I don't know what my deal has been this week but I have been tired/borderline exhausted. I guess I am truly that person that needs 8 hours of sleep to feel rested. I am fortunate to be able to fall asleep easily and I almost always wake up to my alarm and not a minute earlier. The past couple of weeks I have been able to get up around 6:15 am and get in a run at the gym before starting my work day but this past week has seemed nearly impossible. I am dead asleep when my alarm sounds at 6 and despite it's annoying beeps, it's no mission for this top-gun snoozer!
Common sense tells me that I should go to sleep earlier if I want to wake up earlier but it's near impossible for me to be in bed, sleeping by 10 pm. My attempts at getting to bed early are usually fizzled by being online, being out late with friends, or watching tv. I guess the only way to solve this problem is to enforce upon myself a bedtime curfew...like no computer or tv after 10 pm! I guess if I was truly motivated to workout early, then I would figure out a way to get to bed at a reasonable hour. Of course, having a work event last night that meant putting in a 12 hour day plus not even getting home until 10 pm does not support the "early riser" plan. Nor, does this gloomy/cloudy/rainy weather support the "rise-n-shine" plan either.
Is it possible that I'll be able to give up my late-night habits? One can only hope.........
Thursday, July 30, 2009
Monday, July 27, 2009
Relaxing Weekend
Aaaah....to be able to have a relaxing weekend was such a joy. Friday was a much longer day than I had anticipated with work but at least it was Friday. It was almost 7pm by the time I got home. Since I had spent the better part of my day on the phone with people, I immediately put my phone on the charger and then went out to dinner with roomie. We tried a new place out off of Hwy 100 called "Brewhouse 100". It was a great little bar/restaurant and the food was delicious. By the time we got home, it was about that time to prepare for Saturday's workout/pool time.
Saturday morning was the usual...9:45 spin class for one hour. My friend Tammy met up with me for spin and then we showered off and enjoyed the blue skies and sunshine at the Y pool along with my Jen and Mike. It was the perfect day to be outside...it was warm but we still had a slight cool breeze so it wasn't totally unbearable. Around 3:30pm, I made a quick stop to check in on my bosses dog and then headed home for R&R. I vegged around the house, made a grocery store run and then made a pizza and watched my netflix disc of "Mad Men" Season 2.
Sunday was church (class and main service). We've been looking at different teachings from the book of Proverbs and this week we talked about Contentment. It was great conversation and teaching. I am so thankful we have Becky and Jon Lowe's leadership in our class. After the main service, the Lowe's had people over for an afternoon picnic and what turned into afternoon conversation lead to dinner time conversation and it was 8:00 pm before we left! I felt somewhat bad for taking up their whole day but sometimes when the fellowship is that sweet, you don't want to leave. We left from there and went to Amy's to watch "TrueBlood" and then I headed home and tried to prepare myself for another work week. Good times!
Saturday morning was the usual...9:45 spin class for one hour. My friend Tammy met up with me for spin and then we showered off and enjoyed the blue skies and sunshine at the Y pool along with my Jen and Mike. It was the perfect day to be outside...it was warm but we still had a slight cool breeze so it wasn't totally unbearable. Around 3:30pm, I made a quick stop to check in on my bosses dog and then headed home for R&R. I vegged around the house, made a grocery store run and then made a pizza and watched my netflix disc of "Mad Men" Season 2.
Sunday was church (class and main service). We've been looking at different teachings from the book of Proverbs and this week we talked about Contentment. It was great conversation and teaching. I am so thankful we have Becky and Jon Lowe's leadership in our class. After the main service, the Lowe's had people over for an afternoon picnic and what turned into afternoon conversation lead to dinner time conversation and it was 8:00 pm before we left! I felt somewhat bad for taking up their whole day but sometimes when the fellowship is that sweet, you don't want to leave. We left from there and went to Amy's to watch "TrueBlood" and then I headed home and tried to prepare myself for another work week. Good times!
Thursday, July 23, 2009
Song of Solomon Study
For the past four weeks now, I've been participating in a Bible Study of Song of Solomon. My friend Amy has been hosting this study at her home on Thursday nights and has been using the video teachings and study guide from Tommy Nelson. This exegetical study follows Solomon's relationship from attraction to dating and courtship, marriage and intimacy to resolving conflict, keeping romance alive, and committing to the end. We have covered the art of attraction, dating, courtship and marriage thus far. I have enjoyed dissecting this book of the Bible and translating the poetic style in which it was written. While I don't 100% agree with all that Tommy Nelson has said in regards to "being single/dating", I do agree with the foundation of the teaching and that ultimately GOD is/should be at the center of every relationship!
Being single has its challenges and I sometimes think that it's an added challenge being a Christ follower. It's easy to hand out sentiments and advice when your in a relationship. I believe Amy and I laughed out loud when Tommy said "Go where the good people are" meaning church, small groups, get involved, blah blah blah. Maybe that was once the case, but just because someone is in the building, does NOT make them a "good" person. I have experienced this first hand and sadly, sometimes I think you can find more decent men outside of the church than within. Finding a man that loves Jesus and longs to follow HIM, is a non-negotiable in my book. One of the questions on the application for "The Bachelor" asked you to describe what physical attributes you find attractive and what personality characteristics do you look for. My reply: I don't have a grocery list of physical attributes that I look for, I want someone that can openly communicate, be honest/trustworthy and have Integrity! The worldview looks at the outside and I look at what's on the inside. Don't misunderstand, I believe that physical attraction and physical chemistry is a must-have in a relationship...it's just one of many things that I think are needed to make a relationship successful.
If I wanted to get married for the sake of being married, I could be married. But my life is not my own (although mostly I selfishly act as it is) and I have chosen to not settle for anything less that HIS best. SO I find myself 34 years old and single. And as I continue to add life experience and settle into my own preferences, it feels that I'm only stacking the cards more against me. I don't know what the future holds. Maybe I'll be blessed enough to have someone to walk through life with, maybe I'll walk alone. All I can do is continue to put one foot in front of the other walking in faith and keep my HOPE safe and secure in His Hands!
Being single has its challenges and I sometimes think that it's an added challenge being a Christ follower. It's easy to hand out sentiments and advice when your in a relationship. I believe Amy and I laughed out loud when Tommy said "Go where the good people are" meaning church, small groups, get involved, blah blah blah. Maybe that was once the case, but just because someone is in the building, does NOT make them a "good" person. I have experienced this first hand and sadly, sometimes I think you can find more decent men outside of the church than within. Finding a man that loves Jesus and longs to follow HIM, is a non-negotiable in my book. One of the questions on the application for "The Bachelor" asked you to describe what physical attributes you find attractive and what personality characteristics do you look for. My reply: I don't have a grocery list of physical attributes that I look for, I want someone that can openly communicate, be honest/trustworthy and have Integrity! The worldview looks at the outside and I look at what's on the inside. Don't misunderstand, I believe that physical attraction and physical chemistry is a must-have in a relationship...it's just one of many things that I think are needed to make a relationship successful.
If I wanted to get married for the sake of being married, I could be married. But my life is not my own (although mostly I selfishly act as it is) and I have chosen to not settle for anything less that HIS best. SO I find myself 34 years old and single. And as I continue to add life experience and settle into my own preferences, it feels that I'm only stacking the cards more against me. I don't know what the future holds. Maybe I'll be blessed enough to have someone to walk through life with, maybe I'll walk alone. All I can do is continue to put one foot in front of the other walking in faith and keep my HOPE safe and secure in His Hands!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Weekend recap
My weekend started out superb because a group of girlfriends (mostly those that I once worked with at TMP) met for Happy Hour at a new place in The Gulch called Urban Flatts. I had never been in this restaurant before but it has a great vibe to it and a delicious variety of flatbreads. And well...let's not forget the fun of happy hour...drinks! And being the tea fanatic that I am, a Wicked Arnold Palmer(Firefly Sweet Tea Vodka and lemonade) was right up my alley. It had been close to a year since we had all been together last and we had all kinds of fun news to share. Melissa and Rebecca are now mom's, Cathryn just got married, Mary is going to be a first-time mom and Jennifer (my roomie) just got engaged! It was such a great night to celebrate each other and friendships and I am definitely thankful for these girls!!
Saturday morning took me to my usual routine of spin class at 9:45 and then pool time. Of course there was sunshine in the morning but seems like lately by the time spin class is over at 11 am the clouds descend and the sunshine is no more. Well this didn't detour me from enjoying the pool. I went to my friend Heather's place and we were out from about noon till 3:30. Clearly there was sunshine through clouds and despite use of SPF 15...I got a little too much sun :( I thought I pretty much had a base tan, but I guess after almost 3 weeks of no weekend pool time, I wasn't protected enough. Oh well! Around 4'ish, Heather and I ventured to downtown Franklin as I wanted to go to one of my favorite stores called Rock Paper Scissors. They were launching a new line of paper products called "Sugar Paper" and you could also enjoy cupcakes and champagne and a 10% discount. I also hadn't been in since probably around Christmas time so it was fun to see what all they had in stock and I managed to find some great stuff in their clearance section too! From there, we walked around downtown until our friends Stacey and Amy met us for dinner at 6pm at Puckett's, another new place that I had never eaten at. It's an old historic (like most of downtown Franklin) grocery store that is also a restaurant and because the weather was amazing (think crisp 70's with NO humidity) we took advantage and ate outside. Since I had nothing more than some pretzels for lunch, I was plenty hungry and enjoyed a real burger and sweet potato fries. YUMMY! What a great way to spend a Saturday.
So then Sunday came and I spent the day in bed :( I don't think I have any of the nasty sick bugs that I have heard going around but rather my own concoction of too much sun (more like cloud burn) from Saturday, along with a headache and a sore throat. That combination along with fatigue kept me home all day on Sunday. Of course, sometimes I think that laying around all day can make you feel worse and I found myself struggling yesterday to get through the work day. I just felt lethargic. Regardless, I pushed through my work day and forced myself to do 5:45 spin class despite having a substitute instructor.
I am so particular about my spin instructor's and last night's sub...well....I wouldn't take her class again if you paid me. Thankfully, I knew a sub would be there so I brought my own tunes to spin to. Her mix of tribal beats and voodoo music is NOT my motivator to spin hard. AND I don't like an instructor that is super chatty or peppy....like the fact that she said "Come on, guys" some 100 times made me want to poke my eyes out! I am just thankful that with spin you can control your own intensity and I was able to get a decent workout from it. I'll be glad when Charlene is back next Monday.
Thankfully, I feel back to myself this morning and am already counting down the days until the weekend!
Saturday morning took me to my usual routine of spin class at 9:45 and then pool time. Of course there was sunshine in the morning but seems like lately by the time spin class is over at 11 am the clouds descend and the sunshine is no more. Well this didn't detour me from enjoying the pool. I went to my friend Heather's place and we were out from about noon till 3:30. Clearly there was sunshine through clouds and despite use of SPF 15...I got a little too much sun :( I thought I pretty much had a base tan, but I guess after almost 3 weeks of no weekend pool time, I wasn't protected enough. Oh well! Around 4'ish, Heather and I ventured to downtown Franklin as I wanted to go to one of my favorite stores called Rock Paper Scissors. They were launching a new line of paper products called "Sugar Paper" and you could also enjoy cupcakes and champagne and a 10% discount. I also hadn't been in since probably around Christmas time so it was fun to see what all they had in stock and I managed to find some great stuff in their clearance section too! From there, we walked around downtown until our friends Stacey and Amy met us for dinner at 6pm at Puckett's, another new place that I had never eaten at. It's an old historic (like most of downtown Franklin) grocery store that is also a restaurant and because the weather was amazing (think crisp 70's with NO humidity) we took advantage and ate outside. Since I had nothing more than some pretzels for lunch, I was plenty hungry and enjoyed a real burger and sweet potato fries. YUMMY! What a great way to spend a Saturday.
So then Sunday came and I spent the day in bed :( I don't think I have any of the nasty sick bugs that I have heard going around but rather my own concoction of too much sun (more like cloud burn) from Saturday, along with a headache and a sore throat. That combination along with fatigue kept me home all day on Sunday. Of course, sometimes I think that laying around all day can make you feel worse and I found myself struggling yesterday to get through the work day. I just felt lethargic. Regardless, I pushed through my work day and forced myself to do 5:45 spin class despite having a substitute instructor.
I am so particular about my spin instructor's and last night's sub...well....I wouldn't take her class again if you paid me. Thankfully, I knew a sub would be there so I brought my own tunes to spin to. Her mix of tribal beats and voodoo music is NOT my motivator to spin hard. AND I don't like an instructor that is super chatty or peppy....like the fact that she said "Come on, guys" some 100 times made me want to poke my eyes out! I am just thankful that with spin you can control your own intensity and I was able to get a decent workout from it. I'll be glad when Charlene is back next Monday.
Thankfully, I feel back to myself this morning and am already counting down the days until the weekend!
Friday, July 17, 2009
A little adventure
From time to time, I'll get this little tugging at my heart to do something adventurous...and well...last night was one of those times. I went to an open casting call for an upcoming season of ABC's "The Bachelor/The Bachelorette". Now, I realize you might be thinking "That's not adventure, that's a bunch of crazy" as that very thought crossed my mind more than once. Here's the thing: if I actually thought there was a serious possibility that I would be selected, I would have never done this. Honestly, I did it for the experience!
The casting call was hosted at Dwell, a new luxury apartment home community, in Franklin. The event was from 5-8 pm along with a pool party and dinner/drinks for those participating. We (did you really think that I would go alone?) arrived around 6:15 pm to a pretty full room. You were required to complete a 6 page application, provide 5-15 photos and sign a release/legal waiver, etc. We turned in our paperwork and were assigned the number 73, 74 respectively. My guess is that there was probably about 125 girls that turned out and about 15 guys. I don't know that I had set expectations but one thing I did expect to enjoy was GREAT people watching...and that did NOT disappoint! The process was this: they called at random small groups of 5-6 people into a conference room where they took individual photographs (2 head shots and 1 full body shot). You were then escorted as a group into one of the model apartments where they had transformed the two bedrooms into interview rooms. You waited as a group in the living room until the interviewer called your name and escorted you into the interview room. Once in the interview room, they miked you and had you look in the camera to give your name, age, occupation and where you live. Then you were asked a series of questions (it varied in quantity) like "Tell me about serious relationships you had", "Why did those relationships fail", "Why are you still single", "Do you believe in love", "What are your hobbies", "Why do you want to be on this show", blah blah blah. You get the idea. They double-checked the video to make sure the sound recorded and then you were done. I got called before my friend so I had to wait for her get through the process. It was about 9:45 pm when she finished and we left.
When I told a couple friends today, they asked me "When do you find out /When will you know the results?". Seriously people, I have NO idea and don't really care. Like I said, this was just a fun new experience to add to my life list of things done.
The casting call was hosted at Dwell, a new luxury apartment home community, in Franklin. The event was from 5-8 pm along with a pool party and dinner/drinks for those participating. We (did you really think that I would go alone?) arrived around 6:15 pm to a pretty full room. You were required to complete a 6 page application, provide 5-15 photos and sign a release/legal waiver, etc. We turned in our paperwork and were assigned the number 73, 74 respectively. My guess is that there was probably about 125 girls that turned out and about 15 guys. I don't know that I had set expectations but one thing I did expect to enjoy was GREAT people watching...and that did NOT disappoint! The process was this: they called at random small groups of 5-6 people into a conference room where they took individual photographs (2 head shots and 1 full body shot). You were then escorted as a group into one of the model apartments where they had transformed the two bedrooms into interview rooms. You waited as a group in the living room until the interviewer called your name and escorted you into the interview room. Once in the interview room, they miked you and had you look in the camera to give your name, age, occupation and where you live. Then you were asked a series of questions (it varied in quantity) like "Tell me about serious relationships you had", "Why did those relationships fail", "Why are you still single", "Do you believe in love", "What are your hobbies", "Why do you want to be on this show", blah blah blah. You get the idea. They double-checked the video to make sure the sound recorded and then you were done. I got called before my friend so I had to wait for her get through the process. It was about 9:45 pm when she finished and we left.
When I told a couple friends today, they asked me "When do you find out /When will you know the results?". Seriously people, I have NO idea and don't really care. Like I said, this was just a fun new experience to add to my life list of things done.
Monday, July 13, 2009
Weekend = Foiled Plans
Plans change...clearly...thanks to the overcast/rainy/stormy weekend weather we had. So much for enjoying some R&R time outside while basking in the sunshine. Oh well....it was still a weekend with out work....then again...I had to take care of the dog (my bosses dog)....oh nevermind! Argh! That's just life!
Because of said weather, I had to transition to indoor activities like watching movie(s), reading, doing laundry, playing on the computer and hanging out with friends. Not a bad alternative by any means, it's just that I had built up my hopes of pool time and that didn't happen at all! I still managed to get my rear kicked in spin class on Saturday morning despite finding out that the Sat. morning instructor I totally enjoyed has given up that class. What?!?! (this should have been my first indicator that the weekend would not go according to plan) However, the new instructor still taught an hour class (normally they are only 45 minutes), had decent music and did a good job of kicking said rear!
Because of said weather, I had to transition to indoor activities like watching movie(s), reading, doing laundry, playing on the computer and hanging out with friends. Not a bad alternative by any means, it's just that I had built up my hopes of pool time and that didn't happen at all! I still managed to get my rear kicked in spin class on Saturday morning despite finding out that the Sat. morning instructor I totally enjoyed has given up that class. What?!?! (this should have been my first indicator that the weekend would not go according to plan) However, the new instructor still taught an hour class (normally they are only 45 minutes), had decent music and did a good job of kicking said rear!
Thursday, July 9, 2009
Thursday Night Fun
I can't tell you the last time that I had this much fun on a school night and I was so happy to be able to have some quality time with my roomie Jen. We met up in Green Hills after work and started the fun with pedi's at The Venetian. We then headed to El Palinque for a delicious dinner of cheap mexican food. Deliciousness! Then we headed downtown to 3rd & Lindsley to see Sandra McCracken. And despite the late show time of 9:30 pm...I know...but it's late for me on a school night....it was the best way to end the day and kick off the weekend. This was actually her cd release party for her new cd "Live Under Lights and Wires" and if you are a fan of acoustic/singer/songwriter/folk music then this cd is a must have. Sandra, along with fellow musician Derek Webb (her husband and former member of Caedmon's Call) played alongside her on the record and provided BGV. They both played the live show last night which consisted of playing the new record in its entirety. AND along with our admission to the show last night (an inexpensive $10 cover) we also got a free copy of the new record. SCORE!
We actually made it through the 10th song (the record consists of 16 tracks) before having to head home (It was 11:00 pm). Listening to the music was definitely like a breath of fresh air and has rekindled my fire to continue with my guitar lessons (I've taken a summer hiatus from lessons).
We actually made it through the 10th song (the record consists of 16 tracks) before having to head home (It was 11:00 pm). Listening to the music was definitely like a breath of fresh air and has rekindled my fire to continue with my guitar lessons (I've taken a summer hiatus from lessons).
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Hump Day & Update
I've always wondered why Wednesday was called "Hump Day"....so I did a little online investigation and I absolutely loved this definition that I found at http://www.urbandictionary.com/ . I've listed it below:
Wednesday, or the hump of the week
The absolute BEST day of the week, the day of maximum hope that maybe, you might make it out of this week alive. A particularly good hump day can last you the rest of the week, and by Doomday morning (Monday) you survive by anticipating hump day. Nothing goes wrong on hump day
This week has been fairly uneventful and I am enjoying the quiet before my boss and her husband return next week. It will definitely be "Doomday" Monday when they return and I buckle back up for another crazy busy 4 weeks before they leave again on August 7th.
Wednesday, or the hump of the week
The absolute BEST day of the week, the day of maximum hope that maybe, you might make it out of this week alive. A particularly good hump day can last you the rest of the week, and by Doomday morning (Monday) you survive by anticipating hump day. Nothing goes wrong on hump day
This week has been fairly uneventful and I am enjoying the quiet before my boss and her husband return next week. It will definitely be "Doomday" Monday when they return and I buckle back up for another crazy busy 4 weeks before they leave again on August 7th.
I had mentioned vaguely that I was dealing with some health issues...but things are starting to get better. When I was 25, I was diagnosed with Hypothyroidism...while it's completely manageable by a daily regimen of thyroid replacement drugs, it can still tinker with my metabolism, energy level (for me bouts of extreme fatigue), etc. It's been regulated for a while but I was starting to feel "off" again...sluggish and noticed that weight gain had occurred despite workout efforts...back in April. So I sought out Dr. B (the best doctor in the US...in my opinion) for guidance. The scale confirmed a gain of 20 lbs and she ordered bloodwork. Results led to an increase dosage in my thyroid meds. Three weeks later, I was feeling better energy wise but still stuck with the 20 lbs. Dr. B prescribed me another drug to help jump-start my metabolism along with instructions to workout and eat right. I heeded to her advice, managed to not experience any crazy side effects and had my monthly weigh in today...10 lbs dropped (doing the happy dance). I am holding up my end of the deal by working out 5 days a week (also started training this week for another half marathon in October) and trying to eat better and eating fast food less. Clearly, it's working and it definitely helps me feel better on many levels. I'm feeling very motivated these days and am determined to work hard to lose another 10 lbs by next follow-up on August 6th. Fingers crossed!
Saturday, July 4, 2009
4th of July Celebrations
Today we had a family reunion of sorts and celebrated the 4th of July at my Uncle Jeff and Aunt Tammy's house. They have a great place out in the country. We had all of our family in for the holiday weekend and it was great to catch up and see our cousins and their families. Of course, family gatherings means lots of good food, games galore and if your lucky, you can sneak in a nap. Here are a bunch of pictures from the festivities:
Michelle and her husband Ron
Amy and Bryan came up from Florida for the weekend
Mom and Dad
Holly, Elaysha and Chanel
Grandma and Grandpa Quirey
My Uncle Jeff and Uncle Mike and Aunt Sandy
Elaysha and other kids enjoyed the pool
Cousins Seth and Sara enjoyed Bocci Ball with Amy and Bryan
Cousin Tiffany and I enjoyed our lollipops before the fireworks began.
Quirey Cousins hanging out waiting for fireworks.
Just being silly....
Me and Michelle (my cousin)
Michelle and her husband Ron
Amy and Bryan came up from Florida for the weekend
Mom and Dad
Holly, Elaysha and Chanel
Grandma and Grandpa Quirey
My Uncle Jeff and Uncle Mike and Aunt Sandy
Elaysha and other kids enjoyed the pool
Cousins Seth and Sara enjoyed Bocci Ball with Amy and Bryan
Cousin Tiffany and I enjoyed our lollipops before the fireworks began.
Quirey Cousins hanging out waiting for fireworks.
Just being silly....
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