MJ

Sad times these last few days. I think it is only appropriate to spend the day listening to a phenomenal artists contribution. If you would like to join me check out:

Michael Jackson Radio

The Exercise Sickness

Doesn't this sound like a contradiction? Apparently not for me. This phenomenon has been happening to me for some time now. You see I have never been an ongoing exerciser. However, I do seem to come ang go with it over time. So a few months pass with no exercise and then I can't take it anymore and I need to start up again. The problem is EVERY time I re-start the program I get sick. I get this super fatigue, lung congestion, coughing sick thing. It is SOOOO frustrating when you are trying to do the right thing and this just stops you in your tracks. I thought maybe I was crazy, maybe when I got this it was just conincidence. But then I googled it and sure enough I found other people who have had the same thing happen. I AM NOT CRAZY! That made me happy. So the question of course is what to do to fix it?...... From what I read you need to take vitamins when just starting out (which I never do) Get more rest than before (which has not been happening) and eat super healthy(uhhh, well that hasn't been quite what it should either) Soooo I am hoping that maybe by tomorrow I will feel like myself again and I can try all the the things suggested and keep this from happening again.

Of course the simplest way to keep it from happening might be to just keep exercising for the rest of my life.....what a concept!

Sun finally comes

When the weekend began around 5:30 or so on Friday, it didn't look so good to me. Rain in the forecast, waaaay to much work to have done before Monday comes and no specific plans. But.....thankfully things did turn around. I didn't do to much on Friday, just surfed the net and watched whatever movies were on TV. Saturday it was coldish and rainy and really I had no interest in doing much at all. I figured with it being so yucky out I would take the time get a few work items done. I am glad I got it over with because around 2:00pm the sun finally came out and then the weather was great! The perfect temp. Hubby and I decided to BBQ and eat our dinner outside. We had grilled shrimp and vegetables and I also made my new favorite salad - Feta cheese, walnut, cranberry lettuce salad with a balsamic vinagrette dressing - yum! I even made an old girl scout favorite desert - Banana Boats! This is really just a Banana with the peel left on you cut down the center of the banana long ways then stuff it with marshmellows and chocolate chips. Then you wrap it in foil and put it on the grill (or fire coals work too!) Once the banana is all charred looking it is ready! It is really yummy!


On Sunday I was out the door by 9:00am and off to a local forest preserve for a good walk. I think I made it almost 3 miles. I am trying to even run a little, but I have a ways to go before I can handle much of that yet. One thing I have to say about the Chicago suburbs is they have a TON of forest preserves. It is like little nature oasis's stuck amoung all the traffic and hustle and bustle nearby. I went to the one of the Dupage County Forest Preserves but each county has many of their own. After the walk I even went to the Gym to use the weights. I definitely got my workout in today! Since I did so much and the day was so nice out, I figured laying by the pool sounded good. Hubby joined me for this. He swam for a while and then we soaked up the sun. Our gym is so nice it felt like we were on vacation for a minute. Lastly, I made it into the hot-tub before a shower and we were off to Kohls. Both of us really needed a new pillow and Kohls had them on sale so we found just the right ones at the right price.

Now I have been enjoying just relaxing in front of the TV and just finished watching the season opener of Trueblood! Its not for everyone but boy I like vampire shows so I can't miss it.

I am hoping the coming week will provide some more sunny days because there are a few more forest preserves I would like to check out. Fingers crossed!

Fun with the girls

I had lots activity this past weekend. First my sister drove up to visit me and finally see our house. She arrived late on Thursday so we couldn't do much that night. On Friday I was able to cut out of work early so we could head to Ikea. Since she doesn't have one anywhere near her this is always a top priority to fit in on her list of things to do. She has to check to see if they have something new she just can't find near her. Then we headed over to to the Mall and checked out the Semi-Annual Sale at Bath and Body Works. I swear we were in that store forever! We found all kinds of things we loved but tried to only get the stuff we really wanted. I was quite exicted to find Molton Brown Lotion 75% off! Molton Brown is a very high end bath products line that I was lucky enough to sample when I went on a trip to England with my family. We stayed in a castle and they provided Molton Brown Products. The shower gel alone is 28 dollars so needless to say I never buy it. BUT, since it was on clearance I couldn't pass it up. Now when I put on that lotion I can remember back to my wonderful trip to England!!

On Saturday, I had lots to do around the house because I was having a girls party. This one had a theme - a Swap Party. I read about this in a magazine so I had to try it. The idea is that everyone brings a few items (or lots) that they are tired of or maybe never even really liked. Then we lay it all out and SHOP each others items. The only rule is that you bring items only in good condition. My friends showed up with lots of stuff and it was a great time! We all agreed that one person's trash was sure another person's treasure and each person ended up with some nice "new" things. It was a really fun idea and a great thing to do when money is tight!

Today my sister didn't have lots of time before she needed to head back but we made sure to fit some shopping in at the cute shops of Geneva IL and a nice lunch out.

It was a great girls weekend!!

Cats at the Crack of Dawn

I have been up for an hour now already. All thanks to my lovely cat Duncan. You see he has a ritual of coming to me in the mornings for "love time" He usually needs about 10-15 min and then he is satisfied. Normally, he comes to me as I am waking up. But this morning he WOKE me up as the sun was just rising. I tried to push him away to let him know I needed another hour or so but he wasn't having it. He just kept coming back. I really do think it is cute but man I wish I could have slept more. Since my cat so graciously woke me out of my deep sleep it was apparent that coffee was in order. That brings me to another topic......Starbucks.

This one needs a new paragraph for sure. I am nearly 99% sure I am addicted to starbucks, specifically their cafe mochas. I went out at 6:15 this morning and got my starbucks and the first drink is just soooo good. This may sound a little crazy to go out that early and get it when I can just drink coffee at home. I agree that it is but this is nothing. This past winter when we were having such terrible amounts of snow, I woke up one morning and couldn't get the starbucks out of my head. The snow plows had barely made their rounds and I kept thinking just forget it and drink regular coffee. Couldn't do it. I hopped in my car (after some significant snow shoveling of the driveway) and drove like a snail to the starbucks (thankfully it isn't more than 2 miles away) I was very happy to find that they were in fact open and was even more happy when I took my first sip. My neighbor was out shoveling his walk when I returned. He saw what I had in my hand and just shook his head and laughed. Well, I least I gave someone a laugh!

Thinking about blogging again

I have had a blog on and off for the past 4-5 years or so. It all started thanks to my sister!! Truely my main purpose is to keep my friends and family updated on my life since the all live somewhere else. Occasionally I add a little something about my opinions, thoughts on life and such, but not to often. I am definitely someone with an opinion, but for some reason the idea of having it here without the intonation and feeling you can bring by saying something I am just never sure how it will come out.

I guess I really am a little silly because the second reason I want to keep a blog is to figure out if I can change the appearance every so often. I just enjoy doing that! So we will see how this goes and If I keep it up......