Happy Memorial Day!

Hope everyone is having a nice, relaxing weekend. We've had really wacky weather. It was beautiful Friday & Saturday, humid/overcast/hot yesterday and then sunny/cool this morning and now overcast/cool/windy this afternoon. There were tornado touches about 30 miles northeast of us in Hugo, MN. The one person I know from that town was a mile away from the destruction, but he still needs to re-side the western part of his house (which was just re-sided last spring after his house was hit by lightening) and his camper and truck had hail damage.

The photos of the hail were pretty amazing - some were golf-ball sized and some were 3" across. During the whole time this was happening, we had partly sunny skies and no rain. The temps hit 83 degrees - the first time we got to 80 since last fall. We're back down to the upper 60s today. The rest of the week may only get to the mid-70s. I've decided to hit the tanning salon to make sure I have a good base before I leave for Hawaii.

It's only 3 1/2 weeks away - I'm very excited. I finally found shoes and a purse, although I'm still trying to figure out what to do about accessories. I started making my packing list I want to limit it to a carry-on so I don't have to worry about checking a bag, especially since I'm changing planes in Phoenix. I don't think there is much formally planned other than the wedding & dinner and a helicopter ride. I'd like to spend some time just being warm!! I get in on Thursday afternoon, the ride is on Friday morning and the wedding is Saturday evening. Other than that, it's pretty much beach/pool time for me!

The tough part will be the return. I leave Hawaii Monday night at 10:30 and get into Minneapolis at 2:00 Tuesday afternoon. I'll go to work Wednesday, Thursday and Friday and then we leave for Santa Barbara early Saturday morning. We waffled on going or not for several weeks because of the gas prices, but decided to bite the bullet and head west. I'm really looking forward to the trip, especially because it's become tradition for us, and something we enjoy. It's a haul - two full days of driving each way, plus the added stress of only having 3 days at work between trips - but I know it will be worth it in the long run.

Off to make dinner - BBQ tri-tip, baked beans and salad. Yum!

Lazy Day

Actually, I should say a lazy weekend! It rained most of yesterday, limiting our outside activities. Don and I did go to a friend's birthday party last night and had a lot of fun. Today was cool and breezy. We took the dogs for a hike and then had a late brunch. The "kids" got me a gift certificate at a local spa as a Mother's Day gift, and I know that will be put to good use.

I had a good week at work. I was actually out of the office every day before 5:00 PM, which is a huge change from the last several weeks. I still have a lot to do, but I don't have wall-to-wall meetings from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, meaning the only time I was able to work on projects, respond to voice mails and answer e-mails was before or after. The biggest thing I'm working on is how to define our new department under the recent reorganization. I met with my boss on Friday and we brainstormed some really good ideas about how we want to look going forward.

Nothing else really big on tap for the upcoming weeks. I'm still working on getting my eating fully back on track after surgery last month. I am having better days, but I still don't want to eat which causes low blood sugar and headaches. My weight is still between 165 - 170. With my work schedule normalizing, I'm hoping to get back into a gym routine next week.

Tattoo You

I had to wait until it was healed and not peeling before I posted. I think it looks pretty good, and pretty ambitious for a first tattoo. I just now have to find some cute shirts to show it off in appropriate situations...

We had back-to-back 3-day weekends. The first one was marred by crappy weather - rainy & cold. The second one was much nicer, even though it rained on Friday. I volunteered at the St. Paul Cinco de Mayo festival on Saturday. It was windy and cool, but in the sun it was pretty nice. On Sunday, it was in the mid-60s and I spent a good portion of the day out on the deck reading and absorbing some vitamin D. We did go see Harold & Kumar which was funny in a very low-brow way.

I'm actually going to try and get back into a gym routine beginning tomorrow. I haven't been able to go on a regular basis because of work, but I have to stop using that as an excuse. My weight has remained stable despite stress and long hours (in fact, maybe because of those factors).

The other good news is that I'm on my second week of being able to sleep through the night. It's making such a huge difference in how I'm feeling. I have a lot more energy and I'm not nearly as crabby. Plus, I'm not anxious about not sleeping through the night. The best part - I didn't do it with drugs. I think it's just less work-related stress and more regular hours.

I think one of the other reasons I'm feeling better is that the weather has finally turned the corner. I can even put up with some rainy days as long as it's warm and things are beginning to turn green. I'm getting outdoors more, breathing some fresh air and getting some rays.

Who needs Prozac with a few sunny days?