Tuesday, January 31, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* finding out John Carr is going to be ok.
* coming up with some good ideas for Dad' 60th Birthday gifts.
* the yoga pants I got at Marshall's on clearance.
* visiting Bethany and meeting Max for the first time. He's adorable!
* picking up lots of veggies at Produce Junction...next step is juicing!
* the awesome chicken marsala dinner I made for me and Andy.
* going to the late yoga class even though dinner smelled incredible and was staring me in the face. I enjoyed it even more since I knew I did my body a favor and went to yoga first.
* trying to be understanding and 'yogalike' of the sweaty, smelly, grunting guy next to me in class tonight. I can even deal with the sweat and grunting, but please, make sure you don't STINK before you come to class.

Monday, January 30, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* finding a new blog to read. I absolutely love it and in some weird way the writer sorta reminds me of myself (just a much lesser version than she is.) Her writing reminds of a Dave Sedaris book. Check it out!
* having yet another new instructor for yoga tonight. Jennifer was great and I loved her energy, it was a great class.
* making plans with Bethany to see her and Max tomorrow. I can't wait to meet the cute little guy!
* getting through my acupuncture appointment tonight. For some reason it was very emotional and I had tears rolling down my face as I laid there. I don't know why I'm having such a hard time letting go of certain things, things I can't do anything about, but sometimes I feel like they're eating me alive.
* God keeping me safe as I drove through the ghetto trying to get onto 76. I mean, I was genuinely reallllly scared.
* the policeman that pulled me over letting me go. After my agonizing drive through the ghetto I thought I was getting onto 76 but in fact turned down an alley. I turned around in a parking lot immediately and then went onto the 76 ramp---seconds later, headlights flashing. I was already on the verge of tears and didn't know I had done something wrong. Turns out the alley was one-way and I had no idea, the police man said "next time you go down a one way street make sure there are no cops first." I explained I had been lost and he could clearly see and hear I was shaken up so he asked me where I was going and sent me on my way. Sigh...
* for Andy being so supportive. I had a minor breakdown on my drive home and was very upset. He was calm and loving when I got home and made me feel better.
* reading some of Sarah Brown's blog about her weight loss journey and her running (marathons!) accomplishments. I give people that have to work so hard to maintain their weight so much credit, I can't imagine the discipline it takes. I guess I'm "lucky" that I can pretty much eat what I want and not pay for it in significant weight gain, but at the same time, I lack self-control and still have to work really hard at making healthy choices...even when I know better (which is basically all the time now that I've learned so much about food).

Sunday, January 29, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* renting a Budget truck and getting the love seat for upstairs, the wine rack and the outdoor furniture from KOP. Our house is (finally) almost done!
* going to Narberth this afternoon and hanging out with Jeff, Megan & the kids. We brought them some of Andy's homemade ice cream; Jeffrey & James loved it!

Saturday, January 28, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* Andy trying to order Bruce Springsteen tickets for me this morning. He got through and I didn't so I'm lucky he got up and helped me.

* going to the intermediate yoga class this morning. I was nervous to try it because I am definitely not ready for most intermediate poses but I got through it. I also realized that by going to this class I will learn a lot just by seeing others do the poses I don't ordinarily see in the all levels classes.
* spending some time working on my 2000-2009 decade blog posts.
* trying a roasted potato recipe I found on pinterest. They came out great and I can't wait to make them again!
* going out with Jeff, Megan, Amy and a bunch of their friends to M Bar in Conshohocken. It was a fun night out and it was great to catch up with everyone.
* choosing to move to this town. I love being able to walk to restaurants and bars and can't wait for the warmer weather to get here!

Friday, January 27, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* trying to stay calm when I realized Lauren wasn't going to be the person treating me at acupuncture today. I definitely don't find it enjoyable but I'm willing to see if it helps. I feel comfortable with Lauren and was a little anxious when someone else came over to me but it ended up being ok.
* spending the afternoon working from Kelly & Alex's house. It was fun to see them and the kitties!
* the Friends episode "The One When No One's Ready" being on.
* meeting Mom & Dad for pizza at Vincent's.
* going to the Prancing Peacock for a screening of the documentary "I Am". It was incredible! Watching it made me really want to do the Soles for Souls trip again. Maybe in 2013 after I've settled into my job a bit more.
* finding the on-line drugstore Vitacost. They have great prices for organic, cruelty-free products. I'm excited about the lavender scented lotion, body wash and hand soaps I found.

Thursday, January 26, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* trying a new class at Ryah called "Whole Body Strength". I thought it was going to be similar to a pilates/fusion class but it turned out to be more like an interval training cardio class. It was upstairs and every 40 seconds we'd rotate from exercise to exercise. It reminded me I need to start doing cardio again. Although I was out of my comfort zone I'm glad I took the class.
* an easy soup and salad dinner and watching more HIMYM with Andy.

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* lunch with Adrienne at Yangming. We had a long overdue talk about lots of things. It was hard and uncomfortable and although I think I'm usually a great friend, I found myself feeling shitty about the way I handled some things with her over the last year. I have to allow myself to realize I can't change what's behind us, but that I can learn from this. I brushed things aside when I knew we had to talk and in the long run it hurt us both. I am happy I was able to hear her side and empathise with her. We can only move forward from here.
* my second acupuncture appointment; that I found somewhere with a good reputation that is affordable. Because they recommend going at least twice a week I would never be able to afford going somewhere that is $60, 70 or 80 per session. It is also hard to spend the money when the treatment doesn't change things instantly. I know it is going to take some time and I'm trying to be understanding and patient.
* making it to the hot yoga class on time (more or less). Traffic was awful and I was rushing to get there, especially because Megan was meeting me for class. It was the first time I've done hot yoga and I actually liked it. I was very nervous that I'd feel like I was going to pass out. I'm glad I tried it because now it's another class I can go to.
* finally mailing Grandma & Grandpa's "Christmas" present. It will be a nice surprise since it's clearly a "Happy End of January" present at this point.
* finding out Debbie's dad is doing ok.

Tuesday, January 24, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* no traffic on my way to the Mt. Laurel office.
* spending time with Sandy going over goals, prospecting and other things that will help me do my job better.
* a yum Chipotle lunch and Snickers cake to celebrate Janessa's birthday.
* the pot of homemade chicken noodle soup Andy made for dinner.
* catching a few episodes of HIMYM before it was time to leave for yoga.
* another great class at Ryah. So far I've liked every instructor!
* finding this article. I loved it and it reminded me what an awesome dad I have! I just loved his response:
Christine:
Thanks for sending this.  Brought back great memories.
Love you too!  (all of you.)
Here are some comments:
 #10 - Enjoy the wonder of bath time!  Ah yes and getting you dressed afterwards....rubber legs and all
#11  Does Sparky count?
#19  Related
:  Teaching you to drive.  Chris, rather pissed off after hitting markers several times -  "Dad....why do I have to learn parallel parking anyway?"
#37   "Higher...faster!"
#40  Riding  pony.......  "Little girl, little girl....."
#43  I loved your caterpillr years.
#47  Wooooaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!   (Teen age years - YIKES!!!!!)
#49  Future NY GIANTS fans?  It's not too late to pick the 2011 World Champs!
#   Waahhhh   miss you
LOVE DAD
GO GIANTS
NY RULES

Monday, January 23, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* catching up with Ian and going over a bunch of stuff to help me with making calls.
* the girl at the front desk at Fairmount letting Kelley in to the gym for the pilates fusion class after I realized I dropped my ID case outside of my car in our driveway. 
* talking with Elizabeth after class. I told her I love her class and will miss her now that I've joined Ryah. We talked about her possibly teaching at Ryah, I'm going to recommend her!
* dinner with Andy & Kelley. We actually sat at the dining room table with a candle lit, it was so nice!
* showing Kelley around the house, hearing about her wedding and watching our wedding video with her! :-)

Sunday, January 22, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* Andy being a wonderful husband and cleaning up the entire kitchen. It was quite a mess after last night. I was a hurting pup that's for sure! Didn't leave my bed until after 11:00 and returned to bed by 1:00. I'm glad I don't try to be 21 too often anymore.
* watching football even though neither team I wanted to win (Ravens, 49ers) won their game.
* all of the funny emails/messages between the girls talking about last night. We have to do it more often!

Saturday, January 21, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* deciding not to go to Ryah because the roads looked bad from the little snow storm we had last night. I later found out they were closed so I'm glad I didn't go through the trouble of getting there.
* getting tons of stuff done around the house; picked up a TV stand for upstairs, bought frames at Michael's for our DMB posters and our Beale St. poster, cleaned the floors and bathrooms. I'm really loving our (not so) new place!
* lunch with Andy at Gino's. I was dying for a burger (sorry Debbie) after watching the "New York's Best Burger" episode of HIMYM.
* talking with Kelly and finding out she got the New York Teaching Apprenticeship position. I am SO proud of her and SO happy for her. She worked her ass off over this past year and now it was all worth it.
* having Jess, Cristina, Valerie, Adrienne and Stacie over for a mini-reunion. It was so much fun to catch up. It was your typical "everyone drinking, talking, laughing and making a ton of noise" girls night. Andy hid upstairs. We had great food and company! Grey Goose shots were a part of the mix but definitely unnecessary. The night ended with (sort of) memorable a trip to Baggataways.
* Andy framing the DMB poster and Beale St. poster, they both look great!

Friday, January 20, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* having the courage to try acupuncture. I found myself feeling really nervous but loved Lauren at South Philly Community Acupuncture. Right away it seemed like we were long lost friends. She took time to listen to my issues and concerns and made me feel comfortable. I am going to go 2x/week for a month to see if things improve.
* God sparing us from a horrific accident. The other driver ran a red light just as we were turning off our street. They would have hit the drivers side (Andy) at full speed. I don't even want to imagine what could have happened. Really makes you think about what a difference 1 second makes sometimes.
* A night out with Andy. Dinner at Chipotle and the movies (first time seeing a movie since The King's Speech last January!)
* Mom & Dad recommending we see "The Descendants". It was a great movie and had just the right amount of humor for how sad the storyline was. Some parts were hard to watch because it was a reminder from when Andy's dad was in the hospital and passed away. :-(

Thursday, January 19, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* Getting a lot of work done this morning
* Peeling myself of the couch to go to yoga
* Reading about wedding regrets and finding people that have some of the same ones I do, especially about the pictures.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* getting lots of work done this morning.
* a great lunch with John at the great American pub. I hadn't seen him since I left Suburban Life and it was nice to catch up.
* deciding to finally join Ryah Yoga after going back and forth for months. I really didn't want to spend the money it costs for a monthly membership but love the idea that it's a yoga studio and I won't have to listen to squash balls hitting the wall during my classes.
* being able to use my $70 credit at Ryah towards my 6 month membership
* a great class with Maura tonight.
* American idol is back!

Tuesday, January 17, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* the nice guys at the pretzel place "my Philly pretzel" in Hamilton.
* seeing Dad for a few minutes when I picked up my keys that I stupidly left on Sunday.
* meeting some nice people at the Phila. Loss Conference dinner tonight. I always feel weird when I have to go somewhere and i don't know anyone. The food was also pretty good!

Monday, January 16, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* Andy not being sick like we thought he might be.
* being able to use Andy's phone for my conference call this morning since I'm an idiot and left my phone in NJ yesterday.
* spending some time working on the office this afternoon, it's really coming along!
* a great Pilates fusion class with Elizabeth tonight. I hadn't been to that class in a while.
* Andy making dinner tonight.
* watching our show tonight, I love how it makes us laugh out loud!!
* my little sister Kelly arriving on this day 26 years ago today!

Sunday, January 15, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* the pillows we found at Kohl's for our sofa. I've been looking everywhere and haven't been able to find anything that goes.
* Dolce & Clemente bread with chicken salad from Bagels 'n Cream for lunch!
* watching football with Dad & Andy. I was happy for Dad that the Giants won and I was happy the Ravens won because I'm rooting for Michael Oher.
* celebrating Kelly's 26th birthday with Alex, Andy, Mom & Dad. Mom & I made a fantastic chicken marsala dinner.
* not getting too mad at myself when I realized after we got home that I left my phone at their house.
* catching the tribute to Morgan Freeman on the Golden Globe Awards.

Saturday, January 14, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* deciding it was ok to skip yoga this morning to hang out with Andy. We slept in and made a great breakfast, watched a couple episodes of How I Met Your Mother and cleaned up the house.
* coming up with a good dessert idea for tonight; peanut butter ice cream pie with Andy's homemade ice cream!
* going through with our dinner plans for tonight even thought I had no idea our drive would be 2 1/2 hours long!
* getting a message from Craig saying they will be coming to the east coast in July. We made plans to go to a Giants/Phillies game and have them over to see our new place.
* Mirko & Andy hitting it off because they work on the same team at JP Morgan! Andy is in DE and Mirko is in NYC.
* a fun night catching up with Keli & Mirko and Wendy & Ed. It was a really long drive but we've been trying to get together for a long time. It's hard to believe the 3 of us grew up on the same street (for just a couple of years) when we were little and now we're all grown up.
* a safe drive back home to Mom & Dad's.
* celebrating 8 years with Andy! It's so crazy to me that it's been that long!

Friday, January 13, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* choosing to send out an email complimenting one of our investigators. After a client told me what a great job she's been doing I thought it would be nice to share it with her and her bosses.
* going to Kahler's gym and chick-fil-a with Megan, Jeffrey, James & Erilin. It was so much fun to spend time with them and it was nice to catch up with Meg.
* finally talking to Rachel and her sharing something with me that was very personal.  
* an email from Bill at Suburban Life saying it's not the same without me.
* texting back and forth with Becky. I was staying with her in CA when Andy & I started dating. She thought I was crazy because I made plans to hang out with him and barely new him!
* dinner at Sterlings with Andy to celebrate 8 years. It's so hard to believe we've been together that long! The food was excellent!
* watching Moneyball. We both like it a lot; anyone that's a fan of baseball should see it.

Thursday, January 12, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* great conversation with Ian in the car. We've spent a lot of time in the car together over the last few weeks.
* lunch at Padrino's with a few adjusters from Selective Insurance. I got to meet Pat, Tammy and Sherry. They were all very nice and the food was excellent!
* having some unexpected free time because our meeting was changed from 1 to 3. I took Ian to Dolce & Clemente to pick up some good bread and other treats.
* surprising Mom & Dad and leaving a loaf of bread on their kitchen table. Dad's voicemail afterwards was priceless!

Wednesday, January 11, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* the nice time meeting Michele and John at the Nationwide office.
* the cute dress I bought from Banana Republic today for $43!
* a really great lunch at Seasons 52 with Ian. I can't believe their entrees only have 450 calories. Everything had so much flavor and was really tasty!
* a hot bath with the lavender salt I bought at Prancing Peacock. I was sore from last night's yoga class so I thought it might help.
* getting most of the clean laundry put away, finally.
* the Melatonin helping me sleep better last night.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* Ian taking the time to review the GlobalTrak presentation with me this morning.
* a really great massage at Cortiva Massage School. They're located in King of Prussia and have heated beds! It was heavenly.
* yoga tonight. We did several poses I've never done before and it was a great workout.
* kicking Andy's butt in Scrabble and more How I Met Your Mother. I think we're obsessed.
* trying the stew I made for Andy, it was really good!

Monday, January 9, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* lunch with Ian & Cathy (from Allstate) at Ooka.
* the cilantro citrus fragrance packet I picked up at Pier 1. It's my new favorite smell!
* my cool idea for Kelly's birthday present.
* watching Oprah's new show. I miss her!
* getting all of the storage containers cleaned out that will be going in the office.
* looking through my 2003 & 2004 planners to write their "year in review". They brought back lots of great memories from senior year of college and when Andy & I started dating.
* what seems to be turning into our nightly Scrabble game and watching How I Met Your Mother.
* being able to laugh and be silly with Andy. I forget sometimes how lucky I am.

Sunday, January 8, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* a nice relaxing morning with Andy.

* fresh grapefruit for breakfast, yum!
* going through bins of office and art supplies and organizing everything.
* a great yin yoga class with Jody.
* going to the World Cafe Live to see Josh & his band play. It's been so long since we've seen them play, they were great!!

Saturday, January 7, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* getting up and going to yoga this morning when I just wanted to stay in our warm bed.
* not letting myself get annoyed when I found out the class was pushed back 45 minutes. Instead I went to the yoga room, listened to Enya and read Yoga Living and then closed my eyes for a few minutes.
* making it through the class when I started to feel sick.
* getting almost all of our stuff out of Andy's mom's basement. Now it's time to eliminate, give away and donate as much as we can!
* taking a 3 hour nap this afternoon trying to shake the stomach bug I felt coming on. I was so happy when I woke up and felt better.
* catching the end of the Flyers game to see Briere score a 3rd goal and win the game with seconds left in overtime.
* spending time on Chris Carr's blog (Crazy, Sexy, Life) and reviewing parts of her book while I watched the Lions vs. Saints playoff game. I'd really like to attempt a cleanse but I'm not sure I want to do anything longer than 7 days to start.

Friday, January 6, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* using a Living Social offer to pick up Suzie Jo Donuts for the office this morning. They had a great selection and were so friendly. I much rather give them the business instead of Dunkin Donuts--even though the number of times I buy donuts in a year is fewer than the number of times I go running in a year. :-)
* talking with Ian about healthy eating, juicing, exercise etc. on our drive into the office.
* a fun office Christmas lunch and "White Elephant" exchange. I was happy the person that ended up with my gift loved it. I ended up with a bunch of lottery tickets and won $5. I was feeling lucky but was quickly reminded why I don't gamble.
* finally having new Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice episodes to watch; I watched them when I got home from NJ.
* dinner at Totaro's with Andy. I just love that place and I love supporting their business.
* more How I Met Your Mother and Scrabble. I won my first game of 2012, haha!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* the fresh juice I made today with a bunch of clementines. Yum!
* listening to Tim's new band and really liking their new song.
* making a healthy grilled chicken dinner instead of ordering out like I wanted to.
* getting some emails from our cleaning customers in Avalon asking if we'll be doing it again this summer and talking to Megan about the schedule. It's really good money but I don't want to be obligated every weekend so we'll have to figure some things out.  
* going to the Villanova game with Andy even though they lost.
* the great Living Social deal for hot stone massages; 2 hour long massages for $65! I can't wait to go.
* watching the last 24/7 when we go home. It was so well done!

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* the great bean soup recipe mom sent me. It was actually a split pea soup recipe but I used beans instead because I had them already and it came out so good!
* doing two On-Demand yoga/pilates videos since there wasn't a class tonight I wanted to go to.
* a fun night playing Scrabble on the iPad and watching "How I Met Your Mother" with Andy.
* the Living Social deal for massages in Lansdale. I love massages but they are so expensive, the Living Social deals make them so much more reasonable.
* Mom telling me about the screening of "I Am" at the Prancing Peacock and signing up to see it with them.

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* catching up with Debbie on gchat. If only she lived close by.
* lunch with Viki at Yangming
* reporting a little girl that was locked in a car outside of Genuardis (and crying) to customer service so they could make an announcement. It's scary that people leave their kids in the car.
* finishing my December expenses and getting them submitted.
* a really great yoga class tonight with Richard. There were several new things that I haven't done before and I really enjoyed it. I also love when instructors walk around and make adjustments.
* watching The Hangover II with Andy. It was as stupid as the first one but gave us a couple good laughs.

Monday, January 2, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* an easy drive home from Avalon.
* fun foods like stromboli, nachos, homemade funnel cake and pizza while we watched the Winter Classic. (Healthy eating starts later this week!)
* playing Scrabble on the iPad and watching a bunch of "How I Met Your Mother" episodes. I just love that show!
* that we decided to sell the Winter Classic tickets. It was enough going to the Alumni game and we had a nice day hanging out at home.

Sunday, January 1, 2012

I have gratitude today for...
* talking with Mom & Dad this morning to wish them a Happy New Year!
* not feeling tired or hungover since I got a good night's sleep and didn't drink a lot last night. First time in a long time on New Year's Eve!
* going to the Ocean City boardwalk with Andy. It was really crowded because of the Polar Bear run--it looked like summertime! We walked the whole boardwalk and got slices of 'Manco & Manco' pizza. The name change became official today.
* the fresh salsa we picked up at ACME.
* a fantastic chicken piccata dinner in Avalon. I haven't been cooking enough lately!
* playing Scrabble and starting the show "How I Met Your Mother". I've heard people talk about it for years and finally decided to check it out. We love it and it's fun to watch a light hearted show once in a while!