Happy Birthday Blog!!

I just counted and this makes post #52!  That is an average of one a week!  Happy Birthday Blog!

For several years I have started my "new year" on February 1st!  I consider it… I am just getting started {when >90% of people have probably "blown" their resolutions}!

Tomorrow starts my "new year" and I couldn't be more excited about it!

And thanks to those of you that continue to read this and have prayed for strength, encouragement, relaxation, and blessings in the past year!!  My what a year!!

got the keys?

a little taste of my day…
click on the link and watch the youtube video… 
atleast the first 65 seconds.
{they have blocked embedding it for some reason}
GOT THE KEYS?
remembering this scene is pretty much the only thing that got me through the day!

yes… i walked out of my house without any keys… house, car, office, badge.  for a few seconds i thought i left my phone on the charger too but WHEW!  at least i have Pinterest!  i allowed myself to cry for 45 seconds… i timed it... then remembered that FRIENDS episode!  thank the good lord there is a KP less than 2 miles from my house.  {i walked there once during the blizzard of 2K11… the first day of work in my 30s…}

today was a beautiful day so i dried my tears, put my big girl panties on {well, already had them on… otherwise they would have been locked inside too}, and headed up p'tree d'woody!  actually made it to that office on foot in less time than i would have made it to my regular office in the car!  it was much easier today also sans 6 inches of ice and snow!  

it is interesting the thoughts that run wild through your head as your body goes in to a complete defense mechanism!  i realized that my plate is full!  this "key thing" was much needed sign that i need to STOP for a second!  

i was stuck with myself for 20 minutes and quite surprised that the constant list of things i need to do wasn't flashing before my eyes!  seriously ya'll my brain has been non-stop since the monday after thanksgiving when i realized i was probably going to get another job, not going to move to alpharetta, getting ready for a week in NOLA, and those pesky holidays!  

imagine watching ESPN

you have the games coming up flashing on the left side of the screen {that's my wedding "to do" list}.  the main story {working three jobs at once for KP} i am only paying 1/2 of my attention to cause there is also a little ticker at the bottom moving at the speed of light with updates {exercise, laundry, oil change, grocery shopping}, and all of those scores at the top {email, text messages, facebook, oh my}.  that is what my mind has looked like for the past 2 months.  i thought for sure i was going to have a bad day since i couldn't even get to half of those things without being in MY office…. however the most serene calm came over me.  a little voice was just saying slow down… stop… you need rest!  it wasn't the easiest thing to do but as soon as i logged on the the computer i literally cleared off my entire social calendar for then next 9 days.  breaking plans with friends, 'disappointing' parents, closing the wedding notebook!  it was hard!  but it has resulted in one of the best most productive days i have had in a LONG time.  i later realized today that if i was not getting married {in less than 2 months}… i would be on a plan to Haiti for a medical mission trip!  maybe this time of rest is for me to focus on prayer for my friends, their safety, and that the Lord will provide the medication, supplies, and skills they need to help those so desperate for their arrival!  i mean really… the group comes back from Haiti in 9 days.  {the little voice asked me to "be still" until my wedding shower… happens to be in 9 days}

so i am just going to put it out there… "if its not bleeding & you can't see the bone" then don't call me.  if you are still itching to call me… then stop and say a prayer for international allied missions.  

who would have thought that locking yourself out of your house would be the best thing to happen to you all day!?

{and i know you are all wondering how i got in the house… BABs picked me up from work and bought me CFA for dinner. he has a key. then we went to our last pre-martial session and PASSED!!}  

59 days and now we have "permission"!

the belated {engagement} session

We finally received the cd with all of the photos from our engagement photo session in October!  That was a beautiful relaxing weekend… UGA beat FL!  We watched the Halloweiner derby {if you have never watched a disabled wiener dog racing in a wheel chair you really haven't lived!}… ate our favorite gouda cheese grits! And I wish I could have botteled the weather up to sprinkle it on 3.24.12!  It was difficult to narrow the 300 pics down to 100… now I'll see if I can narrow it down to a dozen for this post!

GOTTA GIVE A SHOUT OUT TO LESLEY ISACKS and JESSICA MILLER {hair/mua}!  

this wedding will be brought to you by coca-cola!

grilled cheese from heaven! 

showing a little sass!

purple.wall.of.love

practicing for the W.DAY!! 

look @ those CLOUDS!

…long walks on the beach!!  {a favorite thing}

Deep.Thoughts

cute sandy feet!

Playing in the WAVES!! 

I feel like this should be some sort of advertisement!!

…well a bakers dozen of photos!!

Goodness gracious I can not wait until the BIG day!!  

seh-bun-dee days!!

Ahhh… at my favorite place on earth!  BMB!  Getting down to the wire here with the wedding countdown.  This is our last trip before we arrive for the wedding weekend.  BABs and I met with our photographer for lunch today for a walk through of the photo schedule.  Tomorrow we are going to head to "church at the Rave" and say hi to Pastor Eric.  "Pre" wrap-up meeting on Tuesday with our wedding coordinator!  I had to pretend that I didn't see a sample example of the "day of wedding schedule." As organized as I am, I didn't think even about "when the florist needs to start decorating," "when the caterers need to start cooking," "when the bartenders need to start chilling the beer… or bring ice!" {all all of that is on a schedule}  It's going to be enough to know where I have to be and when much less coordinating all of the vendors!  Like I said… I am just going to pretend I didn't see it :)

thank.God.for.CW!!

I got to FINALLY use my new Garmin today too {one of the Christmas presents that was about to get dusty}!  BABs and I went for a "quick" 3.5K walk today and I was able to download the whole thing online!  It.is.awesome!  You can see for yourself HERE.  What I did learn is that walking 4 mph in real life is much more difficult than on a treadmill.  I SWEAR it felt about the same… but Garmie didn't think so!  I was also able to start accumulating {stealing} the FREE visitor map guides for the "goodie buckets."  I figure, 5 here, 7 there… we'll get enough eventually!  {Even though they are FREE I am pretty sure that is not an invitation to walk off with 60 at a time} :)

Then there is the "wedding diet" WHILE on vacation!  And I don't even like saying "I'm on a diet!"  {disclaimer} I am COMPLETELY "content" with the way I currently look… but know that I don't always feel great after I overindulge and under stress that happens more often than not.  I know have some "room for improvement" and am lucky to have BABs playing along with me!  {# for # he is kicking my butt… don't you hate it that guys can do that?}  Serioualy though… I just had my cholesterol checked and to my surprise it was not "perfect."  The numbers that were very VERY slightly "off" are linked to dietary indiscretions and not enough exercise.  {note to self… don't have your cholesterol checked the week after you get back from New Orleans}  I have discovered that I can survive on MUCH less food than I was eating before… and that post-french-fry-cheese-dip guilt is gone!  Also now that the gosh awful shoulder pain is currently resolved I working on my fitness too!  As I brag about how "good" this diet is going, I look up to talk dinner plans… and BABs says "I want tater tots" and it kinda sounded like this...

"I WANT TATER TOTS" :)

Chicken, Salad, and Spray Ranch is what will be on the menu tonight!

{a.k.a. TWFT}

come on baby make it hurt so good

First of all I want to say thank you for the personal comments, texts, and emails to make me feel better… they are working!  I have had 2 PT sessions now and though I didn't think I was much better today, BABs reminded me that I did 45 minutes of YogaX last night, was able to get on my Spinner and take a solo Group Ride class in my living room Sunday {during the Falcons meltdown}, and completed the Insanity Fit test on Saturday…


Insanity Fit Test:  If you have 25 minutes and think "that is not enough time to push yourself beyond any limits" you are WRONG!  In this 25 minutes, there is a 4 minute warm-up, a stretch, then 8 one minute "test" where you count how many you can do, write it down, wait a minute, and then do the next test followed by a 4-5 minute "cool down" {or in my case was "lay face down on your living room floor for 4 minutes"}.  I added it up and it is a total… a TOTAL of 12 minutes of "real" exercise!  Well friends… twelve is all you need!  Let me put up a BIG disclaimer that I am NOT attempting to complete the 60 day INSANITY program {it's truly insane}.  I did feel it would be a good place to start and measure change and hope to do it again in 2 weeks… even if the only change is "lay face down on the floor for ONLY 3 minutes".  Here are the results… {to be posted Wed AM since they are in the notebook I left at the office}
Switch Kicks: 70
Power Jacks: 38
Power Knees: 65
Power Jumps: 25
Globe Jumps: 9
Suicide Jumps: 12
Push-up Jacks: 21
Low Plank Oblique: 52
(I had to add an extra 45 second of "rest" in between the Globe Jumps and Suicide Jumps or there would have been ZERO Suicide Jumps)


So that is where the "hurts so good" title comes from!  I am at the level of sore where it is hard to sit down on the toilet without having to hold on to the wall and therefore MUST be getting results!  I "like" this kind of sore and am happy to be sweating instead of crying again!  


Heading to the beach in 72 hours for birthday celebration, wedding day scheduling, and vow finalization!  can.not.wait!


I will be leaving you with my comment from "soul sista's" blog about a few confessions she had to make…  She ended her post with "So tell me, what are your confessions tonight?" …and so I did… and this was my confession…  
-I "found" a half dozen frozen Gigi cupcakes in my freezer from my parents 35th wedding anniversary party (in August) so I took one out, let it thaw, and ate the whole thing. 
-I put my pedometer in my purse in hopes it will make it look like I took more steps… and it DID!

It's sad but they are both SINCERELY true!  Do YOU have any confessions!?

P.I.T.A. {neck}.

I am sad… Sad Sad Sad… and I REALLY don't like blogging about sad stuff but this blog can't nap anymore.  {Last time I had an "ugly" post I was pissed at the Target guy for not letting me go over the STUPID six.item.limit in the dressing room while bathing suit shopping.}

I have an active trigger point causing a pain in my shoulder/neck that is nearly indescribable.  My guess is that everything I have been "carrying" on my shoulders the past 3 months FINALLY said "you are done".  I am thinking this is my body's way of giving 2011 a big EFF-U.  The knot in my left shoulder is the size of a golf ball and has inhibited me from using 54% of my Christmas presents and jump starting the "KCB bridal fitness plan"!  I was told today "that little sucker is pretty stubborn… one of the tightest knots I have ever seen… you are not going to like me for what I am doing to you now later tonight"

I have been on 4 different muscle relaxers, received narcotics in my "stocking", then was prescribed my own since "you shouldn't steal drugs from your "cancer-ridden mother" {-says Dr. Mac}, anti-inflammatories, cortisone shots, electric stimulation, 3 massages, 19 days of prayers…. and can only manage to get myself "stoned" enough to sleep for 4 hours at a time until the meds wear off and I wake up in tears.  Needless to say this is not how I wanted to start twenty-twelve.

~I want to blog about how BLESSED we are that mom was declared JASMINE FREE on December 29th and then went to Olde Towne to CELEBRATE! {which is ironically the restauarnt we were at when I knew "something wasn't right" with mom; where dad and I ate as she was transferred from the OR to the neuroICU after her back surgery on no sleep for nearly 48 hours; and where you can see us RADIATING with happiness as seen below one week ago today!}

~I want to tell everyone what a wonderful Christmas break I had organizing and cleaning my house as I prepare to turn my guest room in to a "man cave!"

organizing is a turn ON for me!

~I want to go on and on about the new position I will be starting at work after I get married! {If you work at Kaiser and are reading this… just wait until the 10th to ask me about it}

~I want to discuss how funny it is to compare NYE 2005-6 with NYE 2011-12!

2005-2006
biggest concern: Jana devastated that I may {or may not} have thrown up all over my pretty red silk dress… NOT the $88 cab ride home, 2… I repeat TWO miles from park tavern!!}

2010-2011
biggest concern: Dick Clark remembering how to count down from 20 AND staying awake past 11:15!

~I want to state that this year I will {again} NOT read Atlas Shrugged, NOT stop bitting my nails, and TRY to keep flossing every Tuesday, Thursday, Sunday {and after eating ribs and/or corn on the cob!}

~I want to share that I am excited to finally WANT to exercise {again} with Insanity {a few select DVDs}; P90X {yoga, ab ripper X, & core synergistics}; DIY groupStep, groupRide, groupPower, and groupCentergy; run with my new SHOES, GARMIE, and LULU clothes.  …but I effing CAN NOT with my shoulder in its current condition! {side note: funny how you do nothing but make excuses for months on why you will wait until 'next Monday' to 'start'… 9 Mondays later I am laid up on Percocet and a heating pad}

~I want to tell everyone how truly truly truly extatic I am to be marrying my best friend in 2 and a half months {he brought me flowers yesterday} and the checklist is gettin' done!!

~i want to be so happy that in 7 days I will celebrate the tenth anniversary of the night I took SEVENTEEN shots {i.e. the reason I will not drink jagermeister or anything blue}.  & hopefully NOT be frozen in my house again eating 4 month old "'irth 'ay" cake!

Happy 21 to ME!!

…but here I am... sad and not feeling good for the 5th day in a row :(  crying because there is NOTHING that makes me feel better {even blogging hurts}.  So maybe a glass of Pinot Noir will do the trick and take the edge off {or will make me cry more}  Who knows?… I am willing to give it at try!!

This week's favorite thing: The ESTROGEN BOWL: New episode of Grey's Anatomy and Private Practice