Jessism of the Week: Meanie Greens

Meanie Greens

I'm not a picky eater. I will pretty much try anything at least once. But there is one vegetable that I really don't get along with. It's the Green Bell Pepper. I found this out when I was living in Pittsburgh with Mrs Bokeh. She absolutely adores them and used them in almost every single dish. Since at that point in life I could basically only boil water I ended up eating a lot of her cooking. I started to notice that I felt very queasy afterwards. It took a while but I discovered that the Meanie Greens and me do not get along well. Though I can eat the yellow, red and orange ones without incident. Which I find odd. After talking with various members of my paternal family I have decided it must be hereditary. Because my dad, aunt, and several cousins have the same issue. Weird huh?

I still occasionally eat them, but they are definitely not my first pick! Down with the Meanie Greens!

Old School Chums

I hadn't seen Mr & Mrs Ranger since my wedding, so I was excited to have a lovely Brunch with them Friday morning. It was exactly the right way to start off one of my crazier trip days. We met at Mr Timbre's house and headed over to an old time favorite Ken's Cozy Cafe. There are not a whole lot of fancy breakfast options in The Twp, but Ken's makes up for that in spades. I ordered the Veggie Omelet (no green peppers) and a Hot Chocolate. Mr & Mrs Ranger ordered omelets as well and this delicious looking Cinnamon Bun French Toast. YUM!!

I met Mr Ranger sophmore year when we were both on the Science Olympiad team in high school. Although I competed a lot when I was in elementary and junior high, I ended up playing more of a supportive role in high school. All those darn smart Shelby Jr High kids to contend with for spots :) We've stayed close friends over the years, meeting up whenever we are both in town. Helping each other when needed. I can't even tell you how many times this man has helped me move or listened patiently to my latest relationship drama! Being so far away has been hard, but it's great to be able to pick up with old friends as if no time has passed.  I love to see him so happy and the best part of that is Mrs Ranger! She is sweet and funny and perfect for him. I'm so excited for them both as they shared some wonderful news with me that their family will soon be growing. Congratulations Mr & Mrs Ranger!!!!!!

Curvily Yours: The Results Are In

So first thing this morning I headed to Cedar Sinai for my MRI Follow-up appointment with Dr Perri. I had been preparing myself for bad news even though I am for the most part an optimist. So I wasn't caught completely off guard when he told me the results. I have a T8(Vertebrae) Compression Fracture compounded by a T7/T8 Herniated Disc that is pressing on my spinal cord. Which is what is causing the numbness in my lower limbs.

The course of action, I need to get a back brace made, and I am to wear it for the next six weeks. When Dr Perri was talking it sounded like he was going to see me every six weeks for awhile. Which makes me believe I still have quite a long road ahead. If we don't start seeing significant improvement in the compression then the next option sounds like it will be surgery. Apparently my fracture is still compressing, which means it is continuing to injure itself. They want to keep a very close eye on the lower limb symptoms as well. It all seems very scary, and a bit overwhelming.

I called Mr Mine as soon as I was out of the hospital to let him know the diagnosis and he pointed out at least now we know what is really going on. No more guessing. I agree with him, but it doesn't comfort me much. I have definitely done a number on myself this time. And when I think of all the things I have done over the past few months I can't help but wince. I asked the doctor what "should" have happened with this injury if the ER had discovered this when I had gone in. The only thing he told me is that they would have put me in a brace immediately. I hope the 2 month delay doesn't make any of this damage permanent. I still have a lot of questions that I need to ask him, but it looks like email will just have to do. I have never felt so rushed with a doctor in my life. I was still throwing questions at him as he was inching out the door.

I know that doctors are very busy these days since if they don't see a certain amount of patients a day they can't keep up with their overhead. But, it is really frustrating for a patient Mr Mine and I discussed that as well and are contemplating seeing someone else. Just because I need someone who has at least the time to make sure that all my concerns are addressed. My Ortho guy, Dr Millstein, is efficiently brisk, but I never feel like I am being rushed through and he always takes the time to answer any possible questions I may have. So maybe I can find another Spine Specialist who has fewer patients, and is In-Network. At least that would be ideal, we shall see.

Read about my accident here.

There's No Place Like Home

I am finally back in town from all my traveling and will be adding all kinds of adventures over the next day or so! Check back soon :)

Sunlight, Porch Set, A Little Me Time

Sitting on the back porch of Mr Timbre's house enjoying an absolutely lovely Michigan day. The temperature is perfect, the sun keeps skipping behind the few clouds in the sky and there is a nice light breeze. Even the humidity is barely noticeable today, or maybe I have finally re-acclimated to it. Yesterday, it rained and I thought "wow, nobody does a warm rain downpour like MI". It's strange that even with the beautiful weather we have in LA I am still so nostalgic about the weather patterns here. I really miss the thunderstorms. I can remember as a little kid sitting on my front porch with my parents and just watching the lightning. Watching the sky turn different colors, pink, to orange, to green, to a weird yellow. I remember being allowed to run out in the rain (if there wasn't any lightning) to splash in the gigantic puddles that always occurred at the end of our driveway. Bending down to watch wriggly pink worms as they worked their way out of the grass. I never did understand their tendency to come out during the rain. 

It’s been nice to get some quiet moments to myself. I’ve been trying to have a much more balanced trip this time around. Usually whenever I am in my hometown I am lining up people to see every minute of every day. Which just ends up being more exhausting than enjoyable. So I’ve made only loose plans with people, and although it makes me look a bit flaky I have kept my sanity this trip. While really enjoying the company of the people that I have gotten to see.

Breakfast Reunion

My trip has yield just one botched things after another. First the Enterprise debacle and then I woke up this morning at 6:15 only to try to go back to sleep, and then was woken up again at 7 by my sister calling me because she wanted to read me her MOH speech. Exhausted as I was I ended up falling back asleep and either slept through my alarm or it just didn't go off. So I found myself staring at the time at 9:17am and thinking "oh f%#$" I was supposed to be at my good friends Mr & Mrs Green's at 9am! A flurry of text msgs and an hour later I finally found myself meeting their littlest, Brady, in his adorable rainbow skull pajamas.

Brady in his adorable skull pajamas.

It had been about three years since I last saw Mrs Green. She and I have been close friends since High school. We met at a mutual friend's birthday party and bonded over throwing popcorn in a theater at some rather inappropriate older men. Our friendship really solidified our freshman year in college where we were completely inseparable. To the point where we could have whole conversations without speaking and it drove our guy friends nuts.

Mrs Green and I on Spring Break 1998

We even took our Spring Break trip together in Florida. Where we actually froze our butts off because it was freezing the entire time we were there. We share a love of dance, superheros and fantasy novels. In college we used to rush home from class so that we were in time to watch Spiderman together. Of course it didn't hurt that we watched it with several cute boys from our "Brother" floor as well. Oh the memories. All of which were rehashed on our trip down memory lane portion of our conversation. Deciding it would be fun to go out and have some adult conversation as well as breakfast Mrs Green and I headed out to the nearest Coney Island. Where I learned about her participation in the 48 Hour Movie Challenge and more about the novel she just finished writing.

Mrs Green and I July, 2012

Yummy Breakfast! We split Blueberry Pancakes :)

Since we were reminiscing about the "old" days I mentioned looking at pictures and she whipped out her high school/college years photo album and I was surprised to find there were quite a few pictures in it that I had never seen before! I think I will be completing a whole post with just those in the next day or so. I hope that some day she gets around to scanning them because there were some priceless moments captured. When we got back to her house I had a surprise waiting for me. Her oldest, Caiden, had created a gift bag for me. What a clever boy, it was full of stickers, pirate accessories, a bookmark, and even a brand new pencil.

My Delightful Gift Bag :)

We rounded my visit off with me finally getting to see her wedding photos. Now she has been married since 2006 and I was actually IN her wedding party so it's pretty bad that I am just now getting to see these photos. But as I remembered she made a beautiful bride. I love this couple they are so much fun and both sweet, warm, considerate, caring people. I was sad to leave. But we left off vowing that we will stay in better touch than we have in the last few years. I look forward to my monthly update calls!! Thank you for my breakfast Mrs Green, your a peach! xoxo

Mrs Green and Brady

Mrs Green and Caiden

Mr Green and Brady

Mr & Mrs Green and Caiden

Memory Central

I was born and raised in Shelby Township, MI for the first 19 years of my life. Driving down the streets of my hometown after so many years has been both confusing (because a vast majority of my landmarks are gone) and emotional. I can't help but be flooded with memories. From silly ones like passing the McDonald's where I laugh snorted my first Shamrock Shake to my old neighborhood where my old house is now owned by complete strangers (which just feels..weird). Everywhere I turn there is some sort of memory, or there is something missing. The old Donut shop that used to make Hamburger and hotdog shaped donuts. I wish I had pictures, those things were amazing. The little white bridge in the sidewalk that I used to ride my bike over all the time. Even my elementary, junior high, and highschool all look different. So many changes have been wrought over the decade and a half that I have been gone. Fortunately a few things remain the same, the people I grew up with are mostly still here. It's been wonderful getting to see them and catching up on all that I have missed.

My first day here was a complete whirlwind with the little amount of sleep and the three hour time difference. Once out of the airport my friend Mr Timbre drove me to Enterprise to pick up my rental car. Or Not. Did you know that you can't rent a rental car from Enterprise with an out-of-state driver's license without using a major credit card? Neither did I. And since they failed to mention that was necessary when I booked the rental I failed to bring one with me. They also failed to rent me the car. Fortunately my friend Mr Timbre likes to live on the edge and offered to allow me to borrow his car, and he ended up renting the car for himself. Well since I plan on paying for it I guess I technically rented the car for him. :) It's all a bit complicated and the bottomline is my friends are awesome, and Enterprise at least in this instance, is not.

Ms Tink and I @ the Rochester Mills Beer Co.

We made dinner plans with our mutual friend Ms Tink and her new boyfriend Mr Auto. We ended up all running late but met up at the Rochester Mills Beer Co. Where we ate, drank, and played several games of pool. The food was pretty decent. I got the pulled pork sandwich with sweet potatoe fries. Yum and Yum! After our pool games we weren't quite ready for the evening to end so we walked up to the neighborhood Dairy Queen and enjoyed some old school Blizzards. I didn't realize they came in a mini size or I probably would have gotten a smaller size!

We rounded our evening off with stopping at the Paint Creek Tavern where our group enjoyed a last round of drinks before quitting time.

During our walk he couldn't help but notice the plethora of sheep statues in the downtown Rochester Hills area. It reminded me of the Parade of Cows that went on in Pittsburgh while I was still living there. In fact since Ms Tink liked how's so much I actually got her collectible replicas of the cows over several years for her birthdays.

TOP: Superhero Sheep, one of my favs  |  BOTTOM: DQ Blizzard!!

Ms Tink and I met in high school in a most random way. She was a sophomore and I was a Junior so we really hadn't had any classes together. Then one morning we were both at school early and the Seniors had release a bunch of mice into the commons area at school.  Seeing that they were obviously store bought I swooped one up and walked over to the nearest teacher with it. Once I got up close I realized that the girl the teacher was currently talking to was also holding a mouse. We both looked at the mouse the other was holding and just burst out laughing. I don't remember what happened to the mice, but our friendship was born in that moment.

Oddly enough even though Mr Timbre and I went to school together I never really knew him. I knew of him as he was dating a girl at the time that I took my Orchestra class with, but it wasn't until college when Ms Tink, Mrs Green and I were all suitemates that Mr Timbre came officially into my life. He and Ms Tink had become fast friends and as he's a very friendly and easy going guy he ended up extending that friendship to me. We've been friends ever since.

Once home we actually still had enough energy to watch an episode of Coupling and then headed to bed. Mr Mine was online so I got to stay up chatting with him for a while as well. All in all, a very long, but enjoyable first day :)

Steel Bird to Hockeytown

Leaving Las Vegaaaas, you know, I am used to long flights. But today 3.5 hours feels like forever. It is usually hard to get comfortable in airplane seats. But with my back as agitated as it is, it’s been nearly impossible. Nothing feels comfortable. And the 600mg IBuprophen that I took this morning might as well have been candy for all the effect it is having. Thank beezle I brought our laptop. It’s given me a chance to catch up on a few blogs. And the earphones and trusty cellphone have been keeping the crying baby at bay. Thankfully I only have an hour left before I will be touching down in Detroit, MI. This weekend is my dear friends Mr & Mrs Pentagon’s Babyshower. I am so excited for them that very soon they will be bringing a new little life into the world.

So amazed by them and I hope that we will be following in their footsteps soon :) 

I've been away so long that I know I'm going to keep getting lost! All the old markers will be gone and I won't have a clue where I am. 

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

I just had to leave you with this adorable guy. Who was apparently sitting in front of me the entire flight, and I had no clue. What a good cat baby! I don't think I could ever take one of our guys on a plane. Leo won't leave the apartment, Qweenie would get us kicked off the plane, and Norman would find a way to escape and run lose all over!

Last Minute is My Middle Name

So I swear that every time I plan on traveling all hell breaks loose. And this MI trip is absolutely no exception. Which reminds me that once I get there I am still going to have a ton of things to get done! Ahhhhhh...small mental break down.....

Today was supposed to be an easy relaxing day of a few last minute errands and some leisurely packing. I know what you're thinking, no I still haven't learned the lesson of packing the night before a trip. Two days ago the emails started. Each of my freelance projects in turn started making demands and everything needed to be done NOW NOW NOW!

So instead of getting laundry done yesterday as well as getting a jump start on my packing. I spent the day putting out fires, cleaning, creating, and uploading psds. All other free time was sucked up by correspondence. And of course all of that ended up spilling over into today, so my nice easy day has been quite chaotic. Between emails, psds, laundry, cleaning up cat messes, physical therapy, and getting in an MRI my head is just spinning.

:::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::

Cut to me, packed and finally crawling into bed at 2am after taking 20 min to ice my poor back. By the way, I have a 6am flight so I will be up in an hour to shower and rush to the airport! Sweet Dreams!

On My Way

When I was leaving this morning for Detroit the sun was just beginning to peek over the mountains and was a beautiful molten orange.

Published with Blogger-droid v2.0.6

M: Mental R: Rigor I: Incident

I've had ankle MRI's and knee MRI's, but this was my first back MRI. My first time being put all the way into what felt like a 2 ft wide tube, well really like a 2 in tube but we all know that would just be ridiculous. Let me put it this way, they crossed my arms over my chest and when they put me all the way in, my elbows brushed the sides. Yikes!

So for those of you who have never had an MRI before there is really only one rule. DON'T MOVE. Which may not seem like a big deal, until you realize they mean don't move for a half hour, or in this case 50 minutes. They also give you headphones so that they can communicate with you as well as play music for you to help with the noise. Which is great except I don't know that there is anything in the world that can drown out the sound of an MRI machine once it gets going. Initially it sounds like a catchy beat, but then it gets faster and more punctuated and it feels a bit like your heart is beating out of your chest. OR, I suppose that could have been my pulse racing since the sound eventually starts to freak me out. Not to mention it makes you feel a little like you are going crazy.

Once I was inside there was really only one thing for me to do. I closed my eyes and pretended I was in a huge cavernous room. Whenever the infernal beeping started and I could no longer hear the music, I started singing Christmas Carols to myself. This also helps you keep a rough estimate of how much time is passing by. If you figure each Carol to last about 3 min. Why Christmas Carols? Well, they are one of the few sets of songs that were drilled into my head at such an early age that the lyrics are easy to recall under pressure. I also threw in some positive affirmations to try to calm my frazzling nerves.

I should have mentioned to them that when they tell you that "you're doing great, you only have about 15 minutes left" they should realize that when that stretches to 20 or even 25 minutes you think that you are going to crazy if it doesn't Stop Right Now. And a lot more breathing exercises are necessary to pull you through.

I highly recommend when you get an MRI that you make sure that you are in the most comfortable position possible. Especially make sure that your back is lying flat on the table. You don't want to have to hold a slight arch for 50 minutes! Ugh. 

Jessism of the Week: Cat Lover

I spent a very lazy Sunday at home this weekend. I blogged a little, I caught up on other blogs, and I started a new art project. In the midst of all this I looked up and realized that my cat babies hadn't been begging for my attention, which they have been doing more often than not recently. So I stood up and walked around the kitchen table and thought "ah hah!" as I came upon all my lazy sunbathers. I do love my kitties and we have three. One of my favorite relaxation times is just curling up on my couch and being covered in kitties. They tend to not bother fighting each other they just find whatever empty space they can find on my lap, legs, or torso to drape themselves. But today I was just having a great time admiring my darling little devils in their sunny splendor.

The Sunbathers

Top: NORMAN, Our trouble maker.   |    Bottom: Qweenie, as her name suggests she rules the roost.

Top: LEO, our ever curious scaredey-cat.   |    Bottom: QWEENIE and NORMAN cuddling.

Left: LEO giving NORMAN some Love Bites.                                                                                 Right: LEO making his presence known.

Leo got tired of me taking pictures and ignoring him. So he decided to sit on my back while I was taking pics of Qweenie and Norman. Such a silly cat, but he does love his Momma.

CAFAM: EHREN TOOL

Simply. Amazing. Several months ago I became a member of CAFAM or the Craft and Folk Art Museum located in the Mid-Wilshire area on Museum Row. I was happily walking down Wilshire Blvd thinking about how I felt light hearted for the first time in a long time and decided to wander into this tiny museum's gift shop. It was full of all kinds of beautifully handcrafted items, you can read more about that adventure here. This museum is tiny, but has a wonderful array of workshops and the current exhibit EHREN TOOL: PRODUCTION OR DESTRUCTION is fantastic. It's one of those exhibits that really makes you think. That touches a place in your heart.

The exhibit, is a must see. War veteran turned ceramic artist, Ehren Tool captures the viewer's attention with fraught visuals and the haunting words of our past leaders.

"Emblazoned with the haunting images of armed conflict, Tool creates handmade ceramic cups as a medium to address war and the violent rhetoric and imagery used to perpetuate it."

Accompanying the multitude of ceramic cups are signed letters from The President and First Lady as well as several other prominent people. Also a wall, with a request that people write about how war has touched their lives. I suggest you spend a little time and read some of the index cards on this wall. Some are just silly, but others are obviously from other veterans or families of veterans.

The pieces themselves are both beautiful and intense. I had so many favorites, but there were so many that it was hard to even go back and find them after I had walked completely around the room!

The exhibit will be open through Sept 9th and I encourage you to check it out. You won't be disappointed. I initially thought it would mainly be something interesting for Mr Mine, but the works speak loud and clear and will not be ignored.

One of the things that I loved most about it, is Ehren Tool's assertion that his pieces should last between 500,000 and 1,000,000 years and possibly will come through that completely unscathed. He hopes that his messages will be inspiration for many generations to come.

As we were walking out the receptionist at the ticket counter called us over and asked us how we liked it. I couldn't help but notice that there were a set of Ehren's cups on the shelves behind her and asked her if he ever sold them. She reached behind her and gave one to Mr. Mine and then one to myself. My first thought was "fantastic!" the one thing I had really really wanted to do while I was looking at the exhibit was to take every single one of his cups off the shelf and turn it around to see the other side. So I eagerly started turning mine over in my hand and almost missed what she was telling us.

"The Artist, (Ehren) never sells his cups, he always gives them away." And it dawned on me, the cup I was holding in my hand was now officially mine! What a wonderful keepsake to take home. I love both of our cups. Apparently he has made over 14,000 cups and of those he has given away well over 12,000. You can read more about the artist and the exhibit here.

These photos really don't even begin to do these cups justice. But I am very happy to now have a small piece of this exhibit to keep with me, and possibly pass on someday to our son or daughter.

Baby Yoga...

When we were driving around on our family day I noticed a new business across the street from our fav Chili place Tubs Chili. It was a place called Zooga. My eye was initially drawn by their logo and then I took in the advertising for children and family yoga. What a wonderful idea! Although how do you get babies to do yoga?

Back-tastic

THE APPOINTMENT
Time for an injury update. So last Monday I finally had an appointment with a Spine Specialist. I had to pick up my original x-ray that they took in the ER at Olympia Medical Center and then I headed over to Cedar Sinai to meet with Dr. Brian Perri. My Ortho guy recommened Dr. Perri to me so I felt confident in this new guys abilities.

Unfortunately, even though I arrived 45 min early I still wasn't seen by the good Dr until over an hour AFTER my original appt time. Which I found to be a bit ridiculous. But, I'm still feeling optimistic. Since I had so much free time I did a little sketch so that I could explain my accident. It's just really hard to explain without a visual. The doctor found my sketch to be comical and actually ended up asking if he could keep it. Read about my accident here.


THE ASSESSMENT

Upon his intial assessment Dr. Perri is concerned that I have either Herniated a Disc, or that I have Fractured a Lumbar Vertebrae. Neither sound good to me. My back pain is still pretty constant and I still cannot rotate to the right past roughly 30 degrees. I need to schedule two MRI's, but Stewart and I have offically started trying to get pregnant so I have to wait another few days to make sure that I am not before getting them done.

After taking my dance class last week the pain was back up to a 6 out of 10. So I have stopped going and have started icing my back regularly. I am trying to make sure that I ice at least twice a day. Stewart and I may need to invest in another large ice pack since he and I are both icing at night now. I stopped taking the Ibuprophen as well, because as my ortho pointed out. That's probably not very baby friendly. I need to find a OBGYN stat.

PHYSICAL THERAPY
Today I started physical therapy for my right shoulder which has been giving me a lot of grief since the accident. It sounds like I have inflamed the Rotator Cuff and that my Teres Minor is extremely tight and angry.

Treatment so far includes massaging of the Teres Minor to try to loosen it up. Exercises with a latex band. And some exercises which involved me laying on the side of a table and raising my arm up at certain angles. Sadly even the weight of my arm is a bit much for my muscles at this time. So sad when I look back at where I was only 2.5 months ago. I was climbing around like a monkey and not thinking twice about it. The massage really seemed to help and I was definitely in a lot less pain right afterwards. The other exercises are tough and I brought home a band to continue working on them from home.

Once we have gotten my shoulder into a good place I will start working on my left knee. My leg muscles have deteriorated to the point where they are not strong enough to hold the cartilage in the proper place. Which is causing my cartilage over my kneed cap to rub. It makes a delightful grinding sound which if you place your fingers directly over you can actually feel. Yuck!

I'm not sure what the next steps will be for my back after I get the MRI's done. But it will be nice to finally, hopefully, have an official game plan. These last few months I have felt like we were all just groping around in the dark trying to figure these issues out. I can't wait to get past all this.

Cruzer Vegan Pizza

I never really thought about trying Vegan pizza until I helped my sister move. In true fashion of all moves my sis promised her friends "pizza and beer". Although since 3 of the four were vegetarian and two of those were Vegan that didn't leave that many options. What I discovered though is that it's quite delicious. I chose to get the Hawaiian. I do love my ham and pineapple pizzas :) We also got the BBQ Chicken and the Gourmet Pesto. YUM! YUM! If you live in the Silverlake area you should definitely give this place a try! Cruzer Pizza rocks!

Limp A Long

The tried and true if at first you don't succeed try, try again. So my first week of Round 2 did not go very well. On my third day I caved at the sight of a very poorly timed pizza. I won't name names, but sometimes I am not my own worst nemesis. But that does not excuse that I pretty much ate what I wanted the rest of the weekend. Deciding that I would start again on Monday. Which I succeeded doing to a point. I was foiled by poor preparation. You see, when you are working on being Lean for Life, you should always have low carb fruits handy. Mainly your trusty watermelon, and if possible papaya as these two have a very low carb count. I unfortunately only had apples and grapefruit. Which both have more than twice as many carbs as watermelon. Also I made the mistake of tallying up what I had eaten towards the end of the day instead of figuring out a eating plan in the morning. So my carb count on Monday was...high. I also started eating really late, and I was way over my carb count by 4pm and still starving. At which point I hate to say it, I threw in the towel and ate not only the leftover Indian food we had in our fridge but also an entire hershey bar (and a half). Take that eating habit! I don't know why I decide to make myself suffer for being ill prepared. But there you have it. The only upside was that when I got on the scale on Monday morning I had still lost .9lbs. I hope that this week will be more productive than that!

On a happier note, I set my alarm this morning and got up at a good time. Then I went on a grocery run and bought plenty of watermelon AND papaya as well as a bunch of protein which I promptly cooked when I got home so that I will have no excuses for the next day or so! Today I am on track and it feels so much better.

Now if only I can add my exercise back in....

Happy Birthday Mr Mine!!

I absolutely adore this man! I love you Mr. Mine. Happy Happy Birthday!!! You are the light in my life, and keep me from the dark when all others go out! xoxo

Jessism of the Week: Lady Hugalot

I'm big on the hugs. People have even taken to terming it a "Jess hug". I have some simple rules when it comes to hugging.

#1 If you're going to hug someone, hug'em like you mean it. There is nothing worse than getting a half-hearted hug. It's basically like giving someone a limp handshake.

#2 The tighter the squeeze, the better. Please take into account the human pain threshold. It took me a few years to adjust my hugs to that effect.

#3 Be an equal opportune hugger. Hugging people from behind is just as effective as the traditional hug. However, this may be considered a sneak attack, so I would save this for close friends and relatives.

#4 Hugging perfect strangers is ok. And can yield surprising results, especially if they look like they need it. I can't tell you how many times I've been in the ladies room and some girl has come out of the bathroom, mascara dripping down her cheeks, eyes red looking completely miserable and in desperate need of a hug. Of course in those instances I usually ask if they could use a hug. Although occasionally they spontaneously burst from me. Read here about how this got me into a rather comical situation once.

Being a non-hugger is just not a possiblity if you run in my circle. I have no respect for personal boundaries when it comes to hugging either. I can remember making new friends in highschool and one new friend in particular, let's call him Mr. Pants. He had an anti-hug personality. Not to be deterred I hugged him every chance I got (once a day to his discomfort). Wouldn't you know, by the end of Senior year, he'd turn to me and say, "Hey! Where's my hug?" if I walked by without giving one. I think he's a happier guy for it because now he's one of the biggest huggers I know.

Hugs make the world a much better place, period. 

Hugs on Aisle Three...

The story goes something like this:

Girl works three all nighters in a row. Girl goes to Supermarket with husband. Girl and husband separate to make trip faster. Girl sees familiar face and tries to place it. Lightbulb goes off in dulled brain. Girl realizes it is Cousin who's mom has recently passed away and rushes in with big hug. After 3 minutes, Girl pulls back from hug and asks how Cousin is doing. Cousin looks at Girl wide eyed and says "Wow, I really needed that. Thank you. How are you doing?" Girl looks at Cousin blankly and says "I'm fine, just a little tired." Cousin continues, "are you sure there isn't something you want to get off your chest? Maybe something you need to talk about?" Girl starts hearing little alarm bells going off in head as Cousin looks at her with increasing concern. Cousin continues asking probing questions until girl realizes....

This is NOT Cousin! Brain starts frantically re-analyzing. Who is this? I swear I know....

Woman who is NOT Cousin says farewell and walks off. Sees Girl's husband and waves saying "your wife just gave me the best hug ever." Husband responds laughing, "Hi Pam, How are you?" Girl realizes....

Woman who is NOT cousin....is next door neighbor. Maybe time to go home and go to bed.

THE END

You know your exhausted when you randomly hug your neighbor in the supermarket because you think she's your cousin. #awkward

Happy 4th: Silent Celebration

This year has to have been the quietest Independence Day ever. We started our day off with a walk up to Starbucks and a phone call to my dad to wish him Happy Birthday. Then Mr Mine and I went over to our dear friends The Kenshins for a last minute Bbq. Lots of burgers, hot diggity dogs, and snausages topped by homemade guac and mango salsa! The Kenshins had just bought a brand new grill and we were there to help christen it. We also finally got to see their lovely new apartment!

Forever ago we were supposed to see Sherlock Holmes with them, as they are our go to movie buddies. But we ended up missing out on seeing it in theaters. So we decided we would all get together and watch it once it came out on DVD. It seemed like the perfect day to see Sherlock Holmes and we threw in Independence Day and John Carter just for good measure.

I couldn't help but notice that I didn't hear even one firework while we were having our movie marathon. It was extremely odd. People usually go pretty crazy here on the 4th. So I am wondering if maybe everyone is saving them for all the BBQ's and parties going on this weekend.

It was a wonderful quiet, relaxing day. Great food, great friends, great fun :)

Family Day P3: Picnic in the Park

It was such a beautiful day that we decided to pick up the cat food and then some Chili from one of our fav places, Tubs Chili. We then headed to one of our favorite little parks in Culver City for a picnic. There is nothing better than an afternoon reading in the park. I was looking forward to cracking open my latest acquired Diana Wynne Jones novel.

When we reached the park I was delighted to see that there was a vintage yard sale going on. We perused through their goodies and enjoyed some delicious tea. We even managed to find some great items for my Sis's new place! Including some great candlesticks which I chose to give her as a housewarming gift :)

Family Day P2: Kitten Love

Since Mr Mine and I were out of cat food we decided to swing by the pet store across the street. Of course we couldn't escape without being tempted by some cute kitten cuddles. The one little darling was obsessed with my Sis's necklace and kept attacking it. Adorable! A Five minute stopped turned into about a half an hour by the time we were satisfied. Only Mr. Mine escaped the clutches of the kittens and kept a cool head. I have to admit he had to drag us out of the store. It was a very close call.

They looked a lot like my Ginger and made me miss him. Wherever he is I hope he's being well taken care of. I'll have to tell that story some other time.

Family Day: John O'Groats

One of our all time favorite family breakfast spots is John O'Groats. The biscuits alone are worth the trip. I love their biscuits slathered in their raspberry and peach jam. Seeing that they had created a whole new menu I decided to try something new. Usually I order their Cornbeef Hash which is scrumptious. But today I ordered The Winston, made of eggs whites scrambled with turkey bacon, creamy goat cheese, and fresh basil with a side of Avacado and Canteloupe. YUM!

Child's Own Studio

Welcome to the wonder of Child's Own Studio. They take children's drawings and create their own personal toys. So unbelievably adorable! How lovely and creative. I love how the final products come out! So much fun!

I think this is one of the BEST ideas ever! This is why I love Pinterest I find so many wonderful things. I can't wait to have kids just so that I can use this site. 

Lean for Life: Weight Loss Phase Round 2

So today was my first day of Round 2. So far it is going well and I have been eating my meals on time. The first four days consist of all protein. This is to help jumpstart your metabolism. So starting at 8am and every 2 hours until 8pm I have a serving of protein. This can really be rough your first time around and I really don't recommend leaving the house on the first day if you can help it. So if you work all week then I would start on a weekend. If you do leave the house make sure that you pack several emergency snacks just in case you end up being out longer than you thought. I cannot tell you how many times this happened and I was grateful that I was prepared.

THE STATS
Current Weight: 173.9 lbs
Goal Weight: 145 lbs (They always tell you to dream big :)

Current Measurements:
Chest - 40.5"
Waist - 34.5"
Abdomen - 38.25"
Hips - 39"
Thigh - 25.5"
Total Inches: 177.75

And just to give you an idea of just how far I have come:
Chest - 41.5
Waist - 36.5
Abdomen - 41
Hips - 42
Thigh -27.25
Total Inches: 188.25

I've lost a total of 10.5" overall even with my accident. Sadly I was actually down another 6" before my accident, but I am determined that I will soon lose that again.

If you don't want visual scarring don't scroll down.....
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
Here is what I look like on Day 1! Let's DO This!

Because it keeps me honest. Please notice my trusty shadow, always by my side.

From Here to There

When I first started the Lean for Life plan I was determined and organized and basically had the theme song "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now!" playing in the background of my life. The assisted program lasted a full six weeks (Weight Loss Phase) and once that six weeks was done they requested I do a two week Metabolic Adjustment Phase (MAP). Essentially this resets your metabolism so that your body becomes comfortable at your current weight. The result is that once you restart the Weight Loss Phase you should only gain weight back up to the last MAP weight.

So I started out at 194.5lbs. I finished my first 6 weeks of the Weight Loss Phase at 169lbs. My metabolic adjustment weight would then become 169lbs after staying at that same weight for two weeks straight.

The hardest part for me about going into the MAP was that it required me to eat twice as much protein. Forcing myself to eat more food after being so rigid about what I was eating was really hard. It felt like I was forcing myself to fail. I had been doing so well on the weight loss that I didn't want to stop!

I ended up floundering a bit during the MAP phase. I just couldn't get myself to eat more food for the first week. So I continued to lose weight. Once I was down to 166lbs I forced myself to try the MAP phase properly.

This became tough and easy. The tough part was eating more of the right things. I ended up going off my eating plan completely. Because I was also working out so much I ended up keeping my weight the same and it wasn't until my accident that it all went completely south.

Actually I was doing pretty well until I started going out with friends and eating only two-three decadent meals a day. I made a lot of bad eating choices, even jumping back on the yummy dessert train. After I stepped on the scale a week ago and realized that I had regained well past my MAP weight, a decision to change was in order.

The problem I am having, is sticking to that decision. So I have been revisiting my Lean for Life book. Resetting my goals, and writing out my list of positive affirmations. I have a brand new LFL workbook to start writing everything down in. So tomorrow I will be officially starting my next Weight Loss Phase. In truth I tried to start last week, but fell apart because my resolve wasn't completely set. But tomorrow is the day. I know it would probably be easier to start AFTER all the upcoming 4th of July parties, but you never know how strong you are without a little bit of a challenge right? So here we go, wish me luck! I'll post my official weight tomorrow morning to kick off the week. If anyone else wants to try with me give me a call or shoot me a msg/email and I'll give you the details of how to start!