It was another early morning for me... 4 am this time... It made my cardio workout a bit more challenging this morning. The stationary bike and elliptical were not my friends. I pushed through and was rewarded with some much need endorphins! I limit my gym time to a few days a week now that I'm practicing yoga more often.

It was a chaotic day of work today! Tomorrow looks to be about the same according to our schedule. I had a new dish to come home to though. I have yet to find something greater than the smell of a (almost) fully cooked dinner when I walk in the door!

BUT I have good news, friends! I have a job interview tomorrow morning for an after school program. I'm actually kind of nervous. Maybe because I'm even more ready to getting out of my current job & this opportunity looks promising. Keep your fingers crossed!

Garlic Lime Chicken

I based the meal off of this recipe. My main ingredients:

These were the yummy items complimented the chicken:

I found some corn from last night's dinner and went ahead and threw them in with the black beans and spices.

Then you mix it up, baby!

 

Yum! It's pretty much a fiesta in your mouth... I was a bit worried it would taste too lime-y since I eyeballed the ingredients. But I think it had a balanced amount of garlic and lime juice - win.

My anti-pity party action plan:

• Go to a movie this week

I am always so tempted to cancel after-work plans because I am so worn out when I get off work. My new goal is not to think about evening plans/bail until after I have dinner. I am refueled and generally have a better energy and motivated. 

We went to see Water for Elephants at the dollar movie with my best friend tonight. I read the book a few months ago and found it enchanting. I have always been mesmerized with the Great Depression era and I am a fan of Reese Witherspoon. I enjoyed the movie though it was obvious not as good as the book! Read it if you get the chance!

My new book is called Tabloid City by Pete Hamill:

I haven't gotten too far into it yet. It's kinda ironic that it's about the "news world"/journalism and I've been considering that career path. The story is told from several narrators and I haven't quite figured out "who's who" as far as the characters go. I guess the only way to sort them out is to keep reading!

Hope your week is off to a great start!

Another Granny Weekend

It's that time again. The weekend begins to draw to a close. When you think back several days ago to all that you wanted to do this weekend  and now see the time you have left slip away. This is probably my least favorite time of the week.

This weekend was OK. I guess my past few weekends have been rather uneventful. Not necessarily bad, just uneventful. Just stuck in monotonous flow. Saturday - I tried to reclaim my day from my odd, unproductive morning (see previous post for details). I ran errands with my mom for a few hours but My stomach was still feeling very nauseous/crampy so we ended up cutting a few stores out. I even took some TAZO Green Ginger tea with me in hopes that it helped me feel better - it didn't work miracles but was better than nothing. I spent most of the evening reading (I'm hooked on My Name is Mary Sutter) and going for a walk around my neighborhood (was still over 90 degrees after 8:30pm - I do not approve...).

I enjoyed church with my parents and our traditional swing by the flagship Half Price Books store before we headed home. I could easily spend all day and way too much money in there. After lunch, reading, a nap, and some yoga I took a workbook, my writing notebook, and a text book to Barnes & Noble. I just needed to get out of the house. My family has been annoying and either bombarding me with various questions or trying to get me to do things - space please! I wanted to spend some time reflecting and sorting out my thoughts and feelings about where I am now and where I'd like to go. I think a change in the environment can help with the whole "new mindset" in regards to life that I'm trying to adopt.

So here are a few of the "points" that I came up with:

• I need to quite my job. I only have 3 more weeks of my graphic design classes before my "capstone project" begins. I still don't know a whole lot about this project; what it will entail, when I'll need to be at the school, how many hours a week I'll spend working on it, etc. It's supposed to last for 10 weeks. That's about all I know. So I figure that I can use that as an "excuse" to quite. I feel guilty just quitting mainly because I work with one of my neighbors who got me the job. But it has to be done. I will just keep "pounding the pavement" and pray that I can find a (better) replacement job ASAP!
• Careers options: 
• something with writing/photography (photojournalism) but I'm worried about job availability
• maybe teaching high school Geography or Psychology or middle school English. I'm just always kinds been a "back up plan" for me because I don't believe that I have the patience or passion for it.
• something with a non-profit or NGO doing environmental or human rights work (bonus: I'd get to travel!)
• I've always thought of occupational therapy but not sure if I'm "passionate" enough about it to really go through grad school. Plus I work in a medical clinic now and I don't think that it's for me. I should try to set up some observation time at clinics around home before I cross it of my list for good...
• I'd love to do my own freelance writing, photography, event planning/design or work in a museum though! It's just I need money and a job first...

I plan to spend the rest of my evening not searching for jobs on the internet but finishing my book and watching Gilmore Girls while I crochet. Can you say "Granny!?"

Regardless of how I feel life keeps going on and things keep growing.

Pics from the garden:

What was the high and the low of your weekend?

Off with a bang.

Even though I was a bit nauseous after work (I still think it's my job that makes me sick) I went to the Ranger's game with my brother and his friend, Scott. I texted one of my good friends, Katie, to see if she was going to be at the game by any chance and she was! I went down to her section to chat for a little bit. The Rangers were played awesome - grand slam in the first inning! - but you could tell the fans and players were heavyhearted from the accident the night before. They did decided to keep up the tradition of having fireworks after the game (Friday nights). I didn't really enjoy the ones I saw on the 3rd so this was a treat!

My sleep pattern has continued to be completely random. I'll wake up early, eat, read, sleep. Then the pattern will repeat for several more hours. The first cycle started around 7:30 am and repeated at 11. Ugh! SO annoying. I was going to go the gym but that hasn't happened yet. 

Apparently I am the "store girl" because everyone in my family has asked me if I am going or will go to the store for them... I'm not sure how this happened. I don't mind. I just have to get my day "back on track" since I woke up (again) at noon...

 

I do know that yoga will be part of my weekend. I stumbled across the yoga journal website (I have a feeling I'll be visiting this site a lot! )and here's their daily tip: "To avoid compression and injury, it's important that you create length in the spine before and during a twist. Focus on three key actions: elongating the spine, twisting from the inside out, and breathing."

Anti-Pity Party

I love parties. Just not pity parties. Instead of feeling down and frustrated I am taking the initiatives to turn things around by putting my "anti-pity party" plan into action. 

• Yesterday - I tended to "overcompensate" for waking up famished by having a lot to eat at lunch, even when my stomach was screaming "hey stop, I'm stuffed!" It made me feel uncomfortable all afternoon as the pain was a constant reminder of the "mistake" I made of not respecting my body. I had a quick dinner after work (ended up making planned recipe from last night tonight since my mom and brother ended up going out) and settled down with a book, then an episode of Gilmore Girls while I crocheted. My mind and body were too restless for me to really relax. I decided to go to the gym because I didn't want to lay around all night. I think I had one of the longest 30 minute elliptical sessions on record... I even took it really easy on myself because I was pretty tired. But at last, the endorphins finally came after I stepped out of the shower and my spirits were lifted
• Today - I woke up a bit early but not starving! Said my prayers, ate breakfast, drank tea, and yoga-ed before work - started to feel like my old, pleasant self again!
• Friday - Possibly going to the Ranger's game with my brother. They have a firework show after the game! I've been in the mood to go but I'm not looking forward to the TX heat...

So overall, today has been better. Just one more short work day lies between me and the weekend!

Slow-Cooker Balsamic Chicken. Based off this recipe. I added fresh spinach when I got home from work and let it cook while I boiled the rice.

I have a yoga mat strap on my birthday wish list but this craft of the day came in my inbox this morning! Hmm... I might just try this out first (if it's cheaper it's like a win-win - I love win-wins).

Hunger

I was up at 5:30 am. There was no reason for me to be awake that early. So why was I? Apparently my bedtime snack  did not sustain me through the night. My body refused to let me fall back to sleep. Did it not have enough energy/fuel to sleep!?

With all my thoughts on the future, while being so unhappy in my current job/state in life, my appetite has declined. My lack of proper nourishment makes it even more challenging for my mind to focus on prospective jobs/career paths (I was applying to jobs by 7 am) when I can barely concentrate on what I need to do now.
It's pretty much a lose-lose situation.

Yoga does help me "center" my mind, but unfortunately one can not do yoga 24/7 (well, unless you are a yogi or something of that nature - which I am no where near becoming).

I believe my stomach hasn't been the only organ empty in my body. My heart has been too. Lately I feel that so much of my attention has been on myself and what I am going to do with my life. I have unintentionally pushed others away from me in order to "figure things out", yet at the same time I am frustrated and lonely. But no wonder no one wants to hangout or go places with me. When I do pull myself together enough to be sociable I am not very much fun. I don't necessarily talk about my problems/worries in front of others, but my mind is always elsewhere; thinking, thinking, thinking, and I'm not involved in the present.

So what's the solution to this mess I'm in? I am going to make an effort to drag myself out of the house every day this week (before/after work). Even if it means running to the grocery store. It is a chance to be surrounded by life and not be so bogged down in self-pity. Action plan:

• Today - work (half day); dinner with family (try making slow-cooker balsamic chicken); gym? 
• Thursday - work (all day); Hobby Lobby/Michael's? 
• Friday - work (half day); Movie with friends?

New book to entertain/distract me:

Sun-Day

This weekend has been good so far - and it's not over yet (gotta love 3 day weekends)!

Saturday I went shopping and got to catch up with my best friends (twins). I've seen them one-on-one but the three of us haven't all been together in awhile. I felt like super nauseous on the way home... I'm not sure if I had a touch of something or if it was from switching medication. Whatever it was was awful! I had a snack and sipped some peppermint tea which helped me get to feeling more like my regular self. After veggin' out for a bit I popped in a DVD I'd checked out from the library. I wasn't really feelin' the gym and it was too hot to take a walk outside. Yoga is always a good option for me and this workout was pretty intense for me - I was feeling the burn by the end!

I've been "discerning" what I am going to "do with my life" a lot lately. Prayer and daily guided reflections have helped but the "path" still seems quite foggy... I do think that I want to do some type of advocacy - human rights and/or environmental stability. A large part of my computer time this weekend has been focused on looking up organizations websites and seeing what opportunities are available. The whole process is overwhelming to say the least. I always feel like I am missing some piece of information.

I guess right now I can keep doing research, check out local opportunities, and keep praying that my "path" clears and I will have no doubt what I was called to do. I'm not expecting this to happen overnight. I realize that this is a process. I just want a "sign" or something... I don't know. Maybe I'm demanding too much from myself - to have it all "figured" out. I would like to do some kind of service/mission work. I have some family friends who are in South Africa right now with a group from their church. I know they'd be good resources to talk to once they come back.

Tonight:  Boom, Boom, Boom... Seeing fireworks!


Seeing my Sunflower bloom has been the highlight of my weekend:

 

Let the sunshine!

Finally Friday

Whoa, it feels so good to finally sit down. Today has been hectic to say the least! I did squeeze an hour of yoga & Pilates in before work so that was a refreshing start to the day. Work dragged on and on and we even got to leave early (yay Fridays!). I went straight to a doctor's appointment which I had to wait for a bit in the room, but once I got in it wasn't too bad. What was bad was the traffic coming home. I knew from the radio that there was a bad accident that was backing up traffic so I decided to take an alternate route. That route didn't seem to help much. What normally takes me 20 minutes took me 90 minutes! I was not a happy camper. But oh I am home now and so thankful to be safe!

I was going to blog last night (and go running) but I was so exhausted.  My mom wanted company running errands after dinner so I went to Half-Price Books and Barnes & Noble with her. I could barely keep my eyes open on the 10 minutes ride home. Bed at 10:15? Yes, please!

Here was dinner last night. My favorite slow-cooker bean chili!

(1 cup frozen corn is not pictured)

Before I "mixed it up!"

Here are some shots of the tomatoes and bell peppers that are growing out back!

  

Going to watch "Cars" tonight (I've somehow never seen it).

 

Whoever trusts in his own mind is a fool, but he who walks in wisdom will be delivered. 

 – Proverbs 28:26