Orchids...

Okay, I have to share one other excitement I discovered about a couple weeks ago. I was cleaning my apartment when something pink caught the corner of my eye and I screamed...my husband came running. What is it? I stammer, I point...look at that as I pointed to my orchid. It has been sitting in the same spot since my husband bought it for me almost a year ago. There are not one but TWO flowers! Oh yeah he says...I have been meaning to tell you about that. I couldn't be more thrilled. I have owned more than one orchid. I buy it at the store...I bring it home. The advice I have received includes, put it somewhere and don't move it...water it, but don't over water it...they are picky...be careful with it. So when the blooms fell off...I was resigned to the fact that I probably wouldn't see blooms again. And yet...HERE THEY ARE!! I should water it...but the blooms are so pretty I don't want to disturb it.

April 2nd...SNOW!

Okay, so I didn't get tons...but definitely more than a frosting. After all of this grey and rainy sleeting weather this morning I woke up to a pleasant surprise. Okay, maybe I should start from the beginning. I got out of class last night about 9:50pm. It was snowing then...in fact when I went to class about 5:30pm it was snowing...but nothing was really sticking. I got home about 10:30pm last night and it was sticking to the grass...a frosting only! So...this morning my husband says, look outside! I am of course groggy and out of it, but I look. SNOW...on April 2nd! My husband said it was an April Fool's Joke...once it was DAYLIGHT and I could actually look outside...I am posting a couple pictures of what I saw! HOW EXCITING. I know many of my contacts in Liberty Lake aren't going to be happy with this. But I have been hoping for just a little more than a frosting...now, it is supposed to be 50 degrees this weekend...so of course it will disappear quickly, but I am happy about it now. And...as it turns out, my cat is outside playing in it as I type! She likes it!

New Year's Resolution - FAILED, okay, a setback

So, it is official, one of my New Year's Resolutions have failed. I had hoped to be at goal weight by today...March 31st. I am not. I have had a mixture of emotions as this day approached and I realized that it wasn't happening...first, defeat...then, acceptance...now, I am okay with it. Really okay with it. I did weigh in today...and I am officially less than 10 pounds away from my goal. I weighed in at 183...and my goal was 175. I am so close I can taste it. But...just when I think I am nearly there I do something to mess it up. Now, I would be happy to hit goal at my two year mark in May...but I need to accept that it is taking me longer to lose weight. I have to be so militant and I am not sure I can do that. I am eating better. I do work out...and I am trying to keep chocolate at bay...but I am definitely not perfect. Being in a WW meeting today I made this fact known to everyone there...the support was exactly what I needed. I weigh 63 lbs less than I used to...I have kept it off...every week I am losing a little...or maintaining...and even if I have a setback, I have come far. I need to be a little more patient with myself. I need to know my limits. And...as tempting as it was to go and eat myself into illness...I didn't. I did have some chocolate today...but I think I did a pretty good job of keeping it together!

School Officially Starts...

So, I have been spending time every day for the last week making sure that I have everything ready for TODAY...yes, today I officially returned to school. Okay, it has been 4 years since I last graduated from school...and to make things even more scary, I am doing something that I have done in a practical sense but I have no classroom background in it! So...I am getting my MBA...well first I have to take 8 undergrad classes, pass the GMAT and then I will be getting my MBA. I went to class tonight...and as I sat there I began to think of all of the reasons why I am going back..and also thought about the things that I have a hard time with in school. I SUCK at multiple guess tests...I have never been a great studier...I have done a lot of school work half assed, can I do that now? I left class tonight thinking I have a LOT of work to do before my next class meeting..and that isn't counting my online STATISTICS class or my class on Wednesday nights. EEK! Okay, calm down. I CAN DO THIS...I KNOW I CAN DO THIS...I CAN DO ANYTHING I SET MY MIND TO...I JUST NEED TO SAY NO...NO...NO...

So, it begins...my goals are to keep ahead...don't get behind...and to set myself a schedule...like I schedule anything else...I will have time for study, time for work, time for play...and I need to be strict about it!

What am I taking...oh yeah, a Marketing class, a statistics class and an economics class, it should be interesting!

Trying the Masala Bhangra Workout...

My sister came to visit this weekend...and one of the things we did was attempt the new workout DVDs I purchased...the Masala Bhangra Workout DVDs, yes I purchased all four. I was watching the TODAY show a couple weeks ago...or a month ago and the girl who has made these was on...showing Hoda (who can dance) and Kathie Lee (who can't dance) these workout moves. I thought it looked fun! So I bought them. I haven't unwrapped them until now...and my sister and I had SOOOO MUCH FUN! What a fun way to work out! We did the first DVD...definitely broke a sweat and felt like we had a great workout. My husband and her boyfriend snuck some pictures of us...I will post only one. But, I recommend it. Apparently in some areas there are gyms that offer this class...I would DEFINITELY go to a class if one was offered!

Rainy Sunday...

Okay, it is officially day three of spring and it hasn't disappointed...RAINY RAINY RAINY! So, my sister and her boyfriend are visiting...we took them to some wineries in the area and had an indoor picnic at one of them...that was fun! Last night we cooked in and played games. Blockus and Pictionary...and today it is rainy and cold, so my sister and I are doing the home spa thing while my husband and her boyfriend go out and run around in this mess! Sundays are already a day that I just want to sit around in my pjs...but add the rain...and I REALLY don't want to go anywhere! So, I won't. It is really that kind of a Sunday! TWILIGHT came out this weekend...I got my copy yesterday and we watched it today. It was just as good the second time...although I still love the book better. I can't wait to see NEW MOON or ECLIPSE as a movie. I am not really sure about ever seeing BREAKING DAWN...it was my least favorite of the books. It could have ended with ECLIPSE! My husband thinks the books are cheesy...the movie is cheesy...he's nearly 40, what does he expect? I am also thinking a little about weekends...this is one of my last two before school starts and then my weekends are not my own. It is bittersweet I guess. I am excited about school...I want my degree but I also hate giving up the feeling of laziness and lack of things to do for knowing that I need to study every day...especially on the weekends! My husband found out Friday that he is allergic to gluten...well has a body that cannot process it and needs to stop eating it NOW! I feel bad for him...but after two days of gluten free items...he is feeling a little better. We are already thinking about recipes and things that he can eat and can't eat. I told him if this had happened 10 years ago it would have been AWFUL...but now there are TONS of gluten free items out there! Already he has had pasta that was gluten free and some pretzels...it has been okay. This morning we made aebelskivers for breakfast and he made some that were gluten free...and they weren't bad at all! It will be better for me too...no more bread...or certainly less of it! Well, I hope everyone else's weekend was great! Enjoy these first few days of spring...the warmer weather is just around the corner!

The Day before Spring Starts...

Okay, I have it, officially I have spring fever! I love winter...I love snow...but now I am ready for warmer weather and no snow and ice. I wanted one more big dump before spring...but I guess it isn't going to happen. We had so much snow in December...it is almost disappointing how little we got in typically the most wintry months of the year. So...today the sun is shining. If I leave my apartment I will get a view of Mt Spokane, covered in snow against blue skies and just an incredible view of the valley, mountains and North Idaho! I am thinking about spring cleaning...I started this sorting and organizing in January...now I feel like I want to kick it into high gear. I want to be done. But, I have so much more to go through. I joined Freecycle for the sole purpose of giving away my stuff...so far it has worked out okay. But...this takes a commitment of time and patience. I did Freecycle when I lived in Cincinnati. I met a very interesting group of people. The people I gave things to were literally from every walk of life! It was so cool to meet so many nice people...and of course I received emails from a lot of mad people...people who wanted to know why I didn't pick them or why I couldn't wait a week to get rid of something. It was amazing to me the amount of people who felt my freecycle stuff belonged to them. So..,I am hoping that my Spokane Freecycle experience is a better one. My sister is coming to visit this weekend. I am so excited. I have so many things I want to do with her...but on the other hand I want us to chill and take it easy! So...I hope we can get that balance and that the weather is AWESOME!!