Darn it!

BOO, HISS – LOOK at that trend line!!  Yes, the last few weeks, I have been having trouble sticking with the program ~ I could blame the program and say that “pff, this Weight Watcher” stuff is bogus, but I truly know that it is MY setback because I haven’t been following the guidelines.  I didn’t track my food at all for the last few weeks.  It is tough to do so when traveling for work, especially with the conference where we pretty much had to eat what they gave us.  I thought the average of 7 miles per day would counteract the effects of the food, but apparently not…

I sat in the meeting almost in tears.  Very disappointed in myself.  I need to recommit to myself on this.  I have only gotten half way there and now I am slightly on the way up.  WRONG WAY, LADY!

I know it’s me and not WW.  For almost a year now, the program has clearly worked.  Now, I have to work the program!

The New Magic Kingdom

I went to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and YOUoouuu DIDN’T.  Ne-ner-ne-ner-ne-ner!

I have three words for you: UH MAY ZING!  Ok, one word, three syllables.  It was neat-o! I went with a friend that has neither read the books nor watched a movie, but she was a trooper!

We only had a couple of hours to spend there, we had to go to a staff meeting, but the 3.5 hours at the Island of Adventure was just right.  We probably could have stood a little more time, but all-in-all, we did everything we came to do: Visit Hogsmeade.  The fact that it was 20 degrees cooler than the seasonal average helped set the mood, as the village has fake snow on all the buildings.  I really wanted to warm up with a butterbeer, but alas, the stuff they had was cold (and tasted eerily like A & W Cream Soda topped with melted marshmallow, but about $9 more expensive).

The town was just fun. Check out the picture here – the owls – complete with fake (I hope?!) owl poop!  Zonkos, Honeydukes, Olivanders (which is really in Diagon Alley, but maybe he has a chain of stores now…?), but the really cool thing was Hogwarts.  Awww yeah, I have been in Hogwarts!  If you go, be aware that the ride through Hogwarts requires you to place your loose items in a locker (free for 30 minutes) OR, if you get motion sickness, you can still walk through the castle without getting on the ride.  The castle in-and-of-itself is fun to walk through.

I was getting giddy because, well, I could! My friend that was with me is 10 years younger (biologically) and about 20 years my senior maturity wise.  Yet, she did so well dealing with my goofiness and let me be me. I think she knew that if she didn’t, I would become even more obnoxious.  She was also smart enough to appreciate that she was on my turf and she was out numbered!  It was an expensive 3.5 hours ($92 including tax for a one day admission), but I am glad I went!  Word to the wise, stop after one butterbeer…

That Just Sounds Gross

“Mi Amore, please let me share my seeds of love with you”

eww

A Life In Motion

Everything just seems to be moving in every direction lately.  I’d be hard pressed to find a close friend that hasn’t had something life altering happening in their lives this year.  Some good, some bad, and some depends on the perspective.

I have lived in South Bend for about 14 years now.  In those 14 years, I have had 3 jobs (4 if you include Barnes & Noble, but that was just for a social life), 3 homes and countless friends.  There is one friend that has been there since day 1. She is and has been my closest friend for at least 13 of those 14 years.  For the last 7 or 8 years, we have had an amazing group of friends of which she & her husband are truly the nucleus.

We all started out single.  All but one of us are married (or engaged).  Ironically, it’s one of the most outgoing of us too…me.  It seems that South Bend hasn’t been the place for me to find my soul mate.  As it stands, there is really only one other friend who could potentially get married, but they haven’t set a date.  It is just me.  I did sorta date one guy a few years back, but realized that when it came to the kisses, that never happened.  Then one day, he declared his love…to a man named Josh.  Although he pronounced it “Yosh” since he had an accent.  The other sorta situation was with someone I had known for years and that was just all sorts of dysfunctional, “You misunderstood what I meant when I said I was falling in love with you, I meant as a friend all over again.”  Yeah…sure…

My company, which I love, has been encouraging us to work from home.  It really didn’t appeal to me since I live alone and am single.  But, all of my team are now working from home…I decided that if I can work from home, I would rather be in a place that has more to offer.  I had always loved Indianapolis and left under horrible circumstances.  I had tried to get back there when I was looking for all of the jobs that I have had in South Bend.  It’s not that the city has been bad to me.  Again, I have amazing friends, but they all have families that they have started and here I sit alone at home typing a blog.

It was a tough decision.  Not only do I love my friends, but my house is quite fabulous too.  It’s nothing fancy, but it has everything I wanted, except a dishwasher.  But, it is just a house; the home I get to take with me.

Right after I declared my intention to move, my dear friend of 14 years told me that she was expecting her 1st child.  My heart sank.  Now? Really?  It has complicated the decision, but I know she wouldn’t expect or want me to stay for her if it is what I feel that I need to do. 

Once I mentioned it to my neighbor, her friend’s kid came to my door and asked to buy my house.  For real.  I agreed to the price.  And almost a  month later, I haven’t heard a word from them.  This is frustrating because I found a house that I fell in love with in Indy.  So, I have contacted a realtor and have asked them to put my house on the market, a few months before I had intended.  But, I don’t want to miss out on that house now.

I am not sure what the future holds or how much longer I will be able to look out the beautiful picture bay window while sitting by the fire in my navy living room.  And, I don’t know what adventures Indy may hold for me.  And I wonder how soon I will find out…