Audrey's Blog

The count down (and planning) has begun

T-minus 20 days and counting ...

I haven't let myself think much about the cruise that Chris and I are taking in late October.  Honestly, I was a little afraid to let it slip into the forefront of my mind for fear that the obsessive-compulsive-planning nut in me would start ... well ... complusing about it.  But as September is drawing to a close, I've finally allowed myself think about it. 

Let the planning begin!  :-)

The Law of the Line

This is one of those universal laws that just frustrates the snot out of me.  Each and every freaking time I walk into a municipal-type building (i.e., the post office, the tax office, the DMV, etc) the line is winding its way out the door and generally ends somewhere around to Timbuktu.  And, then 1 of the MAYBE 3 people working the line goes on break.  WHAT THE HELL!?!?!?

My latest run in with The Law of the Line was this past Thursday when I had to go to the local DPS office to renew my expired drivers license (oops!).  On a side note - why on earth do they send out the renewal notices 2 months in advance?  What good does that do?  All that happens is the notice is put somewhere where we all swear we'll never miss it.  Yeah, right! Anyway ... I walked into the office, and the line actually wasn't that bad.  But of course, I had just walked in so that had change - immediately.  I got in line and 23 people promptly walked in behind me.  One might say that I was lucky.  I could have been that 23rd person, and they would be correct.  But, that's beside the point. The point is that the line wasn't exactly short - I only said that it wasn't that bad - and with the additional 23 people in line, the Law of the Line had to kick in.  Sure enough ... one of the three workers promptly disappeared.  Ugh!  At that point, the line moved a slow as molasses in a New England winter. 

Oh, well.  I do have my new license complete with a new picture, and I wasn't there for the entire afternoon.  So, the next time you have to venture to one of these municipal-type buildings, prepare yourself to experience with The Law of the Line and know that I feel your pain.

My Modern Day Cup of Sugar

This is a totally random thing, but that's what this blog is about, right?  The *random* day-to-day happenings in my life?  Anyway ...

Last night I was mixing up a batch of Cosmos for myself and a few girlfriends that had come over to watch the season premier of Grey's Anatomy. One of the minor ingredients in a Cosmo is Triple Sec.  I thought I had some, but - lo and behold - when I went to my liquor cabinet, I was all out of Triple Sec.  A quick buzz to our neighbors, and I was headed over to borrow a couple of shots of Triple Sec.  I realized that this wasn't the first time something exactly like this had happened, and it occurred to me - "borrowing" alcohol is apparently my modern day "cup of sugar".  I wonder what that says about me?  <sigh>

And, before you think me rude - Kathy, the gracious-Triple-Sec-possessing neighbor in question, was invited to watch Grey's with us, but she and hubby Darren were on their way out for a MUCH deserved child-free date night.

I, <state your name>, ...

I attended the orientation for my new position on the McKinney Parks Board this evening.  I received my official City of McKinney Boards and Commissions Handbook and took part in the Texas Open Meetings Act & Texas Public Information Act training which is required for anyone participating in anything remotely resembling government affairs in Texas.  The training was enlightening if not exactly entertaining. 

The most amusing part came at the end of the meeting when I was sworn into my position - to "preserve, protect, and defend the constitution of the United States of America" (seriously). However, it would have been seriously embarrassing if I had indulged in the rather juvenile urge to do exactly as the City Secretary instructed me to do and said "I, state your name, ...". 

I think I'm okay with the fact that I still have these childish urges (I got a pretty good private chuckle).  At least I have the maturity not to carry them out.  That's what counts, right?  :-)

What's on my Tivo?

It's premier week, and my Tivo is gonna be workin' overtime!  (BTW, thank God for Tivo!  I'm sure most of us remember the days of programming VCRs and praying that we actually got the program we were hoping for and that we didn't inadvertently set it for AM instead of PM.  Doh! And, there is no way I could ever have kept up with so many shows without 2 dual tuner Tivos in the house.  Yes, I said TWO Tivos!)

Monday - Heroes (official site)

Tuesday - Law & Order:SVU (official site), Bones (official site) & House (official site)

Wednesday - Private Practice (new show! - official site) & Bionic Woman (new show! - official site)

Thursday - Grey's Anatomy (official site), Smallville (official site) , Without a Trace (official site), Big Shots (new show! - official site), ER (Maybe? I've been watching for years, but they really lost my interest last season. - official site)

Other Shows not premiering this week - Friday Night Lights (10/5 - official site), Nip/Tuck (10/30 - official site), Battlestar Galactica (not until 2/08 - official site)

You might be wondering when I have time to watch so many shows, and it's a valid question.  First, Tivo reduces a 60 minute show to approximately 45 minutes of watching time - 42 minutes of actual show + about 3 minutes to fast forward through all of the commercials.  Second, we don't rent many movies during prime TV watching season.  We just save up the shows and watch them when nothing else is on and on Friday & Saturday nights when we might have otherwise rented a movie. Third, I've been blessed with the ability to multitask.  I can wash dishes, fold clothes, or even work on business related stuff (assuming it's not too terribly complicated) and still keep up with what's happening on TV.  What can I say?  It's a talent.

So, what's on your Tivo?

5th Annual Christmas Card Design Day

Traditions are a good thing.  Being a creature of habit, I'm particularly fond of traditions.  One of my favorite traditions is my annual Christmas Card Design Day with Angie.  For most people, "Christmas Card Design" consists of a trip to Hallmark, but not for Angie and me. Each year, we get together and spend the better part of a day designing the card that we will make for all of the special friends and family on our Christmas card list.  Yup - you read right ... We hand make our Christmas cards.  This year, I'll probably make 40-50 cards. 

There are a few specific things about this day that make it one of my favorite days of the year:

1. It's "us" time for Angie and I.  As each of us have gotten busier and busier, our stamping/scrapbooking playdates have become more and more precious.  This is an annual playdate that we put on our calendar sometimes months in advance to ensure that nothing intrudes on this particular "us" time. 
2. It's a great creative challenge.  The challenge to create a beautiful card that will bring a smile to the people who receive it but to still make it repeatable in quantity is irresistible.
3. Christmas Card Design Day means that one of my favorite seasons is just around the corner.  Fall is my absolute favorite season!  (Yeah, I know you thought I was going to say Christmas season was my favorite - see what you get when you assume something? <grin>) I love the crisp feeling in the air!  I love the colors!  I love the smells - spiced pumpkin, apple cider, & pine cones!  I love the clothes - sweaters, sweats, and funky PJ pants!

The next step in this process is even more fun.  We've already picked out a weekend during which to actually make the cards. We'll hole up for the majority of the weekend in our PJs, put on great old Christmas movies, drink hot cocoa, and make our cards. 

So, after Thanksgiving, watch your mail. If you're bothering to read this blog, you're probably one of the folks that'll be getting one of these hand made Christmas cards. :-)  

Monica's Birthday Bash!

Saturday was Mistress Monica's birthday, and several of her regulars decided that we wanted to give her back just a little of what she's given us during our time in class.  Of course, what she's given us is totally up for interpretation. 

It all began Friday night ... Eric, Chris, and I met up at the cycle studio to do a little festive decorating.  (Terri, Eric's wife, wanted to help, but she was sick at home.  Bummer!)  And, oh man, did we decorate!  It was delightfully tacky.  Heh heh!  One of Monica's favorite colors is purple, so purple she got - purple streamers, a purple feather boa, a basket with purple in it, and even a purple crown.  Needless to say, she was more than a little surprised when she walked in Saturday morning!    (Later Saturday night, Monica confided that she'd never been surprised on her birthday. I'm tickled that we could change that for her.  Birthday surprises like this are the BEST!)  She even played along and got all gussied up for us.  At the end of class, we sang happy birthday to her and presented her with a birthday cake (also done in purple) which read "Something of Quality".  The back joke to that is that after each class, she always directs us to get "something of quality" in us and forbids us to eat anything from any establishment that has a drive thru. 

Saturday evening, Monica's darling hubby, Andy, arranged for a group of us to get together at Bavarian Grill (Monica's favorite restaurant) for dinner.  We met up there at 6:30.  We almost didn't recognize each other!  Most of us had only seen each other in sweaty spandex (eeewww). A shower, street clothes, and makeup make a world of difference.  We all clean up pretty nice! 

Dinner was an absolute hoot!  Monica is a very disciplined about what she eats. You can image that it's not every day that she chows down on a dinner at Bavarian Grill - in fact, it's about once every 365 days.  But, boy howdy, when she does it, GET OUT OF HER WAY!  I've never seen a girl clean a plate so fast and with such utter joy as I did that night.  And the plate was almost as big as she was.  Between the food and a few beers (which were also as big as her), we had a very, VERY happy Monica on our hands.  The company was great, and the conversation was lively.  Of course, with Chris drinking, the conversation's liveliness was directly proportional to the lateness of the hour and the amount of beer Chris had.  His raunchy jokes and drunken observations (like where in the world could Monica have put all the food and beer she had consumed - the answer?  Use your imagination ...) were definitely the entertainment of the evening.  Of course, Monica's giggles were pretty darn amusing to watch, too!  By the time we decided to wrap things up, it was 11:30, and our faces & sides hurt from laughing so much. Check out more photos from both Saturday morning & evening in the photo album.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Fast forward to Sunday morning (the morning after) ...Eric, Terri, and I actually made it to Cycle 90 on Sunday morning.  (In Chris' defense, he was mounting biking with his friends.)  Let's just say that her expression on Sunday morning differed radically from that which was on her face Saturday morning.  We got at least 1 very intent glare as she prepped for class, and I'm pretty sure she flipped us off since we might have been chuckling at her obvious discomfort.  And, let it be noted in history that she gave us the OPTION of getting to AT or not, which was her plan.  But, she did own up to the fact that she was sweating beer.  I'm not sure that some of the people in class knew what to think of that.  She's always commenting on those of us that are sweating out the previous night's alchocol.  Of course, if I'd been in her shoes, I wouldn't have even made it to class.  So, kudos to you Monica.  You are a better woman than I.

Unfortunately, this post doesn't do the evening justice.  It was an awesome evening of laughter & friends - all to celebrate a great lady. Happy Birthday, Monica!

Technology Strikes Again

For anyone who has had a burning desire to post a comment to one of my blog entries in the last couple of weeks, I sincerly apologize that you haven't been able to do so.  I switched blog editors to Adobe's Contribute product and just didn't notice that it doesn't turn on "Allow Comments" by default.  Ugh! The issue has been resolved, so comment away!

Of course, if that's the biggest tragedy of my day then BFD, right?  :-)

Week 2 Weigh In

Weigh In: 168.0	Weekly Loss: 0.4
Goal: 140	Loss Since 9/7/04: 1.0
Pounds to Goal: 28.0

Well, the results weren't exactly what I was hoping for, but at least the scale is showing some downward progress and I got to post a whole paperclip!

Let's evaluate what might have contributed to my "success" ...

Cheers

• At a birthday dinner for Monica on Saturday night (stay tuned ... post & photos to come!) at the Bavarian Grill, I remembered that I was there for the company, not the food.  In fact, I honestly don't care for German food that much. I'm not even sure that I liked it that much during my youth in New Braunfels (yes, as in Schlitterbahn).  I especially didn't like it after working for a summer at our local version of Bavarian Grill, The Bavarian Village, dirndl and all.  So, I figured out ahead of time (planning is the key - most restaurants now have their menus online) that I would ask for the grilled chicken breast that I found on their gluten free menu. I did indulge in the warm potato salad.  I know it probably sounds down right ooky, but it's the one German dish that I love. 
• I did keep that deal with myself last thursday.  That was a pretty big cheer!

Jeers

• I'll admit that after dinner at Bavarian Grill Chris and I stopped at RaceTrac to get gas, and I might have purchased a package of cupcakes of which I might have eaten 1.  But at least I know that I gave one to Chris.    Not exactly clean eating, but at least I didn't eat both, right?
• Keeping a food journal has never been my forte.  In fact, I pretty much suck at it.  I'm good at planning what I'm going to eat in a given day, but I'm terrible at writing down what I actually eat. From my project management days, I can liken it to having a detailed budget or project plan and then never reporting the actuals. You'll inevitably see the outcome, but you don't know why you succeed (or failed) to meet the goal.

My goal this week is to JOURNAL - to be detailed and diligent.  Wish me luck!

Where do you get your energy?

It may seem like a strange question, but it's something we all need to know about ourselves.  Some people are blessed to be able to derive their motivation and energy internally.  I'm jealous of these people.  Over the years, I've discovered that I gain my energy from other people, like-minded people. Don't get that confused with the ability to knock out a checklist of tasks.  That's simple.  I'm talking about the energy to take on larger, far more daunting tasks.  For example ...

In my years as a District Leader in Toastmasters International (an educational, non-profit, entirely volunteer run organization), there were times when it just seemed like everyone around me was simply sucking the life out of me.  They seemed to NEED so much, and I was just out of fuel to give any more. Just about the time that I was about to throw in the town and tell them all to go to you-know-where, I'd be scheduled to attend a conference or training event where I would have the opportunity to "gas up" with other people facing the same challenges I was and - BAM - I was ready to go again. 

As I've been trying to take control of my physical health, I've relied heavily on the people around me who have the same goals - Angie, my friends in Monica's spin classes at Lifetime (and, of course, Monica herself), and the attendees of my Weight Watchers meetings. By spending time with these people, we cheer each other on to success, and I know that I'm not going at this monumental task alone. 

At work, I've been very blessed to have had a great year.  But, I seem to have hit a production plateau, and I have been seriously struggling over the last month or so to figure out how to take my business to the next level.  And, I was struggling alone.  I should have known better.  My market center kicked off a new class this week targeted at agents in exactly situation, and guess what?  I'm NOT alone! Apparently, it's a very common plateau to hit. In fact, I'm in very good company.  The other agents in the class are all agents I respect.  But, they're facing the same challenge I am. So, we're tackling the problems TOGETHER!  As a result, I have a renewed energy and conviction that I will double my production in my next fiscal year (which begins on December 1).  Funny ... I mentioned in a very recent post that I don't usually talk about work in my blog, but here I've mentioned it again.  Go figure. 

All of this to say - after years of hitting walls and having to figure out how to scale them without hurting myself (which if you me, you know I'm not all together that graceful), I have finally figured out where I get my energy not to merely survive but to thrive.  So, where do you get your energy?