I thought we left home . . .

There are few things that I hate about traveling.  But there is one.

When you get to the exotic, remote, new destination - I hate it when everything that you find there is the exact same as the place that you left.  Specifically shopping.  I love a small, independent store with beautiful items and a diversified stock.  There is a perfect shop right across from Lish's apartment.  It sells everything from cards, jewelry, bags, hats, gifts and now even flowers.  This is the type of store that I want to find in every destination.

Usually instead I am faced with the same Gap, Banana Republic and JCrew that I find at home.  Now don't get me wrong I love all these places but the chains have taken over.  Same difference if it's Gucci, Chanel or Burberry. Walking along Robertson Blvd I could have been on Michigan Ave.,  Fifth Ave or Newbury Street.
 
Different wrinkle but same vein is this problem.  Not too long ago we were in Italy.  While there I bought a striped, scarf that kept me warm on the trip but was also a little different than anything that I had at home or had seen at home.  Cruising through Whole Foods the other day I stopped dead in my tracks - there was my scarf.  Ugh!  There goes my charming travel story.

CHIC-A-GO CHIC-A-GO!!!!

Chicago is a finalist for the bid in the 2016 summer Olympics. We find out this Friday if we get it. I am sooooo excited. I love the Olympics, always have always will. My love for the Olympics started as a child with the gymnastics, then swimming was added on, then running, Flo-Jo anyone? Tizzy and I used to pretend we were gymnasts in our backyard sticking every cartwheel with the arched back and hands in the air. And now it's all of it, I love it all. I mean I was THERE with Michael Phelps in the last Olympics, we were tuned in. He was breaking records and I was cheering him on from my couch. I am sure he knew it, and it gave him the extra push he needed. But it wasn't/isn't just the big name sports. I mean did anyone see the synchronized swimming? Those are real athletes, and artists, there is no way I could do that. I was so into the Olympics that I even had a dream about being Ryan Lochte's (the REALLY cute swimmer who is always finishing JUST behind Phelps) girlfriend. It was then that I decided I might be too "into" the Olympics.

Anyway on Friday we learn our fate. I could have the Olympics here in my town, in my backyard. There have been doubts, and detractors with the Olympics coming to Chicago, but not me.

I want it, I want it BAD.

Join in with me

CHIC-A-GO, CHIC-A-GO, CHIC-A-GO!!!!!!!

Too much information . . .

I have become review obsessed.  Any purchase I go to make, any vacation I plan, any chance I can get to read a review - I am doing it.  Although I do not write reviews - I am an avid reader.  I think they are wildly entertaining and speak more about the person reviewing than the item/place/whatever they are reviewing.

The other day I hit the Review jackpot.  I was on Amazon.com reading a review of a Blackberry Case (I told you I read all reviews) when I noticed a link to check out other reviews written by this Reviewer.  Yes, please.  Let's see what we're working with.  The initial perusal  was overwhelming.  There were reviews for everything from shampoo to books to purses to clothes.  I was impressed and a bit awed with the breadth and scope to which this Reviewer was critiquing and sharing her thoughts on all items in her life.  And I do mean ALL items.

As I clicked over to page 2 - there it was - a review of a vibrator!  No, surely not.  Yes, sir.  A vibrator!  Better yet the Reviewer started by stating how she was desperate to get this home and try it out.  I could only assume she had it shipped to work?!?  The rest of the review was entirely too detailed.  Can you imagine sitting down to review a vibrator?  Needless to say, it was TOO much information.

I am no longer reading reviews.

Secret to a Perfect Wedding . . .

 Lish and I being model wedding guests.

I love weddings. There was a time a few years ago when we were on the wedding circuit.   At this point in my life, I have become an excellent wedding guest.  I don't mind saying it myself.  I always arrive early, am very enthusiastic during declarations and introductions and I can usually be counted on to cry during the vows and the speeches - especially if the person delivering it is as well.  You will religiously find me on the dance floor and I am unafraid of  dancing with grandpa. I know how to bustle a dress and I am a wizard at  spinning the bride to achieve maximum dress twirl.  I've been to every type of wedding: casual, formal, day, evening , big, small, traditional, themed, hometown and destination.  My knowledge and experience is broad and deep.

This past weekend we were in California at a wedding. It was fantastic.  So. much. fun.  When I think back on this wedding I get a warm, fuzzy feeling.  During our 6 hour flight home I tried to pin down why this wedding worked out so well for us.  There were several things working against us going in - we only knew a handful of people going, my husband was going to Vegas for 2 days before arriving and we had a relatively early flight on Sunday.  Despite these obstacles we had the time of our lives.  We ate.  We drank.  We mingled.  Most importantly, we left it all on the dance floor.

Despite doing our part to entertain ourselves and I'm sure scores of others this wedding was fun and memorable because the two people having the most fun were the bride and groom.  They were excited and present and leading the charge at every moment.  They were gracious and loving.  The whole weekend was about them.  From the rehearsal dinner bonfire to the photobooth we had fun because we were doing what they wanted to do.  Not what tradition dictates or their parents and families.  What they wanted to do.  It was absolutely perfect. And so are they.

 

 Sunset at the Rehearsal Dinner Bonfire

Why are there so many shirtless men....

on Match.com. That's right I am a member, and that's all we are saying about it for now. The thing that has stricken me as the most interesting is the number of guys/men who have pictures of themselves shirtless on there. It's not their main photo, so at least I will give them, but seriously I don't have any pictures of myself strolling on a beach, why do you? The ones who are in mid marathon/triathlon, I will cut them some slack. They are just putting up a variety of pictures, and showing their hobbies, okay. But the rest of these d-bags are just showing off their abs.

I wish I could put a tag line underneath.

"Someone call the vet, cause these are some sick puppies"

Great Deal A-MAZING DEAL actually, RUN DON'T WALK TO GET THIS DEAL

Sports Authority offers a warranty on their shoes. In March when I needed new running shoes I was offered a warranty at the checkout. It was $10 and is good for 12 months. I thought I'd go for it since I go through more than one pair a year. Why not, give it a try, it's only $10 if it doesn't work. Today I used the warranty and got my new pair of shoes.

Here's how it works.
I had a $90 credit (the price I originally bought my shoes for). I could buy any kind of shoes, it did not have to be the same pair I had originally bought. If I wanted to buy a more expensive pair I only had to pay the difference in price. The only catch was I had to buy the $10 warranty again on the new pair. Since the pair I bought was $85, my total at the register was $5, the price of the warranty and the credit of $5 since my new shoes were less than the original. And now I have another 12 months to to redeem the warranty again. So I could get another pair of $10 shoes, instead of spending $85-$100 every 6-9 months.

I asked the woman at the counter if it was the manufacturer who offered this warranty. Was it only on the brand I happen wear? No, Sports Authority offers this warranty on all shoes in the store except for kids shoes and sandals. Sports Authority has Uggs, so you can buy a $200 pair of boots spend $15 on the warranty (the warranty is more for boots), then get them replaced next winter because of something as simple as salt stains.

Like I said RUN DON"T WALK. This is a great deal, and I LOVE a deal.

Fall

Fall is normally my favorite season. I don't know why but this year I am NOT as excited about it. Maybe because the weather took so long to get warm, I feel like summer came and went. I feel like I didn't get to wear my favorite summer clothes enough. It's too soon to be in jeans all the time. I am not ready to retire my bathing suit (even if I don't look great in it). I am not ready to stop day drinking on the weekends. Vodka Lemonade anyone? I don't know why I think I can only do that in summer, but I do. The summer to me is always a good excuse to be a little more, well everything. I can always blame/rationalize anything on summer. There is such a short period of time when the weather is that nice in Chicago, that you HAVE to make the most of it. I am not ready to stop making the most of it, or too much of it.

A little Disney love . . .

I've become addicted to these remixes.  Especially the first.  Wouldn't it be great to fall down the rabbit hole?






Lish, this next one is for you.  If only there were cleanses that were candy based.  Might defeat the purpose though.




I'm off to LA tommorrow morning.  Lish will have to hold things down for the rest of the week.  Have a great first weekend of Fall!  Who's going apple picking?

Cleanses????

I feel like cleanses are all over the place in the last year or two. I had never once heard of such a thing before. There are all kinds of cleanses out there, they can last as short as 3 days or as long as three months. They can be as intense as juices only, or can consist of mostly fruits and veggies, and one solid meal a day.

There have definitely been times when I felt heavy with everything I had allowed myself to consume for an extended period of time. Mostly after the Holidays, where it is one event after the other, I am consuming alcohol at least three times a week, and cream cheese or butter seem to be the staple in everything I eat.

I have thought about doing a cleanse but something always holds me back. I think it is the lack of what I consider actual food, you know something that you cook and at least one of the ingredients comes out of package. That being said, I do feel like this is a challenge I am ready to tackle for October. I don't want to do anything super aggressive so I am thinking a 4 day fruits and veggie cleanse, with protein allowed at dinner.

Hooking up...A break down

One of my friends is recently divorced. She was with her now ex for 11 years, so getting back into the dating/single scene is exciting, scary, and completely uncharted for her. Reality check she hasn't "dated" since college, and I mean meeting up at the keg party or bar is not exactly the same as dating in your 30's.

I was out with her and a couple who have been married for close to 10 years this weekend. We were talking about how my friend had been kissed the night before by the guy she had been talking to all night. She called me from the cab on the way home, and my reply was 'Why are you on the phone with me right now, and not smooching that cute guy more!" This whole subject led to the great hook-up conversation. Now I have had this conversation with long time marrieds before. See I can't go out without Tizz and our older sister asking if I made-out. If the answer is yes it is followed by a slew of more question on how the whole thing went down, because well they haven't been in that situation for a long time.

The conversation with the husband over the weekend was hilarious with insights into what he thought goes down and what actually does. Below is a list of my answers to his questions.

1) No going home with someone does NOT guarantee sex.

2)No one leaves, you stay the night. Adult sleepover per say.

3) Yes you sleep in bed together, next to each other and do not have sex.

5) Well yeah some people do have one night stands, it all depends on the person.

4) Yes the morning can be awkward or it can be totally fun, an extension of the night before.

5) It all depends on how drunk the two people were and what really their reasons for going home together were.

6) Hopefully the number has been exchanged before you go home with someone/you wake up in the morning.

7) Yes it is always awkward in the bright morning light, with bad morning breathe and hair to give someone your number while you are looking for your other shoe.

8) Yes, if you have a car, you should drive the other person home. Even if you don't like them/want to hear from them again. It's just rude not to.

9) Correct just because you slept over does NOT mean you had sex. In fact I think the older we get the less likely people are to have one night stands.

10) You just make-out, some smoochie face, some over the sweater action, maybe a little under the sweater action, you know making-out....Oh right you have been married for 10 years you don't just make-out anymore.....Well you should try it. It's fun.

Was that a ?!?!?

The return of cooler weather means that we have turned off our air conditioner and have flung open the windows.  Living in NYC this is not always convenient.  Although we live in a quieter neighborhood - it is never quiet.  There is a constant stream of buses and cabs the required honking and swearing that these modes of transportation bring.  There is also a new building going in across the street and while you would expect construction noise (very begrudgingly) during the day you would not at say, 10:30pm at night.  Unfortunately it happens.  All the time.

Last night my husband and I had just sat down to dinner and it was blissfully quiet.  So rare - such a treat.  Then out of the blue there was a huge, NNNNNNEEEEEIIIGGGHHHHHH.  As in High Ho Silver was right below our window. We both burst out laughing.

Life in the big city by TizzyGirl on Polyvore.com

That's why I love living here - you never know what's coming next. 

Paper Dolls for adults . . .

I have a new obsession - www.polyvore.com.  A dress-up game for grown-ups featuring any fashion you can find or upload to the site.  Here's some of what has taken up my Monday morning.


Wed This . . .
We're off to a wedding in LA this weekend.
How fun would it be to be wearing this little number?

Wed This by TizzyGirl featuring Lipsy

Fall in Love . . .

I'll take each of these jackets for the chilly days ahead.

Yes, please.

Fall Coats by TizzyGirl featuring French Connection

What's your best feature?

Let me preface this post by saying it is very narcissistic, and I am bad with compliments.

I get a subscription to Marie Claire magazine. Every month there are two pages dedicated to people they find on the street who are asked "what your best feature/". Some of the answers are vain, some of them are sentimental, and some of them are very Oprah-y live your best life. For some reason this month it got me wondering what would I say my best feature is if I were asked by Maire Claire magazine, to be published with an on the street snapshot next to it of course.

I find it ironic and surprising that the first thing that came to my mind was not what I actually think but what other people compliment me on. Which is weird in several ways:

1) Because why don't I know what I think my best feature is before I know what other's think my best feature is?

2) Apparently my best feature has changed in the last year.

3) Most people start a compliment with a question before they actually compliment you. As if your answer is going to change the fact that they find something about you attractive.

So my best feature according to the public used to be my eyes. I used to be complimented on them the most, but only after first making sure that I wasn't wearing color contacts, and they were my "real" eyes. Now apparently my hair is my best feature. I am a redhead so I usually get asked if I am a natural redhead (nope I'm not, and I will tell anyone who asks) somewhere in the compliment. The other notable thing about having my hair be my best feature is that now people touch me when they compliment me. In the last three weeks I have been complimented and pet three different times by complete strangers. This did not happen when liked my eyes. Not once did someone try to poke me in the eye!

Oh and I decided that my laugh is my best feature. Cause it never has a bad day, and it only gets better with age. AND I am going to start handing out more compliments freely.

Slacker Nation

I know I am from GenX, part of the slacker nation, turning my back on corporate America and it's cubicles. I should be forging my own indy record label, art gallery, or something that is creative and feeds the soul.

That is just not really who I am. I am way too German with too much of a work ethic to slack. I don't want to damn the man. I like the man. He pays for 50-75% of my monthly health care premiums. He is contributing to my retirement. For some people he helps pay for their education. I am a steady loyal employee who usually does what it takes. I can always be found with a to-do list and a deadline. I very rarely actually take all my vacation days.

Not so much today. I am a total slacker employee today. I took an almost 2 hour lunch, because I sat outside and read my book, then came back here and ate lunch at my desk while reading celeb gossip online for 45 minutes. Then because it was so slow I just took a 30ish minute "break" to go and get ice cream. Here is the part where I start feeling like a crumb. I ran into my boss while I was at lunch and we were talking about how nice out it was, what a beautiful day, and I joking said something about closing the office early on this beautiful day (really it was joke cross my heart). He just came into my office asked me about something, then told me I could leave early. If I wasn't being such a slacker/break taker earlier today I wouldn't feel bad about this at all. But I was so now I do. Or if the entire office was closing then I wouldn't feel like a slacker. But it's not, just me leaving early. Oh well I am still going to leave early because quite honestly I have NOTHING to do anyways.

Return to Origins . . .

I know we're all trying to do our part to help the environment.  I've become especially more aware of this in the last few years.  Maybe it's being in NYC where all the garbage gets piled on the street for pickup that makes you realize how much is wasted.  In that spirit I have recently come across the following tip I thought I would pass on.  Every little bit helps.

Everyday packaging accounts for approximately 1/3 of all landfill waste. Most community recyclers only take items made from materials that are easily recognized - such as soda and water bottles. Cosmetic and toiletry bottles, tubes, caps and jars among those items not easily recognized and therefore not often recycled

Starting March 29, 2009, bring your empty cosmetic tubes, bottles and jars, etc. - regardless of brand - to your nearest Origins retail store or department store counter nationwide.* All returned packaging will be sent back to a central location where products will be recycled or used for energy recovery.

In an industry first, Origins will accept packaging from any cosmetic company regardless of the manufacturer. We believe that the more we collect from consumers, the more we can keep cosmetic packaging out of landfills. And we hope this program will encourage other companies into following our example.

Click below to find out more information.

http://www.origins.com/about/index.tmpl?page=recprogram

The Journey Home . . .

A rainbow in NJ after 12 hours in the car.

No matter what great vacation or destination I've been to I am always happy to return home.  Only once can I remember actually wanting to cry on my way home and that was arriving in a cold and gray Chicago in the middle of winter after getting married and honeymooning in a technicolor Hawaii.  I don't think that can count. This past week we drove back to NYC from Chicago and also after a jaunt up to Connecticut.  Here's some of what guided us back.

 

We returned on 9/10/09. 

These are the 9/11 tribute lights.

  

Sunset on the West Side Highway.

Hungry

That is the best word to describe me this week. I CAN'T stop eating, and it's never enough. The amount of food I would eat in a day last week is not enough for me this week. I don't know why and I can't stop.

Sometimes I am a compulsive eater. And by that I mean I eat everything that seems appetizing to me at an alarming speed. I have a large appetite and no will power. If I get a craving for something I HAVE to have that. There is no substitute. If I try to substitute something else healthier, it doesn't work, I end up eating both. So I stopped trying to do the healthy substitute.

I have resigned myself to this compulsive eating as part of my normal life. What I do now is try to eat healthy when I am not having a hungry week and hope that it balances out. I went to Trader Joes yesterday and the only "bad" thing I bought was tortilla chips, to go with my salsa. That being said I am planning on mixing the salsa into black beans with tomato's and peppers, and a little cheese, ( I refer to this dish as my at home burito bowl a'la chipotle style) so I will end up eating less chips and more fresh veggies and legumes.

A note from our sponsors . . .

 

Isn't this just the most fantastic thing ever? I can not get enough of it. It's so great I had to share it. If only all communication and sentiments were this simple and easy to share. Maybe that's our problem.  We are too busy, too impressed with our own vocabulary, too self-involved to get straight to the heart of matters.

I miss you.

I am so excited to see you tomorrow.

I liked when you came to my house and we played.

Me too, Lady D. Me too.

One World in Fee Income . . .

I tried to book an airline ticket today using a credit from a previous flight.  My $215 credit was going to be reduced to $45 after they were going to charge me a $150 change fee and a $20 travel agency fee.  If I had gone ahead and booked it they would have charged me $20 to check a bag.  If I were to bring my dog with me it would be another $100 to have her in the cabin and $150 to check her into cargo.  This has gotten totally out of control.

I applaud Southwest and other carriers who still remember that this is a service industry.  I've had enough of  getting nickeled and dimed.  I will no longer fly the major airlines when I can avoid it.  (Except for Continental and Delta - they're awesome). 

Have we become so used to the fees we are immune to it?  If I was yesterday, I am not today.

Why is Kelly Clarkson e-mailing me?

No seriously why? I probably get one e-mail a week from her. She wants me to come to her concert. And while it is very nice of her to let me know when the pre-sale starts. If we are good enough friends to e-mail, then she should just be offering me these tickets for free right? But that's the point, we aren't good friends. I don't know her personally. I don't know why, where or how she got my e-mail. I wish she would stop. It's bordering on the stalker side now.

Monday Monday

My morning started out rough with a stranger in his sweatpants rubbing up on me on the el today. It was definitely a crowded el, but not that crowded buddy! Don't think I don't know why you are wearing sweatpants, weirdo. I was able to move over enough so that he was not touching me anymore. I was going to get off at the next stop to switch trains. I think my readjustment and "back up buddy" mean face gave him the hint he wasn't going to be able to continue rubbing up on me. Because at the next stop he got off the train and then ended getting back on at the other end. This is not the kind of thing that starts the week off on a good note.

Out of Synch . . .

That's been me for the summer.  Just when I think I'm getting things together something else popped up.  Some my fault, some totally out of my control..  Either way I keep getting knocked back on my heels or actually on my a$$.  I hate this feeling.  I shall heed the advice I've been given and have passed on to many a friend.

Pick yourself up,

Dust yourself off

Start all over again.

Oh well, you can't win them all.
As Scarlett O'Hara said, "Tomorrow is another day."

When Life Comes Full Circle

The past two weekends I have hung out with two guys that I went to high school with. Neither of these guys I was friends with in school. I have been re-acquainted with these guys through friends I have made as adults. It is a complete coincidence that our paths have crossed again.One of them I had hung out with several times before we realized we went to high school together. The other one we were hanging out with the same group for HOURS before we realized we knew each other. In fact, we had recognized each other and asked each others names but it wasn't until his wife mentioned where he went to high school that we realized we did know each other.

My point in all this is - I am so happy to be reintroduced to these guys. They are great genuine guys. The type of guys who even though it is only a hand full of times a year I see them, they me give me a hug. A real hug, not a one arm hug. They honestly look me in the eyes and ask how I am doing. You can see in their eyes thatthey mean it. And I do the same with them. I really like these guys. And they aren't the coolest guys I have ever met, they are not the most fun. But there is something there every time I see them that is so real. Is it the shared history...maybe. Is it the type of guys they are...DEFINITELY.

This has made me realize -  these are the type of guys I want to be meeting. These are the types of guy I want in my life. This is the type of guy I want in my life forever. For the last couple of years I have been dating eternal bachelor after eternal bachelor. And they are fun, sooooo fun, and sexy, and cool. But they don't bring anything my life.

So this is how my life has come full circle in the last couple of weeks. I have been saying for a couple months now..."No more eternal bachelors!" But it wasn't until I had these encounters with these two guys that I realized what it was I am looking for that the eternal bachelors of my past were missing.

This does not bode well for my monday morning.

The temperature for Sunday.

High 79

10% Perc

I have bleacher seats for the Cubs game Sunday afternoon. Something tells me when it is that hot out. I am going to need beverages. Fingers crossed I will be able to correctly apply sunblock too.

Cupcake Consumption!

Thanks for the B-day Cupcakes Tizzy! They were delicious, all the flavors. And I know this because I ate THREE yesterday?!?!?! I mean really, what the F)(*)&* was I doing eating three cup cakes, who has the right to do that? Oh yeah and I skipped boot camp all week. BUT today is a new day, yesterday started a new year, and all I can do is get back on the horse.

Back to the fun stuff, my B-day dinner was so fab, so fun, and so just what I needed. A group of 8 of us girls got together. There was no drama, no cattiness, no rolling eyes at each other. This is the good part of aging. People appreciate each other more, and worry about differences less. Dinner was just good friends getting together, laughing, loving life, and yes singing show tunes from when we grew up (only some of us appreciate Grease 2). Luckily we were in a back room by ourselves. But even if we weren't I still feel like we would have belted out in song. That's just how we roll.

One year older, not sure any wiser!!

Today's my birthday. Hooray for me. I am 32 today, below is my wish list for the next twelve months.

1) Find a job that I enjoy, and challenges me with people I like and respect. Oh yeah and it has to pay the bills if you know what I mean.

2) Get a hobby! (School left no time for a hobby, and now I don't remember what they used to be before I went back to school)

3) Try new restaurants, bars, etc. I am the type of person who lives very comfortably in my comfort zone. This year I want to venture out and not just always go to the old stand by's.

4) Get back in the workout rhythm. I loved it when I was consistent with it. I want that feeling back.

5) Go to Great America. It's so fun and I haven't been in years. You get to purely be a child in a state of fun and amazement.

6) Ease up on myself. I live by a strict timeline, budget, routine. The world will not end if I go off budget/timeline every once in a while.

7) Find a nice/cute/fun/supportive/interest fella to smooch with on the regular!

That's all I got for now. Looking forward to hanging with all my girls for dinner tonight, margarita's here I come. And I am 90% sure I am NOT coming to work tomorrow.

PS: Tizzy proofreads, and corrects the mis-spelling/grammar of my posts. I will also work on being better about those this year.

Hooray for Lish!!! Happy! Happy!

Goodbye Summer . . .

Today I am a dichotomy of feelings. On the one hand, I am very happy and excited. Tomorrow we are road tripping back to Chicago for a week of relaxation, nieces and nephews, birthday celebrations, Dairy Ripple, Portillo's, Panes, BBQing, boat trips, drinks at chuck's, Que rico taco's, fresh margs and whatever else we can squeeze into the week. Despite best intentions I don't think the relaxation will play out. We always mean to relax but there never seems to be enough time when we got home - too many people to see and too much to catch up on. Despite 5 years history of not succeeding we shall valiantly try, try again.

On the other hand, I am sad that it is once again Labor Day Weekend and that means that the summer is officially over. Nights have started to come sooner and the mornings are more chilly. I love the fall and the change of season. But it also means that the dreaded winter is closer. Since I was not born with the power to plan and forecast I shall ignore the last part and relish the changing of guard from summer to fall.

Thinking about this past summer we had a lot of fun. Here are a few of my favorites:

Lish's Graduation - So Proud, so teary. Such an accomplishment, such a great party.


Being in Lake Geneva - Boat rides and BBQ's.



Strawberry Picking = Lots of butts in the air


Thank you, Summer. I had a trully wonderful time. Please tell your cousin Fall to be kind. And by kind - I mean warm.

xoxo -
BFF -

Tizzy

"When someone strikes out at you they are showing you their pain.
It's not even personal! If you chose to defend your position, you've
sunk to the same level. Then the war begins. THIS is not your nature,
but it is a collective nasty habit."

-Kyle King-





I am trying to live by this quote, but it is sooooo hard. Just been dealing with someone who in my opinion is emotionally unstable lately. It's really hard to let things slide when someone lashes out at you for no reason. You (or at least I) can't help but think "am I the crazy one here", when someone reacts so over the top to something. I always try and put myself in the other persons shoes and think if I were them would this request/action warrant the response I got. In this case the answer is no, and has been no each time. I have no choice but to deal with this person in the current situation I am in. I have tried the avenue of having a calm conversation with the person. I have tried getting a third person involved. The responses I am getting is

"she's not going to change"
"she's an unhappy person"
"don't let it get to you"
"you just have to deal"

While all of those are great things to say in a pep talk, none of the solve the problem, or change the situation. I am moving on. I can't change how getting lashed out at makes me feel, (It's draining to rise above!). And this person clearly is not going to change her behavior. So I am changing my situation. It is not going to be an easy process, but ultimately it is going to be the best process for me.

Oh yeah

Bootcamp started lastnight. I made it through day 1, and really can not believe I have to go back again today for more torture. It seems excessively cruel to do this to myself two days in a row. But that is probably what will get me results.

See I have been on a hiatus from working out. In June I finished school. For the three years previous I had been working full-time and going to school full-time there was little time for working out. Basically yes, I have been carrying the freshman 15 for 3 years now. Then last spring I threw out my back when I was on break from school. So the little I was doing before then has almost completely wiped away. Run/walks have been my mode of exercise for the last year and a half. (emphasis more on the walk if you know what I mean).

So I have committed myself to this bootcamp that is three days a week, and a lot more intense then I am used to. It is going to hurt, I am going to be sore and winded. But ultimately I want to walk out of there in one months time feeling stronger, not just lighter. I want to make exercise part of my life again. I enjoy it when I do it. I need to keep this up. And the good news is I already made a friend who lives by me, so we take the el home together. Maybe we can meet up for runs on the weekends too.

PS: I also think it is working already. I definitely thought I looked slimmer this morning.

I love it . . .

Today my Goddaughter goes back to school. First day of school and the most important question that my sisters have been discussing - what's she going to wear? That's just the way it is in our family. I had heard the recollection of the outfit and the piece-de-resistance - the boots! Three-quarter length brown suede boots with three tiers of fringe - to die for. I was on the phone with my sister when she gasped - Goddaughter had just walked in her room with the outfit on. Here's our conversation.

Tizzy (to more-stylish-sister): "Let me talk to her."
Goddaughter (in clearly excited voice): "Hello"
Tizzy: "Goddaughter, how do you like your outfit?"

(slight breathless pause)

Goddaughter: "I love it"

(tears form in Tizzy's eyes and lump begins to swell in throat)

Tizzy: "Do you feel good and special"
Goddaughter: "I do."

(barely able to talk as tears begin to fall)

Tizzy: "I love you. Have fun at school."

I get teary eyed just thinking about it now. I don't think I'll ever forget that, "I love it". You could just feel how great she felt in her new outfit. The picture above was my first day of school. Don't I look ready to conquer the world? The Hello Kitty bag is awesome; but I also think it's going to school with my Big Brother and More-Stylish-Sister, my mom peaking from the window behind, I can only imagine what my Dad had said right before the picture was snapped. All these things push us forward and sustain us so that when the time comes the clothes make us feel special but it's growing up with love that makes us uniquely special.