Goals Update: June

Tomorrow starts my birthday month - Yippee!!

1. GET REGULAR EXERCISE/COMMIT TO THE GYM - I have been feeling really good about this.  With the exception of a week or two when I could only make it twice, I've been consistently going to the gym three times a week.  I feel good about it and I've been feeling a lot better about my body - which was what I wanted to achieve.  I'm still trying to get over to the beach yoga classes I signed up for, but the weather hasn't been cooperating.

2. DEVELOP THAT CAREER PATH - Well, as I mentioned - I passed my CAE exam.... I'm super excited about this.  This is a HUGE step for my career.  And hopefully I will have a job lined up here in the next week.  I'm making progress... but steps here.  

3. BE MORE WILLING TO BE SPUR OF THE MOMENT -  Trying.  My lack of a schedule right now allows me to be sort of spur of the moment at all times.  So it's hard to practice this right now. 

Life Update

Holy cow - I didn't realize I did not post during the ENTIRE month of June.  I'm sorry!

I'm not really sure where this blog is heading in the future.  It might disappear - like so many blogs when the time comes.

I have some updates to share with you all.

First, I had a BLAST during my very first pin up contest.  I didn't make it to the second round, but I made some new friends and had a fantastic time.  Here are a few photos from the day.

Strange Beauty Show did our hair for the day and Bomber Betty Cosmetics did our makeup.

 We had a photographer that walked around with us to take some photos.  It was fun to take a few photos with the classic cars.

Second, I PASSED my certification exam I took back in May!  I had forgotten about waiting for the results since it was 7-8 weeks since I took the exam.  But by the time that week rolled around (last week), I was SURE that I had failed and I was seriously avoiding checking my mail.  Thankfully, Justin told me that I should just suck it up and check it.  I almost fainted in the hallway when I opened it to see that I passed!!  This is a HUGE step towards my career goals.

Also, the very next day, I got a call that I was offered this job I really wanted.  I am going to wait to talk more about that until I actually have the contract signed and done...  it was a crazy week for sure!

Goals Update: May

While my employment situation continues to be at a standstill, I'm trying to be optimistic about having some summertime off.  I'm trying to schedule things so I can take advantage of it - free stuff. :)

1. GET REGULAR EXERCISE/COMMIT TO THE GYM - I'm back at it.  I restarted last week after my surgery recovery and I'm looking forward to continuing this.  Once I feel confident that my toe will be normal, I'd like to get back to the workouts that Lauren made for me.  For right now, I'm just pumping out about 45 minutes of circuit weight lifting on my own.

2. DEVELOP THAT CAREER PATH - Job hunting is priority #1 however, I should find out the results of my CAE exam (man, I'm nervous) in about 3-4 weeks... maybe 2 if I'm lucky.  

3. BE MORE WILLING TO BE SPUR OF THE MOMENT -  Trying.  My lack of a schedule right now allows me to be sort of spur of the moment at all times.  So it's hard to practice this right now. 

Well hello there!

Yikes!  I haven't written since May 7th.   Sorry about that!

I guess I hadn't had much to write about so I just figured why bother.  And honestly, I didn't really mind it.  I basically forgot I had a blog.  Maybe that's an indication?  We'll see.

So here's a little update I have for you:

JOB:
Still none.  I'm still job searching daily and applying to things that I am qualified for and am interested in.  But it isn't a lot.  I'm still waiting to hear from this head hunter about a job he contacted me about in April, so we'll see.  I really hope something comes up soon because I am honestly bored with not working and really tired of not having any money.

FOOT:
The foot is good.  I got the all clear from my doctor last Thursday so I won't be seeing her again unless I want her to remove the toenail completely because it's bothering me.  The nail is slowly growing in and she says that I won't really get the whole thing back, so we'll see.  I'm really more worried about what it looks like than I thought I would be.  At least I can fully function.

GYM:
I started back to the gym last week.  I waited a week longer than I wanted to because I was afraid I was going to do something to my toe.  But it's honestly been great.  I haven't been running or jumping yet, but soon.  I'm not really in a rush, especially since I'm not playing volleyball right now.

DATING:
Nothing much was happening on this front for a long time.  Guy #2 basically pulled excuse after excuse, so that was that.  Last week I went out with a new guy from Match.  He is very nice.  We went out again last night - so we'll see.  He's fun to hang out with, but I'm not sure I really feel attracted to him.

I snagged an outfit photo before my date last night

OTHERS:
This month has seemed really busy.  One of my old teammates got married two weeks ago and a bunch of my teammates were in town to celebrate.  We had a great weekend reconnecting and just having a blast.  I snagged a couple photos from the pretty crazy week.

 Me and Tera take a selfie

 Sprangers, Tera, Amanda, Me and Brooke

Then there were shots and fishbowl drinks - and things got crazy!

 Amanda and I heading off to the wedding

 Wedding attire - Sprangers, Amanda, Tera, Me, T, Brooke

 A little Sunday Funday in the cab ride home with Amanda and Brooke

 Finally, I took a leap of faith and entered a pinup contest with the MOTOBLOT event.  Shockingly, I made it to the top 20!!!!  That means I have to be onsite for the event on the 14th of June for audience voting.  EEEK!  I'll be spending the next couple of weeks practicing my pinup poses, picking out what I'm going to wear and figuring out my hairstyles!

Who wants an outfit post?

I will admit, being unemployed and finally back from surgery has made Megan a very boring girl.  :)

Last Friday marked one official week of being out of the boot.  It's a great feeling and I'm really looking forward to getting back into some regular shoes.  So far, I have been wearing flats, keds, sperrys or tennis shoes.  With Marie's wedding coming up next weekend, I'm trying to save all my heel time for then.

I finally took the CAE exam last Friday.  It was stressful and mentally exhausting and now I have to wait 6-8 weeks to find out if I passed or not.  Talk about stressful.

Now that I don't have to feel like staying at home to study, I am trying to get back out and do things.  Thankfully, my friend Jes is really great about inviting me to free things, like seeing the premier of Neighbors last night with her and a few friends.  So, I took the opportunity to take a little outfit photo, since lately it seems I don't get out of my sweats (or take a shower).  Go me. (ahem)

Since I lost some weight (right around the time I was let go from work), my jeans have all not fit very well.  This pair used to be SUPER tight.  Now they are like slightly baggy in the butt skinny jeans.  Come on summer, so I don't have to wear pants anymore.  The sweater I got while shopping on my last trip to San Fran.   Also, HAIR AND MAKEUP people.... HAIR AND MAKEUP.

While I am still working to find a job (please GOD soon), I need to remember to shower and make an effort to get out in public.  It really would help with my mental health.

Goals Update: April

How is April over already?  This seemed like both the longest month ever and yet the shortest. Blame it on the boot and no job.  I really miss working.

1. GET REGULAR EXERCISE/COMMIT TO THE GYM - Obviously not since I was in the boot the entire month.  I'm looking forward to getting back into it in the next couple of weeks.

2. DEVELOP THAT CAREER PATH - I take my CAE exam on Friday.  I'm super stressed and nervous about it.  I really want to pass.  I took a couple practice exams in the last couple of weeks and I was just under the passing rate.  LOTS of feedback from my other study mates that took the test in December said they were the same way and they ended up passing.  So I'm trying to stay positive.  I also had an interview yesterday, so hopefully I can get a job soon.  I really need to get back to working.  There are some advantages to being home all day, but I really miss interacting with people and feeling like a productive human being in society.

3. BE MORE WILLING TO BE SPUR OF THE MOMENT -  Well.... I would like to say I'm trying to do this, but I've been struggling being at home in the boot and without much money.  I'm trying to plan some things in the summer to get excited about.


I also should note that I haven't really updated much about dating - because nothing is really happening.  I've had a couple text conversations over the last month with Guy #2 but it's not going anywhere.  That has been the most frustrating thing - so I'm just trying to move on.  Hopefully getting out of the boot and trying to get some other things going in my life will help spur some dating.

No more boot!

Yesterday was my latest check up with my doctor following my surgery.  Today marks exactly 4 weeks since my surgery date.

The check up went really well.  She gave me to go ahead to stop wearing the boot unless I was hurting or sore.

So Thursday afternoon and evening I went back to regular shoes and today I haven't put the boot on once.  It's been really great to get back to walking normally, especially since walking Samson in the boot was starting to cause pain in my other knee and hip.

My doctor also gave me the go-ahead to get back to the gym (not running or jumping yet) in the next week or two, depending on how my foot feels in regular shoes.

I have a follow up appointment in 4 weeks to assess how the scar/incision looks.

So right now, I feel great.  The only bad news to this whole process was that she had to disrupt the nail bed to remove the entire bone spur, so I won't get my entire nail to grow back.  We'll see how I feel about it when it grows back.  Never thought a toe nail would make me feel so vain. :)

Cheers to getting out of that boot before the weather started to turn really nice.

The 101 Things in 1,001 days Recap

I have to be honest, I lost some energy on this list in 2013.  Having 1,001 days is a long time.  And several things on the list are things I'm not interested in anymore.  My life was very different on July 1, 2011 than it is today.

So here is my full list (because I took the link down) and all the links to the items I completed.  Plus, I've made a few notes on some of them.

1. Inspire someone else to write a list (Melissa, Lauren, and Kimmi all completed lists)
2. Donate blood - The one time I went to do this at a blood drive at my office, I couldn't because I had gotten a tattoo within the year.  I've been meaning to do this before I get my next tattoo and just never got around to it.
3. Make my business official - Honestly, while I still like making cards for myself or for holidays or for gifts or helping a family or friend, I'm not really interested anymore.  I think being stuck out in MD where I wasn't happy, this was more important to me.  Now I have other priorities.
4. Design business cards for my business
5. Clean out/organize my closet
6. Find my signature cocktail - I sort of did this.  I order an old fashioned or a French 75... or I get a beer. :)
7. Find myself the perfect "home"
8. Define my decorating style
9. Decorate that home in my style - I have been trying.  Money plays a big role in this.  But everyone who's been here really likes how I have it decorated, so I guess I achieved this more than I thought.
10. Find my "go to" date outfit - Nope.  Still need that perfect little date outfit. 
11. Have a picnic
12. Find my makeup must haves - get rid of the old stuff
13. Develop a skincare routine
14. Take a cooking class
15. Join a gym that offers classes
16. Throw a party for someone
17. Go skydiving
18. Ride in a hot air balloon
19. Own a DSLR camera - This was an expensive list item.  I still want one, but priorities, Megan.
20. Take a photography class
21. Run a half marathon
22. Host a dinner party - STILL WANT TO DO THIS
23. Take a dance class - and this
24. Get a facial
25. Own a pair of Louboutins - After several outings, I am pretty confident that there are not many opportunities for this.  He only runs up to a size 10 and his shoes run small... so...  
26. Have breakfast at Tiffany's
27. Take surfing lessons
28. Get scuba certified
29. Go to Paris
30. Learn Italian
31. Bake someone a birthday cake - I'm still going to do this sometime soon.  Just need the right time.
32. Create a unique piece of art
33. Go to a concert
34. Watch 26 new movies - one for each letter of the alphabet
35. Make a new friend
36. Go on a first date
37. Take a girls trip - Technically, this happened.  My grade school girlfriends took a weekend trip out to New York.  I think when I added this item, I had a big vacation in mind.  But technically, my trip counted.
38. See the sunrise and sunset on the same day
39. Visit 5 new museums
40. Attend a midnight premier of a movie
41. See a movie in 3D
42. Have my fortune told
43. Try a new food
44. Learn to say "I love you" in 10 languages
45. Learn how to shoot a gun
46. Go to the zoo 
47. Visit the aquarium
48. Make myself a piece of clothing - I want to do this with a skirt... Coming soon.
49. Write a handwritten letter to someone
50. Send a birthday card to each of my family members and close friends - I was SOOO close with this.  I went most of the year and then got busy and forgot.  Ugh.
51. Move to another city
52. Pay off my credit cards - This was wishful thinking
53. Watch 10 movies from the AFI Top 100 list that I haven't seen yet
54. Make a list of 100 things that make me happy
55. Go to Graceland
56. Travel first class
57. Learn 10 new recipes from my grandma - I still want to do this.  And I want to collect them into a recipe book.
58. Make a homemade pizza
59. Learn to drive stick
60. Don't complain about anything for one week
61. Make a snowman
62. Save $10 for every task I complete
63. Go skinny dipping
64. Try 10 new restaurants
65. Make bread from scratch - still want to do this.
66. Stay off Facebook for one week
67. Make my list of 10 places to see before I die
68. Take a picture in a photo booth
69. Grow a veggie garden
70. Ride in a helicopter
71. Babysit Kayla for a weekend
72. Take my parents out to dinner - still want to do this.
73. See an opera - and this.  Plus, I have that great Opera cape to wear!
74. Go on a brewery tour
75. Go to a costume party - and this.
76. Read 10 books recommended by friends
77. See a Broadway play (in NYC)
78. Go to a black tie event
79. Make a playlist of my 100 favorite songs
80. Host a theme party
81. Bake a soufflé
82. Make my own pasta
83. Climb the Eiffel tower
84. Go to an outdoor movie
85. Get a professional certification - SO CLOSE
86. Get another tattoo
87. Go zip-lining
88. Start a holiday tradition
89. Design 10 new invitations for my business
90. Make a "piggy bank" for my task completed deposits
91. Buy a lottery ticket
92. Buy a new mattress
93. Reupholster a piece of furniture
94. Live by myself for a year
95. Find the perfect LBD - Still on this mission.  I'm not sure "perfect" exists.  I have a few black dresses that can apply for numerous situations.
96. Finish a coloring book
97. Create a cookbook with family recipes
98. Have my makeup done professionally
99. Take a pottery class
100. Own a real vintage dress
101. Go paintballing - Maybe this year for my bday!

Goals Update: March

Shame on me for not getting this done.  I had no excuse.  Other than sitting around doing nothing post surgery.

1. GET REGULAR EXERCISE/COMMIT TO THE GYM - Oh, I was excellent at this for the two weeks right before I had surgery.  I had a great routine going.  I would wake up, walk Samson, and then wander over to the gym for about an hour.  I was home well before 11am and still had most of the day to get anything else done that I needed to do.  Then I had surgery.  At my check up last Monday, my doctor told me that it would be about a month until I could get back to the gym - but I think it will be sooner than that.  I have my next check up on Thursday, so hopefully I will be finishing up recovery soon.  I would really like to get back on the gym routine.  When I was going, I stepped on the scale at the gym (those scales are the worst!  Second only to the doctor's office.)  But I had lost about 10 lbs since I weighed myself last - so that was encouraging.  I have been trying hard to watch what I am eating during this time when I cannot get to the gym and have started doing some crunches and stuff that I can in my apartment.

2. DEVELOP THAT CAREER PATH - Well, I am slated to that the CAE certification exam on May 2nd.  Which means, I really have to push the studying for the next three weeks.  I have my flashcards done.  I've reviewed the chapters from one of the books and I hope to really get focused in the next few weeks.  This has been really tough for me because I have been unmotivated to study.  Even though I REALLY want to pass the exam and I know how important it can be for my career path.  Job wise - I've had a couple preliminary phone interviews and one email about a great opportunity.  Unfortunately, that opportunity won't even start interviewing until June/July.  So we'll see.  Every couple of days I job search.

3. BE MORE WILLING TO BE SPUR OF THE MOMENT -  Kind of hard to do without a job and since my surgery.  Nothing really more I can say to that.

A new look

One good thing to come from my home hiatus... a new blog look.  Those of you that use feeder and all those other streaming websites won't see it (I am on the feeder boat) - so peek on over to say hi.  Just thought it need a little refresher.

Also, I realized that while I have been a horrible blogger, I completely missed the goals update for March.  PLUS, my 101 list expired on March 29th!!!  I did not do as many things as I wanted to do, but I'm going to write one final post to comment on the things from my list.

I also hope to have a few more things to write about in the next couple of days.  No dating stories sadly, so don't get too excited. :)

Post Surgery

A little public service announcement to all of you...

if you ever have control over it, when you have to have surgery - GET TWILIGHT ANESTHESIA instead of full blown anesthesia.

Seriously.  While it was a little weird to be awake and talking to my anesthesiologist during the surgery, I had very little recovery time after the surgery.  In fact, all of the terrible feelings I remember from last surgery were gone this time.

My toe surgery was Friday morning at 7am.  I was ready to get it over with and treading the aftermath that I remembered from last time.  Thankfully, I felt great and only had to spend 20 minutes in recovery after the surgery.

Right now I am on limited mobility (no walking Samson, not a lot of activity) until I see my doctor again on Monday.  I was so thankful that my mom was able to come and stay with me until Monday and take care of Samson.  She also had to drive me up to Madison yesterday for a presentation (to hopefully get a job).  And now she is keeping Samson at their place so I don't have to worry about him until I get the OK from the doctor.

I am not really in any pain, which is really nice - but I am sooooo extremely bored it's not even funny.

I should be using this time to study for my CAE exam that's in a month....  yep, I should definitely be doing that.

:)

Hopefully I will have some more updates soon.  Sorry posting has been light.  I don't really have much going on right now.

Hello Out There!

I have completely slacked on blog posting.  No excuses, I just don't have much to talk about.

A few of you that have been bugging me for updates on life have been hearing about it constantly so I wasn't sure I needed to post.  But this is probably still good for reference.

The last I wrote was about St. Patty's day and the last time I saw guy #2.  Since there I have heard from him occasionally, but he hasn't made any move to ask to see me again.  So I'm not really sure where to go with that.  As I learn more about what he's doing, he is incredibly busy.  But there is a part of me still thinking - hey, if he was interested in seeing you, he would do it!"... So, that's where that stands.   Guy #1 is still around sometimes, but its so casual I can barely think about it as dating.  I heard from him last week while I had plans and there have only been a couple of texts since then.

I'm still on match, but nothing has really been progressing with that.  So, yeah.... that's about it from the dating end.  Not going to lie, I'm pretty bummed about Guy #2.

As for my professional life, that's not really progressing any faster than my dating life is.  I have a presentation next week for a potential job, but I don't know what the decision time line is for that.  I've been checking things online and there isn't much out there.  This week has started to set in the panic of realizing that I am not getting any more money coming in.  Yikes!  I did sign up to take my certification exam on May 2nd so I should really be spending this time reading/studying.  I need to stay focused on something!

On some good news (because right now this seems super depressing), I have been hitting the gym while I've been home and keeping an eye on my eating.  I have definitely lost weight, probably close to 10 lbs in the last 3 weeks or so!  It's definitely something I wasn't really focusing on and sort of happened while I was distracted with everything else.  The good news is that it has given me a new sense of purpose for right now.  Keeping on track with the weight loss - IE: Bikini Ready 2014!  Of course, this is going to become challenging for the next couple of weeks because I have my surgery on Friday and that will hinder my mobility for a while.  If I can keep on track with my eating, I should be able to push through that.

So that's all I got for you right now.  No dating, no job, and soon less mobility than ever.  2014 is not shaping up to be the Year of Megan right now...

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Sorry I haven't written in a while.  The transition from employed to unemployed has been difficult.

Also, admittedly I had a mental temper tantrum about the perceived fade away that guy #2 appeared to be pulling.

So the last week was a bit stressful - culminating a three week period of influx in my life.

I've mentioned on here that I don't do well with unplanned right? :)

After spending my last two mornings in the office on Monday and Tuesday, I spent Wednesday through Friday feeling sorry for myself by not accomplishing anything but walking Samson.  By the time Friday rolled around, I was officially bored.  So now I need to fix that.

Saturday was the big celebrate St. Patrick's day in Chicago.  I wasn't really feeling fighting the crowds of crazies, so Brooke was going to come over and my old coworker, Meg.  I ended up meeting Maren (from DC) for lunch before Meg and Brooke showed up.

While the three of us were just having a few drinks and chatting, I got a text from guy #2 who's plans had fallen through.  He ended up meeting the three of us over at Dry Hop for a few beers.  It kind of great.  Meg ended up leaving shortly after he got there.  We stayed until they closed and then walked back to my apartment since Brooke was staying with me.  He ended up leaving shortly after.  There wasn't really any discussion about going out again, but we did chat briefly about how his work schedule goes through periods of very busy to not as busy and right now was a very busy period.  So we'll see.

It was a pleasant surprise to hear from him on Saturday and even better that he showed up.

Today I am supposed to have my second date with guy #1, though we really haven't made any plans besides "let's do something on Monday".  Tomorrow I have to head up to Madison for a meeting regarding a job prospect and then Wednesday I am doing some babysitting for the Hales kids in the afternoon.

So my time is filling up.  It's easier when I am busy - obviously - to not think about everything that's gone down.  Plus, I have my surgery on the 28th, and then I will be a bit more restricted on what I can do.

Your Monday filler - An Outfit Post

It's been a while since I've posted an outfit post.  Mainly because this dismal winter weather has really reduced my interest in making an effort to get dressed for work.  My jeans and oversized sweaters have gotten a workout this winter.

Today it is supposed to me in the mid 50s!!!  So I am taking some springier clothes out to breathe!  Also, I'm trying to wear some normal shoes before my surgery.  Two-three weeks in a walking boot is not going to be enjoyable for me.

*shirt - Express, Jeans - Gap, shoes - Target, Scarf - Old Navy (old)

Date #3 Update

I know that 3 of you are waiting for an update.  Well, date #3 did not happen.

Because of a work conflict, he had to cancel.  He said he felt terrible and was so sorry.  When I said that I was disappointed but I understood, he said that he was super disappointed.

So there's that.

Right now there hasn't been any talk about rescheduling, so I'm not sure where to go with this.

I'm trying really hard not to overanalyze anything right now and just go with the flow.

I'll be sure to update you if we end up rescheduling... or I guess if that's the end of it, I'll also be updating you.*

*Trying not to be pessimistic today.  I may be failing.

Meeting Rory

In all the action that has gone on in the last couple of weeks, I haven't updated at all about my new nephew, Rory.

Lauren had her second son early in the morning the day after Valentine's day.

Because of my schedule, I decided that I was just going to visit them over this past weekend so that I could spend some time with everyone.

I headed up early on Saturday morning and came back home on Sunday.

It was so nice to see Liam and Lauren and Kevin.  And GREAT to get to see Rory, that handsome little devil.  :)

Liam loves your phone :)

This is Rory James.  He is so handsome, it kills me.  Watch out ladies!

I love him so much already!

And my visit wouldn't be complete without a snuggle with my girlfriends.  I feel like a bit of a pied piper when I visit the Houses.  Those dogs follow me every where.

A Second Date

*Disclaimer: I am currently sitting in the jury assembly room at the Skokie Courthouse... Because of course, after the week I had last week I would get called in for jury duty.

Last night I had my second date with Guy #2 from last week.  He had been giving me a hard time about having little opinion on what we did for date one, so I made the suggestion for date two.

We grabbed a bite to eat at a restaurant I picked near my place and then I wanted to take him to Jeni's. (Thanks for the suggestion Leslie!)

I was hoping he hadn't made it to Jeni's yet, but he had been there once.  It actually ended up working out because I showed him the PROPER way to experience Jeni's and he got a kick out of how passionate I was about ice cream.  I'm still not sure how to respond to that one.

It was only around 10 when we were done with our ice cream and I wasn't ready for the night to end yet (I hope he wasn't either).  So I suggested grabbing a drink and we crossed the street to stop into an Irish bar.

We had a great time chatting and he makes me laugh a lot... Which I love but was especially needed after the week I had.  We talked about random stuff and also about dating and online dating.

When we were ready to leave, he walked me to my car and there were a few goodnight kisses.

We made plans to go out again on Thursday.

It was so nice to be on an actual second date.  That first date awkwardness is gone and conversation is just different.  And it's been a long time since I have felt excited to hear from someone and thrilled about getting to see them again.

Can't wait until Thursday.

First Date #2 of the Week

Date #2 has an incredibly lengthy and sort of weird back story.   Let's see if I can sum it up in bullet points.

1. Guy #2 randomly follows me on Instagram sometime last year.  I check him out and follow him back after seeing he went to NIU also.  Random photo comment commences sporadically.
2. My friend, Meredith, tells me about this new dating app, Hinge, based on connections through facebook friends.  Very similar to Tinder but not necessary location specific.
3. After a week of being downright frustrated with Hinge and ready to give up, Guy #2 pops up as a "connection".  I say YES (obviously) and anxiously wait all day to see if we "matched".
4. Two days pass with no alert of a connection, so I quickly pout and move on.
5. Last Friday, I wake up to a message that "You and Guy #2 connected.  Say hi!"
6. Messaging via Hinge takes place.  I send him my number irritated by glitchy problems with the app.
7. Texting ensues.
8. After waiting 3 days to see if he was ever going to ask me out, I give up and ask him myself.
9. I find out that we actually "knew" each other in college and he admits he's wanted to grab a drink with me since then (and has had a bit of a crush on me).
10. Planned Thursday date.

So that's probably as simple as I can make that whole process.

Needless to say, I was pretty excited about this date.  This date was in the works before Date #1 was even an option and it was really hard for me to get excited about date #1 because I just couldn't wait to go out with this guy.  As I told my coworker, I am not sure I have ever been this excited about a date in probably a decade.  The upside - YEAH something positive this week.  The downside - I was totally in my head all week!  Instead of being casual and relaxed about this date, I was over-analyzing every text message.

ANYWAYS...  the date was terrific.

We hit it off right away (not surprising) and had a great time chatting.  I laughed a lot.  He is cute!  It was great.  And the best part... we had already agreed to see each other again on Monday before we even ended this date.

So really, aside from my shitty job situation and now the toe surgery, my week has been pretty awesome.  

I'm responsible for planning the second date - AH SECOND DATE!  I better get my thinking cap on.

And then God said, "this should be funny"

I know now that God has a sense of humor - and a really good one!  I'm not mad at him with how this week has panned out.  I think I actually reached the point with my employment that is acceptance.  This will be the kick in the butt I need to make the change I've been wanting to make for the last 18 months.  Anyways... what happened yesterday afternoon is what my title of this post is directly related to.

If you had told me last Sunday that THIS was how my week was going to go down, I would've laughed in your face.  A big old belly laugh.  

So with the job loss, two pending dates with two different people, I think God thought "eh, why not throw one more thing into the mix?"

*Disclaimer - if you are in any way squeamish... you may want to skip this post!

Yesterday, I had a pre-scheduled appointment with a podiatrist to take a look at the nail on my big toe.  It had been bothering me.  I messed around with it and it wasn't getting better.  My coworker thought I might have an ingrown, so I made an appointment like a good adult to see the doctor.

After seeing the doctor, she was concerned by the amount of irritation and said that in order to clean it and let anything drain, she would need to take the whole toe nail off and get a sample of what was under there.

So we went through the procedure of numbing my toe and then I had to look away when she was removing the nail.  I have a pretty tough stomach and most things don't bother me... but having a toe nail peeled off.  Ugh.  No thank you.

I was busying myself with my phone when I saw her reach to open the door and call out, "Nancy, bring the camera."

I will tell you.  That goes on the list of THINGS YOU NEVER WANT TO HEAR YOUR DOCTOR SAY.  For me, it goes directly under when my dentist was pulling teeth for implants and he goes "uh oh".  Seriously.  No dentist of doctor should EVER EVER say uh oh.

Anyways....  why she was asking for the camera was because there was a clearly defined "growth" underneath the nail that was pushing the nail away from the skin.  Hence the irritation and other issues.  She said because the "growth" was perfectly circular and felt hard, almost bony, there was a good chance it was "just a bone spur".

She threw out words like, or a cyst or small tumor - BUT NOTHING SERIOUS (I love how doctors do that) and sent me down to get an x-ray before I went home.  She said she would probably be able to call me and tell me by the end of the day.

So I went through the waiting process for the x-rays, stopped at CVS for gauze and supplies and headed home.  She said I would have only mild discomfort for the first couple of days until the skin started to toughen up, but she did not warn me that during the time that the numbing was wearing off - it felt like she was still attempting to rip off the nail!

She called me back around 6:30pm (while I was getting ready for my date) and told me that the x-rays confirmed it was a bone spur.  That they are VERY common, especially with athletes, and that I would need to schedule surgery so she could remove it.

And THAT is how God played a joke with my yesterday.  Fortunately, it did little to dissuade my enthusiasm for my date that night - which I will talk about it a follow up post. :)

Goals Update: February

On this week - the week when I seriously think God is messing around with me (he has quite a sense of humor), I have to update on my goals.  I'm going to try my hardest to keep what happened this week from completely derailing me on this.  Good luck, right?

1. GET REGULAR EXERCISE/COMMIT TO THE GYM - This did not happen.  I intended to and failed miserably.  No excuses, I just didn't do it. Given my new found situation in March, I was planning on using my free time to really hit the gym hard.  Then, yesterday, something else came up and that might not happen.  I'm writing a separate post about it.

2. DEVELOP THAT CAREER PATH - With approximately 10 days left in February, I received notice that I was eligible to sit for the CAE exam in early May.  This was EXACTLY what I was working towards to really push my career forward.  So, I'm trying to focus on the positives with this and not dwell on my impending unemployment.

3. BE MORE WILLING TO BE SPUR OF THE MOMENT -  Sort of, I guess.  I think this is going to be hard to measure every month, because sometimes I don't get the opportunity to even act spur of the moment.  

Trying not to jinx it - this week's dating

Over the course of the last week, I've been having a few conversations with people I've "met" through my various online dating channels.  Various - oh man - it's sad that it's so true.

Anyways, so over the weekend and Monday (which work was hitting the downhill slide), my dating life was getting interesting.  I'm dubbing this week my "playing the field" week.  Two dates with two different guys. 

You guys, this blog might just get interesting!  :)

Back to my point....I set a time to meet for drinks (yesterday) with Guy #1.  He and I have been "chatting" off and on since before Christmas.  He was that guy that thinks its okay to invite someone out "in 20 minutes", so I didn't think I was seriously going to meet him.  In fact, when we did actually pre-plan a date after Christmas, I ended up cancelling on him because I got a weird vibe and didn't want to go.

Long story short, we got back to chatting and decided to meet for a drink.  Given my work situation yesterday, I REALLY didn't want to go on a first day but knew  that if I cancelled on him again that this would be the end of that opportunity for him.  So I went.

And honestly, I'm really glad that I did.

He looked like his pictures.  I was actually attracted to him (imagine that).  He was very personable and chatty.  We had a really nice time talking about everything and anything.   And when the date was over, he gave me a kiss on the cheek, asked me to text him that I got home okay and said he would like to see me again.

So score one for the dating life this week.  We'll see when we get around to planning something again.

I have my first date with Guy #2 tomorrow - someone I actually know from college (very loosely).  Should be interesting.  I have actually been really excited about this date, so we'll see.

What a week

I am not sure I'm ready to discuss what's going on at work, but really anyone reading this would already know that I am being let go.

To make a really long story short, we've been having issues with our biggest association client since the new president came on in November.  On Monday, a forwarded email made its way to me that made a "before we fire them" comment.  So with losing this client, my small company cannot afford to pay me anymore.

So there's that.

I know am in the process of dealing with negotiations about when my officially "last 30 days" starts and how much I have to be in the office.

I will tell you, this situation has been handled extremely poorly!  But I'm not going to write about any details until everything is done here.  That's the last thing I need to deal with.  Which reminds me, this blog is no longer going to be searchable to the public.  There's really no point.

This post sucks.  I'm sorry.

Though, on the bright side, while my professional life is crumbling around me - my dating life is actually taking an interesting turn.

I'll write about this week's dating in a follow up post.

First date repeat

I have a feeling these first date posts are all starting to sound familiar.  I feel that way because all these first dates are starting to blend together in my mind.... because they all have a same theme.

zzzzzzzzzzz

Well, you will see.

A few short days after joining match, I received an email from a guy named D.  He seemed very nice and said that he enjoyed the fact that I was tall and that my family was important to me.  He was tall (6'5) and his profile implied that we may have quite a bit in common.  We emailed back and forth a couple times and then he asked if he could call me since he felt it was easier to get to know each other.  I, of course, said yes because (as I may have mentioned before), I really hate this whole texting phenomenon.

We picked a day to talk and ended up chatting for about an hour on the phone.  It was very nice, although there were a few things that stuck out for me as odd.  This is where I admit that online dating - or generally not dating much - has really made me feel hyper critical.  If there is something (even if it's stupid) that gives me a weird vibe, I tend to follow my gut and bail.  It's worked out for me - if you consider the first date and done behavior working out.  Anyways, we tentatively set a date time for the following Saturday and would be in touch again during the week.

We chatted on the phone one more time during the week to set plans for Saturday and I was actually looking forward to getting back out again.

Saturday came around and I was a little less than enthusiastic about it.  I blame it on the general winter feeling of NEVER WANTING TO LEAVE THE HOUSE.  This winter has sucked.

So I went.  We met at a restaurant I had never tried, but was familiar with the area.  He was waiting for me when I got there.

Now is the point (for all you non-online daters - which is basically everyone that reads this blog) where I tell you about the "blind date meet".  When you only have photos that the individual has selected to share, there are one of two things that can happen the first time you actually meet someone in person.

The first, the person shows up and is slightly better looking than they were in their photos.  There's a decent chance that this happens since photos aren't always the most accurate representation.

The second, the person shows up and does not look as good as their photos - OR - not even remotely close to their photos.  I'm sure you remember the date I had last year where the guy was a good 10 years older and 40 pounds heavier than his photos.  I will never understand why people don't attempt to put an accurate reflection of themselves online.  People don't like to be tricked.

Anyways, I'm regressing.  Getting back to my date.  So needless to say, when I first say D he was the latter.  Slightly less cute than he appeared in his pictures.  There was not an attraction on my part, but I knew that he was at least nice, so the date wouldn't be a total bust.

To spare you the recap of the entire dinner date, let's just say this.  He was certainly nice.  Almost too nice.  So nice is was kind of boring.

I feel terrible saying that, but he was.  The lack of general physical attraction plus the boringness did not bode well for a follow up date.  At the end of the evening, he said that we should do this again (this is starting to sound like a broken record of dates).  I told him that I had to head out of town and he said he would touch base when I returned.

Since then, not a peep.  I expected him to be the guy that would text a follow up after the date, and he didn't.  And to be honest, I didn't reach out to him either.

So, we'll chalk this up to another one-and-done date.  I'm getting good at these.

Hello blog

For a second there I completely forgot I had a blog.  I traveled again last week for work, and now I have over a month of no travel.  I can't wait.

Since it's been a while since I posted any outfit posts, I snapped a quick picture this morning.

I love when I can find ways to sneak in wearing my workout pants to work.

The sweater is a new purchase from a boutique in San Francisco that I bought over the weekend.

So here's an outfit post (not sure why its so blurry) to hold you over while I work on a blog post about my date last weekend from Match.

*boots - old navy (old), sweater - Ideeli boutique, pants - target

Giving Match another go around

I feel like there are several posts on here about how I am completely done doing any online dating.  And I'm sure I really meant it.

But after being prodded by another single friend, I decided that since I'm clearly not dating on my own, I might as well give Match another shot.

So while my How About We account is floundering in inactivity, I started Match for 6 months.

At the very least, hopefully, it will provide some more blog stories. :)

Goals Update: January

It's time to get down to business - again.

Traveling twice this morning really put my schedule out of whack... and I hate not being on a schedule!  So let's get right into the 2014 goals.

1. GET REGULAR EXERCISE/COMMIT TO THE GYM - Um started.... with plans to get better.  I finally got a three day workout from Lauren and have gone to try out the first two days.  With travel and already made plans, I did my best.  My goal is to start next week (that first week of February) with a regular 3 day schedule.  Then, I would like to find a class or two to add in each week.  It's been a slow start, but I feel guilty about it - so there's hope it will actually happen.

2. DEVELOP THAT CAREER PATH - Well on my way.  I signed up for the remaining classes I needed to get my 100 credits to apply for the CAE exam in May.  Which means now I better start studying!  Also, my mentor invited me to a Executive Forum as her "rising star" and my resume is being circulated.  This is a really good start.

3. BE MORE WILLING TO BE SPUR OF THE MOMENT -  haha,  um.  Well, I haven't had too many opportunities this month because of things already being booked and travel for work.  We'll see how February goes.

Happy Birthday Kayla!

Today is Kayla's 3rd birthday.  I can't believe it was already three years ago that I was driving down to the hospital late on a Friday night to meet this little one.

She totally rocks my world and I hope that she and I maintain a close relationship as she gets older.

Golden Globes 2014 Fashion

I love Award show season purely for the red carpets.  Though, to be honest, you get better views of the dresses in the photos after.  They don't see to show anything worthwhile during those red carpet shows.  And E!, that mani-cam.... enough.

I yesterday I had on the pre-show and the pre-pre-show while I was doing some other stuff and only made it through the first hour and a half before I bailed to watch Downton Abbey.

I did scope out quite a few dresses and after browsing again this morning online, I have three categories.  LOVE, Undecided, and Incredibly disappointed/What was she thinking!

So, on with the photos!

LOVE

Cate Blanchett - the dark lace... the back.... the simple hair and jewelry.  Amazing!

I mean, check out that back!

 Julianna Margulies - She said on the red carpet she felt very "bad princess".  I kind of liked that about it.

Kate Beckinsale - LOVE, although she doesn't tend to wear the same thing all the time.

Lily Rabe - I don't watch American Horror Story so I had to look her up.  But this dress is amazing.

Lupita Nyong - I know it is very similar to Gwyneth Paltrow's 2012 Oscar dress, but it's still lovely.

Margot Robbie - So simple and very wearable for us non-celebrities.  I see a Rent the Runway knockoff in the future.  Also... those green Loubs... come on.

Olivia Wilde - FTW.  Seriously.  She wins.  This dress has two of my favorite components... it's green and its sparkly.  And she knocked it out.

And lastly for the loves, this red number that Tina Fey wore.

In an overall review, I was pleased to see so many column style dresses instead of mermaids, mermaids, mermaids.

UNDECIDED

Caitlin Fitzgerald - I think I want to love this dress and the color, but I can't decide because of the mock turtlneck.

Emma Watson - a dress and pants.  I love the dress and I guess this is a pretty interesting way to address the completely open back.  I don't know.

 Sandra Bullock - Colorblocking, the sweeping helm, the deep v neckline.  I can't decide.

And finally....  and most sadly...

INCREDIBLY DISAPPOINTED/WHAT WAS SHE THINKING

Jennifer Lawrence - JLaw, you broke my heart with this dress.  I was looking forward most to seeing you and Kerry Washington... and this dress... come on.

and speaking of Kerry Washington - oh Kerry, no.  Just no.  This disappointed me more than JLaw.  I can't.  The hip flaps, the boring color.  Maybe she just isn't feeling very wonderful in her pregnant body, but ugh.  She phoned it in.  So disappointing.

Julia Roberts - did she just come from the office?

 Paula Patton - oh good God no!  Aren't we over the giant ruffle stage yet??

Zooey Deschanel - She is seriously the cutest, yet she manages to look the dowdiest she possible can.