Captain Yukky McSickypants

I had a lovely weekend hanging out with Tim. We were super low key. I caught up on some freelance work, enjoyed the sunshine and was geared up to get back to work today. Then I woke up at 4 am and my stomach had other plans.

It's been about 10 hours since my stomach decided to calm down and stop contorting itself like a ashtanga yoga instructor. I've been able to eat a little and drink some water and I even had the energy to get out of bed and take a shower. So, that's pretty much all I accomplished today.

My job is very busy this time of year, so the fact that I had to take a sick day today does not bode well for the next week and a half before my trip. If you don't hear from me much, it's because I'm working my heiney off.

I hope everyone had a lovely weekend...

~e

The Pirates of the Caribbean (party & movie)

Lucy Dagger & Tia Dalma
Originally uploaded by villanovababy

Party = SUPER FUN

Movie = Pretty Cool. You could tell the writing was by committee. There was so much going on, back and forth... I dunno. Maybe I was too tequila soaked to follow it. ;)

The rest of the weekend plans.... vegging out and relaxing. Momma needs a break!

Time well spent...

We took this photo this weekend... to commemorate our 3 years of happiness in this little house.



This one was taken when we first moved here and decided to get married.

It's been a wonderful 3 years and I hope that the next people who move into this house will have as many wonderful memories here as we have.


In other news, we decided to take my parent's camper van to Washington when we go out to Oregon next month for my reunion. We are taking a little roadtrip up to Seattle, and then taking the ferry out to Friday Harbor. I think we might even try to squeeze a day in Vancouver, BC into our schedule. How exciting!

Death of a bathroom scale.

I remember this Garfield comic from a long time ago, in which Garfield's scale talks to him whenever he gets on. It usually said something like, "Lay off the lasagna fatso" or "I can't breathe....get off me!". I have a scale like that. It's a body fat scale that allows you to put in your measurements and then you step on and it says supportive and nice things like, "ALERT!".

I bought it thinking that it would help me keep tabs on my weight. In the end, I think it just made me feel like a Fatty McButterpants everytime I got on. I have only gotten the fat levels down to "Normal" once. It was fleeting... there was this week where I weighed 120 last year and I went out and bought this pair of Paper Denim jeans that haven't fit me since. I had managed to de-carb/low-fat/whole-grain/south beach myself to a size 2. It was a huge struggle, even though it was only 10 lbs.

So, I'm working out all the time. And, I've been weighing myself like a compulsive psycho. I finally told Tim to take the scale away and hide it from me. I can't live with these numbers that don't really mean anything. Maybe my Mom was right, maybe I do read too many magazines. Maybe my crappy self esteem (which I'm starting to get a handle on) comes from some unknown source that I'll never be able to identify. All I know is that I can't be a tiny, salad-eating girl for the rest of my life. I mean, like healthy food... I love apples, and green beans, all the legumes, and I even like fat free milk. I think I'm pretty balanced. I don't gorge all the time, but on weekends, I like to spice it up. Perhaps with some Queso Fundido from Milagro Taco, or Eggs Benedict from Steuben's.

My point is, I've had it up to here with this picture I have of me in my head. I was skinny in high school. I was a size 0 actually and my life was NOT better. My life now is wonderful, and being a size 6 is a hell of a lot easier than being a size 0. I don't think I'm ever going to fit into those stupid size 2 jeans again because I don't have time to obsess about it anymore. I could be a size 2 if I had no job, no life, and ate tiny amounts of food (6 times a day to keep my metabolism up!) and worked out for 90 minutes every day. I can't commit that kind of time to it.

So, I run (3 times a week). I walk (when I'm too tired to run or if I wore the wrong sports bra - hahahaha). I do situps (every night). I go see my trainer once every two weeks to keep myself motivated. If nothing else, I'll be a firm 6 (and FYI, I'm a size 4 sometimes, depends on how much salt I've had lately). Tim fell in love with me when I was a slightly squishy 8, so I guess it doesn't matter that much. He tells me I'm beautiful every day anyway.

So, I won't give up cheese people! I toast you with a glass of champagne and an aged gouda. Now, I'm off to bed....I'm running around the park tomorrow.

~e

P.S. I made Apple Pie for Tim tonight. It was delicious! Oh and we ate with Creme Brulee Ice Cream. It tasted like a creamy Caramel Apple. I highly recommend that combo...

Dedicated to Neilochka

It's a sickness....


(edit: this next video is from Neil, but I'm posting it for Gillian, wherever she may be. The boots they wear are WICKED!)

For those of you that heard...

Jackson was in a motorcycle accident today and was rushed to the emergency room. He had a huge gash in his leg and they thought his leg might be broken.

It turns out that his leg is not broken (they just got X-rays back) but his knee is slashed open to the bone. They are busy trying to get all of the gravel cleaned out of his knee and getting him stitched up. Thankfully nothing else was damaged, but he'll definitely be on crutches for a while.

Send him happy thoughts as he'll be laid up for a few days before he can try to get around on crutches.

~erin

It's Round Up time....

I write to you all as I sit here in my sweaty gym clothes and with a stiff neck. I've had this stiff neck for about a month now... I can't tell if it's directly a result of the (self created/perpetuated) stress in my life, or possibly my cheap ass pillow, or maybe it's because I broke up with my Chiropracter.

My Chiro was nearly 30 minutes away from my house in the opposite direction of my work...It would be ecologically irresponsible for me to drive that far just for an adjustment. Especially since the last time I went, it didn't help as much as I'd hoped and I had to leave work early to get there before he closed. It was a huge hassle. Why don't I find another Chiro you ask? Um...I'm scared. It took alot for me to get to the point where I'd let some guy manhandle me and yank my head around like a stray volley ball. Plus, I read this article where a Chiro gave this woman a stroke by adjusting her improperly. That scared the bejeesus out of me. And...So I suffer. *sob* Maybe I should just go get a massage...

Work has been so busy for so long, I don't even remember those hazy days of pretend working at Buckley. Those days where I would spend the entire morning bitching at TSgt Nosewhistle and Amn Greasyglasses. Ah.... Good Times. Now, I'm lucky if I have time to pee. It has created this impetus in my life though. Now that I'm constantly engaged at work, when I come home, I feel the urge to do lots of things. None of the things I should actually be doing (i.e. folding laundry, applying for school, legally changing my last name to cooper, sorting Tim's socks, cleaning the kitty boxes....etc.) but other stuff like working out like mad, planning absurd costumes for parties that may never come to fruition, and organizing my shoes by level of "fanciness".

I was thinking this morning that I'd probably benefit from some ADD medicine. I don't think I NEED it... I mean, I can focus if I really put my mind to it...But I could use a boost every now and again. I keep on thinking about taking up coffee again, but then I remember how coffee makes me twitchy and sweaty. I don't really want that back in my life. Especially the sweaty part...bleh.

I had a wonderful Birthday Party and Birthday Day. It was so much fun having Emily around to giggle with, make fun of, and sometimes want to strangle. I adore her. She's SO ME (like 10 years ago...). It's almost painful and yet exciting to hang out with her. I see how far she has come, and how much more she has to learn. I am SO glad I'm not 21 anymore. That was a tough time in my life. Anyway, she was a big help to me and she looked fantastic in her costume (Which she made herself! She's a girl after my own heart!) (I hope you had fun Roo! I love you lots!)



We went to lunch with my Boss Jenn and my coworker Missy on Friday (the actual day of my birthday), which was a lot of fun. I'm lucky to work with such cool people. People without annoying nosewhistles or poor personal hygiene. ;)


Tim has been amazing during this busy stretch. He nurses me through my ups and downs, cooks me food when I have to work late, tells me I'm beautiful when I first wake up in the morning, makes me crack up when I feel like crying... I really hope everyone finds a Tim. :) Oh and....he got me some flowers delivered at work the day before my birthday (cause he KNOWS that you have to get flowers sent at work so everyone can see them and be jealous) AND he got me two gorgeous necklaces... One that Gillian had for sale on her site that I'd been pining over... and a GORGEOUS diamond pendant.

He's so thoughtful.

Then he took Emma and I to a nice dinner at Bistro Vendome on Sunday night after the party. Everything was divine. I love that restaurant.

Well, I gotta go fold some laundry before I go to bed. I've got a long day of designing tomorrow.

Oh, I almost forgot. Tim's parents sent me some $$$ for my birthday, so I went over to Runner's Roost today and got fitted for a pair or running shoes. They are Mizuno's. Now that I'm putting some miles on these dogs, I figured I should upgrade to a pair of shoes that don't give me blisters and shin splints. Woohooo...They are very comfy and a pretty good deal at $90.

That's all for now...
~erin

Barbarella Psychadella

Barbarella Psychadella
Originally uploaded by villanovababy.

Our 60's Party was a huge success, in part because of the support of all my wonderful friends. I'd like to give a shout out to my sister Emily for flying half way across the country to be with me and help me out with party prep. She made cupcakes, she helped me decorate and most of all she was there for me to hug. It's so great to have sisters!

I'd also like to thank Charleigh for helping me sew all my pillows! I'd like to thank Joe & Megan for the beautiful gifts, for all your help with the invite and taking pictures at the party. You guys are AMAZING!

And last, but not least, I'd like to thank Tim for helping me with EVERYTHING. Being married is wonderful when you have such an exceptional partner. He even helped me make my costumes!

All in all I had a great time, great crowd, and it was so wonderful to see all my friends. This will be our last big party for some time to come, so I'm happy to say, we went out with a BANG!

For more photos, go to:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/villanovababy/sets/72157600209776893/

Gmaps Pedometer

Gmaps Pedometer

For those of you who are looking to get out this summer and out some miles on your running (or walking, or skipping) shoes, check out the site above. It utilizes Google Map's technology to help you estimate how far your running routes are and also gives a rough estimate of how many calories you're burning.

YAY FOR GOOGLE!