BELIZE HERE WE COME!!

Tomorrow we leave for 10 days in wonderful sunny Belize!! I can't wait!! Here is a sampling of where we are going and what we will be doing when we get there. As you can imagine, I will not be blogging while I am gone...but there will be plenty of pictures to post when I get back!!

Day 1-4
We arrive in Belize and will be picked up at the airport by Karen from Green Dragon Belize where she will take us to the Jungle Dome Lodge in Belmopan...in the jungle!! We are staying there for 3 nights and during our stay we will be zip lining through the jungle, kayaking one whole day, doing some hiking and if I can convince Jimmy...maybe some horseback riding. It is going to be so cool, there are only like 6 rooms in the whole place (I think...or maybe it is 12) and there is nothing around, so you eat all of your meals there, specially prepared!! I can't wait!!

Day 4 -6
We leave Belmopan -- Karen is going to drive us to the bus station -- and we take a bus an hour to the coast to Placencia where we are staying in a little cottage on the water downtown for 2 nights -- relaxing, sight seeing and snorkeling are on the list of things to do.

Day 6-10
We leave Placencia (hopefully by plane...or bus) and head to Ambergris Caye where we only have a hotel reserved for one night. We read somewhere to only reserve a hotel for your first night, as once you get there and get to walk around and see all of the places you are sure to find a place you like better...so that is the plan. And we might spend one night in Caye Caulker too.

I am so incredibly excited!!

I hope you all have a very happy and safe Memorial Day weekend and I will see you back here in a week and a half!!

Until then...

Adios :)

Only one more day...

Only one more day until the week is over...I can't wait...that means our class graduates and I get to leave for vacation soon. Tomorrow is graduation, so a semi-half day for me which is good, because Jimmy and I need to pack for our trip.

I am heading home to my parents early Saturday morning because my cousin's son Nate (who is 5 years old) is playing a t-ball game at 10am and I really want to see him play. My mom says it is the cutest thing. I can only imagine. I will try and take some pictures. :)

I am so incredibly excited about our trip and I am going to post our itinerary before we leave...it is coming together nicely especially since we just finished planning it all yesterday!!

Well I need to get to bed, so I can get up and get all fancied up for graduation and get to work early, so that I can get out early and have all of my work completed before I leave to go away.

I hope all is well...

Until...

Adios :)

10K

The Capital Hill Classic 10K went great...I finished and I made my goal. The last 10K I did (last Thanksgiving), I ran it in an hour and 4 min and some seconds. So this time I wanted to get under an hour...and I did!! I ran it in an official time of 59 minutes and 19 seconds. Not too much under an hour, but still UNDER AN HOUR!! Now, just to up my goal for the next one.

Jimmy ran too and he did AMAZING!! He ran it in 51 min and 7 seconds...that is an 8:14 mile!! I am so proud of him. This is the boy that when I met him almost 4 years ago, he had never ran a race, now he is my race champion :)

He did mention that he is not that big of a 10K fan, he likes shorter races. 8K's, 6K's and 5K's, so I think we will be doing more of those. Though we will always do our traditional Thanksgiving morning 10K. So I have until then to prepare for the next 10K. Though I am afraid to say it will come before I know it, since it is now almost the end of May!! I can't believe it!

Only 6 more days until we leave for Belize!! We booked 2 hotels today, so only one more to book tomorrow. I am so incredibly excited about our trip!! I will write a post later this week with details about what we will be doing, where we will be staying and where we will be going while we are there. Then when we get back I will have to post reviews and of course lots of pictures!!

Thank you to some of my fellow bloggers, Jeannie and Alana for their advice and information on Belize. If anyone else out there has been to Belize and has anything they'd like to share, I'd love to hear it!!

I need to get to bed...another long day at work tomorrow. Still no word on Jimmy's job coming through, though another person at my work went and called and tried to find out what is going on with it all so hopefully we will hear something this week. How wonderful would vacation be knowing that when we got home Jimmy would have a full time job and life would be so much easier. I am keeping my fingers crossed!!

I hope everyone is doing well on their goals and is simply having a great week!!

Until....

Adios :)

Friday...already?!

Well for once I can't believe that it is Friday already...I mean it just felt like last weekend and now it is this weekend! Not that I am complaining, but wow.

So today was a rough day at work. We have one completely self absorbed ignorant student in our class that seems to like to try and sabotage every one's presentation and just simply be a complete jerk. Well today was my day for him to be a complete d*&k to. And I snapped back at him, to which he said "don't you dare talk to me like that, show me some respect" well if he was showing a lick of respect to start with I wouldn't have had to snap. And by snap...here is what happened. What I did was no where near as bad as what I wanted to do...

I am up in front of the classroom...of 24 adults, who at the youngest have about 10-15 years on me. And I am teaching a software program (for the first time ever to anyone, because it is so new that we just got it...and I explained this to them before I began my presentation). Well just as I am getting ready to start, someone needed help with their computer, they had some sort of technical issue, with my computer screen already up on the main screen for everyone to view I was talking out loud to everyone as I was helping the one student with their computer. Well the one jerk student at this time was in the back polling all of the students with in his corner of the classroom and they were all chatting as I was trying to talk, then when I get back to my machine in the front of the classroom he pipes up and says "I took a poll of this side of the classroom and we have no clue where you are going" in a really nasty tone....So I say in return "relax a minute, I am not even there yet". To which he says "don't you talk to me like that, show me some respect" to which I ignored him and continued on. Now he was yelling at me to show him some respect and if he had any for me as an instructor, he wouldn't have been talking during my presentation and trying to get the rest of the class on his side of the room against me. When he could have simply raised his hand and asked me a polite and sincere question and we would have had no issues.

So OK I was wrong at how I reacted. But I believe it was a tad bit warranted and could have been worse. I got a discussion with my mentor/boss and he got a reprimand from 2 of my co-instructors (one being my boss/mentor) not that I think it is going to change him, but nor do I really care. Since I have had this job (I started in Oct. of last year) I have only briefed twice before today since I am only an assistant instructor...and this was the first time it was a brand new class that I built and had to learn all in one week. So I don't really care what he thinks or says, because he couldn't have done it and trying to show me up just makes him look like an a$$.
And another thing...just to get it all off of my chest, he hasn't done this to just me, he has done it to the other instructors and even our guest instructors who come from outside places to come and present. And the entire class also thinks he is a jerk. OK...enough venting for now...thanks for listening...

OK, now on to other things. Jimmy called me at work and asked me to swing by the bar to see him on my way home from work. He told me he had found $9 in his pants pocket and he wanted to give it to me for dinner since he wouldn't be home for dinner. How sweet. Oh and did I tell you that he bought me 4 orange gerbera daisies the other day? Well he did and they are gorgeous. He is the best. I can't wait to hang out with him and relax a little bit tomorrow during the day.

We are still on for the 10k on Sunday with Jimmy and my co-workers. I am a little worried that I will come in last of everyone...and my coworkers who are also running are 48, 48 and 50 years old!! So keep your fingers crossed for me that I can at least not come in last. See as you know from my blog over the last 2 weeks. Work has been my life 59 hours last week 58 this week, I have not had any time to get to the gym. Except I did make it last night! :) So I might be a little rusty running...but hopefully I haven't lost it. (the last time I ran was last Monday the 7th where we ran 4.8 miles)

Tomorrow, I am sleeping in!!! I can't wait...I am kind of excited to go to bed for the shear fact that when 5am rolls around, I don't have to get up!! woohoo!!! Then I am going to clean the car a little bit, do a little yard work, GO TO THE GYM and then come home and shower and go shopping with my old college roommate Lisa. I can't wait, we are going to go shopping and to dinner. Jimmy is working at the gym and possibly at the bar tomorrow night. It would be an even greater night tomorrow night if he didn't have to work at the gym, so we can spend more time together...but if he has to, then I will survive. I will miss him, but I will be OK relaxing alone...well with the doggies :)

Sunday after the race we are going to go and hang out and grab some lunch. And then come home and get some things done around the house...and hopefully book our hotels for our trip!! :)

I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Adios :)

Better Days...

Better days...are here, not great, but better. Thanks so much for all of the positive words and words of encouragement. This is not going to be a long post, because LOST is on now and I am distracted. I just wanted to write and tell you all that I am trying my best to get back on track for the next week and a half before we leave. I will try to write more tomorrow night...

Until then...

Adios :)

What to do...

What to do, what to do...

Ok, so I am working like crazy to make some extra money for Jimmy and I for every day living as well as for our trip. Since Jimmy quit his full time job he has been working his butt off at the gym and the bar to make money too. But all of this working is doing nothing but making us both incredibly exhausted and it stinks. I can't wait until Jimmy's job finally comes through at my work and we can work together (well not really, but in the same building) and see each other more and both not have to work as much, since he will then be getting full time pay. I can't tell you how much I can't wait for the day that this job comes through...until then, 50+ hours a week it is for me, until we leave for Belize in 13 days!

So I have been slacking in the "take care of me" department since I had been away for those 2 weeks for work. I need to get my butt back in gear and start taking better care of myself, eating better, getting more regular sleep and exercise. I am running a 10k on Sunday with some people from work and Jimmy and I am so afraid that I will be coming in last place out of all of us...and some of the people we are running with are 50+ years old. I really hope I don't come in last...but with the eating I have been doing recently. I am so mad at myself for letting go. I just didn't seem to care what I did there for a while.

It is just hard, so hard. I want to get to get in better shape, not only for me, but for the future of our family so when Jimmy and I start trying to have kids, I am in good shape for the baby. This should be the ultimate motivation...but it hasn't worked, which makes me feel even worse because myself, my future baby and my husband all deserve to have me in the best shape possible for what life brings our way. Jimmy has lost over 50lbs and looks and feels amazing. When I see him look in the mirror with his shirt off and love what he sees...as do I of him. I just hate looking in the mirror, when I am dressed, when I am getting ready to get in the shower...all the time. And I know if I can just buckle down and do this, I will like what I see. Like I did when I was doing body for life...then work travel came along and then working tons of hours came a long and by the time I am done working all I want to do is come home, see Jimmy and the doggies, eat dinner and go to bed, just to get up and do it all over again. Life is no good this way.

I need to make a change...but I don't know where to start, I feel so overwhelmed. I think, "I'll be like Jeannie and post what I eat every day" showing everyone else what I am eating will make me be better...that sounds good to me. But then I think, I can do that for the next 13 days and then Jimmy and I leave for our "real" honeymoon and I won't be counting points or watching what I eat as much since they won't have as many choices. So then it goes out the window again. Though we are going to do a lot of workout type activity on our trip...but still. So then I say I can workout every day until then and that will help, but when I am getting up and going to work at 5:30am and then not getting home until about 8pm, going to the gym till 9 or so on my way home isn't what I want to do, because then I get home at 10 and need to eat dinner and then I'd have to go right to bed. And if I were to come home from work and then eat and leave to go to the gym, I'd never make it in time, because it closes at 10pm and I like to workout for at least an hour either lifting or cardio.

I just really need this job to come through for Jimmy so I don't have to work so much and he won't have to work so much and we can go right after work to the gym. Life will be so much better. The quality of life would be great. It has been 5 1/2 months since his clearance has been in the limbo state...it needs to be transferred before he can start working. This is just all wearing on me...

Everything happens for a reason they say...I just like to know what the reason for this is? For us to appreciate the little bit of time we have together? For us to become better at budgeting our money? For us to live through challenges before we start a family? What? All I know is that what ever it is, I am done with it and ready to move on. I have learned from it...so let's go and get on to where the living is good.

Sorry for venting, but if any of you have any words of advice, or can think of anything that I can do to get my motivation back...please share.

Until tomorrow...

Adios :)

The Weekend...

Well its the weekend...thank goodness. I ended up working a total of 59 hours this week. And I don't see that changing for the next 2 weeks. eh. But now at least it is the weekend.

Last night a bunch of us went to Bay Cafe for happy hour. We all had a great time. Then this morning I was up at 9 to go ref kickball. It was a good time, the playoffs and championship game. Though now I am exhausted. As I write this I am sitting on the couch trying to stay awake. I think I might take a little nap and then start my cleaning.

My parents are coming over for a Mother's Day cookout. So I need to clean up and vacuum and go to the grocery store. I think that I'll save the grocery store for tomorrow.

Ok...on to my nap. I hope everyone is having a great weekend!!

Until...

Adios :)

A Long Day...

It has been a really long day...11.5 hours at work, then to the gym to meet Jimmy, where our run turned into a walk. Then I headed to the grocery store and then finally home at 915pm. Now we are watching lost and I am so tired!

I have a big brief tomorrow morning, so I need to be up and at work by no later then 6. eh. I am beat. Is it Friday yet?

I will write more tomorrow.

Until Then...

Adios...

12 1/2 Hours...

I was at work for 12 1/2 hours...yes over half a day at work today. I have worked 24 hours in 2 days. That is sad. I am allowed to get paid for 55 hours a week...and I will easily make that and hopefully not too much more. Good thing is that all of my refereeing during the week is over until June.

So needless to say, I am beat. I didn't get to the gym tonight because I didn't leave work until 7:30, needed to go to the grocery store and wanted to be home no later then 8:30 so that I could relax some. So since I was supposed to get out of work at 6, Jimmy went to the store for me and came home and made dinner for me too! :) He is the best! So I just came home from work, walked the dogs while Jimmy finished dinner and then watched American Idol. It was nice to come home and not have to make dinner and be able to relax.

Tomorrow we are planning on going on another run, but downtown by the harbor, where it is flat :) I am expecting another long day at work tomorrow so knowing that someone is waiting on me to run will make me get my butt there and run. I kind of can't wait.

I am off to bed...

Until tomorrow.

Adios :)

4:30, 4.8, 11:45, 5:30

ok, so 4:30am is incredibly early to get up on a Sunday morning, but yesterday that is exactly what Jimmy and I did. Got up at 4:30am to get ready to go to Annapolis to pick up our packets to get ready to run the Bay Bridge Run. Then we get our numbers on and our chip tied to our shoes and all set and ready to get on the bus to get taken to the other side of the bridge, when they cancel the race! Yes it was insanely windy, but we were there and we were ready! So 4:30 am sucks on a Sunday morning, but it sucks even more after a 40 min. drive each way for a race that is canceled!

4.8 is the number of miles that Jimmy and I ran this evening with a co-worker of mine. We ran before our softball game at Centennial Park. There is a lake there and there is a 2.4 mile trail around the lake, so we ran it twice. But we didn't know how hilly it was, so now my legs are sore. But at least it was a good workout.

Softball was better this week, I did have to pitch again. I did get 2 hits...so things are looking up with the work softball team. My friends work team league starts next week and we are the reigning champions and I have so much fun playing with them so I am looking forward to next week.

I need to quickly list my May Goals for the Challenge:
1. To work on eating less at meals
2. Continue to drink 64+ oz. of water a day
3. Run at least 3 days a week

They are not all that exciting of goals, but I am running out of unique ideas. But they will be good for me for May, because it is so nice out, running will be great!!

So now it is 11:45pm as I write this and I have to be up at 5:30...so I need to get to bed.

Until tomorrow...

Adios! :)

A Gorgeous Day!

Yesterday and Today were both gorgeous here! Jimmy and I had a great bike ride yesterday. Though it was a tad bit sad and depressing.

Depressing because it made me insanely miss Arlington, VA where we used to live. See we lived within biking distance of all of the trails by the Potomac and the Washington Monuments. And yesterday the bike ride around the BWI Airport...the view just wasn't the same...I can easily say the view sucked. But oh well, that just means that we will have to go back to VA and go on a ride soon.

Then the ride was sad, because about 1/2 way through we came across 2 pups and they were just trotting along the trail together. I was looking around for their people, but they were no where to be found. So Jimmy and I tried to get the doggies to come over to us, one wanted nothing to do with us and one came close, but was weary. The one that came close had major filth and infection in his ear, poor thing :( I wanted to try and pet him and look at his tags (yes they both had tags and collars on) but he was weary of me, so I was sure that me grabbing his collar wouldn't have made him like me, so I opted against it. So they kept on trotting down the trail, so I called animal control and reported them, so at least if they couldn't come and get them off of the trail (which at most parts was near major roads) and keep them safe until their owners came and got them at least they'd have information in case someone called looking for them.

Today was a great day, I refereed kickball outside all day in the sun. Got a little sun on my face and had some fun. Then I came home and we cooked out and relaxed.

Now I am getting ready for bed, as we have our big Bay Bridge Run 10k tomorrow. Though it is supposed to be windy tomorrow...so we'll see how it all goes running across the bridge in the wind. We have to be up and out of the house by 5 am. Then once I get back from the race, I am off to up near Philly for a bridal shower with one of my really good friends from college, should be a great time. But an exhausting day...

I still need to come up with and post my goals for the May Challenge. I will get this done soon I promise!!

So until tomorrow...or Monday...

Adios :)

A long much needed run...

Jimmy and I went for an hour run tonight, it was great. It seems the only times we are getting to catch up and spend with each other now a days is on a run. Which is good, since we are getting exercise and spending time together. Today was our last run before the race on Sunday. Tomorrow I have convinced Jimmy to come and meet me near my work after work and we are going to go on a nice long bike ride. I can't wait.

Work is nuts and is going to be for at least the next 2 months...I have worked at least 10 hour days all week, which is one reason my blog has been slacking, but the extra money is going to be great and much needed and at least I am busy and my time is occupied at work. Now that I have a job I enjoy and am trying to move up in, I don't mind it and I enjoy the challenge. We have a class starting on Monday for 3 weeks and I am actually teaching almost 4 total classes...so the pressure is on. Hopefully I will be ready.

LOST last night was AWESOME, the episodes recently have been great and addictive. I can't wait to see how the season ends.

Well I need to get to bed, so I can get up early and get to work in the morning...

Until then...

Adios :)