Good, Bad & Weird - May 18th

So, here I am trying to get started in blogging, and what do I do? Neglect my new baby blog, of course! Thank goodness no one reads it yet! I hate it when I find a new blog I love and then they don't update anything. Believe it or not, I have been making some progress on my 30 before 30 list, I just haven't kept up to date on blogging about it. I promise to catch up soon.

Anyway, here's today's good, bad, and weird:

The Good
Panera's tomato soup. It is my absolute favorite thing to have for lunch. I LOVE it! If it's a rainy week, I've been known to go twice in one (four-day) week. I found oodles of recipes online for knock-offs, and I was so excited to make it myself on Monday. I gave it a good try, but it was just not the same. Today I went for the real thing. DELICIOUS!

The Bad
I work for a non-profit, and each year, budget time rolls around. There is a lot of pressure to bring in more and more money while spending less and less and working harder and longer and reach more goals. I am currently in the midst of budget season, and it's a little tiring. For instance, I am guessing that I will go to a conference in summer 2012. I do not know where this conference will be held, how long it will be, or even whether I will fly or drive. Nonetheless, I am asked to make conservative (aka: cheap!) estimates on how much said conference will cost. Oh, okay, sure! Mostly, I just make stuff up. Then in June, I get to try and defend the numbers I made up and fight for my pennies that I budgeted. Grrr.....

The Weird
In January, I learned that I had a hardcore thyroid problem. Basically, mine was not working at all and it was causing some issues. Most disturbing, my hair was falling out in handfuls after each shower. YIKES! So, after a few stressful visits to the endocrinologist, I added hypothyroidism to my list of medical issues (along with asthma and allergies). Now, four months later, my thyroid numbers are looking much better with the help of some medication. And in the past couple of months I have noticed the most interesting side effect: My asthma is better! I'm not saying I'm cured or anything, but I almost never need my inhaler anymore. I have a follow up with the endo next week, and I intend to get more info on whether the two are related.

So... that's my day. As a said, I really have made some progress on my 30 Before 30 list. I promise to post more in the next couple days. And I have vacation next week, so I'll be catching up LOTS!

Corinne

A Royally Good Day

There was nothing weird or bad about today (so far, at least!)... It was all good. Because, as I mentioned yesterday, I've had the worst case of Royal wedding fever, I took the day off work today to watch the wedding. Just a day off work, all by itself would have been a great day. A day off work, lunch with friends, AND a Royal Wedding.... what more could a girl ask for?

I had originally planned to do princessy things for the wedding (like get a pedicure, make tea, etc.), but in the end I decided to keep it low-key. I just enjoyed a relaxing day and watching the Royal Wedding. Part of me was glad to be home by myself for the wedding. I like to be on my own from time to time.

I loved Kate's dress!!! It was so pretty and elegant and very princess-y. One of my friends was disappointed that it was so traditional and not very creative. The thing is, she had to be covered up (by Royal and church protocol), so there was really only so much she could do to be creative. I think taking her cue from Grace Kelly was smart on Kate's part.

I loved Pippa's dress, too... and the little girls were so adorable!

I will admit that, as a little girl, I always hoped to marry Prince William. I was never concerned about how I would meet him, or the fact that a British prince could never marry an American commoner (gasp!). When William and Kate's engagement was announced, I read an article about what her life will actually be like as a princess. I have to say, I'm not jealous at all. And I truly hope they are madly in love, because they're going to need to be to make it in a Royal life!

So as much as I don't wish to be in Kate's shoes at all, I do have to admit that there are a few things I'm jealous of. In particular, I am just green with envy over the clothes, shoes, and jewelry that Kate will get to wear for the rest of her life. One of the "down sides" to being royal is that Kate will never be allowed to wear the same clothes in public more than once. DARN! New designer clothes for every occassion. I think I could live with that particular hardship.

So, that's my Royally great day today. I've just made Derby Pie bars to finish off my day, and I'm waiting for Michael to get home so we can sample them before dinner.

The Good, the Bad, and the Weird

So, this idea of good, bad, and weird came from a friend from work. She's the mother of a teenage daughter, and when she picked her up from school each day, she would ask her daughter to share the day's good, bad, and weird.

So here's today's good, bad, and weird.

The Good: A Very Thoughtful Gift
I think it is definitely safe to say that I have royal wedding fever. I am SO excited about the whole thing. Part of me is sad because I always hoped that I would marry Prince William, but the rest of me just can't wait to see the dress, the ceremony, the flowers.... all of it.

So, pretty much everyone knows how excited I am - my family co-workers, everyone. One of the volunteers I work with most often is British, and I love to talk to her about all the royal wedding dish. In January, her sister (who lives in Wales) was here visiting, and of course, I talked to her about the big day as well. Well, today my volunteer stopped by the office to bring me a little gift. Her sister had sent me a William & Kate magnet and tea towel!!!

I am so touched that someone I met only once was kind enough to send me such a thoughtful gift. I'm sure it wasn't expensive or difficult, but it was really SO incredibly thoughtful, and made my day!

The Bad: Feeling Left Out
I don't want to get too mushy or divulge all my secrets or anything, but lately I've just been feeling a little left out and hurt with some friends of mine. I kind of feel like some of my friends aren't being as considerate of my feelings as I wish they were. It's like being picked on in elementary school or being picked last for dodgeball. If I had named the Good, the Bad, and the Weird yesterday... this would have been the bad for the past several days.

The Weird: TMI!
Today at work we had a funny little case of an over-share. Nothing dramatic, but it was definitely the weird in my day. It was also great for a giggle!


For some reason, I feel a little silly about my 30 Before 30 list. So today, I took the plunge and told a friend about my list (yes, one of those friends from today's "bad). I was worried that she would tease me about it, and afraid I might cry if she did. Thank goodness she didn't! She did, however, point out that I better get to work! I've got 18 months to go and 29 things left to do. That means I need to accomplish almost 2 items per month.... Time to get cracking!

#3 - Go to a professional sporting event.

On March 26th, Michael and I went to the Honda Grand Prix in St. Petersburg. It's an IndyCar race, and this year it was the first race of the season. Michael is really into cars, and he'd been to the race once before and had a great time. I asked if I could go along sometime to see what all the fuss was about. I wasn't really sure I would like it, but it ended up being a lot of fun!

Me and Michael at the races. It was really hot and windy, so my hair is a mess!

One of the coolest things about the race is how close everything is. You can get a few feet away from the race cars between races, and the drivers and pit crew guys walk around all the time. Our seats were right behind the pit lane, and we could see all the action when the cars made their pit stops. It was amazing how fast the pit stops were! In less than 10 seconds, they changed all four tires, gave the driver a drink and pumped a full tank of gas. AMAZING!

Me and our friend, Mike. He's an race-car enthusiast, and he patiently answered all my questions about racing.

I have to say, I was pleasantly surprised by the races. It was a lot more fun and exciting than I expected. Unlike NASCAR, in IndyCar racing, they drive on crazy curvy tracks. This race was through the streets of downtown St. Petersburg. I would definitely go again.

Whoohooo! One item down, only 29 to go!

Birthday Boy

Today is Mooshu's (our youngest pet)second birthday. When we got him nearly two years ago, I didn't really want a second kitten, but now I can't imagine not having him around. Mooshu is the exact opposite of Scooter, our older cat. Mooshu is super laid back and relaxed. He loves to be petted and purrs nearly nonstop. He also is very adventurous. He loves to run and play and climb. Frequently, we find him on top of the bedroom door, above the refrigerator, or climbing into something. No matter what we're doing, Mooshu wants to be involved. We often say he's almost more like a dog than a cat... or a really nice cross between a cat and a dog.

Happy birthday, Mooshu!!

This is our little sleepy kitten on the day we brought him home. June 2009

30 Before 30

After a lovely weekend, and a rough morning this morning, I've decided that I need a little something to get myself on track. Not that I am really off-track, per se. Lately, I've just felt a bit like I'm floating. I'm not in school, or starting a new job, or moving forward in anyway, I'm just kind of hanging out. So... with that in mind, I've decided to make a list of 30 things to do before I turn 30. The big day is October 29, 2012, so I have about 18 months to accomplish my list. I like lists, so I'm hoping this will be fun for me and keep me motivated.

30 Before 30

1. Get pregnant. (Yes, Mom, you read it correctly. Probably not tomorrow or anything, but sometime before I'm 30 I'd like to get knocked up.)

2. Make a tasty chicken pot pie. (Recipe failures don't count!)

3. Go to a professional sporting event.

4. Pay off a credit card.

5. Go see a movie in the theater - by myself.

6. Learn a new skill.

7. Decide on a plan of action for career/educational future.

8. Bake a loaf of bread from scratch. (In my head, I'm thinking of real bread, the kind that has to rise.)

9. Buy a big bed!

10. Go on a weekend vacation with Michael.

11. Throw a graduation party for Michael when he completes his AS.

12. Update my resume and start exploring my career options. (Not necessarily plan to leave my current work, but I'm way overdue for a resume update.)

13. Try a Zumba class.

14. Try a new hair color.

15. Get an iPhone.

16. Find a volunteer opportunity I love.

17. Go camping for at least one night - no RV!

18. Print my wedding photos and put them in an album. (We're about to celebrate our 3rd anniversary so it's time to get this done!)

19. Write a children's book - even if it's just for me.

20. Wear a bikini without being self conscious - even if I don't look perfect.

21. Celebrate 12 "fun" holidays like Hug Your Cat Day or Talk Like A Pirate Day.

22. Go on a real picnic.

23. Get book recommendations from 12 people and read those books.

24. Go to Trader Joe's and find out what all the fuss is about. No, I've never been. 25. Write thank you notes.

26. Try out for Jeopardy.

27. Get my palm read.

28. Go on a road trip.

29. See the Nutcracker.

30. Organize the garage and finish unpacking.

Bonus: Find an awesome way to celebrate my 30th birthday!

Whew! I'm feeling super-motivated right now, but we'll have to wait and see how it goes. Wish me luck!