School is over (and no pictures)

Chemistry? Done!!!  I'm not sure if it was done well, but thank goodness it's over.  Last week the final was cancelled due to snow and so we had to take the make-up last night, a full week after we should have finished the class.  It was not ideal because I spent all weekend moving and didn't even get to study at all.  It was not a good situation.  I felt like I had to guess on a lot of the questions but I am hopeful that it turned out ok in the end.  Or that I had a high enough grade going into the exam that the final won't be the end of the world.  We shall see how it turns out...I may or may not divulge depending on how embarrassing the grade turns out to be.

The apartment is starting to look livable.  Ivan stayed home from work yesterday and put the baby's room together.  I will probably need to redo it because furniture is in front of windows and the clothes were dumped into the drawers, but at least he tried.  I still need a cabinet to put my food in though...it's driving me bonkers having it all over the floor in bags.

And the biggest adjustment?  Leaving the house on time.  Now we live farther away from my sister's and the golf course but Ivan thinks we can still leave at the same time.  So instead we rush around like crazy people trying to make sure I don't miss the bus.  And then today I waited at my new bus stop only to forget my bag in the car when I left and then my husband had to meet me at the mall and give me the bag.  I guess we'll get it eventually...just have to smooth out some wrinkles.

Work is crazy these days...busy and different somehow.  I feel like I fit in there less and less.  It's an odd feeling but one that I hope passes.  I have been there so long but it feels like somehow I am getting pushed out.  It's mentally exhausting and on top of it I have a lot of work.  Not a good mix.

Alright, I better get some shut-eye.  Twice now I've been up until after midnight...which means a short measly 4.5 hours of sleep.  Maybe I can get a bit more here on the bus.  Minus the fact that the guy next to me has the light on...

Happy Tuesday!!

The Big Move

Before we get into my weekend, I just have to mention that a lady sitting two rows in front of me has on a fur coat.  I am hoping it's fake fur (do they make real fur anymore??), but it still seems weird.  Who wears fur coats anymore, fake or real??  And to work??

So, we moved.  We are officially in our new apartment.  And it was definitely painful getting here!  I took Friday off to pack and get ready but I had Evan with me and he made it quite difficult.  Then he had a doctor's appointment at 1pm and we didn't get out of there until 3pm and then it was 3:30pm before we got home and half the afternoon was lost.  Luckily my friend Karin came over for a couple hours in the evening (before heading to a Christmas party!) to help pack up more of the kitchen and then she came over at 8am on moving day with her daughter to help pack up the pantry food.  

Moving day was the opposite of fun.  We have so much stuff!!  But in reality we don't...we only have enough stuff for a two bedroom apartment.  How can it seem like a lot??  It's not like we have a house full of stuff...thank goodness.  For some reason moving day was slow and long and overwhelming.  Ivan had a friend from work come help him move the heavy items and then Karin helped and my friend Allyson bought us lunch and helped clean the old apartment in the evening.  At one point though, Ivan's friend had left and my two friends had left for afternoon engagements and it was just Ivan and me (luckily my sister had offered to watch Evan and Dolce) and it was 4:10pm and the truck had to be back by 5pm.  We were at the new place and had an entire truck-load of stuff that had to be unloaded in 40 minutes. With just us two (and I hardly count because I am a wimp).  We did it in about 45 minutes...in the snow that turned to rain.  It snowed for a while but nothing stuck to the roads (but it did stick to our stuff), so at least it wasn't miserable driving the truck around.  But all our stuff got wet and we were soaked and it was freezing.  Good thing Allyson is a smarty and had told us to buy plastic to put on the carpet so we didn't track mud and snow/rain into the new place.  Good plan!!!

After returning the truck we had to pick up the kid and the dog and borrow my sister's car to make a few more trips.  While Ivan was making trips I was cleaning.  Karin and Allyson joined me again and we got to work scrubbing bathrooms, washing walls, vacuuming, mopping floors, cleaning kitchens, emptying fridge food, etc.  It took a while but we finished around 11pm.  And we were so exhausted. And tired of cleaning.  But since I'm nervous about getting my deposit money back I wanted it to be as clean as possible.

That was the dining room...I was trying to keep Evan entertained with wooden spoons and bowls.  Dolce just hung out.

Here's the living room.  Evan is still having a ball running around the empty space making soup.

I think the apartment is way cleaner than it was when we moved in!  I even steam cleaned the carpets!

And now our new place.  It's nice but there are boxes everywhere and Dolce had a hard time trying to find a place to sleep.  He decided to sleep next to our bed.  We made some progress yesterday though.  I unpacked the kitchen (or what I could of it, it's so tiny I need to buy a cabinet to put my food in because there is no pantry.  This took practically all day but I eventually found the stove to make dinner (eggs with ham).  I then moved on to the bedroom and got my clothes in the drawers and closets and then organized my bathroom.

Then I made lunches, washed dishes, and went to bed...because I have to work today.  

Things are looking good in some places, like the living room.

And some places need a lot more work, like the other side of the living room!

I hope you don't have to move soon and when you do, you don't do it in the middle of winter and you maybe hire movers.  And if you are lucky, you hire packers and movers!

Prolonging the misery

As you may have noticed, I didn't blog on Tuesday like normal.  Why??  Well, it was a snow day so I didn't have to work!  Yay!  I actually did some work because if I don't get my annual report written by the time I leave for vacation then I have to write it in Vermont.  Not what I feel like doing in the least.  I also studied a bit for my Chem lecture exam (it's cumulative, how mean is that?), but then it was cancelled.  Although it gives me more time to study (maybe...I am moving this weekend), it also prolongs the misery.  I thought I would be all done at this point, but no, I am still thinking about chemistry.  Now I have to take it on Monday instead.

The snow was beautiful though!

That's the view off the balcony, for the next two days.  Then we will have a new view and our new view looks into a parking lot, so it won't be as pretty.

Here's the view from the front.

Pretty too!  We didn't get much more than three inches but it was enough to cover everything and make it peaceful.  I love snow!

Yesterday my friend came over to help pack while I worked and she packed up all our dishes!  I was trying to make dinner last night and I had to unpack my knives because I couldn't cut up the chicken!  And she only left us dessert plates so Ivan kept saying she was putting us on a diet by making us eat such small portions.  That didn't stop Ivan though...he just had five helpings.  

And Evan has turned into a tortilla theif!

Here he is in the bedroom.  He grabbed Ivan's tortilla off the sofa (yeah, maybe if Ivan ate at the table we wouldn't have this problem) and then made a mad dash for the bedroom squealing the entire time. It was hilarious.  And just as a note, the bed is completely unmade because we are lazy and it's on the floor because Ivan took it apart already for the move.  We kinda like it on the floor though.  Ivan doesn't want to put it back together!

And one more random bit of info.  I was reading Caitlin's blog, Healthy Tipping Point, and she had a post about an amazing organization called Healing Horses.  It really sounded like such a wonderful place and maybe some of you were looking for an organization to donate to for Christmas or a new place to champion so I thought I'd share it.  The post that Caitlin wrote was beautiful, so I would highly recommend reading it.  If I had an extra $25 this month I would definitely donate!  But I don't.  I will next month though so I'd love to sponsor a horse.

Ok, that is all I have to report.  Most likely the next time you hear from me I will be in my new place!  I can't wait to get out of this dump.  Now that I've been forced to move, I realize just how horrible this place really is...and I am so thankful we are leaving.  And Whole Foods doesn't even open until the end of July so that's not even going to happen for a while.  Plus, Whole Foods is a money suck so it's probably better for me to be far away! And then I can continue supporting the local organic stores like David's and Roots instead.

Happy Thursday!!

Snow and ice

Wow, this weekend went super fast.  Maybe because I had a meeting all day on Friday instead of working from home.  And those three days of meetings really wore me out.  I wanted to sleep in on Saturday but Evan had other plans.  He was cutting a tooth and so pretty much was up all night.  I think he fell asleep at around 4am.  And then he was up at 7am.  Definitely not what I was hoping for after only getting a few hours of sleep all week.  He made up for it on Sunday though and we slept until 8am.

Sunday we got our first snow fall of the season!

It ended up being about two or three inches.  I was pretty excited.  Except that my friend Sarah was supposed to come and help me pack but we were too worried about the road conditions so she didn't come.  It was a good thing too because the roads were horrible.  However,  I was sad I didn't get to see her.  Hopefully she makes it on Saturday!

I put Evan in his new snowsuit (compliments of Mimi), and we took Dolce for a walk.

It was getting a little dark so it Is kind of hard to see Evan, but he was all bundled up in snow pants and a winter coat.  That little hat is a bit problematic because it likes to fall down and cover his entire face.  That made him a bit unhappy.  At one point I took him out and let him play in the snow, which he loved, but then getting him back into the stroller was a fight.  Dolce spent the entire time eating snow, which is so annoying because then he has to go out nineteen times in the next hour.  It's a struggle I tell you!

I did get some packing done, even without Sarah's motivation.  I also made English muffin bread, pumpkin soup, chicken soup, and chicken enchilada soup.  And Ivan nicely washed the dishes while. I gave Evan a bath.

This week is a bit stressful because I have my Chem lecture final tomorrow and then moving on Saturday...which means I have to be packed by Saturday too.  The other night while I was rocking Evan to sleep (I know, he's probably too old for this but I don't care), I heard rodents in the walls scurrying about.  I'm not sure if it was mice, rats, squirrels, or what - but it was disgusting and I was counting my blessings that we were moving to a better place (can it be worse???).  We just have to physically move to that other place and that is what stresses me out!

P.S. I found the BOB weather shield!!!!!  I had been looking for it for months and couldn't find it - and then I'm packing up the bedroom closet and found it in a bag.  I was SO HAPPY!!

Did it snow where you live this weekend?

My currents

LI was really dreading this week because I had a Chem lab final and then a grantee meeting for three long days in DC.  I had to get up extra early to catch an early bus and I didn't get to work from home like normal.  However, it's Friday and I have almost made it.  I see a small light at the end of the tunnel. It's not a big light because next week I have a Chem lecture final and it's moving week, but the fact that I made it through this week is a huge relief.  

And now that I said that, I have nothing else to say.  Haha.  Oh, I snapped this picture on my way to the meeting yesterday.

The US Capital.  For some reason I find this building sitting on top of Capital Hill to be so beautiful.  I don't normally get to the mall area unless I am running and when I am running I am not enjoying sights.  So it's been fun walking around the mall these last few days.  Today is the lighting of the White House Christmas tree, something I've never seen either.  Maybe next week I'll take a walk down and see it.

Here's another picture from this morning.  You can't tell as much but it was actually dark when I got off the bus. That's how early it was.

And you can see the flag at half-mast for the passing of Nelson Mandela.  I was so sad when I heard -what an amazing man he was.  Truly an inspiration.  When I heard the news, my first thought was that I had to make sure I taught Evan about him and how he changed the life of so many people.

And now let's do some Fill in the Blanks, reminiscent of Fridays past.  The theme will be currents.

I am currently reading The Good Soldiers by David Finkel and Ellis Island by Kate Kerrigan.  I've already read Ellis Island but I was re-reading it for family book club.  The Good Soldiers is a true account of soldier life during the surge of Iraq.  It's written by a reporter and is a bit depressing, but I'm finding it interesting.

I am currently watching Parenthood and NCIS.  I had been watching Friday Night Lights, but I don't really like that series too much so I haven't watched it for a while.

I currently subscribe to Runner's World, Cooking Light, Vegetarian Times, Parents, and Kiwi.  My mom bought me Kiwi and I love it.  I also love Runner's World.  If you couldn't tell, I love magazines!

I currently feel exhausted.  Getting up at 4am and not getting home from work until 7:30pm just wears me out!  I am really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow.

Ok, I'm falling asleep on the bus! 

Happy Friday!!

Early mornings, late nights

I think my jaw would feel better if I didn't clench it all night long.  I woke up this morning and got in the shower and didn't remember to unclench my jaw until I actually got into the water.  And then it kind of hurt.  I never used to clench my jaw but the last time I went to the dentist she mentioned that it looked like I had started.  And when she mentioned it, I recalled waking up a few times with my mouth clenched tight.  Grrr.  I'm gonna blame it on stress.  I'm telling you, my life is gonna be way less stressful after the new year, it's gonna be my resolution.

The rest of the week is going to be a doozy though.  I have a three-day grantee meeting, which means I have to go into DC the rest of the week.  This is no fun, especially since last night I had class and normally I get to sleep in a little this morning but I actually had to get up earlier because I had to catch a different bus that would bring me closer to the Capital, instead of the White House (not that I work in either of those places, but my office is a few blocks from the White House).  So, I went to bed at 11:45pm and woke up at 4:20am.  Fun times in my household.  And on top of that I probably have to pump in the bathroom again.  And I have to eat a cold lunch each day because we can't afford for me to eat out every lunch.  

Yesterday was a very productive day though.  I was able to get my Verizon Fios switched, my address switched with the post office, my BGE switched, and my renter's insurance switched.  I also did my Chemistry homework and studied a tiny bit for my lab exam today.  And packed a box or two.

Yeah, I know.  It's so much fun to pack.  I can't believe I have things in boxes already.  I'm ahead of the game.

And since it's been chilly recently I started drinking hot chocolate instead of coffee.  

Hot chocolate is awesome.  It's my favorite thing to drink after a hard run.  Not that I've had any of those recently.  I don't really know what a hard run is.  Or a run at all.  But I do know what hot chocolate is and I'm thoroughly enjoying it!

Ok, off to snooze.  Let's hope this route is nice and fast and I don't sleep through my stop, since I don't know where it is!

Monthly Mailers!

I wasn't going to blog today because I am not working - and we all know that the only time I find to blog is on my bus ride into work.  However, I wanted to post about my monthly mailer for this past month.  Just in case you can't remember what monthly mailers are and you don't feel like clicking back and seeing my last monthly mailer (I totally understand), I'll just re-explain it really quickly.  Monthly mailers is Sarah's project over at Creating a Better Tomorrow.  You sign up and then get matched with a partner and then you send that partner some snail mail.  Nothing big, no gift, no big pricey item - just a card with some motivational words and maybe a little something special.  This was my second time participating and I got a lovely card from Jane.

It was my first Christmas card of the season!!!  Yay!!  I love getting Christmas cards.  I know so many people are choosing not to do them anymore but I refuse to give it up.  I love selecting the pictures, selecting the background, writing a little note in them, and then mailing them out.  I look forward to it all year and actually bought my cards back in January.  So, you know I was happy when I received this lovely card from Jane.  My husband was even more happy when he saw that Yankee candle car scent.  He loves car scents (probably because he makes the car stink with all his work clothes) and we'll make sure we put it in right before our ten hour drive to Vermont.  Then we can smell fresh laundry the entire drive there.

I know my blog has been such a soul-sucker these days with bad news and gloomy thoughts and stress and the like - but I am really trying to pull myself up by the bootstraps and be more positive.  I talked to a lawyer yesterday (did you know that the District Court has an online chat feature where you can chat with a lawyer about certain issues - like renter/landlord conflicts???)  and also with the local Consumer Protection Agency and I am now fully aware of my rights with regard to my security deposit.  It made me feel better to take control of the situation and I'm sure that since I'm fully prepared and versed in the law I won't need any of this information - but just in case, I'll be ready.

And the best news ever is that I was talking to my best friend (for FOUR HOURS on Saturday, which is what happens when your best friend moves four hours away and you hate the telephone and so haven't actually talked to each other since Feb) and she is actually going to drive up here on Sunday and help me pack and then she's going to drive back the following Saturday and help us move.  I was completely shocked by her generosity.  Those are her only two days off during the week and she's going to drive all the way here just to help us out.  Bad times suck, that's for sure, but it also reminds you who your real friends are and how many people out there truly care for you.  I have such wonderful friends and I must have been much more thoughtful in my younger days - because these people continuously amaze me with their friendship and dedication.  I feel like I haven't been a good friend for a long time because I'm so busy with work, school, golf, family, etc. (which I know is not a good excuse), but I am determined to improve on my friend qualities in the New Year.  Like actually call my friend Sarah and not let ten months pass without talking.

Thank you for sticking around through this depressing time in my life.  I promise I won't continue to throw myself pity-parties for the rest of my life!

Catch-up and Foodie Reveal Day

Yes, I am probably the only blogger who didn't post about Thanksgiving.  We had a good one, but I didn't take any pictures.  It was overshadowed by an email from my landlord that indicates he wants to keep my security deposit.  And pain in my shoulder, neck, back, and head from coughing for three weeks.  It's not to say that my turkey day wasn't special, it was.  It's just to say that I was emotionally exhausted and worn out from anger, coughing, and not sleeping well.  However, on turkey day we went to some golf friends' house and enjoyed an afternoon of yummy food and conversation.  The morning was relaxing as I cooked up some sides and watched the parade.  Good all around.

The rest of the weekend was a bit stressed money-wise as I worked out our budget for how we are going to get through the month with $2000 less and whether we can pay all our bills and still buy food and gas.  I am keeping my fingers crossed that it works out, but it will be a less festive Christmas as we don't have extra money for decorations or a tree or even a wreath...let alone presents.  Luckily Evan is only 1 and doesn't understand presents.

Ivan and I did do our first date of Christmas though!  I had saved some money and we used it to go to the movies.  We went to an 11:05am movie so it was only $6.50 a ticket.  We went and saw Catching Fire and I LOVED it.  Ivan liked it too, because of all the fighting.  The only downside was that Ivan hadn't eaten lunch so he ordered chicken fingers and fries and the total was $18.95.  He thought the guy said $8.95 so we both almost cried when we realized how expensive that small amount of food was.  It was like highway robbery!

This past weekend was also November Foodie Reveal Day for the Foodie Pen Pal exchange I like to participate in.  In case you can't remember what it is, you get a pen pal and exchange a few emails to get to know them and then mail them a box of fun food items.  I've done it for a few months now and I love it.  I won't do it this month because of the money thing mentioned above, but I'll definitely resume when things settle down a bit more.

My partner this month was Alan.  We exchanged a lot of emails and he was a fabulous partner.  He mentioned that he loved spices so I was secretly hoping he'd send me a few in my box.  Well, he did not disappoint!  I got a lovely box from him filled with all kinds of goodies.

Look at all that fun stuff!  And it was nicely packaged in tissue paper and ribbons, to look even more fun.  Let's take a look at some of the fun stuff in there.

Here are the spices.  The Vietnamese cinnamon is amazing.  I use it every day in my coffee and oatmeal and I used it in my pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving.  It's got a stronger flavor that regular cinnamon, but that makes it even better.  The other spice is Sumac Berries.  I think that will taste great on a chicken dish, but I haven't tried it yet.  It smells amazing though.

Then there was this chocolate bar.  You can never go wrong with chocolate.  I was a bit hesitant about crystallized ginger in chocolate because I don't like ginger (except in Asian dishes), but it was fantastic.  The crystallized ginger mixed really well with the dark chocolate and this bar was devoured in no time at all.  

And lastly, these Lara bars.  I love Lara bars and I had never tried these kinds before.  They were tasty though!  I brought them to class to help curb my hunger and I really liked them.  The pecan flavor was my favorite, but they both had a fun and festive fall flavor.  The box also had a delicious chili mix and lots and lots of milk duds.  Yum!  I haven't made the chili yet but it sounded fantastic, and it even suggests putting it on top of spaghetti.  I'm not sure if I'll do that or not, but I can't wait to try the mix.

So that was my box!  It was so great and I really had fun this month putting Alan's box together and then getting his in the mail.  It was a bright spot in a stressful month!

Hope your December is off to a great start!!

Those feelings

The good news is we are about to sign a lease on a new place.  I am very thankful that we found a place to live that wasn't too expensive and that allowed dogs.  It's a bit nerve-wracking renting from someone I don't know and the lease always seems so complicated and binding.  And we somehow have to come up with $2000 for the security deposit, which normally wouldn't be the end of the world because we could save for a few months...but on top of the holidays and extra expenses like $300 electricity bills and $200 payments for my Chemistry class, extra money is few and far between.  It's gonna be a really sparse holiday season.  And a really un-festive one too.  Who wants to decorate when we are going to move and who wants to decorate after we move when the new place looks like a disaster?  And we'll probably not do our 12 Dates of Christmas because we won't have any extra money or time, since we'll be either packing or unpacking.  Usually I am overly excited about the holiday but this year I just can't wait for it to be January.

And on top of that, I have one of those feelings.  You know that pit in your stomach that tells you something bad is going to happen or that you are making a very bad decision? Have you ever had that feeling?  The problem is I don't know what's going to happen or what decision is a bad one.  Is it the apartment?  School? Nursing applications? Work? Evan/Ivan/family? Running?  I have no inclination as to what it might be but I am walking around with a whole in my stomach and I don't really want to be around when thr truth comes to light.  Of course I will be because it's my life, but you know what I mean.

Ok, enough feeling sorry for myself.  

We are supposed to get a ton of snow these next couple of days.  I'm not sure it's actually gonna happen but maybe it will.  If it does I hope I'm at home and not stuck in DC.  A snowy Thanksgiving sounds nice as long as I can pick my turkey up from the farm.  Did I mention I ordered my turkey from a farm?  Yup.  It'll be fresh and organic and free range and all that.  I hope it also tastes good!  

And I did not get a run in yesterday and I won't get one in today either.  I just have too much stuff to get done before the four day weekend that I can't find the time.  Yesterday I didn't even eat lunch until 2pm and then when I looked up again it was 4:30 and I had to run out the door to catch the bus.  It's nice when work flies by but it also usually means that it's been a crazy, exhausting day.  And it was!

I don't really have anything else to say and I don't have any pictures to share with you except that my friend found this fruit and gave it me to.  It's a zapote, a fruit that was common in Honduras.  I've never found it in the US so hubs and I were excited to eat it.  I did look up the nutritional value and found it is about 300 calories!  Yikes, no wonder it is so creamy and delicious!

Hope you are having a great week so far!

Talk about cold!!

I wrote a post on Thursday but somehow it disappeared.  I have no idea what happened, except that maybe I pressed cancel instead of save.  I didn't have time to write it again, so you just didn't get a Thursday post from me. It was probably really hard for you, but hopefully you all survived.  I don't even remember what the post was about, but I'm sure it was fabulous.

What has been vey un-fabulous these days is my running.  I went on Monday and then didn't have a chance to go again.  And I was going to go today but I hardly slept last night so I decided it was a bad idea.  I guess I'll go tomorrow, but still, it's kind of sad how pathetic my training plan is shaping up to be.  Chemistry is almost over and I will try much harder when that is out of the way.  I hope.

It has also been really cold.  Yesterday I went grocery shopping and the temperature said 29 degrees.  In the middle of the day.  This morning it was 21 degrees out while waiting for the bus.  Yes, that is cold, but it's even colder when you are standing around doing nothing but waiting.  It felt miserable, like I needed long johns on under my pants.  I am thankful for my nice winter coat though, it at least keeps the top half of me warm.

The cold doesn't stop me from taking Evan and the dog for a walk.  I don't really have a bunting (is that the right word) for him any more but I found this REI thing that looked warm so I put it on him.

As you can see, he wasn't overly thrilled with it.  He especially hated that he couldn't take his hand out.  This REI outfit came from a co-worker who had it from when her kids were little...and they are in college now.  So it is really old.  It worked though because he was nice and warm when we got back home.

He even still wanted to swing.  Apparently it's never to cold to swing.

He doesn't look happy in this picture but I swear he was laughing like normal.  He was just mad that I stopped him so I could take a non-blurry photo.

I surprisingly got a lot of cooking done this weekend.  I was just in the mood.  When I woke up I made pumpkin spice muffins to freeze for Evan.  These are super yummy muffins and Evan loves them.  I found them on Pinterest and they turned out to be really good.  I have a bunch of things on Pinterest that I'd like to make, but haven't gotten around to it - but this is the second time I've made these yummy muffins.  I also make Easiest Crock Pot Salsa Verde Chicken so I could put a little chicken on my lunch salad and then I made Turkey Pastelon for Ivan for lunch this week.  Except he decided he didn't like it - figures.  I think it's really good though - the sweet plantain flavor plus the salty ground turkey flavor is a delicious combination.  Evan loved it too.  So, I packed some up to give to my sisters instead.  It made a lot and had multiple steps (cooking the meat, frying up the plantains, layering the "lasagna", pouring egg whites over top of it, and baking it) so I didn't want all that work to go to waste.

While I was doing this cooking, Evan was entertaining himself by filling up grocery bags with anything he could pull out of the kitchen drawers.

Don't mind the dirty floors - I have decided I'm not cleaning again
until we move.

When he tired of that, he played with the magnets on the fridge.  All he does and push then all the way down so they fall off and then he puts them back up.  I only put out 9 magnets for fear we'd lose them all - and we've already lost one.  I thought we had lost three but I found some hidden inside some pots.  So, who knows where this lost one is (I'm just hoping it's not inside Dolce's belly).

I hope you had a great weekend!  Just a few days until Thanksgiving holiday - yay!!! 

I got in my run, but I took no photos

I am a tad bit proud of myself for getting in my run yesterday.  I had a long, two hour phone call in the morning and after that I felt a bit lethargic and unmotivated.  Plus, I felt like I had a lot of work to do.  However, it was 70 degrees out and it seemed almost a crime to not go for a run in such nice weather, especially because the nice weather was only going to last a day.  So, I dragged my unmotivated bum out of my office chair and put my running clothes on.  I figured if I at least had my clothes on I would be a lot more likely to go for a run.  I probably should have drank more than a cup of coffee, but it was too late to down a jug of water.

As I headed out the door I ran into some coworkers who were headed downstairs for flu shots.  I guess they were giving out free flu shots in the building.  I don't normally get a flu shot, the only time I've ever had one was when I was in the Peace Corps and they made us get them.  I just don't think it really works that well and I've never been compelled to get it.  I know the government spouts it's amazingness but a lot of the research I've read does not support that amazingness.  However, I'm not against the flu shot and I don't think it's bad...so I wasn't going to make it a point to refuse a free vaccine with no line that would only take five seconds.  So I got it.

And then I went for a run.  I was going to do six miles but felt that was a bit long, especially since I still had a lot to do that day and I hadn't had much to drink.  So I did 4.5 miles instead.  It's a good thing too because this was not my best run.  I felt really tired and like my legs weighed 50 pounds.  And it was super windy!  I hate wind and for a good 1/3 of the run the wind was in my face forcing me to exert myself even more.  And I think I would have felt better with a bit more to drink and more than 4.5 hours of sleep.  But I finished it and it was good to be done.

Then I ate lunch.  And it was a delicious lunch.  It included my favorite English muffin: cranberry.  It is so yummy, especially with loads of butter and toasted.  It's only seasonal item so I won't get to eat it forever, but for now, I'm on a enjoy it.

Doesn't that look so good!!!  All that yummy butter is making me hungry just looking at it.  Have I mentioned on this blog how much I love butter?

My other favorite part of my lunch is this salad:

What makes that salad so goods??  The dressing!!  It's Brianna's Rich Poppyseed.  It is divine.  I am so excited every day for this salad because the dressing is that good.  It's not exactly "good for me" but then again, neither is all that butter on my English muffin - but sometimes you just have to sacrifice your health for a bit of butter and salad dressing.  I've eaten this lunch every day for three weeks now and I'm not tired of it.  I also have an apple (you can see it in the side of the picture), and if I'm still hungry I also have pretzals and greek yogurt...but the highlights are the English muffin and salad dressing.

I have an exam today in Chemistry so I'm gonna try and stay awake on the bus to study rather than nodding off - but I'm not sure if that will work out.  I am slowly nodding off as I write this already.  I tried to study yesterday evening but there were no lights on the bus and since it's DARK when I leave work already, I was forced to listen to music the entire time.  And you know it's a bad commute day when your playlist ends and you are STILL not home yet.

Ok - happy Tuesday and wish me luck on my last exam before the final.  I can see the end of Chemistry and I think I might make it!

A failed run and a busy weekend

As I told my husband this morning, it's Monday again.  How does that happen so quickly?  This weekend was a blur, I can barely fathom that it came and went already.  I started Saturday off with a walk around the lake.  We haven't done an early morning lake walk in a while, not since I started running.  I had missed them so it was fun to head out early and get a walk in.

Evan was excited to see all the trees.  The entire walk he pointed out every tree and airplane...take a look at that picture again.  There are a lot of trees.

Saturday afternoon we headed into Baltimore to see my brother's in-law football team play Baltimore City College.  Luckily it was a fairly mild day so we didn't freeze too much.  Just a little.  We won, which was exciting!  Then we go to the bathrooms before heading home and Ivan runs into someone he knows.  A guy from the golf course.  How funny is that?  We are in the middle of the city and Ivan finds someone he knows.  Crazy.

That evening we had my niece's birthday party and I also had a First Tee movie night event.  I could only stay at the party for a little while and then I headed to the golf course to watch Dispicable Me with a bunch of little golf girls.  It was cute watching them.  That night, after the movie, it was more of this:

Chemistry - what would I do without you?  I have a test on Tuesday.  Boo.

On Sunday we headed out to see some apartments.  What had been four was reduced to two.  Not much choice.  So we looked at them both and then had to make some decisions.  One was in good condition and we met the landlord and she seemed nice and easy to work with.  However, the condo was a little on the small side...875 sq ft for at two bedroom (our current place is 1100 sq ft).  The other was bigger...1200s sq ft...but wasn't in great condition.  The carpet had holes in it, the walls were in dire need of a painting and had millions of nails in them, the bathrooms were gross, some of the window sills had water damage, and the hallway smelled like cigarette smoke (it was a controlled access-type building).  So, obviously the guy doesn't really care about the place much.  We decided to put our application in with the smaller place with the nice landlord.  Hopefully we can find enough space for our stuff.  And that the owner is ok with our dog.  Still keeping our fingers crossed.

The rest of the afternoon was supposed to be filled with studying and cooking, but it didn't turn out that way.  Evan was tired but burst into tears every time I put him in the crib.  So he ended up napping in my arms and I watched the latest NCIS and Parenthood.  Then we went to the grocery store and spent all our money.  I didn't get to start cooking until 5pm, but I whipped out chili, cornbread, and pumpkin soup while doing three loads of laundry.  Not too shabby.

The only thing I didn't have time for was my run.  I headed out with Evan in the early morning and we got half a mile and he started crying.  I went a bit further and then realized that it wasn't worth it.  So I took him out of the stroller and we walked home.  I am hoping to maybe do a long run today instead.  We'll see.

Everyone is sick, apartment update, and apples

This must be the start of the winter sickness season because everyone I know is sick.  I was trying my best to hold out but now I have a bit of a sore throat.  I am hoping it's just from the dry air though, and not from an actual virus.

We finally got an appointment with a real estate agent about a new rental.  Geez, it was like we were asking for a million dollars or something, no one would contact us at all.  I had called two real estate places  and both had taken my name and said they would have a rental specialist call me back.  Nothing.  I had answered an ad on Craigslist and the guy said we could look at it last Monday but then he never got back to us with the time and we haven't heard from him since.  And I responded to a few different places on Zillow and no one has contacted me back.  We were getting a little desperate.  So finally we just decided to go to an agency and take our luck that someone was there to help us.  We made sure we looked as professional as possible and headed to Re/Max.  I chose them because I had already called Long and Foster and they hadn't returned my calls, but I hadn't called Re/Max yet.  It wasn't that easy because we got there and waited for a while and no one was around that could help us.  The receptionist took our name and tried to contact a few different agents but no one was in the office at that moment.  Finally,a nice guy came out and said he'd help is.  I have a feeling he wasn't planning on working that day because he was in jeans and kept apologizing about his attire, but we were thankful to have someone to help us.  He was super nice and didn't act like we were wasting his time because we were just renting.  So, we narrowed it down to four places that were in our price range and said case-by-case basis for dogs.  We are hopefully going on Sunday to look at a few of those locations and then maybe our options will look a little brighter.  That is if he calls us back with a definite time for Sunday....

Every night it's a toss up if Evan wants to eat or not.  Sometimes he gobbles food down like no tomorrow and other nights he eats two bites and then wants out of his chair.  I know that 15 minutes is about all a kid his age can sit still for, but sometimes it's like ten seconds.  However, he is really into apples these days so that keeps him occupied for a long time.  He loves to roll the apple around on his tray and get it into the hole where his cup goes (future golfer???).

Then he'll pick it up and take a few nibbles off of it.  But he doesn't like the skin so then he spits the skin out.

It's funny to watch.  Last nights menu was Israeli couscous with spinach - which is usually one of his favorite meals - but he just wasn't interested.  I had made him a banana and blueberry smoothie with almond butter for a snack so he had eaten a lot of that instead.  I guess he filled up on it.  Or he was bored being in his high chair.  I'm sure one day he'll be eating me out of house and home, but for now I am always excited when he eats a little something!

I skipped by run on Tuesday because I got stuck in a very long meeting.  I brought my stuff today but I have a meeting in the morning and another one in the afternoon so it makes it a bit hard to squeeze in a run.  We'll see what happens. 

Wow is it cold, mixed with a lot of stress

It sure is blustery outside this morning! It's getting a bit cold to have my hair wet while waiting for the bus, but until I get it cut it's pointless to blow dry it because it looks hideous.  My ears hurt from the wind, which is never fun.  And I'm exhausted because Evan's had a cough for the past few days and it makes for fitful nights of sleep...for both of us.

So this weekend had lots of good aspects.  Hubs joined Evan and me on two of our walks with the dog.  This is always a highlight because normally we split the dog walking duties-he goes in the morning and I go at night.  But the last two nights we went together and Evan got to go in the backpack one night (his favorite thing in the world) and in his truck the second night (his second favorite thing in the world).  

And both nights he got to go on the swings, which he's obsessed with.  We pass a playground with swings on our walk, and he points and exclaims in extreme excitement and then cries if we pass it without stopping.  Even if it's cold and so dark your can't even see the swings.  But he got to go these two times.  I even dressed him up in an old sweater jacket of mine that my parents bought when we lived in Greece and I wore when I was 2 or something.  He looked adorable.

Instagram: mapleandmud

I also did a ton of cooking, since it was a three day holiday.  I made minestrone soup, which is one of my favorite recipes.  It's filled with tons of veggies but somehow the flavors blend well and it's fantastic (I only say that because I am not a huge veggie fan - especially when it comes to two onions, two zucchinis, and a bunch of green beans - if you like veggies then you may not care that the flavors blend together, you would be happy if the soup tasted like veggies).  Great for these chilly days we are having.  I also made more spinach and quinoa patties for Evan.  These are tasty too but I try not to eat too many of them because I like to freeze them for Evan when I can't think of what to make him.  And for Ivan I made shrimp-stuffed shells.  He says he hates lasagna and this is similar to lasagna, but for some reason he loves it.   So it was definitely a weekend filled with cooking and washing dishes.

These are just a small sampling of the veggies that went into the minestrone soup - so much chopping!

The most exciting thing I did was go for a run on Saturday morning with a running friend from Team In Training.  I was going to bring Evan but then Ivan came home from work early so I got to go sans baby jogger.  It was the perfect running morning and we did six miles and I didn't even notice it.  It was great having company because I haven't been able to go with my sister for a while and usually I am paranoid about Evan pitching a fit three miles into a run that I don't enjoy it as much.  We also ran into my best running partner from TNT whom I did all my training runs with...which was random but fun.  This was a great week for running - I did ALL my training runs.

And now for the horrible news.  Remember all that misery we were dealing with at our condo?? Nothing getting fixed, $300 electricity bills, etc.?  Well, now we have to move out.  The owner is getting kicked out of his house so he will either move back in to the condo or he will try and sell the place, because he can't afford to fix it.  There is a small, small chance we could stay but I'm not taking the risk.  But this means we have to find a new place and specifically a new place we can afford and that takes large dogs. I am super stressed and annoyed that we have to use our savings to move rather than for Christmas.  Before I was trying to see if we could afford to buy a Christmas tree this year and now I am wondering if we can afford to buy anything.  And who wants to move in the middle of the winter?  We will either be moving Thanksgiving weekend or Christmas, just what we wanted.  We have to be out by 1 Jan., so not a ton of time.  Moving + winter + toddler + no money + dog + finals for chemistry + nursing school apps = boo x 10.

Tell me some good news in your life so I can stop focusing on the stresses in mine!!

Motivation to run when you don't want to and odd impressions

Sadly I think my body has adjusted to the new time.  It was a great few days where it felt like I was sleeping in.  Today I overslept and got up a half hour late...so no more feeling like I am catching up in my sleep.  Too bad.  It was nice while it lasted.

On Tuesday I went for a lunchtime run, which is nothing short of a miracle because I haven't gotten out for too many lunch runs so far.  I was extra proud of myself because I did not want to go at all.  I had been cold all day and the thought of putting shorts and a t-shirt on was not appealing, especially since it was cold outside and I had forgotten to change my clothes out for warmer attire.  However I texted my friend and she told me to go.  So I went and I ran as fast as I could.  I only did a three mile route, but I did it fast.  My legs were sore yesterday.  And like they say, I didn't regret it.  That's usually one of my motivating phrases is that you never regret going for a run when you are finished, but you often regret not going.  Very true.  I have another one today so I am hoping to be motivated to go again.  I also chatted with some running friends and am trying to plan a few fun runs together on Saturdays, since golf is over.  I miss running with people and I hope it works out.  They are much more serious runners and have been doing half marathons and marathons since we all had babies, but I can still keep up with them...I think.

On Tuesday I got back from class and Evan and Ivan were asleep on the couch.  I put Evan in his crib and didn't think anything out of the ordinary.  When I woke up, Ivan informed me that he had cut Evan's hair, himself.  WHAT!!!!

Check out those bangs! It's reminiscent of bad haircut photos from school pictures!  Ivan said his hair was in his eyes so he tried to shorten it and Evan kept moving so he kept having to correct it.  Nice.  Luckily after his bed head went away he looked a little better.

Except it looks like he has aged five years.  Where did my BABY go???

And a random piece of information.  I was chatting with a friend from high school who said that I come off as a complete bad a$$ and that when we were friends in high school she was intimidated and a little jealous of how independent I was and how I appeared to not need anyone or anything.  She said I still acted like a bad a$$.  I thought it was the funniest thing because I can tell you right here and now that I am the most un-bad a$$ around.  I cry at sad commercials.  And I never feel independent or like I don't need anyone.  She was one of my best friends in high school and I remember always worrying that she wasn't going to want to be friends with me anymore.  It was funny chatting about it because she had always intimidated me when we were young and I was intimidating her right back.  It makes me think how different appearances can be from the real you, even to people who are close to you and know you well.  I told my husband and he laughed for a good ten minutes about me being a bad a$$.  I guess you can't fool everyone! 

Alrighty...time for some shut eye on this bus of mine.  Hope you have a glorious Thursday!!

Strange pizza, hide and seek, and next semester

So of course I had two posts yesterday, which is nothing short of a miracle, and then today I've got nothing for you.  Such is life, right?  Jam-packed one day and then empty the next.  At work I am trying to create an online learning course...I am a bit under-qualified for this and it is taking up all my brain energy to try and do it.  I feel like this happens a lot.  Anyone out there a Lectora whiz?  Wanna take a stab at designing a course for me for free?  Haha.

Since starting Chemistry our family dinners have gone down the drain.  I just don't have the time nor energy to cook a lot of meals.  Plus, Ivan annoys me and eats a big plate of food right before I get home and then isn't hungry for dinner.  Yesterday I made Evan a can of soup and some rice and I ate a pizza.  I had gotten some stone-cooked pizza crusts from Costco and decided to pop one in the oven for me.  I didn't want the plain tomato sauce with cheese though.  I wanted something different.  Enter my new pizza creation.

It was butternut squash, deli ham, and cheese.  I was afraid it was going to be gross but it was actually really good.  Evan liked it too.  He wasn't into eating too much last night because he saw the dog playing with a toy and got jealous.  The toy was Dolce's but Evan thought it was his so he was a little perturbed that Dolce was playing with it while he was trapped in a high chair.  Yeah, so dinner was super short.  

Then we played hide and seek.  I hid and Evan looked for me.  It was really funny and Evan loved it.  I love playing all night with him and not having to go to class.   Ugg, not too many more classes and then I have to decide what to do about next semester.  Do I just relax with no classes or do I consider taking a Spanish class or something.  I don't know what I feel like doing.  Or what I want to pay for.  Decisions, decisions.

I brought my running stuff to work today, I am determined to get in a few miles during lunch.  We'll see if that happens or not.  I was up until 11:30pm completing an online Chemistry assignment, so I am a little drowsy today. I hate running when I'm tired - except I am tired a lot these days and I have to get these runs in sometime or I'll never be ready for the half marathon!

November Monthly Mailers

As you may know, I love blog exchanges, pen pals, etc.  I have been doing a few and I just found a new one I love called Monthly Mailers over at Creating a Great Today.  Pretty much you sign up and get a partner and then mail them a letter filled with inspiration for the month.  Simple but sweet.  I thought it sounded fun so I signed up for the first time last month.

For the month of November I received a lovely note filled with quotes from Jessie in Europe.  I know she's in Europe because her address said APO AE which is military for American in Europe or something.  When we lived overseas in Italy and England we had the same address.  She sent the cutest card and envelope filled with amazing quotes.  [UPDATE: Actually I was wrong - she's in Kuwait, so not Europe at all...I guess they don't have a different postal code for the Middle East]

I LOVE quotes so it was nice receiving such uplifting ones.  I wish she had mentioned something small about herself or her blog so I could learn a little more about her, but no worries - the card was amazing. 

There was actually a bit of a mix-up because I received a card about certified mail being delivered to my house and thought it was her.  It is super hard to get certified mail because someone has to be home to sign for it and no one ever is.  I emailed her to see if it was her letter but she didn't think it was.  A few days later her letter showed up, so it wasn't her.  And I still have no idea who sent me a certified letter and I think it's going to be returned because I haven't received it yet and they return it after 15 days.  Hope it wasn't too important....

Thanks for the beautiful letter Jessie and thanks for hosting the Monthly Mailers Sarah!  If you want to join Monthly Mailers - sign up here!

So many things to tell you and the worst run ever

This may be a long post because I have so many things to update you on.  A lot has happened since we last "chatted" and since we are practically best friends I feel like I need to give you the full update.  Hold on to your seats people, it's gonna be a long ride.  But don't get too excited because I haven nothing of real importance to tell you.

First, what is this update with out a mention of Halloween?  I know I am late on this and should have posted on Friday with the rest of the blogger world, but I was swamped at work and by the time I finished all I wanted was to rest my eyes from the computer screen.  However, Evan was the cutest monster ever.  Don't you agree?  My niece was an adorable Angelina Ballerina and I went as myself, so don't make any comments about what my costume might have been.

Instagram: mapleandmud

I bought Evan's costume second hand and mainly because it looked nice and warm.  Figures it was practically 60 degrees that night, but he didn't seem to be too hot.  And yes, we had to go trick-or-treating with his Easter basket because I dropped the ball on a Halloween basket.  I also didn't have a Halloween shirt for him to wear that day either.  I am trying to keep on top of things but I obviously wasn't on top of everything.  We only got candy from a few houses because I didn't want piles of it waiting to be eaten by me.  So,  I had pretty much eaten all the candy by Friday...maybe I should have let him go to a few more houses!

This weekend was a blur of many things.  Saturday started out nice and slow because it was the first weekend with no First Tee!  No getting up at 6am to get ready for golf!  I wish I could say I was productive and did a ton of other things but no, Evan and I slept in.  We walked the dog and had some breakfast and took the morning slow.  Then when Ivan came home I went to take a shower...and read my Runner's World magazine for the first hour (no worries, the water wasn't running).  Ivan caught me though and he came to see why my shower was taking two hours!  Evan and I decided to do a little shopping and banking so the two of us headed out (Evan refused to nap so I gave up after 30 mins).  After the bank we went to my favorite baby consignment store.  I bought Evan the cutest clothes ever.  Seriously, so adorable.  I also got him some puzzles and a new sippy cup.  I then went next door to the upscale dog store for some glucosamine pills for Dolce.  He has a limp that won't go away and I think it is a bit or arthritis.  I had really wanted to buy myself a new pair of pants, but after shopping for toddler and doggie I decided to call it quits.

On the way home Evan fell asleep and when we got home Ivan was sleeping.  I put Evan in his crib and thought I'd make my favorite cookies, great pumpkin cookies, since everyone else was napping.  I have wanted to make these for a while but never found the time.  I put the flour and oats in the bowl and then realized I needed a cup of brown sugar and I only had a few tablespoons. So off to the store I went...all by myself.  Yay - party at the Giant.  When I got home Evan was awake though...so no cookies were made...until that night when he went to bed.  I think I started around 10pm - but the time was changing that night so I figured I could stay up extra late.  And it was worth it.  I love these cookies!!

My instagram: mapleandmud

Sunday was an even more productive and pumpkin day!!!

First, we came off daylight savings time, which is my favorite thing to do.  An extra hour in the day! My dream come true!  I thought I'd get an early run in since Evan would be up early, but I was mistaken.  Evan slept until 8:15am!  I got bored and actually folded and put away our large stack of clean clothes.  After Evan woke up, we headed out for a run.  The worst ever.  It was sunny and when I checked the weather I thought it said 55 degrees.  NO WAY!  I think that was the high, it was more like 46 degrees.  I bundled Evan up but I was wearing shorts and a short sleeved t-shirt.

I can tell you, it was too cold for this outfit.  The second bad thing about my run?  It was WINDY.  So windy!  So I was extra cold.  Plus, the route I went on was kinda hilly and pushing the BOB through the wind, up hills, was ridiculously unfun.  At one point the wind was blowing the stroller sideways and I was having to use all my arm muscle (which, honestly, isn't much)  to keep the stroller on the path.  Then Evan's blanket blew away and I had to run and get it.  On a few of the hills where the wind was blowing directly into my face I felt like I was running in place.  It was one tough run.  It was also the longest run I've done with BOB - 5.5 miles.  I finished the run without walking though and feeling returned to my legs and arms eventually.  And the biggest accomplishment?  Evan didn't cry at all!!!  Usually he starts crying at about the 4 mile mark and I can stretch out another half mile or so, but he was content pointing to every tree for the entire run (and eating a smoothie I made him for the road).  Let's hope this run wasn't a preview of what my winter training runs are going to be!

After I got home, I hopped in the shower and off to church we went.  I bought Evan the cutest church outfit at the consignment store the day before and I was so excited to put him in it.

Sorry for the crappy iPad photo, but he wouldn't stand long enough and at a good enough angle, so this was all I got.  I thought it he looked pretty dapper.  After church we headed to brunch with some friends and then finally headed home.  Evan went down for a nap and I started to do some major cooking.  I made pollo guisado (a Honduran dish) for Ivan and then was going to make pumpkin muffins and spinach and quinoa patties for Evan...however, when I looked in the fridge there was only one egg left and I needed five.  So, quick change of plans.  I ended up making pumpkin pancakes and pumpkin soup for Evan.  I had found some canned pumpkin with BPA-free liners and bought a bunch, so I just happened to have all the ingredients for those two dishes.  I guess I was on a pumpkin roll or something - cookies, soup, and pancakes!  I then decided I had enough energy to organize all of Evan's clothes and pull the clothes that don't fit him anymore and put the larger and more wintery clothes in his dresser.  And then I actually stuffed his diapers!

But with all that cooking and organizing - I didn't do my two Chemistry assignments and I didn't clean the bathrooms....some things never change.

And this morning I woke up refreshed from the extra hour of sleep (don't worry, my body will adjust in a day and it won't feel so exciting anymore)!

Happy Monday!!!!