Because I’m Happy

Do you have that song stuck in your head now? Me too…thanks Ruby Gaskin. 😛 Anyway I recently heard about this 100 happy days challenge thing and at first dismissed it. Who has time for that? Then I thought…who doesn’t have time to be happy? How ridiculous is that? Plus it gives me something else to blog about and that well…makes me happy. I won’t bombard you with daily posts (unless you follow me on instagram or facebook) but I will do a weekly compilation of what made me happy each week. Not only is this a great idea (who wouldn’t want to be happier?) it also gives me an excuse to play with my camera more. I’m a pretty happy person in general so I’m hoping this won’t be too hard for me to keep up with….we’ll see!

Interesting in joining me? Check out http://100happydays.com/ to learn more

Fitbit and puppies

So this is going to be kind of a weird terrible combo blog, getting healthy is such a big part of my life now that it kind of intertwines with everything.

First the happy stuff. I got the world’s earliest but best birthday present, I got a fitbit! My birthday isn’t until July but in support of my journey to getting healthy my awesome family thought I might like it now instead of waiting. I’m really glad they didn’t wait! If you don’t know what that is check out their website at http://www.fitbit.com basically it’s a really fancy pedometer but it does a lot more. It helps you set goals, track your meals (although I’m still using my WW app for that instead), it tracks your sleep and fitness and more. It’s pretty cool. I haven’t figured out how to add friends through the app so if you do let me know lol. So far I haven’t met the 10,000 step daily goal but I’ve come close, clearly I need to move more. And now I have even more motivation to do so.

So that brings me to my not so happy news. I usually sleep pretty well (at least I think I do) but the past few night have shown a horrible sleep pattern on my fitbit. Saturday night I woke up completely 6 times and got very little actual sleep. Reason being, my puppy is very sick and he kept me up all night. So okay he’s not really a puppy…he’s 9 but he’s my puppy. Bentley is my Pomeranian and he’s the happiest dog I’ve ever come across. Even now, he still wags his tail and gets excited to see me. The vet thinks he has cancer but is not 100%, if it is it has not spread to his lungs or heart so that is good news. The bad news is he’s pretty sick and I’m not sure how much longer we have with him. For now he is on various medications and seems to be doing pretty well. My heart is breaking, while he loves everyone in the house Bentley is my dog. I’ve never lost a dog like this. My first dog, a Maltese named Mickey, passed away at an old age years after I moved away from home. I wasn’t there and I hadn’t been for a long time. While that was still tough, I didn’t have to deal with the vet visits and the actual loss in person. Roxy, the first dog I got with my husband, is 14 and still going strong. She’s 5 years older than Bentley but acts much younger. So I’m not dealing with it until I have to. For now I’m enjoying my puppy and appreciating the time I have with him.

Thawing out

Sorry for the break in posts, I’ve been busy! Today I started a full time position with my company (I have been a part time temp since December) and with that comes a lot more work and more hours. As we begin to thaw from the coldest and longest winter since I can remember we have actually started doing fun things on the weekends again. In the kid’s case…they had a week full of adventures.

Last week the kids spent a good part of the week in Los Angeles with my mom and her side of the family. They have never met that side of the family (I don’t know that side of my family well and haven’t seen them since I was 7). They went to a science museum, Universal Studios, took a bus tour, strolled down Hollywood blvd and Rodeo drive and went to the beach. Oh and they ate a LOT of Filipino food (well Tara did at least). I’m seriously jealous. I’d also like to point out that they were awesome when they got home. Tara is quite the snarky little teenager and she was totally pleasant and enjoyable to be around. I’m not sure I got the right kid back but I’m ok with it because this version of Tara is awesome. Hopefully it lasts…

Vince and I didn’t do much with our kidless time since we both still had to work but we did have a nice little date downtown on Saturday right before they came home. We caught the matinee of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dream coat at the Cadillac Palace, checked out “the secret garden” at Macy’s on State and wandered through all 9 floors while we killed time before our dinner reservations at Smith and Wollensky’s. The last time I actually went into Macy’s on State Street it was still Marshall Field’s. During the summer when I was a kid my best friend, Kerry, and I would take the train downtown with her parents and wander the city while they worked. We would check out the Stock Exchange (where her father worked) and we would always stop by Field’s and wander through the many floors. I have been back often for the holidays just to look at the holiday windows but I’m pretty sure the last time I was inside was as a teenager with my best friend. I had forgotten how gorgeous the building is and Vince and I decided we have to start changing our holiday trips downtown to include actually going into the store with the kids. Also I will never stop swooning over the city. Chicago is by far my favorite city on the planet. I’m obsessed with the architecture, the history, the people. Everything. No matter how many times I go down there I still get a little excited, even if it’s just for work. I never take for granted that I have one of the coolest cities on earth so close to home. And while it’s nice to return the quiet and peace of the suburbs a part of me will always wish I lived in the city.

So let’s continue the longest blog ever with a short chat about food. There’s no greater feeling than blowing almost all of your bonus points in one meal. But that’s what they are for, while it would be nice to dine at places like Smith and Wollensky’s or Capital or Morton’s on a regular basis we haven’t quite yet reached that status level in life lol. For now they remain a special occasion type of meal which means when we go there we go big. I almost ordered the salmon in an attempt to make a smart choice but you can’t go to Smith and Wollensky’s and not get a steak. It’s just wrong. I got the Filet Oscar and it was delicious. I mean seriously, veggies are great and stuff but that is what has been missing from my life this past month or so. I got the truffle mac as a side as well as the stuffed shrimp for an appetizer. It was incredible. I kept an eye on my portion size but it’s definitely the most I have eaten at one time in forever. We ended the meal with the “gigantic chocolate cake”. I’m pretty sure this slice one of cake could have fed a family of 6. We ate like an 8th of it and the rest is still sitting in our fridge for the kids to enjoy. It’s amazing how quickly the points added up but it was totally worth it. I will say that I felt like I might die afterwards, we parked pretty far from the restaurant and even after a nice walk I still felt totally stuffed. So maybe there is something to this healthy eating thing…;

Why I write

I have run out of ideas to write about since no huge accomplishments have been made weight loss wise and my camera is currently residing in my medicine cabinet. So I’m using a prompt from a blog I follow and this week’s topic is reflecting on yourself as a writer.
First, I would hardly describe myself as a writer but I guess that’s basically what I’m doing here. Writing my story for everyone to see.
I used to keep journals as a kid, I loved writing and I guess I was ok at it for awhile. I did well in English and won a few awards in school but nothing huge. As an adult my writing came to a screeching halt. I wish I had a journal, especially one full of funny stories from my kids when they were little. All I have now are bag I memories and stories I have told them a million times (I know this because they remind me every time I repeat a story). I’m quickly turning into my father who loves telling us the same stories over and over again.
Something that has returned to me from my childhood in full force is my love of reading. I’m in two book clubs because I’m just that cool, although my attendance record for both clubs isn’t stellar…at least I try. It’s funny because I have read a ton of incredibly thought provoking and meaningful books and my favorite book on the planet is still Mindy Kaling’s “Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? And Other Concerns”. I like to laugh ,who doesn’t) and Mindy fits my exact sense of humor. If I ever did want to be a writer (no plans for that) she would be my inspiration.
So while I have no aspirations to become a famous writer maybe this blog will not just cover my weight loss journey but also give me a way to look back and remember. I guess that’s the short answer, I write to remember. I never expected anyone to ever actually read this but I am grateful for the ones who do. So like I said in my welcome blog, this isn’t just about weight loss, this is about my life and my experiences….hopefully you aren’t bored out of your mind yet.