Twenty-Six in Twenty-Six, Part I

Since beginning the downward slide to thirty about a month ago (and fifty, if we're being truthful), I decided that I should make a list of things I'd like to do. I think it's a combination of a wish list, bucket list, and needs-to-happen list. Some things may never come to fruition and others are important for my well-being. And the rest? Well, they're just plain fun.

1)Write a letter to the Editor-I want to assert my opinion on a topic that interests me in a truly public forum. Basically, I just want to thoughtfully comment on something that I believe in and actually have to put my name on it. It's so easy to go through life never really speaking up or speaking out because we never have to take a stand for anything if we don't feel like it. Living in this country has yet to require that sort of boldness, something that I know that I take for granted.

2)Pay off debt-I don't have as much consumer debt as the average American (which I heard today was at its lowest level in years at $5,000, which is attributed to the Recession/Depression), but I just haven't quite buckled down enough to eliminate it. Plus, part of it is a personal loan from my parents since I "bought" their car. Well, it's been more like borrowed so far and I'd like to remedy that ASAP. Or, ASAIHMM: As soon as I have more money :)
Full disclosure: It will take several years for me to pay off my student loans. But I's gotsta start somewheres!

3)Learn to Shoot a Gun-Preferably at a firing range and not in South Central. It's a skill I've wanted to have for a long time. I'd hate to find myself in some terrifying situation one day and wish I'd made the effort to figure out what's what. Especially since I'm not very good at Duck Hunt.

4)Complete P90x-I'm 5.5 weeks into it, and for the most part it's still going well!! I am starting to see some muscles bulge in the triceps area and less bulge in other areas. I still can't do a pull-up, though.

5)Attend a Political Function or Rally-I may have a chance this fall with all of the election stuff happening. It's all just so exciting!!! And, I grew up going to political things. Hello, Straw Poll. I remember you bored me. Oh, and my parents even "chauffeured" a future presidential candidate when he was campaigning in the area for something. I recall being bored then, too.

6)Renew CPR Certification-I took the first half of an EMT course my senior year of high school as an elective one semester because I'm super cool. Part of the class was to become certified. Since it is only good for two years, I am WAY over due. Plus, I just think it's one of those things a person should be up-to-date on.

7)Run a Race-I've never actually signed up and run an event before. Not even a 5k. I don't think the Fun Run in elementary school counts. I'm not too fond of the idea of paying to run. It just seems silly. I'd rather pay for fun, not side aches.

8)Create a Budget...And Stick to It-I suppose this corresponds with Number 2, but I have about five budget templates saved in various places and have had read numerous books and articles about them, yet I've never actually fill them out. I probably could have completed this task in the time it took to write this post.

9)Leave the Country-But come back! The last time I left the country was 2004 (Italy and 4 hours wandering London) and I think it's time I venture into the world again. Even if I have to drive the 3-5 hours to Tijuana to do accomplish this goal. (Not gonna lie...driving south of San Diego makes me a little nervous.)

10)Take a Class-I have no idea what this will look like. Cake Decorating at Michael's? Hip-hop Dancing at the Y? Beginner's Italian? Sewing for Idiots? Culinary school? I'm actually considering all of these. Well, maybe not the hip-hop class but I have a friend who did it!

I'm sort of exhausted just looking at what's listed above and I have no idea what to add. I still need sixteen more. Make that fifteen. I just added another one.

11)Read through the Entire Bible Within the Year-How many times have I started this task and read Genesis, thinking I'd finally accomplish this goal, only to quit and try again...starting at Genesis? I have lost count. But I came across a website that has an (ambitious) plan that I may check out. For now, I'm trying to catch up on our church-wide plan and finish the second half of 2 Kings...by the end of the month.

I think an honorary item on this list should be to review the correct usage of commas, ellipses and parentheses...or not.

From the bowels...

This is what my kitchen sink looks like right now...


...which is connected by a wall to....


...my tiny bathroom sink...which looks like this right now...AFTER THE USE OF DRANO.

I came home yesterday to the sound of my kitchen sink gurgling. It drained and purged a few times, but thought some Drano would work after I got home tonight. (I use a drain catcher thingy--no garbage disposal--so I'm not sure what the deal is.) Last night I brushed my teeth over the tub and this morning I used the bath faucet to rinse my cereal bowl.

Hopefully my unreliable building manager will call a real plumber and not try to fix it himself, all the while mucking up my floor and kitchen with who knows what.

As you can tell, I'm not a really big fan. I've lived here since...March? maybe and I still only have 3 of my four stove knobs. And no spare set of keys. Oh, and his "remodeling" skills have made it literally impossible to close my closet thanks to several inches of old paint. Hello, lead. You may be my new bff. Oh and when I gave him my rent check for August, he asked my why I turn on my air conditioning nearly every night. First of all...What? Secondly, creeper anyone? Thirdly, this building is ridiculously old and hot--it's summer--and I only have a tiny window unit in the bedroom. Living on the first floor, in an old building, in a less-than-stellar-but-fine-most-of-the-time area, there's no way I'll sleep at night with the windows open. So please don't admit to monitoring me. It makes my skin crawl.

Whew, I actually didn't mean to vent. I'm really not angry at all. Not even feeling that whiny. I think the best word to describe me tonight is just weary. Weary, but rather content, seems to be where I am lately. Almost like a nice, long nap will totally perk me up. :0)

All I can say is that I can't wait for what I'm sure will be a super fun Saturday filled with monitoring a plumber, trying not cringe at all the potential icky-ness.

Big Gulps, eh? Alright! Well, see ya later!

Shaky, dead, sore and lovin' it

Due to an overwhelming response to my P90X pooost, I figured I should probably follow up.

Just kidding about the overwhelming part.

But Leah asked how it was going and I aim to please my only reader!

(Psst, check out her blog. She's an entertaining writer/wife/mama/recorder of funny husband convos!)

I am into my third week of my new workout regimen. Day 16 to be exact. I don't think I've ever been so physically exhausted. Granted, I feel MUCH better now than I did during the first week.

By day three, I could not straighten my left elbow without the assistance of my right hand. It was like this for a good 3-5 days.

I probably face-planted at least a handful of times during the first few workouts. Thankfully I was already close to the floor in crazy push-up and yoga positions. My arms are weak :(

I decided after that first week to switch from the Classic version to the Lean version. The difference is a bigger focus on cardio/core rather than Hulking up. But don't think that I wimped out, because the Lean program is still tough. Plus, if you need to have worked up a major sweat in order to feel like you really exercised hard (because shaky, dead, sore muscles just aren't enough), then you won't be dissapointed.

I'm still pretty psyched about doing this. I can't remember the last time I worked out 6 days a week for an hour or so each time. I'm starting to feel a difference in my endurance, strength and flexibility, so win-win-win!

Stay tuned--I'll let you know if I am ever able to do a pull-up :)

Biting the Bullet

I have been wanting to join a gym for months and months. But they are so expensive!! Especially near where I live. Since money is a little more than tight, I haven't been able justify the expense. Not only are there monthly dues but the start-up fee is staggering. But with my sister's wedding coming up this fall, I knew I wanted to get back into a regular workout routine that will kick my butt and lessen the likelihood of lunch lady arms. Nobody wants lunch lady arms.

So, I did it.


I ordered P90X.



And it's now in my possession.

I've seen the infomercial dozens of times and it looks pretty sweet. It's not cheap, but the total cost is about that of a gym's start-up fee. Plus, I don't have to schlep myself to the gym.

I even bought a pull-up bar, which is currently more of a goal item since I can't heft myself up at the moment. But I figure if nothing else, I can do abs with it :)

It is a 90 day program, which plan to start on Monday. This gives me time to do the whole program plus about 2 additional weeks that I'll use as a cushion in case I need to make up some dates before the big day November 5.

Wish me luck!

On My Mind

Psalm 40:1-5

I waited patiently for the LORD;
he turned to me and heard my cry.
He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
and gave me a firm place to stand.
He put a new song in my mouth, a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear and put their trust in the LORD.

Blessed is the man who makes the LORD his trust,
who does not look to the proud,
to those who turn aside to false gods.
Many, O LORD my God,
are the wonders you have done.
The things you planned for us
no one can recount to you;
were I to speak and tell of them,
they would be too many to declare.

What an encouragement! I often envision that I am stuck way down deep in some gooey, muddy pit and cannot possibly crawl out on my own accord. But by grace He's there, ready to lift me out. Trusting in what God has planned for me can be so difficult at times. But knowing that He has planned "wonders" for my life--"too many to declare"--brings much comfort. But thankfully David provides words for those of us who are often too impatient to wait on God in verse 17b:

You are my help and my deliverer; O my God, DO NOT DELAY!!
(All emphasis, caps and exclamation points are mine.)

It seems kind of silly at the moment, as if God is unaware of our pleading and desperate cries. But I'll take it because it's often the way feel.

Just keepin' it real.

My Jam

Don't you love when God answers your plea prayer almost instantly? That totally happened today. I've been wrestling with some things and today after I dipped into Pity Party Land, I was ready to be at peace. The only problem is that peace doesn't usually come easily for me. Dithering back and forth between trying to work everything out in my head and throwing my hands up and giving it to the Lord, I hopped in the car. After all, a girl still has things to do. I cranked up the only Christian radio station available, immediately feeling energized.

After listening to a string of old-school songs (I still love Jars oh so much!), I was hoping to hear a particular song that has become my most recent jam. Yep, I rock out in my car to worship songs. Anyway, I told God, "This is it. I'm almost to my destination. I really, really, really need to hear this song and I only have time for one more song." As soon as I finished my demanding request, the next song started playing. I was happily shocked. God is so faithful!

You've probably heard this song quite a bit lately if you listen to CCM. Here's the song--it's not really a video, just a graphic with the music underneath.




Anyway, hope you have a song right now that makes you bounce in your seat and bang on your steering wheel in praise of Jesus! :)




PS- If I used the word dither incorrectly above, it's only because once a word gets in my head, I have a hard time shaking it. I'm not ashamed.

Catch up time

Since it has been a month since I last posted--because I often don't care to make the time, if I'm being honest--I figured I'll write a post just highlighting what the heck has been keeping me away. And I'm not just not writing blog posts. I'm not reading them either, as my Google Reader currently has 401 unread items. If you saw the pile of receipts, bills and papers on my bedroom floor, you'd realize that I'm pretty okay with loose ends and unfinished business and leaving this until "later." Okay, maybe I shouldn't advertise that about myself. Any hooter, here's a quick rundown of what's been happenin':

-I went home in April and saw this little booger.

She snuggled down for about 45 seconds to watch the baseball game on TV. Atta girl.

Looks like she's enjoying herself, but do you notice the white-knuckled death grip?

-Can you guess where we went on a whim one weekend in May?

Okay, so that was pretty easy. We'd never been to San Diego, even though it's only two hours away. We hit up Sea World (total rip-off, btw, since Disneyworld is about the same price but with loads more to see and do), checked out the beach and saw a Dodgers/Padres game. We never go anywhere unexpectedly, so it was a refreshing change of scenery.

-I am frequently reminded how many weirdos are in LA. Example numero uno: I was driving home from work/the Metro station where my car was parked and was stopped at a light. I looked in my review mirror and couldn't believe what I saw. Some dude was playing his trumpet! The driver of the car, who was alone, was practicing in his car. Good grief. And people are worried about talking on a cell phone? How about a guy with a large instrument obstructing his view?!

-I recently made Pioneer Woman's cinnamon rolls for the second time and I can honestly say I have never had a better sweet in my life. And that's saying something. If you love buttery, sugary, cinnamony goodness and have little regard for a jiggle in your middle, please make these soon. Saturday would work, too. A word to the wise, though. Halving the recipe will still yield about 30 average sized rolls. You've been warned. Oh and another word. I used a half & half/1% milk mixture for the dough and straight half & half instead of milk for the icing and ohmygosh. So good. So so good. Oh, one more thing. Sorry. I do this a lot. I used vanilla extract for the icing instead of maple flavoring and coffee. Actually, I sort of winged the icing, but made sure to add the melted butter (which I'd never heard of before), which made a huge difference, I think.

I think I'll end on a delicious note before I write any more run-on sentences.

Until next time...