Goals Update: November

I feel like I JUST filled out the October goals update.  The end of November marks the start of the Christmas countdown (YAY!) and also the departure of one of my terrible clients at work that has been making my life difficult.  So bring on December I say!

1. WORK ON MY 101 IN 1,001 LIST - One - finishing that movie list!  I think I need to keep this as a goal for next year.
   
2. SAY "YES" MORE OFTEN - I think the fact that I don't even realize I am saying yes more often is a good sign.  Sometimes I feel overextended, but I am enjoying the fact that I have a social life and am doing things that I maybe would've said no to.
   
3. SAVE, SAVE, SAVE - With Samson's $450 trip to the vet this month, I have not saved any money. December will be the big test.  I'm happy to have a little pocket of cash, but I would like it to keep growing...  I have been really good about only using money from my savings when I absolutely need it.

December is going to be really busy, so I'm hoping to get some good blog posts in to prepare for 2013.  Maybe it's time for a new blog look also?

Thinking of the title is the hardest thing

Sometimes, you stumble upon an outfit that you end up really liking.  And liking that outfit prompts you to put a little more effort in your hair and make up.  Or is that just me???

*sweater - Express, shirt - JCrew factory, skirt - Nordstrom, shoes - Nine West (old), necklace - me

I seriously need a mirror in my bedroom with better lighting.  I found a nice large leaning mirror at Target for $80, so maybe that will be my next apartment purchase.  Although, now looking at the photo on something other than my phone, that mirror does some crazy distortions... I look super skinny and that one leg doesn't even look like it belongs to me. :)

You may have noticed that above I said that the necklace was mine.  Well, I can't remember if I talked about this online DIY jewelry making course that I signed up for in September.  It took 5 weeks but the class taught me some great techniques and this necklace was the end result (with a bracelet) of the class.

It's not perfect - I still need to clip that gap closed in the front and the turquoise beads are too close together so they bunch, but for my first attempt at a major piece of jewelry, I'm pretty pleased.

Cannot believe  that tomorrow is the last day of November!

Crush 2012/2013

After a random phone conversation with Brooke (happens all the time), we got to talking about getting back in shape and holding each other accountable.  Hence the term "crush"... not that "I like him" kind of crush.  Anyways...

So on Monday we went for a run; I made something for dinner and we put together a spreadsheet to track our workouts for the weeks.  We added some rewards so that if we maintain certain levels of activity throughout the weeks, we treat ourselves at the end (end being the end of April).  Why April?  Because that's just when we stopped.  The more the dedication each week, the better the reward.

Also, we set it up so it's a team effort.  So if for some reason I have a travel week that makes it hard to work out, then she can pick up a day to cover.  We require one workout a week be something weight training/resistance.

We also want to try to make Monday and Wednesday our running days.  I'll have to see how this works out with my half marathon training schedule when we get into February.  For now, it's a great start.

Delayed gratification

Right before Hurricane Sandy, I ordered two rugs for my apartment from Rugs USA.  If you remember, I posted about the one in my bedroom here.  That one came right away.  The second one, for my dining room was back ordered and then delayed because of the storm.

FINALLY, it arrived yesterday and I couldn't wait to put it out (even without a rug pad).

I LOVE IT!

Sorry about the mess.  I'm in the middle of putting up holiday decorations and getting everything ready for my party next weekend.

The rug is really thick and soft so for the price I paid, it's a steal.

I'm so excited to see rooms in my place finally start to come together.  Little by little.

On a slightly unrelated note - it's almost December!  Here's my little apartment tree.

Post Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving was great.  I fully intended to recap the whole weekend, but I'm not optimistic that will happen.  I have a crazy busy week at work this week.

Maybe...

Anyways, here's my outfit for today...  new sweater AND new shoes!

*sweater - Express, pants - Macys, shoes - Target

I have some big things coming up to talk about...

1. My holiday party/Amanda's visit
2. My goal to lose 25 lbs before Lauren's wedding
3. 2013 goals

This one goes in the "can't believe I posted this on the internet" file

Last night I FINALLY got a haircut.  It's been since February and I needed one badly.  I was hesitant to find someone since I really liked my stylist back in DC.

Eventually I caved and scheduled an appointment with Brooke's friend/stylist/landlord, George.  It isn't too far from my office so I went directly from work.

We didn't do anything fancy, just a good trim - but he gave me some styling tips and I am STILL amazed.

He used a salt spray product that is supposed to give my fine hair some texture.  And then he curled it.

This photo is from an hour after -

And this one (I can't believe I am posting this on the internet) is from this morning - AFTER I slept on it!

That is just craziness.  NEVER has curl stayed in my hair that long and he didn't use any styling gel or hair spray.  Honestly, if I can replicate this on my own, George might just have a new stalker.

Sadly, I showered out the curls this morning and went SUPER casual... still cannot believe I am wearing leggings to work.  BUT, there aren't many people in the office because of the holiday and I have to pack up boxes today.  See, it's justified.... right?

*sweater - VS, leggings - Express, shoes & scarf - Target

Tonight, Samson and I are heading up to my parents place.  I wanted to get settled before the holiday and Lauren, Kevin, Liam and the dogs are coming down tomorrow.

#34 - Watch 26 new movies - one for each letter of the alphabet

I am not going to lie... this one took FOREVER.  I actually started tracking it in July when I first started my 101 list.  Granted, I am sure I forgot when I watched a movie I needed to, but finally I finished.  I should preface this list by saying, I watched some really stupid movies and some pretty legit movies.  Those are the chance you take when trying to watch so many movies.

Here is my list:  

The A-Team

Black Swan

The Conspirator

Date Night

Eat, Pray, Love

Friends with Kids

Get Him to the Greek

Harry Potter & The Deathly Hallows Pt.2

The Informant

The Joneses

Killers

Lovely Bones

Mister Roberts

No Strings Attached

The Other Guys

Paul Blart: Mall Cop

The Queen

Red Riding Hood

The Switch

Tangled
Unstoppable

Valkyrie

Wall Street 2: Money Never Sleeps

X-Men: First Class

You Again

Zombieland

The weekend recap

For those of you interested, my date on Friday night was very nice.  He was cute and polite and actually let me do some talking!  He was basically the polar opposite to guy #1.  So, we'll see what happens with that.

On Saturday, I headed up to my parents place to visit, do some laundry and see the Hales.  It was a nice Saturday and Melissa and I were even able to see the new Twilight movie.

Sunday, I did nothing.  Samson and I went for a walk.  I emptied my DVR and unpacked a lot of my Christmas decorations.  I started to put some stuff up, but will really have to wait for a tree to do the rest.

I'm so thankful this is a short week - I am only working today and tomorrow.  Today didn't start off too well when I ripped a hole into my favorite jeans...

Looks like I am relying on getting a haircut this afternoon to make my day better!

Perspective

*You've been warned.  This could get wordy.

Sometimes things happen in your life that reminds you how important it is to keep everything in perspective.

Sometimes it's a little dose of reality that makes you realize, "WTF am I doing?"

Sometimes it's as simple as online dating.

I know there are many of you are out there thinking, "Oh dear God, she is finally going to start writing about something interesting!"  And I promise you that I will do my best to keep you updated and still respect the privacy (mine included) of those involved.  Those of you who need the nitty gritty.. well, you know how to reach me. :)

Anyways, back to why I am writing this post in the first place.  Now that I am back in the dating market, I've realized just how much things have changed.  Mostly me.  I have changed.  I am a much different person than I was in 2008 when I was last dating.  Also, texting.  Back in 2008, you were texting... but you weren't texting like you are texting today.  Today, texting is a completely acceptable form of communication.  For almost every situation.  And while I understand why this is comfortable for dating (especially online dating), I find it a little too casual.   Too personal.  There is a safety thing there, I get that.  But I also wish people would realize that with texting, it is difficult to truly establish any sort of connection with someone and it's really hard to get the undertones of the conversation (this coming from a communication major who's favorite class was "non-verbal communication").

I bring up the texting (again!) because of how my week has progressed with Mr. R.  After our date on Sunday, he continued to text on Monday - which I expected.  It was great for a while, until I started to get tired of the (often) immature jokes and "potty" talk.  As the week continued (and the texts continued), I began to find myself getting a little snarky with him about some of the things he said.  At one point, I made a jab at him - poking fun - and things went downhill pretty quickly after that.

What I had learned was if I didn't find his jokes funny and didn't continue to play along, he wasn't interested in talking about anything else.  In fact, he would become downright rude.   The final straw was when he was telling me a Match-related story (that I guess was supposed to be funny) and I made an observation.  He called me a "B" and proceeded to tell me that if I didn't laugh, then I should say nothing.  When I tried to clarify myself, he continued to relate what I had done (or said) to a time he made a bad decision, even if he wasn't meaning to.  That decision still made him a "dipshit".

After I had time to calm down, I sent him a message back that what he had just said - or alluded to - was just plain mean.

Needless to say, we will not be having that date that was tentatively planned for Sunday.  I plan to write him an email today explaining to him how this little dating experiment will not be continuing.

I write this all down, not to blast him (though he does deserve it, the huge douche bag) but to remind myself that my gut feelings are right.  GO WITH YOUR GUT!  I left that date on Sunday just feeling okay about it. I was going to go out with him to give him the benefit of the doubt and to make sure that what I thought I felt after date one was really what I felt.  It won't even get that far.

This foray back into the dating world has really opened my eyes to many things.  I am glad I am doing it, but I need to keep in mind that my experiences will not always be positives one.  And that isn't necessarily a bad thing.

On a more positive note, I have another date tonight.  A first date with one of the other guys that emailed me a couple weeks ago.  This guy, Mr. M, took the initiative to call when he said he was going to (novel) AND researched some restaurants that might be good options for our date.  Three cheers for the guy that makes a bit of an effort!

Happy Friday people!

It's amazing what sleep will do

Last night was the first good night of sleep I've gotten in a while.  I fell asleep practically as soon as I turned the light off and didn't wake up until my alarm in the morning.  That was a good solid 8 hours of sleep!

I finally woke up feeling more rested.  It's amazing the difference it makes.

*sweater - JCrew, skirt - Express (old), tights - Target, shoes - Nordstrom, necklace - Banana Republic

And according to my car this morning and my facebook feed, I slept right through the first sprinkling of snow.

Yesterday, MEM forwarded along a few photos that were taken at my grandparent's anniversary party. Not that I'm biased, but we are a good looking bunch!

#36 - Go on a first date

So remember when I talked about my experience in online dating - like 2 weeks ago.

After that, I took a week or so off from checking my profile.  I didn't get on.  I didn't email anyone.  I didn't check my daily matches.  I was just annoyed.

So the Sunday after Leslie left, I figured I should probably go on and check and see what I missed.  I tweaked a couple of minor words in my profile so that it would show that I had updated my profile.  I don't even remember the changes because they were so minimal.  And then that night, I got emails from 3 guys.  Three seemingly decent guys in their 30s without weird hobbies and boring profiles.

So I emailed them all back and almost instantly one of them wrote me back again.  After a few back and forths, we gave each other our contact information.

This is where I put the disclaimer in.  If you recall, my issue with the last guy was that he was texting me "what's going on" every 2 hours.  It was f-ing annoying.  So this new guy - we'll call him Mr. R (sort of like a bond character - anyways)... he texts me.  And then texts me.  It was a pretty lengthy conversation and I found myself laughing out loud several times.  So apparently, texting is standard part of communication when dating in 2012.  I'm not going to say that I necessarily approve of this, but at least the texting was actual conversation and not "how was your drive home".

So we made tentative plans to do something on Sunday and he said he would confirm when it got closer.  On Sunday, he was texting me about how my weekend was going and I asked him what we decided on for the evening.  I picked a place relatively closed to me and we met there for a couple of drinks.

He was running a bit late because of traffic with the rain, but he text me and let me know that so I didn't leave my house too early.

In an effort to give the poor guy some privacy, all I will say was that the date was really nice.  He is cute, funny and very sweet.  He's also VERY chatty.  I'm not sure I actually did much talking on the date.  Which was okay for me since I like listening anyways.

After we were done, he walked me to my car and gave me a kiss goodnight.

And then on my way home I got a flat tire.  Thankfully, I made it back to my place before it was too bad. I was freaking out a bit since car stuff terrifies me - I don't know how to fix anything myself!   I let him know that I was home but had a flat and he insisted on coming over to change it for me.  Chilvary is not completely dead people!

So he left last night more rain soaked that I'm sure he wanted to be and with a promise that I would let him know when I had time available to do something again.

In retrospect, I realize that this date is the first actual date I've had since 2008.  Which makes it much more than a first date with someone I met online, but a first date that breaks starts my new life over.  I kind of dig that.

Weekend Recap

This weekend was BUSY!

Friday I had to go down to Joliet for a work meeting.  I got home at 4ish, so I had just enough time to walk Samson and then sit down to relax before meeting Brendan and Corey for the movie.

We went to see Skyfall - which was amazing!  I certainly haven't see all 23 Bond movies, but I've seen all the Daniel Craig movies and this one was definitely the best.

On Saturday, I was pretty lazy all day.  I tried to take a couple little naps to try and get my body back on a good sleep schedule.

On Saturday night, I was supposed to meet Brooke and another friend to get dinner and then see a concert at the Vic Theater.  So around 7, Brooke picked me up in a cab and we went down to the River North area to grab dinner at GT Fish & Oyster.  The place was packed, so we staked ourselves out at the bar and hovered over people until we got a few seats.  If you like oysters, this place was excellent!  We had a great time and ended up swinging by a random bar next door for a drink before our friend called it a night.

Not one to spoil the party, Brooke and I headed back up north to meet Brendan and his friends at a local bar.  And then completed the night by taking Brendan and Corey to our favorite 24-hour Mexican restaurant - El Presidente.

I gotta tell you - I am too old to be having mexican at 2:30am and going to bed at 4.  It killed me on Sunday.  So Sunday I went grocery shopping and did some cleaning, which were both things I avoided doing on Saturday.  Then, I walked Samson and got ready for my date.

Oh yeah... I had a date.  I'll recap that in a separate post.  :)

It's a photo post.

You guys - I am TIRED - and swamped today.  Instead of a legit post, I have a few random photos and I promise to update soon.

I have a busy weekend ahead.

Anyways, on to the photos.

First, I finally bought a rug for my bedroom.  Not going to lie, trying to unroll and lay out an 8x10 rug alone while your bed is already in place was NOT FUN.  I'm still getting used to it, but it really does make the room feel more pulled together.

*sorry about the stuff on the bed, that is stored underneath the bed usually.

On a more random note, I saw this shirt in the Indianapolis airport last night.  It made me giggle.  I love a punny (see what I did there) shirt.

Finally, here is my outfit today.  I have to go down and give a sales presentation in Joliet today.  I'm feeling pretty sassy (hence the two photos instead of the usual one).

*skirt & shirt - JCrew, jacket - H&M, shoes - Nine West (old)

And - a little arm candy (for you Leslie).

*the large bracelet and the two green/blue ones are ones I made.  The bangles are old and cheap

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Worse than mono

I don't know what my problem is but for the last couple of weeks, I have not been having good sleep.

I try going to bed early when I am falling asleep on the couch but I get up multiple times and toss and turn a lot.

It's making me feel like a zombie in the morning.  It's making me feel more tired and lethargic during the day than when I had mono back in college.

Tomorrow I have an all day trip to Indianapolis, so there won't be any posting.  I'm hoping to be back to normal on Friday.

Your Civic Duty

Falling asleep before 9pm does wonders on a night when you can barely keep your eyes open while eating dinner.

This morning I dressed in a hurry and drove up to Evanston to vote.

*shirt- Nordstrom (old), vest - Express (old), skirt - Jcrew, belt - Banana Republic, tights - Target, shoes - DSW

No matter what your decision is or who you vote for, I hope you do vote.

The busiest of busy weekends

This weekend was jam-packed and started early on Friday.

I rushed to get out of work before 2pm on Friday so that I could meet Leslie at my place and finish cooking some things for the Open House/Jewelry Trunk Show at my place that evening.  Melissa and Lauren came down before 4pm with Brody and Liam.

Everyone else started to arrive around 7ish.  It was mostly family, with Lindy, Makala and my grandma coming down for the suburbs, and a few girls from work.

Unfortunately, I did not get one picture of the nice set up Leslie put together with all the jewelry in the dining room.  Melissa, Lauren and I got to wear a bunch of the jewelry for the evening which was fun.  It's like test driving for jewelry.

I think everyone had a great time - I certainly did.  Leslie and I ended up doing some straightening up and heading to bed around midnight.

Saturday morning we had a slow start and then headed down to Soldier field to pick up our race day packets for the Hot Chocolate 5k on Sunday.  We ended up getting through the line in an hour and then headed straight up to the Hales house for a visit.

Jill was in town to babysit the kids so Melissa and Justin could go to her 10 year high school reunion and Leslie was looking forward to seeing Kayla.  We had a blast (even though Leslie and I were falling asleep on the floor - at least I was)!  I got some play time in with Brody which was nice.

The Hales had gone to Ikea in the morning and brought back a tent for Kayla.  She was in love!!

Then for the next 20-30 mins it was "MeMe dit (MeMe sit!)".  I gotta tell you, those tents are not made for adults.

Leslie and I finally made it home around 5ish, just enough time to pick up some pizza and watch the Five-Year Engagement (eh, not as good as I heard).  We had an early morning for the run.

My alarm went off at 5am on Sunday so I could walk Samson before we headed over to the red line to get down to Grant Park.  Our trip to the run was disastrous as worst, comical at best.  First, the red line was so packed, TWO trains passed by that we could not get on.  Time was running out, so we decided to find a cab to take us there - along with 100s of other people.  So we ended up running down to North Ave. and Sedgwick (3 miles from my place) before we finally found a cab.  Got as far as we could in the cab, ran to the race start, hopped a fence to get into one of the corrals and then waited 35 minutes until our group started.

*hopped the fence with no pants ripped!

We finished the race in 34 minutes which wasn't bad and really enjoyed our end of run Chocolate mug!

Mark it - November 2

November 2nd - The day I started listening to Christmas music.

It think this may be the earliest I've listened to it.

How early you begin celebrating Christmas is a HUGE contentious thing with people, have you noticed this? People are very black and white on the issue.  There are two parties:

The "sooner the better" crowd (this would be me) and the "not until after Thanksgiving" crowd.  To me, I don't believe one month is enough time to enjoy aspects of Christmas that I love (like the music).  So listening to Christmas music and adding some decorations in November is perfectly acceptable for me.

In my opinion, Thanksgiving is not a decorating holiday.  It's a holiday about thanks and food and family.  So, for all you other Christmas lovers out there - play your music proud... WHENEVER you want to.

God knows I am. :)

November!

I had full intentions of sitting down and writing a really nice post about something insightful and constructive.  And then I got to work...

I'm swamped right now and with my brain unable to focus on one thing at a time, I can't blog.

Hopefully tomorrow, but that's doubtful as well.

I'm having my first gathering at my place on Friday, so I will do my best to update on that!

I can't believe it's November already.  I'm thisclose to busting out the Christmas music - maybe I can hold off until next week. :)