Thank*full Thursday

It's been a while since I've done one of these, and I miss them.  So, without further ado, today, I am thank*full for:

1.  Snow Days!  Poor me.  I only got to work 1 day this week...Weekends tend to fill up so quickly - sports, errands, catching up on things I can't do during the week.  So this week, with these unexpected days off, I finished a lot of laundry, washed a lot of dishes, and relaxed.

2.  Silicon Valley - my husband watched the 1st season, and then told me I had to watch it, I would love it, and he was right - it is freaking hilarious.

The central story follows a group of techie guys developing a file compression product called Pied Piper, but the fun of it lies in the bizarre quirks of each of the characters.  Jared (Donald), the gentleman pictured above, is their very odd, very pale business-savvy team member.  They all make me laugh, but Jared's extreme awkwardness is endearing.

3.  My feet.
Yes that is a strange thing to say.  But I love my feet.  I realize they are big, and I have been told my big toes are odd, but I love my feet.  My sister and I went for pedicures the other day, and they are all pretty and soft, and I take such immense pleasure in having them rubbed and touched.  Admittedly, when the guy was using the pumice on the ends of my toes, I couldn't help but giggle, but for the most part, I find the foot massage more relaxing than ticklish.  I do love a good foot massage.  Last year I went for an hour long reflexology treatment, and it was amazing.  I would do that again in a heartbeat.

4.  My Monthly challenge group on Facebook - I started doing this plank challenge in January, and some others started doing it with me, and then my friend J suggested we start a Facebook group for the people who wanted to do these monthly fitness challenges with us.  This month we are doing squats.  Today was 110.  My butt and thighs are cursing my existence, but they will thank me in the long run...Anyway, we all cheer each other on, and make it kind of fun.

5.  So this couple I love took me to a concert a couple of weeks ago.  I haven't been to a concert since...I don't know, Jane's Addiction, 2001?  Anyway, my friend M got tickets to see Umphrey's McGee, and he invited me to go with him, his wife, and their friend.  I had never heard their music, but it sounded like fun, so, there you go.  It was fun, way fun, and ...wait, did I write about this already?  I may have.  But I didn't say how thankful I was for these friends.  So there you go - I'm very thankful for them.  They are good fun.  For a long time, I found it very difficult to make friends as an adult.  Do other adults find this to be a challenge?  It's funny, though, as I am getting older, I am finding it easier to make friends.  I think this may be due to my own acceptance of my own quirks, maybe?  I'm a little more comfortable with myself.  That said, other neuroses are raising their freaky, misshapen heads.  Like the whole "fear of crowds" thing.  Which should have made the concert that much more uncomfortable, had I not been imbibing freely.

In honor of the return of the Thank*full Thursday post, I share this guy:

From Office Space.  Has anyone ever rocked a handlebar mustache quite like him?  I think not.

It sucked, and now it's over.

Oh my goodness.  It's been a rough one this week.  Best laid plans and all that.  I don't even remember what derailed the first two days.  I went to boot camp on Wednesday, and it was good fun, as we did a "balls and bands" workout, with medicine balls and resistance bands.  Thursday I overslept.  Later that day, the crazy happened.
My mom ended up in the emergency room.  Anyone who knows me, or has been reading here for awhile, knows my mother has had heart attacks.  Understandably, we are rather cautious with her.  Thursday, she was on break at work, when she noticed a lump on her calf that was painful to touch.  She did not hit it on anything, bump into anything, etc.  She tried to stand up, and she could not walk.  A coworker's wife had recently had a blood clot in her leg with similar symptoms, so they decided to call an ambulance.  After blood tests and an ultrasound, they determined she did not have a blood clot, and the doctor said she had "just a bruise, go home."  Of course, the swelling has only gotten worse, and it sometimes feels like it is on fire, so she saw her own doctor Friday, who said he thought she might have a burst blood vessel, but he doesn't really know, and if it still bothers her on Monday, she should go back.  As of this afternoon, she was still in pain, although it is not as bad.  I have some issues at work, and craziness with one of my daughter's sports...and I may have let myself get a bit overwhelmed.
Anyway, I ended up not going to boot camp Friday, either, and my eating habits were really bad.  Like, a kid with unlimited access to junk food bad.  All of this is to say that, one month into my Dietbet and Get Fit program, I am actually 3 lbs up from my starting weight.
I am going the wrong way!
Let's take a break from my whining and excuses to discuss a disquieting trend.
I went to visit my mom today, and we were watching House Hunters.  My mother is an avid HGTV watcher.  I used to watch it, too, but I lost interest.  Probably because I simply cannot relate to people with a $1 million budget.  Anyway, they looked at three different houses, and in each one, as they walked into the master bathroom, they would gasp in dismay over how "tiny" the bathroom was.

What do people want to do in their bathroom, gymnastics routines?  Seriously, what is the deal with the huge bathrooms?  "We have to have separate sinks."  Why?  Have you forgotten how to take turns?  I certainly don't want to go to the bathroom with someone else in the room, and if I'm in the shower, there is plenty of room for the other to brush their teeth.  How much space can you possibly need in your bathroom?  You think this one might be big enough?

Speaking of big bathrooms, do you remember those Calgon commercials in the early '80's?  I remember thinking "why are those women bathing in swimming pools?"  I just looked for a picture, but I couldn't find a clear image.

Ok, back to business.
Today, after dramatically throwing myself to the ground with dismay following my weigh in, I came downstairs and informed my husband I had to get back on track.  We went through the crisper full of veggies I have purchased over the past two weeks and haven't prepared, and cleaned and chopped everything that had not disintegrated into a primordial soup.  I have breakfasts and lunches planned out, as well as dinners for the next 4 nights and snacks.  I have my clothes laid out for boot camp tomorrow morning, and workouts planned for the rest of the week (as well as fallback workouts if the weather misbehaves the way they say it will.)  Watch out people.  I'm about to get fabulous.

Dolvett will keep me motivated, right?

How to win yourself a Missy.

Let's start with a healthy changes check in, and then we'll move on to something fun.

I don't think I shared with you all, but I signed up for the Transformer on Dietbet last month.  You a sum of money each month, and then, at the end of the bet, everyone who loses 10% of their starting weight splits the pot.  I love that you are required to check in each month, and that you have to lose a certain percentage with each check-in, so there are no unhealthy weight loss sprints at the end.  Other than regular exercise, I have not been on top of things - I prepare ahead for breakfasts and lunches, but my dinners have left something to be desired, and I have stopped more than once for junk.  My girl has practices several times a week, and I am rarely home for dinner anymore.  But my first weigh in is next weekend, and I know I gained 2 pounds, so for crying out loud, no more crap in my body.  No more pop, no more stopping for junk.  Ooh, that pop thing is tough for me.  I've talked before about my need for planning - So, here is my plan for the week:

Workouts:
Monday - morning workout at home
Tuesday - 5:30 PM kickboxing class during the Girl's volleyball practice
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday - Boot camp
Saturday - 7:30 walk with Flying Pig team
Sunday - rest (easy walk or yoga)

Meals:
Breakfasts - green smoothie, steel cut oatmeal, or yogurt and berries
Lunches - ham and tomato sandwich or tortilla soup, bell pepper strips with hummus
Snacks - cottage cheese with pineapple (on volleyball days) or orange and almonds
Dinners have been planned and shopped for, and lucky me, I have a husband willing to do the cooking for the week.  The menu includes chicken "fried" rice, spaghetti and meatballs, Slowcooker chicken verde, salads.


Let's do something fun now.  You all know I love my lists, so I was looking for a fun list to make tonight, and in honor of Valentine's Day being next week, I thought I'd do this one:

"List 5 ways to win your heart." (for all of you who are hoping to, ;)

1.  Talk books with me (duh.)
2.  Rub my feet.  Or my palms.  Or the space between my shoulder blades.  But mostly my feet.  I'm a very tactile person.
3.  Cut the fat off my meat.  That sounds rather childish, but my husband is pretty reserved, affection-wise, but he generally cuts the fat off my steak for me, if we have it.  It makes my heart go pitty-pat.
4.  Make me laugh.  Seriously, it doesn't take much.
5.  Listen without judgement.  I don't need an answer, just an ear.

My list makes me think of Janet in "Singles."  Remember the movie "Singles?"  I loved that movie in college.

I love my weekends.

I do love an empty Sunday morning.  I just get so much done.  Wanna see?

I made up a batch of my favorite chicken tortilla soup (with no chicken, and I added spinach today.)  I used my rice cooker to make steel-cut oatmeal today, and it worked brilliantly.  I roasted some veggies I had sitting in my refrigerator that had to be cooked.  I made two batches of brownies (Superbowl night.)  I've washed, dried and folded 4000 loads of laundry, done squats and planks for a new challenge, and done the grocery shopping.  Of course, after all the cooking, you end up with this:

I'll trade you a jar of soup if you'll do my dishes...

I went to see a new band the other night - Umphrey's McGee.  The music was decent, and I loved everyone, and stroked a lot of people's hair.  There may have been alcohol involved.  Young hippie-ish people who may or may not have been using herbal refreshment are very receptive to having their hair played with.  Of course, I am receptive to having my hair played with all the time, and I don't need to be influenced by anything.  I just like having people play with my hair.  Yes, I know this is weird, I accept this and go with it.  After, we went back to my friends' house and hung out, watching Key and Peele and eating grilled cheese.  Then something magical happened - we decided to watch The Neverending Story.  I haven't seen this movie in years, and it did not disappoint.  The imagery is so trippy - no wonder it has stuck with me all these years.  

I never noticed the nipples on those Oracle statues as a kid.  There may have been jokes about them being "as hard as rocks" at the third gate.  There may have been thumb wars fought.  I may regress to a 12 year-old boy when drunk.  It was a good night - I should probably have more like it.

Softball time, and then off to a superbowl party.  Go Sports!