Thursday Thoughts

1. Last night I went for a run. I feel like a bag of old bones today because I'm sore and my hip hurts. Yeah.

2. I also did 8 minute legs and 8 minute arms. They are no joke. The guy's outfit in the videos must be though. But! Solid workout in 16 minutes = sign me up!

3. Tonight I'm going to see Ghost on Broadway with my family. Not sure what to expect...regardless, it will be no Patrick Swayze...let's just get that out there right now.

4. Last night I made a new salad dressing that I thoroughly enjoyed. Red wine vinegar, mustard, garlic...perfect on a bed of romaine and arugula.

5. Thanks to Kimberly for leaving a giant vat of arugula here on Saturday after Mom's birthday party! It's kept me fed all week.

6. I ate about 10 of Kim's compost cookies this week, following Mom's birthday party. Yes, they are the size of my head. And yes, I really did eat like 10.

7. Tim Tebow is going to the Jets! Shaun is thrilled. Looks like Dad will need a new Tebow jersey. We're all very excited, even the Giants fans.

Dad Tebowing on Christmas morning, with his new jersey

8. It's supposed to be like 75 degrees in the tri-state area today. Cute skirts here I come! Now if only my legs were quite so pasty. Ack.

9. The Hunger Games movie comes out this weekend...is anyone braving the crowds? Maybe we will go on Saturday night...if not, I can wait one more week to make it happen.

10. Speaking of...could Jennifer Lawrence be any more stunning? I'm in love with this dress, her hair, her makeup...

image source

11. I blew through Delirium and am now full force into Pandemonium. Is anyone else reading Delirium? Remember we will have a disscussion on the blog in a couple of weeks if you'd like to read it!

12. You can now find some of my recipes on The Daily Meal and on Fave Healthy Recipes.

13. You can still enter the SlimKicker slow cooker giveaway! It's open until noon today. Head over to make it happen!

14. I'm really wishing that I got it up enough to repaint my nails last night. I'm still rocking I Have a Herring Problem and loving it...but let's face it, after a week it's time for a change.

Question of the Day:

What are your thoughts today?!

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

Thanks to everyone who commented on yesterday's Free Soda post...I'm glad Shaun and I aren't the only ones who thought this was just a little strange. And no, we did not drink the soda.

It's so fitting that I woke up this morning to dreary rain. It's like Mother Nature's way of saying that summer is over....move on! Especially since it hardly rained at all this summer. Today, as if on cue, it's dark out and fairly miserable looking!

Today I feel both excited and slightly daunted. So many things I've been putting off until after Labor Day. Organizing the mess under my bathroom sink? I'll get to it after Labor Day. Cleaning out my closet of clothing I haven't worn in 2+ years? After Labor Day. Those 10 pounds I've been trying to lose? Definitely after Labor Day. And now the time has come to get it all done! Here's what's on my list to get back into the swing of things.

Get back on track to healthy eating.

The summer has meant essentially eating whatever I've wanted over the last couple of months and I've got the tight clothes to prove it. Post-Labor day means back to salads, lots of veggie packed meals and snacks and light dinners...with less cupcakes.

Get back to cutting down on our grocery bill.

Since I've been eating whatever I've wanted over the last bunch of months, I've also been doing less meal planning and therefore less money saving at the grocery store. It's time to get back on track. Healthy eating + meal planning = more money in my pocket.

Start saving some money.

It's been an expensive bunch of months for us. We've traveled like it's nobody's business. We've had weddings, birthdays, parties, dinners out. I've thought nothing of buying breakfast every single morning for the last few weeks (remember those 10 pounds?). With holidays approaching and in the interest of building our savings account, it's time to go a little back to basics with less spending. It's been fun.

Spending more time at home.

During the summer, we're all over the place. Even on weeknights, you can find me Zumba'ing, having lots of dinners and drinks with friends and attending all sorts of other things. I end up exhausted before the busy weekend even starts. Add in blogging and I end up with 6 hours of sleep per night, which is simply not enough for me. Not to mention my lack of gym time. It's time to cut back. This also falls into the losing weight and saving money categories. Of course, I still want to see all of my friends (and I will) but I just won't be out multiple nights during the week for a while.

Getting back to the gym.

Ack, I hate this one. I've let myself get so out of shape that the thought of returning to the gym is truly a daunting thought. Where do I even begin? In the spring, I ran 2 5K's and was so proud of myself. I need to get back to that place. More time at home also equals more time for the gym - a necessary point in my life right now.

Getting organized around the house.

My living room inspiration

I've mentioned that I'm working on decorating our apartment. Yesterday, Shaun and I got our new mattress and picked up paint swatches. Lighting shopping didn't go as well as planned but I at least got some ideas. Now that summer is passed, we have no excuse not to get our place done and decorated. And I'm excited about it! I also want to organize things, like my clothes, shoes and my under the bathroom cabinet mess. I'm ready to tackle it all.

So that's where my head's at this morning. I'm excited, slightly daunted, but ready to press on. Fall, here I come!

Questions of the Day:

How are you feeling on the first post-Summer day? I know it's not officially post-summer, but it feels like it to me!

Are you implementing any changes in your life this Fall?

How was your Labor Day weekend?

On Waiting for Things to Happen

Last night I skipped the gym. I had a plan to go last night. I really did. But I broke the plan. The weather was pure perfection. I could only think of one place to be...my terrace! I brought my MacBook outside and nestled in for some quality blogging and blog reading.

Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about how so much in life is spent waiting for things to happen.

Waiting to grow up. Waiting to get to high school. Waiting to go to college. Waiting to get a job. Waiting to get another, better job. Waiting for The One. Waiting to make money. Waiting to find the perfect home.

And it’s not only the big milestones in life. I find myself oftentimes just waiting for things to get done. That if my den is a mess long enough, it will magically tidy itself. That the battery in my Crest Spinbrush will repower itself. Or that the laundry that’s been sitting in a pile next to my bed for days will put itself away. Why am I surprised when I come home from work and it’s still there?

I have news for you. Wait and wait and these things won’t get done. Not the dishes. Not the laundry. The perfect home won’t find you. That friend that you’ve been meaning to email might not get around to it on their end either.

It’s easy to wait around. It’s easy to to wait for things to happen on their own. Trust me, I know. When I look at the last few (and by few, I mean 7) years since college, I think I’ve spent a lot of time waiting around. For the perfect job. For my apartment to be painted warm and inviting colors instead of stark white. For the right number in the corner of my pay stub. For a magical opportunity to leverage my passion for writing. For opportunities to fall in my lap while still paying the bills. For weight to melt off of my body.

I had an ‘Aha!’ moment a few days ago while sitting in my parents' kitchen. My mom and I were talking about things in life...where I’m at, what’s going on. And she said that I can do anything I want. That I just have to do it. And only I can do it for myself.

I don’t want to wait for things to happen anymore.

I want to make things happen.

I’m going to make things happen.

It’s the beginning of the summer. I’m turning 29 in just a couple of weeks. Instead of waiting for all the things I want in life to happen to me, I’m going to start making them happen for myself and for those around me! I can’t wait for my 29th year. It’s going to be a great one. Stay tuned for a fun 30 by 30 post that I’ve been working on and can’t wait to share with you!

So what about you? Have you played the waiting game?