial carb cravings died down) I didn't feel like I was on a diet at ALL. I mean, who eats steak and eggs when they're on a diet?
Speaking of those cravings. Those cravings sucked. The first day was kind of whatever...I'm sure I've gone one day in my life before with just a few carbs, so no big deal. Day two my body was like, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING TO ME? I ate until my stomache hurt because I felt so hungry. That's when it dawned on me that maybe part of my over-eating problem before the diet was due to the fact that I ate when I was hungry. And half the time it probably wasn't hunger, just carb cravings. The third day I was fantasizing about eating an entire loaf of bread. Just the bread. All of it. The fourth day was actually not so bad, but all I wanted to eat all day was a goddamn sammich. And then that was about it! Getting through those first 3 days was the worst part of the whole diet. Now, I rarely have carb cravings (except for the day before cheat day when I start compiling a massive cheat menu)!
I wanted to talk about the effects this diet had on me as far as hunger though. I've always HATED girls who are all like "I forgot to eat today...and yesterday..." seriously? go eff yourself. I've eaten 5 times today and I'm still hungry! So, not to be that girl, but I sometimes forget to eat on this diet. My meals are very filling. I don't even have the urge to snack most of the time! Now I know that sounds great and all, but it turns out when you forget to eat and then go out drinking there can be rather disastrous results. I am not going to go into detail because honestly I'm embarrassed I was such an idiot not to think about eating before drinking, but I ended up blacking out on day three of my binge drinking (remember, I mentioned it, during week three of the diet, the week I gained 3 pounds back). Just to be clear, I do NOT enjoy drinking to the point of not remembering the night. I have a lot of friends who do, but I can't stand it at all. If I'm out with my friends having a good time, why would I want to not remember the night? I love my memories! So, definitely didn't mean to do that. I'm guessing the black out was a result of A. not eating a lot that day. (it was my day off, I wasn't on my work schedule to remind me, plus I didn't do ANYTHING all day prior to drinking so my body hadn't needed anything to give itself energy. and B. the fact that I am a beer drinker! Love my beer (blue moon is soooooo good). But, since beer is basically all carbs, for this diet I have switched to hard alcohol only. And I also forgot that would get me drunker than beer. So I was drinking normal beer amounts and BAM! Suddenly my night was gone. (I got home safe and sound, no worries, one of my roomies came and picked me up. I remembered who to call at least!)
So I guess my point is, you really shouldn't drink on this diet. I already knew that, but when I'm already giving up SO many guilty pleasures right now between working full time, and taking a full load of classes, AND being on a breadless diet, I didn't want to give up one more thing. So I decided drinking could stay. Although that has now been revised to "drinking can stay, but only one night a week, and if I am in a safe place and have a ride home and do not drink heavily!" That should cover it, right? It has to.
So I'm thinking I will stay on this diet a while longer, but with a few changes to what I am eating. Currently I am eating just a ton of meat. (I have one salad a day, don't freak out like my sister Hannah did when she came to visit.) Yes, I just ate steak and eggs for breakfast. But I'm going to have salad for lunch! Salad with pepperoni in it...or ground beef...and then I'll have bacon-wrapped meatloaf for dinner.
Yeah, that completely stays within the confines of a low carb, high protein diet, but I'm not too sure how healthy it is for someone like me who has massive health issues running in the family. So I am going to commit to this diet for another 4 weeks, but trying to get most of my protein from vegetables and chicken, turkey, and lean beef. No more bacon. (Or at least not as much)
I don't know what to call this diet. I called the last one "the opposite of vegan" diet. This one can be the healthy protein diet? I dunno, we'll work on the name later.
That's about all I've got for tonight. Homework time!
Wednesday, January 8, 2014
Happy New Year!!
To my dearest blogger friends whom I have so severely neglected...my bad!
I would use the excuse "I've been busy" but I have come to absolutely HATE that statement, and I will tell you exactly why right. now.
Have you ever had a friend say they were too busy to hang out...and then they check themselves in later at a movie with their boyfriend? Annoying, right? But we can hardly blame them, their love life is their priority.
Ah...see what I just did there? No?
I obnoxiously pointed out that we as humans are rarely "too busy" to to do something. "I'm too busy" should probably be re-phrased as "I have more important things to do". Not like that is a bad thing, I just don't like blame being put on busyness. Call it how it is!
I am one of the biggest hypocrites for writing this rant right now. I have used the busy excuse for all of my adult life (cuz, let's face it, I was never busy...more like bored to tears...as a home-schooled child). Maybe that's why I always choose to live a hectic life. I hate feeling lonely and ignored probably just as much as the next person, but since its selfish me, I feel like I hate the feeling more than anyone else in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE. How do you avoid being lonely? By being to busy to hang out anyways! Ha! Now what?!
Problem is, I grew out of that lonely stage. I now have a great life and am surrounded by awesome friends. But I still have this urge to make myself as inaccessible as possible...why? That is something I have decided to work on this year. (Not for the next 6 months or so though of course, the next 6 months are dedicated to getting some schooling/bill paying out of the way!)
Sigh. Someday...someday I will be more of a normal human being. (Is anyone exactly sure what being normal is anymore? Let me know...)
I was going to write about school, or my diet, or work, but I feel like that's all I ever write/talk about and quite frankly, even I am sick of hearing myself go on about these things.
I want at least 1 more week on my diet before I can make an informed blog post about it. 1 more week will be my 1 month mark, which is the length of diet I committed too, at which point I will decide what I think about it/if I would like to continue it. Btw...I actually stuck with something for a month! Well, 4 weeks. My life revolves around weeks (thank you Pizza Pipeline) so it's hard for me to think in any other format now. Anyways, the point is, I can do it!
OH YEAH! That's really the point I wanted to make here...(I forgot, I got carried away with my rant).
I got so used to using the "busy" excuse with my relationships that without even realizing it, I started using it on myself. I don't make home-cooked meals because I don't have time. I don't go to sleep on time because I'm too busy doing anything else. I turned myself into a lazy undisciplined ass! And now I'm dealing with it.
The biggest thing this diet has taught me is that I have control over my own body. I know you guys are saying "well duh" right now, but let me continue. Low carb dieting means I can eat basically nothing, anywhere. Definitely not any fast food or pizza at work. So without even thinking about it, I bought a weeks worth of meat and prepared it when I started dieting. It wasn't until I was shopping for the second week that it hit me...wait a minute...I DON'T HAVE TIME TO COOK! Silly me, what was I thinking? Apparently all this time I could have simply made cooking a priority and therefore had time to cook. Mind = blown. And then all the other things I could have made a priority came rushing to me over the last couple weeks...You mean I could make sleep a priority? Stop watching my shows and just go to sleep? You mean to tell me I could make my relationships a priority over work? (Now that is a hard one...I am a very dedicated worker.) But seriously, it makes my head hurt to recall how many times I chose furthering my management career over a relationship (romantic or friend). Not that all the guys deserved me to be giving 100% (I used to date a lot of douche bags) but there were one or two guys along the way that I actually really cared about, and I know cared about me, and I did not give them the priority in my life that they deserved.
I have no regrets, life would be pretty boring if we were born with all the wisdom in the world. I get it, we have to live life and learn. But man, I wish I wasn't such a slow learner!
The good news is, I'm way smarter now. Exponentially so. So...there.
P.S. I just spent 3 hours on homework, and now another 20 minutes on this post so I am now commanding my body to go to sleep! Because it's my body and I do what I want with it even when it doesn't want to.
Finally figuring out how to be in charge feels good :)
I would use the excuse "I've been busy" but I have come to absolutely HATE that statement, and I will tell you exactly why right. now.
Have you ever had a friend say they were too busy to hang out...and then they check themselves in later at a movie with their boyfriend? Annoying, right? But we can hardly blame them, their love life is their priority.
Ah...see what I just did there? No?
I obnoxiously pointed out that we as humans are rarely "too busy" to to do something. "I'm too busy" should probably be re-phrased as "I have more important things to do". Not like that is a bad thing, I just don't like blame being put on busyness. Call it how it is!
I am one of the biggest hypocrites for writing this rant right now. I have used the busy excuse for all of my adult life (cuz, let's face it, I was never busy...more like bored to tears...as a home-schooled child). Maybe that's why I always choose to live a hectic life. I hate feeling lonely and ignored probably just as much as the next person, but since its selfish me, I feel like I hate the feeling more than anyone else in the ENTIRE UNIVERSE. How do you avoid being lonely? By being to busy to hang out anyways! Ha! Now what?!
Problem is, I grew out of that lonely stage. I now have a great life and am surrounded by awesome friends. But I still have this urge to make myself as inaccessible as possible...why? That is something I have decided to work on this year. (Not for the next 6 months or so though of course, the next 6 months are dedicated to getting some schooling/bill paying out of the way!)
Sigh. Someday...someday I will be more of a normal human being. (Is anyone exactly sure what being normal is anymore? Let me know...)
I was going to write about school, or my diet, or work, but I feel like that's all I ever write/talk about and quite frankly, even I am sick of hearing myself go on about these things.
I want at least 1 more week on my diet before I can make an informed blog post about it. 1 more week will be my 1 month mark, which is the length of diet I committed too, at which point I will decide what I think about it/if I would like to continue it. Btw...I actually stuck with something for a month! Well, 4 weeks. My life revolves around weeks (thank you Pizza Pipeline) so it's hard for me to think in any other format now. Anyways, the point is, I can do it!
OH YEAH! That's really the point I wanted to make here...(I forgot, I got carried away with my rant).
I got so used to using the "busy" excuse with my relationships that without even realizing it, I started using it on myself. I don't make home-cooked meals because I don't have time. I don't go to sleep on time because I'm too busy doing anything else. I turned myself into a lazy undisciplined ass! And now I'm dealing with it.
The biggest thing this diet has taught me is that I have control over my own body. I know you guys are saying "well duh" right now, but let me continue. Low carb dieting means I can eat basically nothing, anywhere. Definitely not any fast food or pizza at work. So without even thinking about it, I bought a weeks worth of meat and prepared it when I started dieting. It wasn't until I was shopping for the second week that it hit me...wait a minute...I DON'T HAVE TIME TO COOK! Silly me, what was I thinking? Apparently all this time I could have simply made cooking a priority and therefore had time to cook. Mind = blown. And then all the other things I could have made a priority came rushing to me over the last couple weeks...You mean I could make sleep a priority? Stop watching my shows and just go to sleep? You mean to tell me I could make my relationships a priority over work? (Now that is a hard one...I am a very dedicated worker.) But seriously, it makes my head hurt to recall how many times I chose furthering my management career over a relationship (romantic or friend). Not that all the guys deserved me to be giving 100% (I used to date a lot of douche bags) but there were one or two guys along the way that I actually really cared about, and I know cared about me, and I did not give them the priority in my life that they deserved.
I have no regrets, life would be pretty boring if we were born with all the wisdom in the world. I get it, we have to live life and learn. But man, I wish I wasn't such a slow learner!
The good news is, I'm way smarter now. Exponentially so. So...there.
P.S. I just spent 3 hours on homework, and now another 20 minutes on this post so I am now commanding my body to go to sleep! Because it's my body and I do what I want with it even when it doesn't want to.
Finally figuring out how to be in charge feels good :)
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Busy times!
I think I left off last time I wrote talking about possibly taking some classes at Spokane Falls Community College this quarter. Well, I'm doing that! I'm taking Communications 101 in the evening on Monday and Wednesday and Business 101 online. I've got to say, I really wish I would have taken these classes the first time around when I was getting my AA instead of random fillers. But oh well, better late than never, eh? I probably have better life experiences by now to do better in these classes now anyways.
I forgot how busy life was when I was working full time as well as going to school! Although, not unlike my class choices, I feel I am much better prepared to handle the challenge this time around.
Today I hit the peak of my frustration. Nothing at work is going smoothly this week, from having way too many time-off requests to deal with while writing my schedule, to training a new management crew, I have had my hands FULL. Week 3 of school is apparently the official week to start loading on the homework...greeeeeaaaaaat. My favorite thing ever. On top of all that, I am fighting a head cold, and can't seem to get my sleeping schedule on track, leaving me feeling groggy and cranky far more often than I would like to admit.
Luckily for me, I was an extremely moody teenager. Anyone who knew me in high school can back me up on this: from depression to heights of joy in a matter of minutes. It was not fun for me (or the guys I dated). Since I have always been a problem solver, I decided to fix this very unpleasant quality in myself. It took a long time, but eventually I became an expert at diagnosing what was really bothering me and how to fix it, if possible, or sometimes all I could do was put a positive attitude on it. So today, I figured out what was really bothering me.
Thoughts: I am feeling overwhelmed, I can't do this work/school thing again. I'm going to fail out of classes again. I'm going to have a melt-down.
Reality: I have plenty of time to do both work and school. All summer long I was bored out of my mind just working, which is why I decided to take on the challenge of two classes in the first place.
So why am I freaking out? I miss my friends. I feel like I am missing out on having so much fun with you guys! I spent the entire summer hanging out with all of you either disc golfing or playing pool and it was a blast! Granted, I was spending way too much time at the bar having a ridiculously good time (not saying that's a bad thing, just realized it was not the most productive use of my time).
Solution: Friday is my friend day. I hereby pledge to do no homework or spend extra time at work on this day. Ta-daaaaaaah! I feel better already.
So to any of you reading this, please don't feel left out or ignored if I forget to text you back, or can't go out on a week night. I will sincerely TRY to hang out with you whenever I can, but some days that will simply be impossible. Please be patient with me as I try to find a healthy balance of my time between work, school, homework, and social time. Miss you all. :)
I forgot how busy life was when I was working full time as well as going to school! Although, not unlike my class choices, I feel I am much better prepared to handle the challenge this time around.
Today I hit the peak of my frustration. Nothing at work is going smoothly this week, from having way too many time-off requests to deal with while writing my schedule, to training a new management crew, I have had my hands FULL. Week 3 of school is apparently the official week to start loading on the homework...greeeeeaaaaaat. My favorite thing ever. On top of all that, I am fighting a head cold, and can't seem to get my sleeping schedule on track, leaving me feeling groggy and cranky far more often than I would like to admit.
Luckily for me, I was an extremely moody teenager. Anyone who knew me in high school can back me up on this: from depression to heights of joy in a matter of minutes. It was not fun for me (or the guys I dated). Since I have always been a problem solver, I decided to fix this very unpleasant quality in myself. It took a long time, but eventually I became an expert at diagnosing what was really bothering me and how to fix it, if possible, or sometimes all I could do was put a positive attitude on it. So today, I figured out what was really bothering me.
Thoughts: I am feeling overwhelmed, I can't do this work/school thing again. I'm going to fail out of classes again. I'm going to have a melt-down.
Reality: I have plenty of time to do both work and school. All summer long I was bored out of my mind just working, which is why I decided to take on the challenge of two classes in the first place.
So why am I freaking out? I miss my friends. I feel like I am missing out on having so much fun with you guys! I spent the entire summer hanging out with all of you either disc golfing or playing pool and it was a blast! Granted, I was spending way too much time at the bar having a ridiculously good time (not saying that's a bad thing, just realized it was not the most productive use of my time).
Solution: Friday is my friend day. I hereby pledge to do no homework or spend extra time at work on this day. Ta-daaaaaaah! I feel better already.
So to any of you reading this, please don't feel left out or ignored if I forget to text you back, or can't go out on a week night. I will sincerely TRY to hang out with you whenever I can, but some days that will simply be impossible. Please be patient with me as I try to find a healthy balance of my time between work, school, homework, and social time. Miss you all. :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)