Small World.

Sometimes I feel like the world is a whole lot smaller than we think. Last week, my co-worker was chatting with someone at their desk and stopped me as I walked by to introduce me. He's in my role in another line of business and occasionally the marketing teams get together to share all of our super secret marketing things (or you know, "best practices" as they say in the biz.)

As he introduced me the name seemed to strike me, like I knew him or had met him. I sat back at my desk and as I typed out the newly met co-worker's name (to invite him to the meeting of the minds), it seemed even more familiar. I couldn't figure out where I knew it from. He was my age, but I didn't recall him from school or meeting via friends. So, naturally, I asked my mom.

Turns out, after confirming what his parents names were via work IM, his mom and my mom had Lamaze class together 27 years ago! I immediately remembered stories about he and I. He was my first Summerfest date! Our moms brought us to Summerfest when the gates opened at noon, with the promise that they'd leave when we got fussy. Around 8 pm they put us in our jammies. Around 10 pm I was apparently dancing on tables with 40 year olds (at 6 months old in my footy pajamas) and when the grounds closed down at midnight, John & I were passed out cold in our strollers. (Apparently also right by the speakers, so if I ever seem to have sub-par hearing, I think we might know why.)

Yesterday John stopped by my desk with photographic evidence. His mom dug up some pictures from one of our play dates about 26 years ago.


Now that? That is a small world. 27 years later we're in the same role at the same company. (Also, it should be noted...because I know where ALL of your heads are at right now, he is married. So no, it's not THAT kind of ending to the story.)

Positive vs. Negative

In general, I would say I react much better to positive reinforcement than punishment or anything of the negative variety. That is until we get to working out. See, it's hard to have any reinforcement when you're not changing anything in your routine.

I've been steadily sorta kinda going to the gym. And sorta kinda eating well. Doing both sorta kinda well enough that nothing is changing. Leaving me no positive or negative results. I'm just here...stuck. And while I'd much prefer to just rely on the positive reinforcement of feeling better and losing weight, clearly that hasn't been enough to push me over the sorta kinda wall.

So the other day while eating lunch with co-workers, I announced I had yet again given up on Couch to 5k because I hate it with the passion of a thousand suns. And when my coworker asked me to put it into perspective, I announced that I would rather spend an ENTIRE weekend with two notoriously annoying co-workers of ours who would not be high on the "list of people to hang out with outside of work". That is how much I hate running.

All of a sudden yesterday it hit me! Running - that should be my new negative reinforcement. I've tried the couch to 5k program before and pretty much hated every minute of it. I enjoyed when I could actually run the next week's program, but that high wore off pretty quickly and I returned to hating it.

So here's the plan. Moving forward I have to have some sort of "activity session" 4 days a week. I say "activity session" because I've been walking a lot lately with the dog, trying to soak up as much of the nice weather as possible. And while we typically do at least 2.5 miles or around an hour of walking, I don't necessarily consider it a "workout."

Here's the requirements:

• 4 sessions of activity a week*
• a "session" is defined as at least 30 minutes of moving around / losing my breath
• 1 session per week should make me sweat my ass off (at least one...the other can just make me sweat a little bit).
  

Here's the punishment:

• Couch to 5k...a FULL Couch to 5k

So, if at any week I fail to complete 4 sessions, the following week I have to pick up the Couch to 5k program and finish it. Meaning I won't get to do the activities I like (Spin, bodyworks, yoga, etc.) and I'll just have to run. FOR 10 WHOLE FREAKING WEEKS!??!

As I told Sukie yesterday, the thought alone makes me want to vom. So I'm pretty sure this plan could work. And to keep accountable, I'll be posting a plan / recap here once a week.

This week's plan has already been altered:
Monday: Weights (didn't happen - was on babysitting duty, then off, then on, then off.)
Tuesday: Yoga over lunch (coworker had a TERRIBLE day, so I've rescheduled to elliptical after work)
Wednesday: Lower Bodyworks & Cardio over lunch
Thursday: Spin Class after work
Friday: Rest Day
Saturday: Bodyworks at 8:30 (or weights on my own)
Sunday: Rest

Dear Universe, please don't make me have to run!

A little like Rainman.

I feel somewhat like a broken record, because I'm always saying how I'm "trying" to eat better (same goes for working out..but that's not for this post). I really am trying, life sometimes gets in the way (see: the number of cupcakes I consumed at my nephew's 3rd birthday party), but I've been doing alright.

However, this has also made me aware of how much I am a creature of habit. When I find something I like, I stick with it. This used to drive the Ex absolutely crazy, particularly when dining out. My argument was always why fix what's broken? I could try another dish and risk being disappointed. Or I could stick with what I know is good. And always know how it'll end up. I do believe occasionally a risk is necessary and it's good to change things up from time to time. But for the most part, I roll with what I know.

Which means it should come as no surprise to me that I end up a little like Rainman (hey, the guy knew what he liked and what he didn't, I can get on board with that!) I realized this as I took out my garbage on Sunday evening (let's also add that to my "list of times I'd like a boyfriend". Garbage is SO a man's job.)

For the last 3 weeks (almost a month) I have eaten pretty much the exact same thing for breakfast, snacks and lunch. It's reflected in my garbage can. As almost all you see is 2 egg shells together, a filter of coffee grounds, strawberry stems, an empty can of mandarin oranges, pistachio shells, and empty nut tins. Over and over and over again. Some might call this a rut, but I'm perfectly comfortable with it. It's easy, I know what to prep for lunch every day. I know what to expect and I know that I'll like it.

For the past 3 weeks my menu has looked like this (at least on weekdays):

Breakfast - 2 eggs (sunny side up), one small glass of Simply Apple Juice, one cup of coffee
Morning Snack - a handful of Planters NUT-rition Digestive health nut mix..which I'm obsessed with.
Lunch - Mixed greens with grilled chicken breast, strawberries, mandarin oranges (which I just bought in bulk at Sam's Club...SCORE!) and Light Raspberry Vinaigrette
Afternoon Snack - String Cheese, then when I get home I have a handful of pistachios.

And...repeat. And surprisingly I'm not bored at all! Sometimes I get a little crazy and I'll get soup from the Cafeteria to have with my salad. And I'm pretty sure one time I swapped out a banana for the string cheese (and regretted it).

What can I say? I'm a creature of habit and if that habit is healthy AND makes me happy? Then I see no point in changing it! Especially when the alternative is spending lots more money getting food in the cafeteria at work / out and eating whatever I could get my hands on for breakfast / snacks!

In a funk.

I have been called out for not posting an update recently - so I'm back with an update. Well timed, actually, as I have things I wanted to write about.

First, a couple weekends ago I met a man in a bar. You know, the good old fashioned way. I was out with a friend, he called me boring and we ended up spending the night hanging out with him and his friend. Good times. Went to a movie together the next day. There were less sparks than the night before (related: there was less alcohol too...go figure). Went out with him again this past week and there were even fewer sparks. I get along with him GREAT, we have no awkward silence in conversation and he makes me laugh. He also makes me feel like I'm out with my brother. So there's that. Haven't spoken to him since Thursday and have NO idea what I'm going to do about it. That's my dating life recapped in a nutshell. (Please, try not to be too jealous.)

This past weekend I was in a serious funk. I'm pretty sure I'm out of it now so I'm good to write about it. And out of my funk I came to this revelation...I need more single, unmarried, non-dating friends. That seems more daunting and intimidating than finding men to date. You see, back at the beginning of August, I posted about how I had some slower weeks coming up and I was going to relax and take it easy. And man, have I taken it easy. In some ways, this is good. I haven't had even a nibble of fast food. I've been working out more. I've cooked more and I've slept more than I even care to admit. All good things.

However, I have also driven myself crazy. And this crazy came to a culmination on Saturday night. I love a relaxing weekend as much as the next guy. I used to LOVE coming home on a Friday night, going out to a nice relaxed dinner and then crawling in bed and catching up on tv or watching a movie. Ugh, my fave! However, when you live by yourself and everyone you know has a boyfriend / girlfriend / husband / kids, going out to dinner on Friday night is a solo event. And as comfortable as I am being independent, I don't dine solo in public. So Friday night, I came home, walked the dog, made dinner. And then sat. I read my book. I watched TV. I was bored out of my mind by 7:00 and in bed sleeping by 9:30. Oh well, I thought to myself, I'll be well rested for tomorrow! And that I was.

Saturday, I ran some errands with my mom and had lunch w/ her and my dad. Little did I know, this would be the highlight of my Saturday. I checked in for plans with a few friends. Everyone had plans with their significant other (seriously, EVERY ONE.) So Saturday, I went to the gym, showered, made dinner, read my book, watched tv. Seeing a trend here? Except Saturday I, in true Angie form, over reacted just a pinch. I called my mom and cried about how if I don't find some single friends I'm going to be alone forever and this is what my Saturday nights will look like for the next bazillion years. (I know, just a smidge dramatic.) But really? Not that dramatic.

I have some great friends here and I do love spending time with them. But they have husbands / boyfriends. And I don't expect them to ditch those men frequently. And I also don't expect them to want to try to scope out dudes with me. But I am not going to do it by myself. And dear lord, I've gotta start doing it. I love my animals but I am not ready to accept a life as a crazy cat lady (even with the dog.)

So now I start the process of figuring out how you make new girlfriends. And again, that sounds terrifying and way harder than finding a boy to take me to dinner.

Here goes nothing!

Why brothers have sisters

The following is an actual conversation between my brother and I.

Me: Tyler, I just called to remind you it's Mom & Dad's anniversary today.
Him: Aw, shit I already talked to Mom.
Me: No worries, so did I before it hit me what day it was. You can still wish them a happy anniversary next time you talk to them.
Him: What is it 26 years?
Me: Tyler, I'm 27.
Him: You're 27?! I thought you were 24.
Me: Tyler! YOU are 23, how could I be 4 years old and only be 24.
Him: I know, I forget how old I am sometimes. The other day I saw a job you had to be 24 to apply for and I thought, "Man, I have to wait 2 more years." Then I remembered I only have to wait 5 months.
Me: TYLER. You're birthday is in April. (8 months)
Him: Damn.

My mom's response, "He never was very good at math."

And on that note...

Happy Anniversary to my mom and dad. For 32 years they have been showing the world how being married is supposed to be done. For the last 15(ish) years they have worked side by side day in and day out together, hell they even drive to and from work together most days. They are a tried and true example of unconditional love and respect. They compromise for the betterment of the whole. They love each other with all they have, but even better, they're each others' best friend.

And above all else, they have absolutely RUINED my brother and I it is nearly impossible for us to find a love as whole, true and honest and built on such a sturdy foundation as theirs is. Although, like I've been telling them for years, if I can end up in a marriage even half as happy as theirs, I'll consider myself one of the luckiest people in the world.

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad! Here's to 32 more!

It's Monday.

Which automatically should excuse me from having to think. Unfortunately because I haven't found someone to fund my "stay at home non-mom, non-wife" position, I have to work. And work is taking up all my memory, creativity and thinking. So once again you get bullets and random thoughts. (I feel like these are becoming pretty typical around these parts.)

• For the third time, while out at a bar, Siobhan and I were told we looked like we were bored. If you've ever met either or both of us, you know we're ANYTHING but boring. We have TONS of fun when we're out...but apparently we have a horrible way of showing it as we're repeatedly told we look like we're bored / having no fun / sad. We're going to work on that.
  
• I'm officially less than 2 weeks away from White Trash Bash, or as I've been affectionately referring to it, WTB, and I have done NOTHING to put together an outfit. I'm going to be shamed if I don't get on this soon.
  
• I'm still stuck on all things country. Including Y'all. But the best news ever - in talking to some people while out (and apparently bored) on Saturday night, someone else used Y'all. A LOT. And he's from "up here" and it didn't sound whackadoodle...It's working.
  
• My dad and I did a lot of research this past weekend into our High School football game in Texas trip. The rest of the family thinks we're crazy. NBD. I'm beyond excited for that trip, whenever it actually happens. (We'll be basing which high school we go see a game at based on the standings at that time.)
• My dad is only a little concerned (okay, a lot concerned) about taking me because he fears I won't want to come back with him.
• Saw Horrible Bosses last night...that movie was hilarious. Charlie (from It's Always Sunny) was HILARIOUS. Jason Bateman always steals my heart. Jennifer Aniston was SUPER raunchy, but also drop dead gorgeous (quite fetching really) and I want to be her. WAY funnier than I thought it would be.

That's about all for today. I know, struggle.

Things I'm thankful for.

These things are many and the list is long. However, today's post is not about the wonderful people in my life, the roof over my head or the fact that my animals make me happier than two non-speaking fur-covered "roommates" should. (See what I did there? I used quotes around roommates, there by and henceforth removing me from the crazy cat lady category. Because I put quotes, obviously demonstrating I don't really mean it. SEE?!)

Today I am writing about how thankful I am that camera crews have never followed me around while I've been drinking. This thankful thought was spurred while watching "The Challenge" on MTV last night. (Quality television, I know.) I mean people on reality television act absolutely ridiculous all the damn time. So in general, I'm thankful I don't have cameras following me around 100% of the time. But they drink quite a bit on that show and holy hell, people are obnoxious and annoying when their drunk. And the cameras catch.it.all. I know I like to think I'm not annoying when I'm drunk. I'm definitely not obnoxious.

However, I'm fairly certain everyone on that show and every other reality television show think the same thing..until they (and the rest of The America) watch them on the TV after a few drinks. WOWZA. Obnoxious and annoying all over it.

Also - I like to think I'm pretty capable of handling booze. (Even more so thanks to the Summer of 2011 in which I drank more than I have over the past year as a whole.) However, the fact of the matter is, booze makes you annoying. Oh, it also assists in some relatively not-so-wise decisions. Because I DO NOT have a camera crew following me around, I am able to pretend like I was not annoying and the decisions I made were probably not that bad. (Don't worry mom, 99.9% of the time I'm right and they weren't.) But we all have made those occasional one or two (REALLY mom, that's it. Just one or two) terrible decisions (I'm looking at you Apple River). Thankfully, the booze makes it hazy and we can't recall all the painful details of the situation.

But pause for a second. Imagine this with me...

You're drunk (I know, hard to picture).
You made a piss poor decision (I don't know, maybe one of your friends left you alone...to make decisions on your own. :) )
You wake up and pretend it wasn't that bad.

OH WAIT.

Cameras were there. Many cameras. With microphones. From every angle possible they caught everything you did...and said.

Still picturing that?! Vomit, yes?

Thank GOD my life was too boring for me to EVER be cast on any reality television.

Y'all.

I want to say y'all. I want y'all to not get you all kinds of crazy stares when said anywhere above the Mason-Dixon. I want y'all to be acceptable in WI...and MN, you know, while I'm asking.

You can say pretty much anything and follow it up with a y'all and still sound like a sweet, hospitable, peach. But not here, not "up North". You say y'all here and people look at like you like you're speaking some sort of martian language. No, no y'all here. Here? We get things like eh? For real...THAT is our y'all?

For example:

a) Y'all come on in and take a seat.

vs.

b) Looks like there's some good seats, eh?

You tell me which one of those conjures up ideas of a sweet welcoming host...and if you choose b) it's probably because you're from "up here".

I'm determined to find a way to make "y'all" appropriate. I'm all about a good mission / challenge. In the mean time, until I make it acceptable, I say it a lot to my animals. They already look at me like I'm crazy but because they can't speak, they can't back up looks with words like people can.

Also in the mean time...I want these things:
Seriously. NEED this shirt.

Found in an Etsy store, via Pinterest*.
You know, for my house, once y'all catches on.

*Where I learn, on a daily basis, about things I never knew I loved / wanted / needed. Oh and cute pictures of babies /puppies / kitties.

Updated: My day was just made, as when I hit publish on this post, the title showed up in the tab of my browser like so, "It is what it is. Y'all." I died. That's so my new thing.

A few of my favorite things

(this is a long one...bear with me.)

I have had a LOT of great weekends this Spring / Summer. This past weekend ranks up there with the best of them, and in a surprising way. Going into the weekend I had very few plans, in fact, according to my calendar the only plan was for Saturday morning. The rest of the weekend was clear as can be.

Friday after work I went home and brought the monkey to the dog park. We walked the area a few times, she made friends and I got a solid reminder of just how NOT crazy I am, you know, comparatively speaking to the other owners at the park. (Wowza, there are some wackadoodle dog owners that make me look 100% normal.) After she was adequately tired (which takes significantly less time than it used to), I dropped her off and headed back downtown for some much needed catch up time with a friend.

We went out for sushi (which I haven't had in forever!). We eavesdropped (hardcore) on a really random group of 3 who were clearly about to embark on becoming roommates in the near future. They spent the ENTIRE dinner laying down ground rules which covered things I've never even thought of..including, but not limited to, religious rituals in the living room (and when they are and are not appropriate), friends becoming long-term tenants, cats, when the bathroom would be "reserved" for some post-jujitsu necessities / bowel movements (we couldn't figure that out either), the imperative situation of closing BOTH toilet lids (yes, there was clarification on whether it was the seat or the seat and the lid), and so much more. It was beyond entertaining, and we both agreed we were destined to be so lucky to over hear it all. We'd also like a reality show created about this situation.

Saturday morning I was up bright and early to help out at the Rally Rouser for the newest Proud Gophers of WI! The area alumni chapter (of which I now belong) puts together a picnic each fall for the Milwaukee area U of MN students. It's a little send-off picnic in which they can talk with alumni & current students, as well as their fellow freshman. Parents can chat about how sad it is that they're losing their babies. And at the end we raffle off a bunch of prizes for things on campus!

I was nervous about going as I knew literally NO ONE there. I had never met anyone before and I just got a little anxious about the whole thing. However, I could not have been happier I went. It was just a fantastic chance to talk non-stop about the University I love so dearly. The city that provided me with some of the very best friends a girl could ask for. And the school that served as the backdrop for 4 of the very best years of my life. There was more than one time where I had to step back and just observe it all. This was also a chance for me to remind myself how inappropriate it would be to walk up to all 75 future freshman and shake them screaming, "DO YOU KNOW HOW LUCKY YOU ARE?! YOUR LIFE IS ABOUT TO GET A HUNDRED TIMES MORE INCREDIBLE FOR FOUR STRAIGHT YEARS!??!?!" (I didn't do that...in case you were wondered / worried.) I got to meet great area alumni and am now 100% excited to start helping plan more alumni events in the area. It was just awesome. I loved every minute of it. I was even told at the end what a "shame it is I don't know how to come out of my shell just a little bit" which was COMPLETELY sarcastic and made me smile knowing I was 100% myself during the whole thing!

Finally, Sunday was spent as it was built to be. At my parent's house in the pool. I got there earlier than usual, Mom promised a recipe experiment for breakfast. With season 1 of FNL in tow (per Dad's request), we watched a couple episodes while we waited for the sun to come back out. I put on my "Chicken Fried" playlist and we made our way outdoors. Swimsuit & sunscreen on, raft floating, country music playing and total relaxation with my parents. It's the stuff perfect days are made of. We floated around all day, chatting, snoozing, and in my case burning my skin (Sae don't worry, I burned my back this time). Once the sun had taken it's toll we headed back inside, mom made dinner and Dad and I cried through two more episodes of Friday Night Lights (seriously, gets me EVERY TIME). Ty stopped by for dinner as the day came to a close.

Not many big plans were in store for this weekend, but I am back to work today feeling recharged, re-focused, and ready to take on the world. And thanks to the people and events of this weekend, I am reminded that these weekends are just as important as those full of pre-planned activities.

Damn you, Friday! / I have a problem

I couldn't decide which direction to go with this post so I went with both. That's just how today is. Also - before I even get into it, I'd like to acknowledge NOTHING that has happened today is terrible, life changing, or likely to even matter in 5 days. However, today? In my world RIGHT NOW? It matters. Not life and death matters, but like "want to pout and cry about it" matters. And, because this is my blog, I can do that. So there.

Today is Friday, however my Friday is clearly pretending to be a Monday! First, I slept through my alarm which means I didn't get to straighten my hair which means I'm a frizzy curly mess again. And I also didn't have time to make my eggs so I had to skip breakfast. In my hurry trying to get out the door, I was multi-tasking and trying to text while taking the dog out. She pulled on her leash, the leash that was in the same hand as my precious phone. My fingers released and down went my phone. Down to the hard cement garage floor. FACE DOWN. I knew the second it hit the screen had shattered.

This is where we go into the post within a post into the I have a Problem part. And actually it, should say problems. Because it's really two fold. One, I have an obsession, no addiction really, to my phone that I can't shake. I called my mom immediately after picking up my phone and was almost in tears. THAT IS DISGUSTING. Oh, also (in case you're not sickened yet) I said the words, "I feel like I just broke my friend." Even now, just a mere hour and a half later, through clearer eyes, I can see what a problem that is.

The second problem is that I get inordinately attached to inanimate objects. I may have shed a tear when I had to clean out my Jeep to trade her in. I get a little anxiety each time I have to upgrade my phone. I'm excited for the new one, but I'm so comfortable with the old. Probably goes back to my aversion to change.

So back to my Monday-ish Friday. I called Sprint, who apparently has their own aversion, to quality customer service. James, at Sprint, had no pity for my loss of a friend I incurred this morning and informed me that I'm the only phone on our plan without insurance. Which, by the way, is bullshit. Just plain bullshit. Even though I'm the most careful with my phone (because I occasionally think of it as my lifeline) I sincerely doubt we'd ever insure EVERY PHONE BUT MINE.

Then I left my lunch at home on the counter. I was too preoccupied by the shattered screen apparently. My breakfast was also packed in my lunch. I thought I left it out in my car so I went back and checked, sure enough it's on the counter at home. Gracie is probably enjoying some delicious string cheese as you read this. (Obviously an exaggeration...she doesn't have thumbs. I occasionally have a hard time getting that thing open, I'd be quite impressed if she could. She doe have razor sharp teeth...so there's a chance.)

All I'm saying is that it's now 9:45 and I'd be pretty happy if the day turned around. I've got plans with a friend tonight and she's already guaranteed a stiffy.

Get your mind out of the gutter - she promised a stiff drink. Sometimes you're so gross.

Thursday thoughts.

• It's Thursday which means it's almost Friday...hallelujah.
• Yesterday as I was reaching for my keys in my purse I thought to myself, "Sometimes the bottom of my purse is like the deep end of the pool. (Stick with me here...) I KNOW what's at the bottom of it, but I'm always a little scared just in case I DON'T know what's at the bottom."
• Given that "jeans days" are a FREE perk for a company to provide, I'm disappointed my company gives us 6 of them for the WHOLE summer. Lame.
  
• Last night one of my very best friends told me really reassuring things that made my face & heart smile. She also gave permission to keep on keepin' on with this fun Angie. So there's that.
  
• When explaining that I needed a REALLY solid outfit for an upcoming White Trash Bash, my friends came up with some ideas of how to make a "lazy version" of the outfit. I responded by showing them a picture of the Host of the party in pink, zebra print spandex stirrup pants....explaining that that was him on a random Sunday. They understood then that I have competition to keep up with.
  
• I consider myself lucky to be able to pull up a picture of a friend in that outfit. My friends are fun.
  
• I have been doing pretty good at this whole no processed stuff. I had a little bit last night (friend made dinner so I graciously ate what she cooked) but so far all I have had that's processed is dinner last night! Since Monday! *Patting my own back* *tooting my own horn*
  

Self-imposed Detox

So after going on and on and on (seriously are you sick of it yet!?) about how much fun I am...I am also realizing my brain, liver and bank account are BEGGING for this fun Angie to slow down a little bit. I had a conversation with the high school Ex - who's also going through a Great Break-up of 2011 of his own - and we both agreed, it had to happen, but we'll be paying off the Summer of 2011 for some time. I don't regret a single part of it, it's exactly what I needed and I have grown a TON from it. I'm so much better off than I ever thought I could be given the circumstances. However, at some point, I probably have to start acting my age just a little bit more. I'm not talking pulling in the reigns entirely or even cutting back on things forever...I'm just sayin' a little more control and will power wouldn't hurt.

So, given that I have a little lull in plans for a few weeks here, I am imposing a detox on my life. I'm not going crazy and I will absolutely NOT be drinking cayenne pepper lemon water for 3 weeks. (Do you even know me?!) But I need to just curb things in a little, make some minor changes and carry them out for an extended period of time. (Turns out, eating healthy for the 3 days of the week that are sandwiched between trips and vacations doesn't equal out to much of a healthy diet at all...who knew?!)

So this week, specifically, (because it follows last weekend, which we've already discussed was about as unhealthy as I could have gotten) I'm focusing some serious attention. For at least this week (longer if I choose) I am eating NOTHING processed. Only whole, clean foods. This is something I've tried to focus on but lost along the way with all these trips and using as little will power as possible. After this week, the occasional refined sugar and processed food can make it's way in, but I need to cleanse the beer batter...and beer for that matter...out of my system. I'm also not drinking a drop of alcohol for at least a week. And I am working on not being even slightly drunk until the end of August (the next MN trip). After my sober week, the occasional beer will be drank, but not to an excessive amount. I will get back to working out at least 4 times a week through the end of August, I'm hoping then it will return as a habit, something I don't even think about.

It's time to start preparing for Fall, when I told myself I had to start acting my age again. Just weaving in a teeny bit more responsibility than I have been including this Summer.

Silver, Stumble, Struggle

This past weekend, I was honored by my lovely friend Amy to receive an invitation to join her ridiculously fun group at a little place called Silvercryst in Wautoma, WI. I was promised drinking, boating, sun and fun and let me tell you, the weekend did not disappoint. Given that I'm super fun this summer, I immediately said I was in..that is of course after Sae said she was going. So I took a half day of work on Friday, packed up my car and made the 2.5 hour voyage up to this magical "Silvercryst" place I had only heard of. My suitcase was packed with minimal clothing and 3 swimsuits. I had only flip flops for shoes and had zero intentions of showering. It was my kind of weekend from the start.

Let me just reiterate, this weekend did not disappoint.

The "resort" is in a teeny, tiny town - which I have a total special place in my heart for. They're so quaint and adorable...I just love small towns and all that comes with it. We stayed in the "fancy" side of the "resort." The beach was about 50 feet from the room, which is a good thing, as I'm fairly certain we wouldn't have been capable of travel much further. Amy's family has a sick boat that we spent a fair amount of time on. There were boys, booze and fried foods all on a beach. And because I'm pretty sure I might still be recovering, you're getting a quick list of my highlights.

It was no more than 5 minutes after my arrival I was in my suit, in a lake and beer in hand...I got to have a delicious fish fry...after promising Amy via our bonded handshake I took a power nap and returned to the party...there were a number of ridiculous outfits from Goodwill including my "Masters" Jacket...Sae tried to wakeboard like a small child, it didn't go well...Amy's grandma offered cherry vodka...there were crazy cool medallions...we ate breakfast while being watched by a family portrait...there were roughly 3,454 glasses of beverage on a table for 5 people...Sae started a gang...Zack shot Amy...We crammed about 239 people into the smallest sand bar ever...Amy sliced open her brothers lip, he turned into Hitler...I found out I love Vodka & Soda...we did shot skis...we did shots not on skis...when I couldn't find gum, I did shots of Dr...we danced to the worst band in the history of bands...they had groupies...I met a coworker I had been emailing for a year...I bought them shots...we found a man so tall that with Sae on Zack's shoulders she was only slightly taller than him...I slept in a bed with so much sand I woke up exfoliated in the morning...and then just 2 days after I arrived, it was time to pack up and leave...gatorade & regular coke in hand.

It started as Silvercryst...moved to Stumblefest...became Struggle fest...then repeated itself.

I had a blast and am already looking forward to next year. That is, if Amy's mom and the committee approve my attendance. I'm being only slightly penalized for my power naps.