When Don and I switched over from Time Warner to AT&T service a few weeks ago, we ended up getting a new phone number. As soon as we got our new phone number, the solicitors were on us like flies to honey. It takes thirty days to process your information on the National Do Not Call Registry (which we promptly registered for) and in the mean time we were getting as many as 20 solicitations a day.
That was bad enough. Then yesterday, some girl started calling the house repeatedly asking for a guy named David, convinced that she spoke to him on our line a week ago and has been trying to reach him ever since. Although we explained to her that this is a new number and that we are the only ones that live here and that we have no idea who this person is, she has yet to get it through her thick skull. She continues to call back from a blocked phone number more than a dozen times by now hoping that David will answer the phone and immediately hangs up now when we answer it. The only thing I can think of is that she is a mentally deranged lunatic and this David guy her ex-boyfriend who we of course are hiding from her. What?!
So I called AT&T to find out what we can do about this and they came to the rescue with our new Privacy Manager phone service. Privacy Manager does not let unidentified callers through yoru line. Period. If someone calls from a blocked or unlisted phone number, our privacy manager picks up and explains to them that we do not accept unidentified calls. The caller either has to press a number to display their phone number or record a message saying who they are. Only then does our phone ring and it's not the caller directly, but the privacy manager who plays the message for us and asks us whether we would like to accept the call, reject the call, send them straight to voicemail, or option #4 (my favorite) if it is a solicitor we can play for them a prerecorded legal rejection notice instructing them to block our number from their registry or face a lawsuit! The service should be in effect by the end of the day. And although it normally costs a monthly fee of about $6.00 which I would have gladly paid, it turns out it's free with our phone package!
By the way, I'm also told that it directs out of area calls (which I'm hoping includes 800 numbers) through the privacy manager so if you are calling us from out of town, I apologize for the extra steps but please record a brief greeting and we look forward to accepting your call promptly! I'm sooooooooo excited to have control over our phone in our own house again. Is nice!
Saturday, January 31, 2009
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Detox Day
I need a detox day. I haven't been eating all that great lately but I think the biggest thing is my total lack of hydration. I've hardly been drinking any water, but, rather, in it's place, soda, beer, wine and coffee. One cannot live on these things and as I cannot seem to moderate myself, I think I'll have to nix them all for an extended time. Well, all of them except coffee which I will allow myself once a day. My new best friends are going to be milk, water, and iced tea, which should get my body well on track to feeling better.
When it comes to diet, I've certainly been snacking more than I need to, but I'm also trying to find the best way to eat healthy while also saving money. Don and I have cut our food budget way down while we are working on our house savings. We're trying different things like eating discounted frozen foods a few times a week to cut costs and we even bought lunch boxes and started packing our lunches every day. Some things have worked and some haven't. The frozen dinners are certainly a luxury when it comes to the convenience of cooking and cleaning which also helps a lot with curbing our impulse to eat out on nights that we don't feel like cooking, but I definitely don't feel like I'm getting the same nutritional value as when we were cooking with fresh foods every night. So this week I think I'll try cooking a couple of big bulk meals that aren't too expensive like Sausage Spinach Soup and Tacos and that way we'll have leftovers to carry us through most of the weak. Also packing lunches has worked really well for me considering that I have access to a full kitchen at work so can easily bring leftovers and convenience foods to reheat, but it has been a little bit of a struggle to get up early enough in the morning to make ready to eat foods that Don can take with him in the car. So we've figured out the balance. I will try to take my lunch most days, and we will pack him some snacks, sides and drinks so that all he has to do is pick up a sandwich or burger every day which should keep us pretty close to our $25 week lunch budget. I think for us, the big thing we've discovered when budgeting is to set realistic goals. If something costs a little bit more, but we know we can stick to it, it ends up being cheaper for us in the long run because where we tend to waste the most money is when we aren't prepared or doing something impulsive.
And lastly, on the note of detoxation, I need a detox from television. I've definitely been getting sucked in to the black hole of the boob tube and I'm pretty darn sick of it. I'm really getting to the point where I wish we didn't have television anymore. It seems like more and more of our social gatherings are centered around the television instead of more interactive games and visiting. I waste a lot of time watching programing that I really wouldn't miss if we didn't have it and when it comes to television, Don and I have different tastes and different interests anyway so we end up spending more time apart than we normally would in different rooms of our own house which obviously leads to less husband and wife activities of every kind. I miss the days where all we had was Netflix and we would choose our shows and watch the seasons through from start to finish and it was an event to look forward to at the end of the day together. So blah for television. I think the only reason I'm not ready to push giving it up just yet is because it was such a major pain going through the process recently to get everything switched over from Time Warner to AT&T that it would feel like such a waste to discontinue now after all that effort. Additionally, the one and only show I do really care about right now is Battlestar Gallactica which is in the final season. I think I am willing to stick it out through the rest of the season, but as soon as it's over, I'm really hoping Don will be open to the idea of saying goodbye to cable hopefully for the last time, and welcome back our beloved Netflix lifestyle.
When it comes to diet, I've certainly been snacking more than I need to, but I'm also trying to find the best way to eat healthy while also saving money. Don and I have cut our food budget way down while we are working on our house savings. We're trying different things like eating discounted frozen foods a few times a week to cut costs and we even bought lunch boxes and started packing our lunches every day. Some things have worked and some haven't. The frozen dinners are certainly a luxury when it comes to the convenience of cooking and cleaning which also helps a lot with curbing our impulse to eat out on nights that we don't feel like cooking, but I definitely don't feel like I'm getting the same nutritional value as when we were cooking with fresh foods every night. So this week I think I'll try cooking a couple of big bulk meals that aren't too expensive like Sausage Spinach Soup and Tacos and that way we'll have leftovers to carry us through most of the weak. Also packing lunches has worked really well for me considering that I have access to a full kitchen at work so can easily bring leftovers and convenience foods to reheat, but it has been a little bit of a struggle to get up early enough in the morning to make ready to eat foods that Don can take with him in the car. So we've figured out the balance. I will try to take my lunch most days, and we will pack him some snacks, sides and drinks so that all he has to do is pick up a sandwich or burger every day which should keep us pretty close to our $25 week lunch budget. I think for us, the big thing we've discovered when budgeting is to set realistic goals. If something costs a little bit more, but we know we can stick to it, it ends up being cheaper for us in the long run because where we tend to waste the most money is when we aren't prepared or doing something impulsive.
And lastly, on the note of detoxation, I need a detox from television. I've definitely been getting sucked in to the black hole of the boob tube and I'm pretty darn sick of it. I'm really getting to the point where I wish we didn't have television anymore. It seems like more and more of our social gatherings are centered around the television instead of more interactive games and visiting. I waste a lot of time watching programing that I really wouldn't miss if we didn't have it and when it comes to television, Don and I have different tastes and different interests anyway so we end up spending more time apart than we normally would in different rooms of our own house which obviously leads to less husband and wife activities of every kind. I miss the days where all we had was Netflix and we would choose our shows and watch the seasons through from start to finish and it was an event to look forward to at the end of the day together. So blah for television. I think the only reason I'm not ready to push giving it up just yet is because it was such a major pain going through the process recently to get everything switched over from Time Warner to AT&T that it would feel like such a waste to discontinue now after all that effort. Additionally, the one and only show I do really care about right now is Battlestar Gallactica which is in the final season. I think I am willing to stick it out through the rest of the season, but as soon as it's over, I'm really hoping Don will be open to the idea of saying goodbye to cable hopefully for the last time, and welcome back our beloved Netflix lifestyle.
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Chris Angel is a Douche Bag
Best Title of a Supernatural Episode ever. Don and I are just starting the program now. Don't even care if it turns out to be a good episode or not. We've already gotten plenty of amusement out of the title alone. Love this show!
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
Getting Up
Enough of this sleeping in business. The dogs and I were up at 6 am this morning and got in a 3.5 mile walk. And it felt great! Such a nice way to start the day. Why is it such a battle every morning when the alarm goes off whether to sleep in or get some exercise? I always feel better when I chose the latter. It's just hard to remember that when you're buried in plush warm blankets.
Monday, January 19, 2009
Sleeping In
This is what the dogs get to do every morning while Don and I have to get up and get ready for work. Can you say "Not Fair"?
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Cordy & Seumas' Trip to Griffith Park
Don and I headed out to Griffith Park today to get a little sunshine and exercise. It was a nice hike, good shade, nice rolling hills. It is a huge park and lots of other avenues to explore so we will surely be back. Here are some videos of our little adventure, as seen through the eyes of Cordy and Seumas.
Sunday, January 11, 2009
Windy Picnic
I know you all have been waiting on edge for pictures of our picnic. It was a very fun afternoon but sooooooooooooo windy. Not windy cold, just knock you over windy and tie everything down windy. No, I did not accomplish everything on the list but that's OK. We made it work anyway. It was a very fun outing and hopefully the first of many.
Camille and Matt doing his Gold Digging expression - as in Precious Metals Mining, not the Girls Next Door. But that could work too.
Nathan and Camille - with the unfortunate downwind position.
Paige and Katy, flash back to the eighties.
The dogs were so cute with their ears flapping in the wind. They had a great time.
Isn't she sweet? Don't be fooled. She'll kick your @$$ at Bootcamp!
Feed the Birds. Toppins a bag.Countdown to the picnic
Things to do before our picnic today:
1. Shower and get dressed
2. Charge the camera battery
3. Go to Target and get some supplies
4. Pick up Groceries
5. Pick up some cash for the Farmer's Market
6. Sort and start the laundry
7. Pack our lunches
8. Pack our outdoor games, blankets/towels, camera, sunblock, etc.
9. Find the dog tie outs in the garage somewhere, pack water dish
10. Light housecleaning
I have two hours. Think I can do it all? Ready, set, go!
1. Shower and get dressed
2. Charge the camera battery
3. Go to Target and get some supplies
4. Pick up Groceries
5. Pick up some cash for the Farmer's Market
6. Sort and start the laundry
7. Pack our lunches
8. Pack our outdoor games, blankets/towels, camera, sunblock, etc.
9. Find the dog tie outs in the garage somewhere, pack water dish
10. Light housecleaning
I have two hours. Think I can do it all? Ready, set, go!
Saturday, January 10, 2009
Dog Days
There is no doubt about it. Don and I have been neglecting the dogs. We've definitely been laxed with the whole dog walking thing over the last couple of winter months. And by laxed, I mean nigh on nonexistent. No excuses either. I don't care if it gets dark earlier and it's a few degrees cooler. It's not like there is rain to contend with and we live in a super safe neighborhood. So it basically comes down to our sheer wussiness and lazy behavior.
So we are making it up to the pups by trying to cram in a months worth of excitement in one, beautiful weekend. With the Santa Anna winds blowing through and temps this weekend in the 70s and 80s, Don and I are as itching to blow off this cabin fever as the dogs. You already know from my previous blog that we have a lovely picnic planned for tomorrow which of course we'll be bringing the dogs to.
Today we decided to make the most of the day by getting in some exercise and errands at the same time. Seumas could barely contain himself in the minutes before we left when he "sensed" that we were getting ready to go for a walk and was bound and determined not to be left behind. We started off with a walk to Subway for a nice healthy lunch and a cup of water for the dogs. Then we cut through the park and over to the bank to deposit some checks for our house savings. After that we cut back through the park and saw a few people out with their small dogs and decided to join them for a little puppy play time.
It turned out to be purebread pairs day at the park. We of course were representing the Wiener Dogs. There was another couple there with two little Jack Russels, a lady with two Pomeranians, and eventually another guy showed up with his four Scottish Terriers. All the dogs got along great and Seumas ran himself ragged playing fetch and impressing everyone with how fast he could run and how high he could jump.
All of the dog owners were nice and fun people, and I have to comment that it was nice for once to be around other purebread owners. Sometimes I feel like going to the dog park is a bit like going to the pound. Everyone has their rescue dog and this great story about how they gave a condemned dog a second chance at life. Don't get me wrong. I think that is a wonderful thing and I applaud everyone who does it. I may even be one of those people some day. But I also understand what it is like to love a breed and to want that experience of bringing a pup home from the litter and raising it "from scratch" so to speak. It was nice for once to enjoy being around other dog owners without feeling like a criminal for owning a purebread. At the end of the day, we got the dogs that we did because we loved them and they were the right fit for our family just like everyone else, not because of any pricetag or certificate that they came with, and I wouldn't trade them for any other dogs in the world.
On the walk back home, we passed a guy who had a nickname for our dogs that I'd never heard before. Of course the common ones are wiener dogs, sausage dogs, and hot dogs. But as he passed by and pointed at Cordy and Seumas he commented in his thick accent, English clearly not being his first language, "Twinkies!" This of course has already become my new favorite nickname for the dogs. As we walked away, as soon as the guy was out of earshot, Don commented that with her winter weight Cordy looks more like a Ding Dong right now than a Twinkie. Alas it is true. But hopefully with this change in weather, in no time we should have them back in Twinkie Shape again.
Our total trip today was about 4 miles all together and that's not including all of the running around at the park. Right now both Cordy and Seumas are having the best nap of their lives.
So we are making it up to the pups by trying to cram in a months worth of excitement in one, beautiful weekend. With the Santa Anna winds blowing through and temps this weekend in the 70s and 80s, Don and I are as itching to blow off this cabin fever as the dogs. You already know from my previous blog that we have a lovely picnic planned for tomorrow which of course we'll be bringing the dogs to.
Today we decided to make the most of the day by getting in some exercise and errands at the same time. Seumas could barely contain himself in the minutes before we left when he "sensed" that we were getting ready to go for a walk and was bound and determined not to be left behind. We started off with a walk to Subway for a nice healthy lunch and a cup of water for the dogs. Then we cut through the park and over to the bank to deposit some checks for our house savings. After that we cut back through the park and saw a few people out with their small dogs and decided to join them for a little puppy play time.
It turned out to be purebread pairs day at the park. We of course were representing the Wiener Dogs. There was another couple there with two little Jack Russels, a lady with two Pomeranians, and eventually another guy showed up with his four Scottish Terriers. All the dogs got along great and Seumas ran himself ragged playing fetch and impressing everyone with how fast he could run and how high he could jump.
All of the dog owners were nice and fun people, and I have to comment that it was nice for once to be around other purebread owners. Sometimes I feel like going to the dog park is a bit like going to the pound. Everyone has their rescue dog and this great story about how they gave a condemned dog a second chance at life. Don't get me wrong. I think that is a wonderful thing and I applaud everyone who does it. I may even be one of those people some day. But I also understand what it is like to love a breed and to want that experience of bringing a pup home from the litter and raising it "from scratch" so to speak. It was nice for once to enjoy being around other dog owners without feeling like a criminal for owning a purebread. At the end of the day, we got the dogs that we did because we loved them and they were the right fit for our family just like everyone else, not because of any pricetag or certificate that they came with, and I wouldn't trade them for any other dogs in the world.
On the walk back home, we passed a guy who had a nickname for our dogs that I'd never heard before. Of course the common ones are wiener dogs, sausage dogs, and hot dogs. But as he passed by and pointed at Cordy and Seumas he commented in his thick accent, English clearly not being his first language, "Twinkies!" This of course has already become my new favorite nickname for the dogs. As we walked away, as soon as the guy was out of earshot, Don commented that with her winter weight Cordy looks more like a Ding Dong right now than a Twinkie. Alas it is true. But hopefully with this change in weather, in no time we should have them back in Twinkie Shape again.
Our total trip today was about 4 miles all together and that's not including all of the running around at the park. Right now both Cordy and Seumas are having the best nap of their lives.
Friday, January 09, 2009
Ladybug Picnic
The weather is taking a nice up turn this week. We've actually had several weeks now of 50-60 degrees which our Northern friends will make fun of us about, but it is chilly for us in our drafty, uninsulated California Bungalo. So I was so thrilled when I looked at the forecast for 80 degrees on Sunday that I immediately took the opportunity to do something I've been wanting to do for a long time. Plan a picnic! Don't know who all is going to make it yet, but we'll meet at the awesome Farmer's Market in Encino, pick up a few fresh produce snacks, and then head over to the park for a relaxing afternoon in the sun. I can hardly wait. And the best part of the afternoon is that for all the fun to be had, it's an activity that doesn't cost a bunch of money so we'll be saving money for down payment! Hopefully I'll even remember to take my camera and get some fun new pics for the blog!
Now how did that Sesame Street Song used to go.... "One, Two, Three.... Four, Five, Six.... Seven, Eight, Nine... Ten, Eleven, Twelve... And they all had fun, at the Ladybug Picnic!"
Now how did that Sesame Street Song used to go.... "One, Two, Three.... Four, Five, Six.... Seven, Eight, Nine... Ten, Eleven, Twelve... And they all had fun, at the Ladybug Picnic!"
Wednesday, January 07, 2009
Weighing In
I'm sorry to inform you that I am not the Biggest Loser. But our contest finally ended at work yesterday and overall I lost 3.5 pounds. I'm pretty happy with my results. Congratulations to my co-worker Karen who won the contest losing 10 pounds in 10 weeks! But she does have a wedding to prepare for. Can you say "motivation"?! I've been enjoying my Bodybugg Armband that Don got me for Christmas. It measures your calories burned and then you go on the website and log in everything you eat so you can see whether you have a calorie surplus or defecit for the day. It definitely takes the guess work out of dieting. And the immediate feedback and visual results are pretty inspiring.
Saturday, January 03, 2009
Christmas 2008
My awesome Christmas Brunch Strata! Delicious!
Don working on Christmas dinner.
Christmas Dinner: Balsamic glazed Rack of Lamb, Apricot Glazed Roasted Asparagus, Goat Cheese and Herb Stuffed Red Peppers, and Pumpkin Biscuits with Orange Honey Butter
My Beautiful Nieces - Amber and Emmi
Happy 31st Birthday to me!
Our adventures with Mr. Potato Head
Amber helping her Aunt Cindy with some exercises
Friday, January 02, 2009
A New Year
Happy New Year to everyone. Don and I had a great 2008. I think it is safe to say that it has been our best year yet. We got settled into life in California. Our careers have finally surpassed the entry/mid level and are both on a great path. Don was promoted yet again to an outside sales position and I landed my job with a great company that I plan to be with for a long time. My first management position! And we can't complain about the salaries we are making, not to mention all of the nice perks and bonuses that come with Don's job.
With the new jobs came our first major purchase as a couple – Don’s Mini Cooper. As an outside sales rep, the Ranger was no longer a practical car. Given the amount of time Don spends in his car all day, the high mileage, lack of a working air conditioner, and zero cab space were no longer working for him. As soon as I landed my new job and had stable income again, we started shopping for Don’s dream car – the Mini. It is no secret that Don and I have different values and opinions when it comes to cars, but we found some commonalities in the Mini that we could both get behind – good gas mileage, not too expensive, and retains value better than just about any other car I’ve seen on the market. And even though I made my limits clear, for the most part this was Don’s decision. This is his car and he earned it. I’m proud of him and what the car represents for all he’s worked towards. Every once in a while when we are driving along I catch myself thinking, I can’t believe this is our car and our life. How did we get so lucky?!
We've also reached a milestone in our financial strategy. Since we started our life together with a pretty significant amount of debt, our financial focus for the last five years has been tackling that debt. A couple of months ago we paid off the last of our credit card debt, some household items, and the last of our smaller student loans. I can't say that we are completely debt free as we still have a couple of long term low interest student loans. Technically we also have the car loan but Don's car bonus more than adequately covers that. This morning I dug into our old files and pulled out the debt schedule we put together when Don and I first got engaged and sat down together to determine our financial strategy. The total balance at the time nearly gave us a heart attack and we wondered how we would ever pay it off. But after five years of putting all of our surplus income to our debt, we've managed to pay off $56K in debt, cross eight out of the ten items off the list, on top of financing a new bed, laptop, refrigerator, and our $10K move to California.
Thinking back to the first several years of our marriage when we were just starting off with our low wage jobs making nearly a third of what we make now, I wonder how it was that we ever managed to carve out $1000 a month toward our debt. But we made it a priority and now, with our minimum monthly payments slashed down to less than 4% of our income, for the first time in our lives, our financial focus has shifted from paying off debt to saving and investing. Of course our first big investment we are working towards will be the purchase of our first home. It has taken us a long time to get to the place where we could start to think about being homeowners. We definitely wanted to free up our debts first and geographic stability has not exactly been a common thread for us. We have lived in 6 different apartments/houses in the last five years. But the timing has definitely worked out in our favor. Given the current market conditions, foreclosure crisis, and declining home values, by the time Don and I are finally ready to purchase in the next 6 to 12 months, housing prices will be at a record low and we will actually be able to afford a SoCal house in the Valley as a first time homebuyer.
The trick of course will be coming up with a down payment and closing costs which down here are considerably more expensive. We figure about $25K is a good number to shoot for though we may be able to make do with less. So we’ve got the fundraising thermometer on the fridge and we’re working on cutting back expenses and saving everything we possibly can. We started with $1000 and so far in the first week we’ve managed to save an additional $500! Don gets paid weekly which is great because we can continually stay focused and see the payoff in the short term. The biggest thing we did this year to help us reach our goal was move (once again!) a few blocks down the street to a significantly cheaper rental house. Not only are we saving an extra $700 a month cash, but the shared yard and nosy neighbors have helped us realize just how much we are ready to be in our own space with our own property and have no one to answer to but ourselves. By this time next year we will have a house of our very own!
And of course with the new year, there are always goals to continue to achieve better health. Our weight loss contest at work has been a lot of fun and good motivator to keep diet and exercise in check. Though I’m not going to win the contest by any means, I’ve built some stronger foundations that will carry through to the long term particularly when it comes to my diet. I’ve become for the first time in many years a breakfast eater. Turkey bacon is my new best friend. I’ve also all but eliminated fried fast foods from my diet (vacation excluded). Subway and Quiznos are my new best friend. And I’ve discovered that the best thing I can do to stay fit and healthy is make an effort to walk the dogs every morning. It’s a quick and easy 200 calories at the start of every day and then I can squeeze in other more intense workouts here and there, but at least this way I’m consistent.
I have the pleasure of starting off my new year with a four day weekend so I’m going to make the most of it of course by doing a major house cleaning, organizing, errands, and planning. To all of our family and friends, I wish you a safe, happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Love,
Cindy
With the new jobs came our first major purchase as a couple – Don’s Mini Cooper. As an outside sales rep, the Ranger was no longer a practical car. Given the amount of time Don spends in his car all day, the high mileage, lack of a working air conditioner, and zero cab space were no longer working for him. As soon as I landed my new job and had stable income again, we started shopping for Don’s dream car – the Mini. It is no secret that Don and I have different values and opinions when it comes to cars, but we found some commonalities in the Mini that we could both get behind – good gas mileage, not too expensive, and retains value better than just about any other car I’ve seen on the market. And even though I made my limits clear, for the most part this was Don’s decision. This is his car and he earned it. I’m proud of him and what the car represents for all he’s worked towards. Every once in a while when we are driving along I catch myself thinking, I can’t believe this is our car and our life. How did we get so lucky?!
We've also reached a milestone in our financial strategy. Since we started our life together with a pretty significant amount of debt, our financial focus for the last five years has been tackling that debt. A couple of months ago we paid off the last of our credit card debt, some household items, and the last of our smaller student loans. I can't say that we are completely debt free as we still have a couple of long term low interest student loans. Technically we also have the car loan but Don's car bonus more than adequately covers that. This morning I dug into our old files and pulled out the debt schedule we put together when Don and I first got engaged and sat down together to determine our financial strategy. The total balance at the time nearly gave us a heart attack and we wondered how we would ever pay it off. But after five years of putting all of our surplus income to our debt, we've managed to pay off $56K in debt, cross eight out of the ten items off the list, on top of financing a new bed, laptop, refrigerator, and our $10K move to California.
Thinking back to the first several years of our marriage when we were just starting off with our low wage jobs making nearly a third of what we make now, I wonder how it was that we ever managed to carve out $1000 a month toward our debt. But we made it a priority and now, with our minimum monthly payments slashed down to less than 4% of our income, for the first time in our lives, our financial focus has shifted from paying off debt to saving and investing. Of course our first big investment we are working towards will be the purchase of our first home. It has taken us a long time to get to the place where we could start to think about being homeowners. We definitely wanted to free up our debts first and geographic stability has not exactly been a common thread for us. We have lived in 6 different apartments/houses in the last five years. But the timing has definitely worked out in our favor. Given the current market conditions, foreclosure crisis, and declining home values, by the time Don and I are finally ready to purchase in the next 6 to 12 months, housing prices will be at a record low and we will actually be able to afford a SoCal house in the Valley as a first time homebuyer.
The trick of course will be coming up with a down payment and closing costs which down here are considerably more expensive. We figure about $25K is a good number to shoot for though we may be able to make do with less. So we’ve got the fundraising thermometer on the fridge and we’re working on cutting back expenses and saving everything we possibly can. We started with $1000 and so far in the first week we’ve managed to save an additional $500! Don gets paid weekly which is great because we can continually stay focused and see the payoff in the short term. The biggest thing we did this year to help us reach our goal was move (once again!) a few blocks down the street to a significantly cheaper rental house. Not only are we saving an extra $700 a month cash, but the shared yard and nosy neighbors have helped us realize just how much we are ready to be in our own space with our own property and have no one to answer to but ourselves. By this time next year we will have a house of our very own!
And of course with the new year, there are always goals to continue to achieve better health. Our weight loss contest at work has been a lot of fun and good motivator to keep diet and exercise in check. Though I’m not going to win the contest by any means, I’ve built some stronger foundations that will carry through to the long term particularly when it comes to my diet. I’ve become for the first time in many years a breakfast eater. Turkey bacon is my new best friend. I’ve also all but eliminated fried fast foods from my diet (vacation excluded). Subway and Quiznos are my new best friend. And I’ve discovered that the best thing I can do to stay fit and healthy is make an effort to walk the dogs every morning. It’s a quick and easy 200 calories at the start of every day and then I can squeeze in other more intense workouts here and there, but at least this way I’m consistent.
I have the pleasure of starting off my new year with a four day weekend so I’m going to make the most of it of course by doing a major house cleaning, organizing, errands, and planning. To all of our family and friends, I wish you a safe, happy, healthy, and prosperous New Year.
Love,
Cindy
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
International Charges
Don and I had some fun last night in the UK. Except we didn't. However, somebody half way accross the world got ahold of our credit card information and charged up a night on the town. They had a very nice dinner at some place called Haskell's for $100. We're hoping they at least tipped the waitor well on our behalf. And they also visited the touchtone store probably for some prepaid phones. Such an interesting global and technological age we live in that we can steal from people on the other side the planet and all it takes is a little bit of information. Big Kudos go out to our credit card company who spotted the charges right away and called us before any of them went through. I guess something just didn't seem quite right that we could be having dinner at the PF Changs in Sherman Oaks and then a few hours later sipping tea with the Brittish???
Monday, December 01, 2008
Christmas Preparations
Don and I won the get your Christmas Tree up the fastest contest. It is a contest right? We had the tree up by noon on Friday and decorated the same day. It took me three separate trips to Costco to get the tree skirt, garland, and stockings but I also found a few Christmas presents in the mean time so it all worked out. You have to try hard to create Christmas here. Since it feels like summertime, you wouldn't know what time of year it was without the decorations, music, and holiday treats that go with it. I am loving my christmas tree right now.
I recently learned that my 3 1/2 year old neice can type her own name on the computer. She can't write it yet but she can type it. It's so hard to fathom! I'm amazed by the miracle of it. I hope I can get a live demonstration next time we are on Skype together.
Don and I head home to Oregon in three weeks for Christmas. It will be the first time we've spent Christmas with my family since Don and I have been married. It will be my first Christmas with Amber. And it will be the first time Kristy, Terri, and I have all been home together for the holidays in even longer than any of the above. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I hope Mom and Papa have a really big tree to accomodate all of the presents we will be bringing for Amber.
I recently learned that my 3 1/2 year old neice can type her own name on the computer. She can't write it yet but she can type it. It's so hard to fathom! I'm amazed by the miracle of it. I hope I can get a live demonstration next time we are on Skype together.
Don and I head home to Oregon in three weeks for Christmas. It will be the first time we've spent Christmas with my family since Don and I have been married. It will be my first Christmas with Amber. And it will be the first time Kristy, Terri, and I have all been home together for the holidays in even longer than any of the above. I'm so excited I can hardly stand it. I hope Mom and Papa have a really big tree to accomodate all of the presents we will be bringing for Amber.
Monday, November 24, 2008
It's beginning to look a little like Christmas
There are still some things about California weather that surprise me. Like the fact that this weekend for the first time this year, we finally turned the heat on in our house. All be it, it was only for an hour in the morning and later that afternoon it got up to 75 degrees. We're definitely spoiled in that respect. I love that I can get up and walk the dogs every morning without worrying about rain. But when it comes to the holiday season, there's still a part of you that longs for the crisp chilled air to match the season and get you into that fall/winter spirit. This week the weather is cooperating. We are experiencing something this morning I haven't seen in a lllloooooooonnnnnngggggg time. FOG. It's so beautiful. And it forces Los Angeleans to do something they never do, slow down on the commute. We should also have a couple of days of rain this week and a few highs in the upper sixties. Brrrrrrr. At least I'll get to wear my new fall coat!
Wednesday, November 05, 2008
One Step Forward, Two Steps Back
It's a sad title for this moment in history. Last night as we watched the electoral map turn blue and the election was called in favor of Obama, the immediate response was elation and celebration. Shouting, jumping, cheering, hugging. Then it went to solemn awe as we tried to fathom the giant leap our country had taken in electing the first African-American President of the United States. Not that this was a condition that qualifies him, but for the first time in history, it did not disqualify him either. I've never felt so patriotic or proud to be an American. It's a true measure of what democracy can achieve. I'm awed by the power of a grass roots campaign that came from the people, by the people, for the people. And I have great hopes and aspirations for the healing of a nation that is desperately in need of healing. Nathan shared a quote with us last night. He couldn't remember where it came from, but it goes something like this: "Rosa Parks SAT so that Martin Luther King could STAND. Martin Luther King STOOD so that Barack Obama could RUN. Barack Obama RAN so that we can FLY."
Even in the celebration and awe of this profound moment, there is still sadness. My new state, California, voted to ban gay marriage, overturning a decision not six months ago to amend the state constitution to extend the legal rights of marriage to same sex couples. I wish I could celebrate the victory of the new presidency with unrestraint. But for me it is still a sad day where the human rights we celebrate for some are still denied to others.
Even in the celebration and awe of this profound moment, there is still sadness. My new state, California, voted to ban gay marriage, overturning a decision not six months ago to amend the state constitution to extend the legal rights of marriage to same sex couples. I wish I could celebrate the victory of the new presidency with unrestraint. But for me it is still a sad day where the human rights we celebrate for some are still denied to others.
Sunday, November 02, 2008
The Numbers
Tomorrow is the official initial weigh in for the start of our Biggest Loser contest at work. But I have the unofficial results. My own weight was pretty much what I expected - 144 pounds. It's Cordy and Seumas' weight that really shocked me - 25 pounds and 19 pounds respectively. OUCH! A healthy weight for them should be about 20 and 15 pounds. They have as much weight to lose as I do! Don is also showing support. He offered to get up with me in the mornings to walk together with the dogs and maybe even do some yoga. I'll also be changing my eating habits quite a bit, 4-5 small meals a day instead of 2-3 larger ones. It's a trick I've learned from watching the Real Biggest Loser show to consume less calories overall but keep your metabolism in high gear. I'm even considering creating an alter ego for my workout persona so that even when I don't feel like working out, I can pretend to be someone else who can't get enough of it!
This may not be the true spirit of the contest, but of course I celebrated my last weekend before the weigh in by consuming everything I won't be allowed to eat for the next two months - pizza, hamburger, fries, chocolate souffle, beer, martinis, mocha, soda and donuts. Bye bye high calorie foods.
This may not be the true spirit of the contest, but of course I celebrated my last weekend before the weigh in by consuming everything I won't be allowed to eat for the next two months - pizza, hamburger, fries, chocolate souffle, beer, martinis, mocha, soda and donuts. Bye bye high calorie foods.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Biggest Loser
We started a Biggest Loser Competition at work. $25 buy in. Contest goes from November 3rd to January 5th. Karen is bringing her scale to work and we are going to weigh in every Monday. At the end of two months, the colleague who has lost the greatest percentage of body weight takes home the winnings. We are all excited about the idea of getting healthy and losing weight. But we are also having huge blast trash talking each other despite the fact that we haven't even started yet. It's been a while since I've done anything truly competitive and I think this will be a lot of fun. Everybody wish me luck.
Since I will be walking the dogs a lot, I've decide to also weigh in Cordy and Seumas so that they can have their own biggest loser competition as well. Whichever wiener dog loses the greatest percentage of body weight, wins a night of sleeping in the big bed with Mommy and Daddy.
Since I will be walking the dogs a lot, I've decide to also weigh in Cordy and Seumas so that they can have their own biggest loser competition as well. Whichever wiener dog loses the greatest percentage of body weight, wins a night of sleeping in the big bed with Mommy and Daddy.
Monday, October 20, 2008
Time for Two
Happy Monday morning. Don and I just came off of a lovely weekend. It was the first weekend since I can't even remember that we spent the whole time just the two of us. We are blessed to be surrounded by an amazing group of friends here who have become our family away from home. We love spending time with them, love hosting and entertaining, even just hanging out and doing laundry together. But while we love all of that and don't intend to scale back, it was a golden opportunity to indulge in alone time this weekend and reconnect as a couple.
Here are just a few things we did:
- Bought the new Batman Lego Game and played on our new PS3.
- Went grocery shopping together.
- Bought a beautiful new dish set at Target.
- Got a burger at Fatburger.
- Cooked Dinner together.
- Sat out and sunned in the backyard with the dogs
- Watched the Tudors on Netflix
- Started our first little bit of Christmas shopping.
Here are just a few things we did:
- Bought the new Batman Lego Game and played on our new PS3.
- Went grocery shopping together.
- Bought a beautiful new dish set at Target.
- Got a burger at Fatburger.
- Cooked Dinner together.
- Sat out and sunned in the backyard with the dogs
- Watched the Tudors on Netflix
- Started our first little bit of Christmas shopping.
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