wishing for warmer days...

I am officially sick and tired of winter.

The below-freezing temperatures and constant gray skies are incredibly depressing. I get home from work, make dinner, clean up dinner, look out the window at the dark, cold skies and completely lose any gym-motivation that I mustered up during the day. Bundle up to walk the 50 yards to get to the gym - or - curl up in my fuzzy pink robe on the couch for American Idol? Do you see how this could impede on my efforts to get to the gym?

I so miss the long endless days of summer when the sun doesn't go down until 9:00pm, when it's so warm that I look for reasons to get out of the house. Winter zaps all of my energy and motivation - all that is appealing right now is wrapping myself up in my old quilt and cuddling on the couch with the boys.

Tomorrow is the first day of February, which technically means there are only about 7 weeks left of winter. In these parts, though, it stays cold until the end of April. We will be lucky to have temperatures in the 50s during April, but I will take that over the 13 degrees that we have right now. Hopefully, if there is a weather-god out there, we will not have any snow after March 1st.

Seriously...I am going to make a concrete effort to drag my cold butt to the gym three times this week. And do my pilates dvd three times too. I've lost 3.5 lbs in two weeks so I am off to a good start!

feel the burn!

Last night I did 30 mintues of Pilates for the first time in... oh, a year.

Tonight I went to the gym for the first time in over six months.

I have learned that it is a lot easier to do pilates when my butt is not screaming in pain. The difference my surgery has made is incredible! Even though the recovery was excruciatingly painful, I am really glad I did it. It is even easier to work out on the treadmill and elliptical now. I must admit, I am very out of shape - I guess being nearly 100% sedentary for five months will do that to you. It felt so good to get my heart rate pumping, and although my legs were screaming at my by the end of my 35 minutes, I enjoyed moving again.

It's so nice not having to pay for a gym membership. Our apartment complex has a small gym (3 treadmills, 3 ellipticals, 1 stationary bike, a couple weight machines) but it's got everything I would use at a real gym anyway. My goal is to do some cardio at the gym 3x a week, pilates 3x a week, and a long walk on the weekends. My job is so sedentary - the most activity I get is getting up from my desk and walking 10 feet to the copier and back. I really need to make time for exercise - I always feel better when I do.

Off to snuggle with my boys before bed...Marley is still getting over his scary visit to the vet to lose his manhood. He adores Milo, he follows him around everywhere and loves to snuggle up with him when they nap. My little man is growing up so fast!

 

[caption id="attachment_537" align="aligncenter" width="300" caption="what they do best ;)"][/caption]

well hello there 2010

Have I really not posted since November 12th of last year??

I suppose there's a bit to update on.

I had surgery on November 19th that put me seriously out of commission for a month. I'd had a cyst on my tailbone for ten years and since September '09 it was constantly getting infected. I had one ER visit and 3 different antibiotic prescriptions in three months, so my doctor recommended having it surgically removed. He said it would be really painful but I honestly was not expecting it to be as bad as it was. The first week was hell on earth - I have never been in so much pain in my entire life. The intensity of the pain kept me awake for over 48 hours and made me feel so incredibly nauseous. I think I cried myself through those first 48 hours, it was really that bad. Luckily my surgeon was able to prescribe me a much stronger narcotic that took the edge off and I was able to get some sleep. Still, it was very uncomfortable for the first week...I needed help walking and going from laying down to standing up and vice versa. I couldn't sit down for well over a week and couldn't lay on my back for three weeks. Now that is has been two months I am glad I had the surgery, but I would not wish that pain on anyone.

About a week after surgery - that donut pillow came in handy.

December brought my very last weeks of college. I graduated with a 3.52 GPA and got a 3.8 for that semester. Considering I missed so much school due to surgery and ER visits, I am really proud of that GPA. 3.8! I also got an A on my senior Thesis on the Holocaust. Yes, an A. I never in a million years thought I could get an A on a 35 page thesis, but I did. I don't know what to do with myself now that school is over. I admit that I'm a little afraid that my brain is going to become dumb. Ohh, but I won't miss homework or papers or exams. Is it terribly selfish of me that I am a little bummed that no one is throwing me a graduation party? My university eliminated December graduation ceremonies so I don't really feel that I graduated or got an recognition for graduating, as childish as that sounds. I am proud of myself though!

Christmas was low-key, we didn't really have the money for gifts this year. We had the usual Christmas Eve with the Swedes and John's family came this year, so that was nice. We saw my parents on Christmas morning and went to his sister's house for Christmas dinner which was delicious. The kids (and John) all got remote helicopters and they kept everyone busy that afternoon. We didn't do much on New Year's Eve, went to dinner and watched the ball drop on TV. Well, John watched. I was asleep before it dropped.

Cooper and his new bone on Christmas morning

Then, of course, we headed off to the land of sun, fun and magic...Disney World! This year was a lot different because it was SO COLD. We had record low temperatures and spent a couple hundred dollars on sweatshirts and jackets because we were not expecting 30 degree temperatures. It was still fun - it was our first trip using our Vacation Club so that was exciting. We also got to visit the Wedding Pavilion and the Grand Floridian where we will be HAVING OUR WEDDING! Yes, we have changed our plans. This will have to be another post because there is lots to talk about. The trip was fun, albeit cold, but the drive home was not so fun. John got the flu and was sick the whole way home, leaving me at the wheel. Remind me to never drive again!

Now we are home and settling into a routine. Life should calm down, with me being done with school and the holidays having passed. Tomorrow my pre-wedding diet begins with the goal of losing 20 lbs. I should be able to do that in one year...if John stops bringing me chocolate once a week!