This year has been pretty great so far. I can't believe it's February in a few days and Spring is (and feels) right around the corner.
Between a budding romance, a great job (and in a few short weeks finally getting paid the right amount for this great job), wonderful friends and family, I'm feeling like a pretty lucky girl.
I know I'm worth it and I know that this exact feeling won't last forever but I'm going to enjoy this happiness for as long as I can. There was an Oprah episode this week on happiness and there was a quiz you could take.
There are some obvious happiness factors but some not so obvious - like how much tv you watch, if you know your neighbors, how far you live from work. Turns out, I'm pretty happy!
I'm reminded of the Sex and the City movie (the first one) when the girls are sitting around discussing happiness with their significant others. Charlotte says she feels happy all the time. Maybe not every minute of every day but she's happy. And that's how I feel.
Is it wrong to question this though? To feel guilty that I am this happy? Even if it is, I'm not going to stop this for as long as possible.
For those of you who wanted an updated on my 21 day challenge - I'm done! It was a huge success - I feel completely unaddicted to sugar, slept great and had consistent energy throughout the day. I even felt like my running improved.
So while I'm back to some of my old habits (mostly wine) I'm still minimizing my carbs and sleeping great!
Saturday, January 29, 2011
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Work/Life Balance
I've always been a hard worker and don't like to see projects incomplete or a to-do list with empty check boxes (my signature to-do list style). But over the past year I've been busier and busier at work and have started to accomodate my expectations of myself. I don't want to say I've lowered them b/c I'm certainly working as hard as ever but I've come to accept what's realistic in a given work day, even if I'm there for 10 or more hours.
Last week, LIVESTRONG hosted a recognition dinner for those of us who have been there for 5 or more years. It was such a nice event with tons of personal touches and kind words. It was nice to be honored and even nicer to be reminded that I, too, feel honored to work there.
But I still want to make sure that work isn't my life.
One thing that's helped with that in the past month is that I'm dating someone and pretty excited about it. I got his permission to out him on my blog but since my parents and co-workers read this, it'll keep it pretty tame.
Suffice it to say that Carl has certainly given me even more reasons to not let work become my life. Sadly, I think that it's easy when you're single to put yourself aside for work and/or be asked to do so. It's not something I'm proud to admit but I also know I may have been given some of the chances I have/had at work b/c I don't have some of the time constraints others do. But that doesn't mean I want that pattern to stay that way.
Carl is such a balanced person that it's infectious to want to follow those same habits. And, of course, when you first meet someone you want to spend a lot of time with him. Luckily, for me, he feels the same way.
So I think many people are grateful that Carl came into my life but most of all, I am.
On a less sappy note, I'm on day 16 of my 21 day food challenge. It's been amazing! While I miss wine the most I've gotten past my sugar cravings and have really enjoyed experimenting with new foods. My sleep has improved and overall I feel great all day long. So while I'm sure I'll make some changes when Day 22 roles around, for now I'm pretty happy with the results!
Last week, LIVESTRONG hosted a recognition dinner for those of us who have been there for 5 or more years. It was such a nice event with tons of personal touches and kind words. It was nice to be honored and even nicer to be reminded that I, too, feel honored to work there.
But I still want to make sure that work isn't my life.
One thing that's helped with that in the past month is that I'm dating someone and pretty excited about it. I got his permission to out him on my blog but since my parents and co-workers read this, it'll keep it pretty tame.
Suffice it to say that Carl has certainly given me even more reasons to not let work become my life. Sadly, I think that it's easy when you're single to put yourself aside for work and/or be asked to do so. It's not something I'm proud to admit but I also know I may have been given some of the chances I have/had at work b/c I don't have some of the time constraints others do. But that doesn't mean I want that pattern to stay that way.
Carl is such a balanced person that it's infectious to want to follow those same habits. And, of course, when you first meet someone you want to spend a lot of time with him. Luckily, for me, he feels the same way.
So I think many people are grateful that Carl came into my life but most of all, I am.
On a less sappy note, I'm on day 16 of my 21 day food challenge. It's been amazing! While I miss wine the most I've gotten past my sugar cravings and have really enjoyed experimenting with new foods. My sleep has improved and overall I feel great all day long. So while I'm sure I'll make some changes when Day 22 roles around, for now I'm pretty happy with the results!
Monday, January 3, 2011
Holidaze
How are the holidays already over? This happens every year so I shouldn't be surprised.....
I didn't travel this year to see my family. While I've stayed in Austin for Christmas before, this was the first time I wasn't with family. While of course I missed them, I also really appreciated not traveling and having over a week of time in Austin to get caught up on some things and just enjoy the life I have here.
I may not have been as productive as I wanted over the break but I ran a lot, saw a lot of friends, a few movies and hosted some people at my house on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was spent with Jess, Ken, Kelsey and Jim at Jess and Ken's house. Buster also got to join in this year's festivities, which was extra great for me.
I feel pretty great about how 2010 ended (really about how the whole year went for me) and even better about how 2011 has started so far. I'm not one for superstition (I'm just a 'little stitious') but I did manage to eat some black eyed peas on New Year's Day. There's no need to tempt fate or push my luck.
Now it's (almost) back to work. I decided after the Thanksgiving holiday that the best day to take off work is the day where everyone else is returning. So, I've got one more day at home. My big goals today are to walk Buster (poor little guy is quite neglected during training season) and get my car's oil changed. Besides that I've got some cooking to do.....
I signed up for a 21 day food challenge. To clarify - this is not a diet! I am not interested in losing weight but I am interested in feeling better overall and seeing if the food I put into my body impacts my energy levels.
Two of my friends, Devon and Kelsey, did this program in November and had great results! After their discussion of how well they were sleeping, I was sold! I haven't been a great sleeper since I was a child. I fall asleep just fine but wake up a lot throughout the night.
The 21 days to food freedom focuses on eating vegetables, proteins and fats and eliminating the unnecessary things - like dairy, processed foods and alcohol - for 21 days to see how you feel.
Everyone's goals are different but mine is to really see how what I eat impacts how I feel. I'll certainly keep you all posted. While it may be difficult to not drink for 21 days I know I can do it. After the holiday craziness of eating and drinking a lot, I'm ready for a break.
I didn't travel this year to see my family. While I've stayed in Austin for Christmas before, this was the first time I wasn't with family. While of course I missed them, I also really appreciated not traveling and having over a week of time in Austin to get caught up on some things and just enjoy the life I have here.
I may not have been as productive as I wanted over the break but I ran a lot, saw a lot of friends, a few movies and hosted some people at my house on Christmas Eve. Christmas day was spent with Jess, Ken, Kelsey and Jim at Jess and Ken's house. Buster also got to join in this year's festivities, which was extra great for me.
I feel pretty great about how 2010 ended (really about how the whole year went for me) and even better about how 2011 has started so far. I'm not one for superstition (I'm just a 'little stitious') but I did manage to eat some black eyed peas on New Year's Day. There's no need to tempt fate or push my luck.
Now it's (almost) back to work. I decided after the Thanksgiving holiday that the best day to take off work is the day where everyone else is returning. So, I've got one more day at home. My big goals today are to walk Buster (poor little guy is quite neglected during training season) and get my car's oil changed. Besides that I've got some cooking to do.....
I signed up for a 21 day food challenge. To clarify - this is not a diet! I am not interested in losing weight but I am interested in feeling better overall and seeing if the food I put into my body impacts my energy levels.
Two of my friends, Devon and Kelsey, did this program in November and had great results! After their discussion of how well they were sleeping, I was sold! I haven't been a great sleeper since I was a child. I fall asleep just fine but wake up a lot throughout the night.
The 21 days to food freedom focuses on eating vegetables, proteins and fats and eliminating the unnecessary things - like dairy, processed foods and alcohol - for 21 days to see how you feel.
Everyone's goals are different but mine is to really see how what I eat impacts how I feel. I'll certainly keep you all posted. While it may be difficult to not drink for 21 days I know I can do it. After the holiday craziness of eating and drinking a lot, I'm ready for a break.
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