12/18/08

1. My knee doesn’t hurt today!  It’s the strangest thing, but I’m not complaining!
2. We met one of our neighbors.  Lovely woman.
3. Running was hard, but so good because of it.
4. Reading in bed and snuggles.
5. Tomorrow is a half-day.

12/19/08

1. I finally left home just early enough that I could hit the marsh just before sunrise.  I got some fantastic photos of the grass and the sky.  Not foggy, unfortunately, and I had to leave before the light got really good, but I’ll just have to do it again.
2. I actually got to leave work on time.  Instead of working to make up for hours, I got to leave at the time I’m supposed to, opening up my whole afternoon.
3. I got to spend the afternoon with Justin.  We pulled vines from the trees in the backyard, we took those vines to the dump, went out to lunch, hit a few other errands, and, after a short time at home, went shopping at f.y.e. and out to Appleby’s for dessert (mudslide for me, cookie sundae for him).  It was fantastic!
4. I weighed-in at 208, down 1.5 pounds.
5. I had fun conversations with my sister-in-law and my little brother, both on the same day.

12/20/08

1. Orange rolls, Atlantis, and snuggles in bed is the perfect way to start the morning.
2. f.y.e  still had the Punch Brothers CD that we accidentally walked out without yesterday.  So I was able to go back and pick it up.
3. I had fun wandering around in Michael’s picking up stuff for a project for Justin’s family.  I love wandering around in that store and thinking of the possibilities.
4. It was fantastically beautiful this afternoon.  And crazy warm.
5. We finished day 9 of the Couch to 5K program.  It’s hard and we’re tired and sore, but it feels so good.

12/21/08

1. Christmas carols at church.
2. Finishing the yard work I’ve been wanting to do for months.
3. Organizing projects that look so fantastic once they’re finished.  And the feeling I get while working on them.
4. My fantastically loving husband who takes my stress-outs and crying out of nowhere with absolute grace and patience.  Gives me hugs and snuggles and listens and comforts for as long as I need and then some.
5. Fun playing games with friends online.

12/22/08

1. Quiet days at work when people are in a good mood and excited about the holiday.
2. Finishing my video game over lunch
3. Knowing that I only have a few more hours to work, followed by vacation, for which I’m getting paid!

12/13/08

1. Breakfast in bed.  My loving husband woke up ahead of me, went downstairs, and made me waffles.  And we sat in bed watching TV and eating deliciousness.
2. He also made the bed for me while I was in the shower after he said that he was going to go sit at his computer for a while.  Plus he took our dishes back downstairs!  All these things that I told him I would take care of while he went to his computer, he did for me without me knowing!
3. All the gifts that I got yesterday are wrapped and sitting on my desk.  I had so much fun wrapping them!
4. Running is wonderful.  I feel fantastic and fit and fabulous.  I love that I can run further than I could just a week ago and stretch further than I could a week ago and do so much more physically than I could just a short time ago!  I know I just said this one a few days ago, but I’m still amazed and feeling so excited about it.
5. Barnes and Noble date!  We’re going to dinner at Appleby’s on the Island and then going to B&N for gifts and for fun.  We’re so nerdy.

12/14/08

1. Warm sunny Sunday afternoons.
2. Getting home from the grocery store at the same time our neighbor leaves and turns off his music, making it quiet in the house for the first time all afternoon.
3. Warm wassail.
4. Wrapping presents for family members to add to the pile of other wrapped presents.
5. Random snuggles from my husband.

12/15/08

1. New headphones!  I took that $50 voucher to Walmart, you remember, and I tried to get some new headphones.  And I found some that seemed like they should work well.  But it turned out they were noise-canceling and I tend to hum to myself a lot while I’m working.  They didn’t work at all.  So I took them back on Friday.  They gave me cash back so I took my cash and went to Target.  There, I picked up a pair that hook around the back of the ears.  I finally tried them out this morning and they are *fantastic*.  They fit all the qualifications I was looking for–they don’t mess with my hair, I can take one off and listen to the folks and still have one ear listening to music, I can (if I’ve got the volume down) hear what’s happening around me even with both ears covered, and I can hum and drink and breathe without listening to myself do it.  The only thing that they might not do well is fit comfortably while I’m wearing glasses.  But we’ll see how that goes when I actually wear my glasses to work again.
2. Mint tea.  I’m learning what kinds of tea I like and it turns out I really, really like mint tea.  It’s right up there with the sweet and spicy tea that I loved.  I haven’t picked up more of that and I just finished the last of my mint, so I guess I need to hit the store.  I only have 3 left of the green tea bags, too, so I’ll have to get more there, too.  And now I’m thinking about getting a tea infuser and loose tea leaves . . . .
3. Today’s temperatures are in the 60s.  Sunrise was around 7:20.  Sunset is sometime around 5:20.  These are the days for which I moved to the south. Days when it’s not -20 with sunlight between 7:40 and 4:25.
4. Guys that I spoke with at the insurance companies were both pleasant and helpful.  They saw that I hadn’t done anything wrong but that it was a failure with computers on their end of the situation.  Not only that, but they were able to resolve the situation in less than three hours, which means that Justin can actually get his medications this afternoon.
5. I got a calendar for the wall of my cubical at work.  I went with the WWF Baby Animals calendar.  It is absolutely adorable and I’m tickled each time I look up and see that tiny lemur looking back at me.

12/16/08

1. Working on a project at work that allows me to combine my enjoyment of writing and organization in one project.  And I think it will make a positive impact on the department.  It’s a good project.
2. Completing everything for the FSA and getting that ready to send off.  It’s exciting to know that we’ll be getting that money back.
3. An enormous package from my parents sitting on the porch when I got home.  Filled with lots and lots of presents!  And random candy canes.  And cups.  And a lonely antiseptic wipe packet.
4. Yoga class.  Loooove for the yoga class!
5. Lovely conversation with my mom.  About concerts and dieting and such.  It was great!

12/17/08

1. Even if my knee does hurt, it doesn’t hurt all the time.  Just stairs, mostly.
2. I thought of an idea to get Justin more attractive to design companies—make a website with a portfolio.  He liked the idea!  And the name that I thought would work:  Light & Line Design
3. Justin got home before me and tidied up the house—made the bed, put away the dishes, started the laundry.
4. Department lunch went very well—all the food was good and there was just the right amount of sandwiches.  I called in the order and made sure it was going to be set, so I’m glad it turned out so well.
5. Santa Claus drive by on a fire truck this evening while I was exercising.  Funniest thing I’ve seen in a while.

12/8/08

1. I’m not pregnant!  Yea!
2. Hot packs.  Warm, wonderful, soothing comfort.
3. Both of my parents are still alive.
4. Support of loving family and friends.

12/9/08

1. I’m good at my job.  I underestimate myself a lot, I think, but I’m good at what I do.
2. Headphones.  Sometimes the people around here make so much noise!
3. Feeling better about myself now that I’m exercising and watching my food intake again.
4. Anticipation of yoga class getting me through the day.
5. Sunshine coming in through an open hatch to the roof.  A random sunny surprise while coming up the steps.

12/10/08

1. Warm mornings mean I don’t have to go out and start my car in the morning.  I enjoy not making time to step out of the house to scamper across the driveway to turn on my car so I can see through the windows when I leave for work in the morning.  (“This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the malt that lay in the house that Jack built.”)
2. Feeling better about myself and seeing a change on the scale that reflects that feeling.  Hopefully that change will stick through until Friday when I do my official weekly weigh-in.
3. Birth control is a wonderful thing.
4. Curling up with my husband to watch TV in bed.
5. Feeing full after eating dinner and not feeling guilty about eating too much.

12/11/08

1. Even after not going to the dentist for over two years, I have no cavities.  Yea!
2. Insurance that covers dental visits—x-rays and exam and no co-pay.  How is that even possible?!
3. Homemade turkey soup that turns out surprisingly good and only has 175 calories per serving.  Again, how is that possible?!
4. Running and feeling absolutely fantastic before, during, and after.  My shins are still tight and my hip is a little wonky, but I can run!  And I can feel wonderful about it!
5. Warm, clean laundry fresh from the dryer.

12/12/08

1. I only have to work half a day today!  It’s been a very, very long time since I haven’t had to work longer on a Friday afternoon.
2. I’m going to a yoga party tonight!  Flannel pajamas, yoga, and treats, all for $7 less than a usual class would cost.  How cool is that?!
3. Gas is $1.56 a gallon at the station I pass just before work.  That’s like half what it was not too long ago.  It’s so wonderful!
4. My weigh-in this morning put me at 209.5 pounds.  That’s already six pounds down from where I was at just last Friday.  We’ll see if it sticks and if I can keep dropping weight like dirty socks.  Probably not, but it’s so encouraging this morning.
5. I got a good chunk of Christmas shopping done this afternoon and did quite well, I think, at finding good, affordable gifts for people.  I have more to do, hopefully this weekend, but I’m pleased with what I’ve got.  Hopefully Justin will agree.  (He does!)