Time Spent

 Isn't this just a wonderful weekend? The weather is incredible, and I get to spend time with my favorite people. Plus, Thanksgiving is coming up, and I get to spend time with even more of my favorite people. With the season of Thanksgiving, there's so many things to be grateful for. This weather, my family, my friends, the Gospel, I could go on forever. Life is wonderful!

I also love when my husband brings out his spontaneous side. We've had fun trips to the beach and overnight hotels all due to a husband's spontaneity. Last night was another fun example. We started off the day doing some local shopping and browsing...got lots of jeans, too, because I was out and needed some. Also discovered I dropped a pant size (yay!), but anyway. When we came back home, we watched a couple of our shows together, then sat around completely bored. I had been browsing and making phone calls, trying to find a specific book I've been looking for. It's part of a trilogy, but I only had the first and third. When I saw they were out of stock everywhere, I gave up and flopped on the couch. Gary then looked at me, and said, "I have an idea. Let's go to Fry's."

Most of you might have heard of Fry's Electronics, but it's a huge electronics store. I mean huge. It's a heavenly place for fans of electronics; including computers, appliances, audio, television (just think of it as a giant Best Buy...but better). Now, we don't have a Frys in our area. The two nearest us are in Oxnard and Woodland Hills. So, since Woodland Hills is the closest, we went there. Woodland Hills is about 30 miles south of us, between Thousand Oaks and Burbank. So, we went there, and had fun! We spent a good amount of time in Fry's, with Gary looking at expensive computers and talking about buying one for himself. Luckily he didn't jump into that just yet, lol. But we had fun. We also stopped by Borders, where I found the book I was looking for, so yay! We drove around the city for a bit, and our thoughts were, "It looks expensive here." And it definitely is! Much more expensive than Valencia. The median home value in Woodland Hills is $730,000. So...yeah. Lol. But we definitely liked shopping there, so it looks like a trip we'll be frequently taking for now on, especially now that Gary knows how to get to Fry's :). So, we stopped for burgers while there, then headed home. So, here's some pics of the Fry's there:

See why Gary loves it so much? That's okay, I like it too! Woodland Hills:

Looks pretty expensive, huh?

Anyway, that was yesterday, and I loved it! Sunday today has been wonderful so far, too. We're grilling up some pork chops; yum! And this wind is great!

Friday, we had some Spiced Apple Pork Loins, from Sam's Club. When I went shopping there, they had the holiday tasting there. Sam's always has tasting when you shop there, but this time was different. Big chunks of cheesecake, full buffalo wings with ranch, hot cocoa, Martinelli's, etc. Let's just say that was my lunch that day! But the meat came out DELISH!

Well, time to get started on the salad for dinner! This week should be even more amazing; Gary works Monday and Tuesday, then gets home early on Wednesday, we visit my family for Thanksgiving, and then Gary also has the following Monday off. So yay, lots of husband time. He gets a 5 day weekend. Woo hoo! I'm excited!!

Gary and Emilee

Most of you got my medical update, but I'll post it below anyway, after this blog.

 I was reading stories on people's histories together, so I thought I'd share the history of Gary and I.

In October of 2005, Gary and I met at the institute building in East Bakersfield. None of us had planned on being there. Me, being the social anxiety type, wasn't really fond of going to YSA (Young Single Adults) activities. That, and I didn't really care to be in a relationship, nor get married at this point. Although Institute revolved around having a spiritual lesson, to me it looked like a gathering place for people who were desperate to be married. There was always flirting  and things like that, and I had lost interest completely. Now, I know not all Institutes are like this, but it was for me. Gary, who had been traveling to and from Bakersfield almost daily for school, was usually too exhausted by the time Institute came around to attend. It was either he goes to classes then stays in Bakersfield all day until Institute that night, or go home, just to turn around and drive all the way back for Institute. Plus, he wasn't interested in it either, like me.

However, I met a friend, who was extremely popular with the YSA. She's much more social than I am, and she was always attending everything. Everytime she and I would go out, she'd always run into people she knew. Talk about Mrs Popular (yes, I'm talking about you, other Emilee). Eventually I started going to activities, because she would always go. Sometimes I'd even complain, and she'd drag me anyway and tell me I'd have fun; which I always did in the end. Well, Institute this night had been one of those situations. I didn't want to go, but she pulled me along anyway. Gary, on the other hand, didn't want to go either. But, the Sunday before, his bishop approached him and a couple of friends of his in church, and told them to attend institute, telling them, "You'll meet your wife there.". So, Gary took Derek Wednesday night, and then took Jeremy the Thursday night (the Institute night for those who lived in Southwest Bakersfield). We met Wednesday night.

It was just a handshake and introduction, then a group of us went to Sonic for slushies. Gary and I sat at the same table, and only did a little chatting, but nothing special. Thursday night, Gary, Jeremy, Emilee and I all went and got food, just the four of us. We all chatted a bit, then went our separate ways.

Near the end of October, the YSA was having an auction night. We all went. Gary jokingly auctioned himself for a date. I barely knew the guy, so I wasn't interested; and remember the part where I mentioned I wasn't looking for anybody to date? Yeah, that. As bids were going (yes, other women were bidding), I felt myself throw up my paddle...and won. Surprised at myself for doing such a thing, I quickly threw my paddle back down and glanced over at Gary. So, that was that. We went on a date to John's Incredible Pizza. We also walked around a display of street art. The date honestly went pretty well. It was me who didn't go pretty well. I became uncomfortable when Gary would do small things like hold my hand or put an arm around me. He was being a complete gentleman, but I was too nervous. Eventually our date ended.

Some weeks later, Gary made a comment to friends, clearly a joke, saying, "You only marry a woman so she can learn how to use the kitchen for you." (or something along those lines, and I'm sure there was a dirty part thrown in there). Now, you all know Gary, and you all know he likes joking around. Now I find it cute, but then, before I knew him, I found it rude. The joke came across me, and I instantly hated him. I mean, really disliked him. When Gary learned I thought he was a jerk, he had a few words to describe me as well. At this point, he hated me back. We didn't like being around each other because of this. Although, yes, a part of me was really attracted to his sense of humor and personality, there was no way I was going to admit it. And Gary, admitted later he was attracted to my independence and affection, but couldn't admit it either at the time. Silly us.

New Years Eve rolled around. Jeremy and Emilee were now dating. Jeremy, who lived away from Bakersfield like Gary, needed a ride to the New Years Eve dance so he could spend it with Emilee. Emilee wanted me to ask Gary, which I didn't like doing, but did it for her anyway. Gary's response, "fine, I'll bring Jeremy to be with your friend, but in return, you are my date." This didn't sit well with me, but I accepted. We hardly looked at each other during the dance, however, and Gary, would dance with other women. I felt a hint of jealousy, so I'd dance with other men (so mature we were, haha). Finally, that ended.

Around the end of January, I had homework; I needed homework help, and I needed a strong opinion on a history topic. Because I had asked Gary to drive Jeremy to Bakersfield for New Years, I had Gary on my instant messaging program. I had received his e-mail address so I could ask him that question; that was the only reason he was on there. So, glancing at his name and seeing he was online, I said to myself, "Well there's a person who isn't afraid of sharing an opinion.", and sent him a message. He responded, kindly, and began helping me with homework. I realized then how smart he was (and no, Google couldn't help with this specific problem...trust me, I tried). After a long discussion, we both said goodnight and signed out. The following few nights, we started saying hi to each other more often. Eventually we'd get off the subject of debate and start talking about other things. Movies, music, you name it. It came to me how easy it was to talk to him, and started to realize how much fun I was having learning about him. Long conversations online went to conversations over the phone. Finally, Valentines Day rolled around and he told me had a gift certificate to build-a-bear, only valid on Valentines Day. He then asked if I'd be interested in having another first date. I accepted.

Eventually one date turned into two, which turned into three, etc. Finally, completely unexpected, in April of 2006, Gary proposed (after getting permission from my parents...isn't that sweet?). Most of you were there to witness the situation. Gary had purchased another build-a-bear, this time it had a squeezable hand. When you press it, it says, "I love you Emilee. Will you marry me?". Well, not knowing you can squeeze the hand, I put the bear back. We were all getting prepared to leave for a "Winter Formal" (Sarah, Emilee, Jeremy)...except Jeremy and Emilee were running late. My lovely sister in law noticed, however, and asked to see the bear. She pressed the hand. At this time, my nephew started whining about something. I completely missed what the bear said. All I heard was, "I love you, Emilee." I said, "Thanks, that's sweet." And attempted to put the bear back. "No, really, did you hear it?" I was asked. I looked at the bear, and pressed the hand again. Once again, "I love you, Emilee, blah blah blah." ...my nephew was crying, so it blocked it out. Again, I said, "That's sweet", and attempted to put the bear back in it's box. This time, however, it was dead silent, and everyone was staring at me like I just slapped a baby. Slowly, I pulled the bear back out and pressed the hand again. This time I heard it. Of course I was shocked because I never expected it, at all. In fact, Sarah, who knew all along, had led me to believe he was going to propose over the summer. And this point I blurted out yes before he could go into his speech, but he shh'd me and said his speech anyway (which is saved to our computer, so cute), then got down on one knee and proposed.  I then said yes again. Aww, I love him!!

We didn't get married until December of that year, because he still lived away from Bakersfield and needed to find an apartment. Before he found an apartment in October, we had only been seeing each other once a week. We'd meet at the Marketplace, and see a movie or go to dinner. Then we'd go our separate ways. We saw each other on Fridays. Sometimes, however, things would come up, and we'd have to skip that Friday and wait until the next Friday before we got to see each other. So, yes, the first 8 months of our relationship, we saw each other weekly (even when we were first dating), sometimes every other week. And you know, it wasn't that bad. We both had separate lives, and were both so busy, it didn't really bother us being long distance. We knew we had eternity to spend together ahead of us, so we enjoyed the time as it was.  Besides, there was no temptation whatsoever. We couldn't screw up since we didn't spend enough time together. Finally, Sarah and I went apartment hunting, and we found a small one bedroom in Southwest Bakersfield. I took it, quickly, so he'd have a place. He moved into the place a couple of weeks later. Since he was closer now, and our wedding was a couple of months away, we'd only meet up and see each other if we had a friend to accompany us. Yes, we had rules. But it was important for each of us to be sealed in the temple. And it wasn't that hard.

Finally, in December of 2006, we were sealed in the Los Angeles temple. The first year and a half of our marriage, we joke we were roommates. I had 2 jobs, Gary had 2 jobs AND was a full-time student. We hardly saw each other. Then, in May of 2008, he was offered a job in Valencia. And in June of 2008, he graduated; and we moved here. We spent the first year living in Canyon Country, and now we're living in Valencia, less than a mile from his job.

Our 3 year wedding anniversary is coming up, and I can say we're both so happy! I'm not going to be one of those people who claims an argument has never happened, because of course it has. But an argument does not mean fighting or shouting. We've never done that, we've hardly raised our voices to one another. Sure we've had disagreements and have gotten on each others' nerves, but no more than that. We both work hard and both see great results because of it. We've learned to live with one another, and we've learned how we're each different. And we're happy because of it. The more I treat him with love and respect, the more I get it in return. Yes, being a very stubborn and selfish person, it definitely was not easy at first. But once you realize it's not about you, and strive to meet the needs of your spouse, you'd be surprised what happiness you receive in return. I love him so much! He's still a gentleman. He still opens my doors, including the car door. He still offers me his coat and warmth when needed. Even after a long day at work, he'll come home and give me a big hug and kiss. I love seeing him sneaking in chores to help me out and surprise me. Even though he can be stubborn himself and isn't afraid to speak his mind or stand up to strangers, I find that quality very attractive! I always told myself I'd marry a stubborn man who had a playful and affectionate side, and I did. I love how he'll go from a hardworking, brave, and opinionated man to a sweet, gentle, playful, and loving man. So perfect! :)

So, that was our story. Sorry if it was long and boring :) Don't worry, you'll get an even mushier one on our anniversary. We're taking a vacation in January to celebrate.

Quick: Medical Update. Test results came back normal...in fact, they looked better than last time. Woo hoo! And, I've lost 10 lbs already, in just a few weeks. Thanks, guys!

Flu Season

 I feel like I've been hit by a bus. For the past couple of weeks, I've been feeling blah, but boy did it hit me later! Yesterday was miserable, and I know today will be the same.

 We went to church yesterday anyway, because I hate missing. During Sacrament I was sniffling and sneezing and coughing, so we left after...I really didn't want to infect anyone. Will this thing ever go away??

 The weekend went pretty well besides that. Gary and I went out Friday night, and Saturday, my parents came over and enjoyed a meal Gary grilled up. So that was fun!

 It's been so cold, but I love it! Gary and I decided to buy a heater fan to put in the bedroom. It has a timer, clock, and everything. It's super cute. The regular fan we had in there is getting old, and although dust needs to be cleaned out a little deeper, it was still having some issues with noise. Besides, now that's it's freezing, we don't want that running at night anymore. I need a fan sound to help me sleep, and Gary hates waking up at 5am to frozen air, so that's what made us decide to buy a heater fan.  Sure, we could always run the heat in the apartment, but we choose not to. This little thing will do the trick. Poor Dexter can't go outside anymore, because, well, it's too darn cold to have that door open. In fact, he's brushed up against it a few times already, but all I can do is tell him sorry, haha. That's okay, he's finishing off the last of the flies in here :)

At our Canyon Country apartment, even in the colder weather, it always stayed in the mid to low 70's inside; mainly because everyone else was running their heater. Here, however, since we don't share any walls, it gets a bit colder, like mid to high 60's. Even low 60's at some point. So, yeah. Good ol' heater.

 Something interesting I read. Well, saw. Gary and I like watching the show "Surviving Disaster". It's hosted by a retired Navy Seal, and he tells you how to survive disasters like earthquakes, virus outbreaks, home invasions, mall shootings, and even nuclear attacks. It's pretty awesome. Anyway, he made a comment during the "virus outbreak" episode, and mentioned people who have chronic illnesses; saying we're more likely to catch a virus, and when we do, it effects us more than the usual person; and it takes us longer to heal. After the episode I decided to look that up. This is because my immune system malfunctions; and it seems nowadays I seem to catch pretty much everything. It made complete sense.

Did you also know allergies is an immune system thing, too? I'm sure you do. When you intake a particular food, or even pine or pet dander (or whatever you're allergic to), it's your immune system responding to it. It sees those things as a threat, and out of defense, your body begins fighting to keep it out. Like when you have a cold, your sinuses swell up. This is a defense mechanism your body uses to keep the virus out of the rest of the body. Therefore, when you inhale or eat something you're allergic to, your sinuses swell, inflammation occurs, etc; your immune system is trying to block it. In my case, I don't have allergies, but my immune systems sees parts of my own tissue, my own body, as a threat. Therefore, autoimmune. And since I have a malfunctioning immune system, I'm more likely to get sick and catch viruses. I spoke to a doctor about this, who recommended some natural immune boosters, so I'll have to try those out. I take multivitamins everyday, too.

Anyway, my hearing has temporarily gone out due to the congested head, and I feel like total crap, so I'm going to snuggle up in a warm blanket and take care of myself today. I have an appointment on Wednesday to have hormone tests run; let's just hope I'm not sick then. Bye!

Insanity in my Sleep

 For realz.

 Last night was an interesting one. My dreams were so strange, I thought I'd share. Some even brought back past memories :)  Now, I'm the type of person who remembers my dreams, even details and names. I could tell you what I dreamed of yesterday, last week, even months and years ago; including details and all. I have no idea why I'm able to do that. Also, I have the ability to fall back into the same dream even after waking up. At one time, I was having a specific dream, woke up, went to the couch because I wasn't feeling well, and went back to sleep, continuing that same one. Maybe it's because I'm a light sleeper? Who knows.

Anyway, the first one I clearly remember. Now, you'll totally laugh at me because it's lame. So, you know how the whole "Twilight" thing is huge right now, especially with the new movie coming out? Honestly, I read 2 of the books, and half of the 3rd before I stopped completely, losing interest. I just didn't like the writing, and thought I'd see how far I could stick it out. I think the whole teenage thing ruined it for me as well. Okay, now for the dream part. The actors and actresses of Twilight were coming to Valencia to do some stage movie performance. Because we were residents, we were told we could go backstage and be there the entire show. I wasn't interested. But, of course, Jazmine called me up, frantic, demanding I take her at least. So, I did. We were sitting backstage with a bunch of crazy hormonal teenagers, and a bunch of the cast came out, but nobody huge yet. They were dressed up and getting ready to go on stage. So, they walked down some stairs, to the stage, and I remember thinking, "Well, this is lame. What's the point of backstage seats? We can't even see the performance. I don't care about these people." And then, of course, Edward walks backstage. Not even in my Backstreet Boy days did I hear this much screaming and insanity. And this point I was looking for ways to escape, but I was out of luck, considering Jazmine was gripping my arm and pointing, "It's him, it's him!!" Well, the British dude who plays Edward was posing and taking it completely to his head, saying, "Yup, it's Edward, I'm so awesome" (you know, babbling like an idiot). Because of this, I rolled my eyes and paid no attention to him. Then, to join him, the chick who plays Bella and the other dude who plays the werewolf, Jacob, came out to accompany him. Again, more hormones broke loose and I thought this would be my death. Eventually they disappeared onto the stage. Thank goodness.

Well, some girl brought her toddler, who was running around backstage, holding a back of uncooked chicken. Clearly I was confused at this point. And, the toddler ran to the stairs. But since the mom was probably Jazmine's age (which wasn't confusing or surprising at all, unfortunately), she was frantic like the rest of the little girls and was paying no attention. Okay, so maybe she was big sister, I don't know. Was I the only adult there?? I had no idea. Well, as the baby was holding the chicken and running for the stairs, I ran over to him and got him, just in time...probably saved his life. The girl ran to me and thanked me, and I stole her bag of chicken and said, "I'm taking this as payment; now get out of here."  She nodded her head and ran off. Seriously the strangest thing ever. I even remember at one point telling her I'd buy her more chicken if she controlled her baby the rest of the performance. So, because I was closer to the curtain at this point, some girl actress came backstage and started demanding I do my job and make her look nice (she thought I worked there). I said, "Sorry, honey, all the makeup in the world won't fix that.", and went back to my seat, leaving her to storm off mad. I'm not that mean in real life, honestly, lol. I'm too shy to be mean like that (to a stranger, of course :) ).  But, I believe that was the end of that dream. I just remember it coming to an end, and Jazmine and I walked out to the street to meet the rest of my family.

Now, on to dream #2. This brought back slight memories. Gary and I were staying at my parents house. While in this dream, I remembered the first dream, so this could have been a continuation, I don't know. Anyway, a whole bunch of relatives and other family members were over. Gary and I were locked away in a bedroom, to avoid the chaos (it was LOUD). I looked on the floor and found a whole bunch of sewing needles. So, I got down on my knees and started picking them up. There were a lot. As I was collecting the needles, I was putting them aside on a desk.  At one point, I felt pain in my hand. I looked down, only to see a needle buried deep in my hand, the upper part, below the middle finger and ring finger. I thought, "Well, that's not good." and started pulling it out. It was seriously half-way in there. Although there was pain, I pulled it out of my hand, and put the needle aside. There was a nice hole in my hand, too. So, I wrapped it up and continued. Gary eventually joined me, and then it happened again, except my other hand. There was a lot of pain involved, so clearly my brain thought I was in pain. So, yes, you can feel pain in your dreams. I pulled this one out, annoyed at this point, and wrapped my other hand to stop the bleeding. It seriously felt like hours, before we collected all the needles we could find. Frustrated, I walked out of the bedroom to find out HOW that happened and why I had to spend so much time cleaning up someone's mess. Now, in reality, I would probably be slightly annoyed, but not like this. This is the memory part; I felt all hormonal like a teenager (I guess the situation is reversed from the first dream, right?). I finally got someone's attention, and asked who had needles out. My mom jumped in and said, "Oh, it was me." Before I could explain what I just went through, she pulled me outside to show me her project. There was a new dining room set, new sofa, and new beautiful furniture. The sewing part was not the wood, of course, but the seating pads and a few other touches. I wasn't mad at this point, just confused on how my mom pulled this off (no offense, Mom). So, I went back into the bedroom.

I then realized it had been days since I had taken my medication, and I became desperate to find it. When I walked back out into the danger zone, I started asking my mom if she's seen it. She would begin to answer me, then get interrupted by someone, and eventually forget I was asking. This happened to every person I'd ask. Eventually I was getting completely ignored because everyone would not shut up and stop yapping their traps a mile a minute. Once again, teenage hormones raged, and I started shouting, demanding my mom find my medication. At this point, it made me look crazy. I mean, who wouldn't see a lady screaming for medication like that and not think it was for mental issues? This ticked off my dad, who followed me with a flashlight to the bedroom, and began chewing me out about respect. Okay, so not just a flashlight, a mag light, and clearly I was a little worried I'd be bashed in at this point. Gary, sat quietly on the bed and didn't say a word. I screamed back at my dad to shut up and leave me alone (oh, the memories)

and tried to explain I was just looking for my medication, but everyone was ignoring me. But, naturally, he ignored me during my explanation, and walked off. Now I was furious. I glanced over at Gary who was in lala land, probably blocking everything out, and stormed out of the bedroom. I walked into the kitchen, and started pulling things out onto the floor, trying to find my medicine. My mom came up behind me and tried to hug me and apologize, but I kept screaming at her to leave me alone, blaming her for the entire problem in the first place (really, Mom, so sorry). When she wouldn't hush, as well as EVERYONE else still yapping away in the super loud chaotic house, I went "SHHH!!!" really loud. I then realized at this point I was in bed, and I had just Shh'ed myself awake. I took a deep breath, and thankfully, knew it was all a dream. Of course the cats looked at me like some crazy woman, but immediately began meowing for food. Was I really that bad as a teenager? Dang, so sorry. I wonder if having a  stressful dream like that can actually harm you in reality? Lol.

Oh, but that was my interesting night. Not much to do today, except run a few errands and mail off a package. Hope you enjoyed laughing at me. Later!

Odd

So today, I was having issues trying to get into one of my e-mail accounts. Is it just me, or is it strange when your passwords to things suddenly don't work, no matter how many times you type them? Lol. It's been happening lately. E-mail, Facebook, even my blog some time ago.  Seriously, people, if you need information, just ask me, don't hack into my stuff. Weirdos...not to mention creepy. I'm not hiding anything you're probably looking for anyway.

Anyway, that was the main reason why I moved blog locations in the first place. Not only because I wanted Pollocks instead of Emilee, but because of password issues. Crazy stalkerish person. Not stalkerish as in reading my blog (because, well, it's public, and anyone can see it), but stalkerish as in trying to get into my stuff. Don't know who in the world has enough time on their hands to do that, but yeah. No worries, nobody's tried anything with this blog (not yet anyway).  I mean, I know I'm shrine-worthy, but still... :)

Anywho, onto a new subject. I'm now just waiting to hear back from my doctor. She didn't say exactly when I'd be contacted, just sometime this week. I'm sure I'm fine, though. I've been so tired today, and already ready for a nap. Especially looking at an orange sleeping cat curled up on a blanket. I had a nice hot bath earlier, but I felt nauseous and got out. Maybe I'll just rest a little more today and see if I feel any better.

But yeah, that was my quick blog for the day :) Now go away weird people trying to get into my information.

The City and Holidays

 

 

  Just going around town Saturday with Gary has me all excited for the holidays. So much to do here! There's a few events we have our eyes on doing throughout the season. It's so beautiful here as well.

Saturday, we went to the Town Center Mall, and it was really nice. Busy, but nice, with all the holiday decorations and events. We did a bit of shopping and strolling as well. It's always so wonderful spending time with my husband. There's such a peace to it. I can't believe we'll be 3 years married next month! Exciting!!

 The weather has been pretty amazing, too. Windy and cool. It's been a little warmer than it should be in November, but I suppose the low 70's isn't too bad.

 Anyway, Gary and I were watching some HGTV earlier, and it made me think about our place and city, which got me writing a blog about the holidays and going around town. We really love it here. So does Dexter: he seriously spends most of his days in that chair, either napping or hanging out. Our new outdoor kitty.

  Anyway, a couple of nights ago, I was on Newhall Ranch (just a beautiful road) in one of the shopping centers, and the sun was setting. I thought it was really pretty so I took some pictures:

Pretty, huh?

Random, but while at the mall and doing some shopping, we stopped at a cute little store called Utopia Home and Garden, and purchased a nice chess set. It's adorable. And, considering I had forgotten how to play chess, Gary was kind to teach me how when we got home. He kicked my butt, but at least I learned how to play again!

So, it was a good weekend. We played it safe on Sunday because we're STILL having the sniffles from this cold (will it ever end??), but we'll hopefully be back in the swing of things next week. I was super nauseous Saturday night, so I had to walk around for a bit to let it calm down (like around 2am), then went back to sleep. Hopefully Gary and I will fully recover this week.

Oh, and I'm down 6 lbs now! Woot!

Probably this week, as well, I'll get my blood work results from the doctor. She not only tested my thyroid for its routine, but since I mentioned a few more body aches, she ran other tests to check for things like arthritis or lupus, etc. Gotta be sure, ya know? So, hopefully I'll hear back, and definitely keep y'all updated. The nurse left a nice fat bruise from the needle, too. Normally it's just a little pinch, but when she went in, it hurt just a little more, so I knew there'd be bruising after. Looks pretty sweet, too.

Anyway, I suppose that's all for now. Later! 

Lifestyle Changes

 So, as you know, I've been working on improving my health. Well, the health of everyone here! You know how I mentioned buying the new EA Sports Active for the Wii? Talk about wow! Love it! It begins with a 30 Day Challenge, which I've been doing.  Now, some of you think that Wii exercise is for lazy people, who don't want to go running or spend hours in the gym, but it's far from that. I made Gary workout with it yesterday, and he was moaning and groaning 10 minutes into it. He completed the workout, though, and is terribly sore today. My rib area is sore...how does that work?

Anyway, there's running, jumping, upper and lower body exercises, sports, and loads of cardio. First of all, you enter your height and weight information, then you choose your exercise level; easy, medium, hard, etc. For the 30-day challenge, they'll pick out exercises for you, targeting on specific body parts. You start off with a walk, then run, and in between sessions of upper or lower body exercises, they'll have cardio exercises to balance that out and keep your heart rate up. You set goals and receive trophies when you've reached those goals. You also get a medal depending on your exercise for the day. Since I've been doing an hour of exercise, I reach gold. They'll also set rest days for you, which today is my rest day (twice a week is a rest day). If you choose to exercise on your rest day, then that's fine too. Anyway, I'm a week into it and have dropped 4 lbs. Pretty good, right?

Also, not only have I been working out like that, I've been tracking my calories on livestrong.com/thedailyplate . They pretty much have every food, so you type in what you ate, and they'll calculate not only calories, but other nutritional information. Much easier than writing it all down and adding it up on paper. You can also enter your weight and height, and set a goal of how many pounds per week you want to lose. From there, they'll tell you how many calories you should be taking daily based on that information. It also tracks protein, sugars, fat, carbs, sodium, etc. So it's helpful. And free, of course. Because of this, I've been eating much lighter (was surprised when I realized how many calories I was consuming before), and more meals per day. I eat every few hours, but small amounts, of course. Dinner is the last, and I stop after that. And, I feel great! Been suffering a bit of insomnia, but I think that's because my new routine might have done something with my thyroid level. Tomorrow's my appointment...lady appointment and thyroid appointment.

Well, that's that. In other weight loss news, the cats have lost weight too! Lila, who was almost 16 lbs, is now 13.8 lbs. And Dexter, who was reaching 14 lbs, is now 13 exact. I don't open feed them like I used to. Cats usually don't overeat, but considering they're indoor cats, it's best I ration anyway.

Okay, that's the update!

Dinners

 It's nice having a candlelit dinner with my husband. After we both had long, good naps, we dimmed the lights in our dining room and enjoyed a beef fried rice dinner. Yum! Oh, and made a few more changes.

 Time to finish the night watching a scary movie. We still have some recorded from yesterday. Goodnight!

Marriage and Compromise

 One of the biggest things you learn while married; you don't always get what you want. You have to start compromising so both people can be happy. Gary and I are both very stubborn people, and admit we had trouble adjusting our first couple years of marriage. Of course, once we realized it, we both started working much harder on that aspect, and things have improved tremendously. Our 3rd year anniversary is coming up next month, and I can't believe how much we've grown and matured over these years.

 Now, on that note, today we had to deal with compromise. Last night wasn't a good night for me; I awoke several times unable to breathe. I relied on my nasal spray to get me through. When morning rolled around, I dragged myself out of bed and began getting ready for church/choir. I began speaking to Gary about choir, and hearing my voice, Gary asked if I was feeling well. I said I was fine, while coughing and sneezing. I then realized how selfish it would be of me to spread my nasty germs around church. I also recently learned that there have been 50 cases of swine flu in our ward, and with a current weakened immune system, that was another risk I wasn't willing to take. So, naturally, I'm home today. Gary's almost fully recovered, however, so I'm glad he's okay.

ANYway, onto the rest of the story. I curled up on the couch in my favorite blanket (although Dexter would argue, if he could, it's HIS favorite), and turned on HGTV. While dozing in and out and watching the channel, I began having thoughts about our dining room. When we first moved here, we decided to throw our dining room table outside, claiming we never use it anyways. We hardly did, I admit, but it was still nice having it there, ya know? When company came over, it was available. It always adds a nice touch to a place as well, right? Throughout the weeks, however, I started missing the idea. I hated having to go outside and eat when company was over. So, I brought it up to Gary, who shrugged it off. I began running ideas through my head, and came up with another plan. Again, he shrugged and said he didn't like the idea. So finally, thinking there was no other way, didn't mention it again. But I did want to start cleaning, which I started doing. Eventually Gary came up to me, and asked, "What about this?" He then added a new idea. So, we went with that.

I wanted, originally, to get rid of the black computer desk. I don't like it. I thought we could get rid of that, and use the computer on the brown desk instead. By getting rid of the black desk, using the smaller brown desk, and doing some arranging, we could make the table fit in the dining room. Gary wanted to keep the black desk, and didn't want to arrange anything. However, he mentioned how he could use a workstation outside where his tools would go, and he could work on things non-computer related. By doing this, we'd move the brown desk outside, fit the table inside, and do a lot of cleaning and organizing. So, it's what we did. Gary moved the furniture, I agreed to take the cleaning and organizing task. It's not completely what I wanted, yet not completely what he wanted. It's just part of marriage :) Anyway, here's the result:

We have 2 chairs right now, just for us. When company comes over, we'll just pull the table out and add 2 more.

And, the extra space now. Gary wants to put a gas grill next to the charcoal grill.

And his little tool workstation. This way, when he needs to work on something, he has space for that.

 It's much different downsizing from a 2 bedroom apartment to a 1 bedroom apartment, because we have to have arrangements we don't completely like. But it's okay. Most of you may remember our first apartment in Bakersfield. You know, the super super tiny one? This is much better than that. We're both very happy with this place, and the neighborhood. All the benefits that come with this place make up for the fact we lost space. And who says we need all that space anyway? :) For a 1 bedroom, this is a pretty large place anyway.


Okay, all that moving and cleaning is making me want a nap. Meds helped get me through the day so far, but I'm still ready for a nap because I'm not 100%. Still blah. But yeah, that's been the day so far. Bye!