Trick Or Treat At Work

So tomorrow is Halloween. At work we are trick or treating. How fun is that? We were given these "porch lights" to hang outside our cubes. Its a picture of a porch light printed on a piece of paper. So when we want visitors to come by, we put the porch light on the outside of our cube. And everyone can walk around and trick or treat.

So we can bring in whatever treats we want. So Im sure there will be some great baked goods. But me? Yeah Im lame, I just bought candy. And speaking of candy...I cant believe how expensive it is! I spent $15 on 3 bags of candy. Thats insane. How can people afford to pass out candy at that price?! Im sure I could of picked up some tasty treats at the bakery for that much!

So while I would of liked to have some cute Halloween themed baked treats. Im just not that talented. I want people to at least eat the treats I bring. LOL I got Reese's (my favorite), skittles, starbursts, and rice crispie treats. I ran short on time tonight to. Spent 2 hours at the vet with Rusty (and still not sure what is wrong with him), and Im pretty sure Im coming down with a cold. The sinus thing is going on, achey body, and a cough is coming on. Not fun.

So do you think a lot of work will get done tomorrow as we all are dozing off at our desks while in a sugar comas?

Road Trip Wedding

Grant and I have been toying around with an idea Grant had a few weeks ago on a road trip wedding. When we realized that we cant really afford to go to Hawaii for our wedding and honeymoon, and still have the at home reception we want to have...we knew we would have to start researching other options. Two of our favorite spots in the U.S were Sanibel Island, FL. Or someplace in Arizona. We have been wanting to take a road trip ever since we bought our mini cooper last year. It would be so much fun to wrap the wedding into a trip like that. Since its just going to be Grant and I at the wedding,this sounds like the perfect plan.

When you think of destination wedding, and eloping...you image something tropical, relaxing, breathtaking, etc. Like Mexico, Jamaica, Virgin Islands, etc. But this trip sounds just as fun to me and I think could fullfill those elements to us. We are easily pleased. We arent like most people, we always like to be different and out of the norm. :) And while driving across the U.S. may not sound relaxing....I disagree. Motoring across the U.S. in the mini cooper sounds pretty relaxing to me :)

We can map out places we want to stop in and see along the way. Its like planning a few mini trips into one big trip. We will probably be able to find cheaper places than if we were to stay in some tropical place for 5-7 nights. When we were researching places outside the U.S. as in condos, hotels, etc they were pretty pricey. Double sometimes triple of what hotels will cost us on this trip. Although Mexico does have its benefits with their all inclusive packages. LOL But on a road trip I defintely think you would find better prices for your buck - for budget couples like us ;) Maybe not as five star, but sometimes its not about that. And there is always the thought of staying at a few B&B or cottage type places. Which gives a romantic, cozy feeling to me.

The wedding would be on Sanibel Island. And of course we would do a few romantic days on a resort there, and enjoy the beautiful island and all it has to offer. And than head off for more exploring within the state before we head back home. So I started some research today on Sanibel. Before I knew it 5 hours has gone by! There is so much info out there. So added to our list is a possible road trip wedding. Im sure our minds will change again before the end of the year. We decided that we will make a definite decision in the beginning of 2009 on what we are going to do. We will put a deposit down at that time. So we still have more time to research. We definitely want to try to do an Oct or Nov 2009 wedding.

This idea is really sticking with me though. Its something Ive always wanted to do, and would just be an awesome way to start off our new life together. Although laying on the beach in Jamaica or Mexico doesnt sound to bad either. :p

One problem we will have, both of us are so indecisive! I know whatever we decide it will still be the trip of a lifetime :)

Warrior Within

So today I took a four hour self defense class with the Pink Ladies. It was so much fun, and really informative! The class was at a Innergetics, a small martial arts studio. The instructor was a retired Detroit police officer.

The first two hours was going over scenarios, and how to prevent crimes. While a lot of that stuff seems like common sense, its amazing on how much stuff you do that really does open you up to the opportunity to be a victim of a crime. The second two hours, we went over basic self defense moves, kicks, punches, and safe ways to fall. The instructor kept telling us that woman are the warriors. Everyone of us has a warrior inside just waiting to come out. And once you got in those positions, protecting yourself, and throwing those punches and kicks...I truly did feel the warrior coming out. I felt strong. I could feel the ROAR coming out. Cheesy right? Yeah I know Im a big cheeseball sometimes.

Some of things we learned were.....when someone grabs your arms or hands and wont let go..how to get out of their grasp. When your in a bar and that one guy wont leave you alone and wants to dance...we learned how to tell him no, get out of his grasp, and push him down. We learned how to get out of choke holds, stop a choke hold before it happens, and from being attacked at the throat from behind. We also practice on how to do many different kicks. My favorite part was the punches. Being a girl I always thought I had "girl punches". So it was fun to punch and feel like your really kicking some butt! Than we learned how to fall safely. Which was harder than you think! And lastly, we learned if you were jumped on and arms were held while in a bed, from front and back, how to throw the man off of you.

Id definitely be interesting in practicing more of this in a studio. While its a great workout, there is also something empowering about being able to protect yourself for what may happen to you in the real world. Having the tools to not feel fear, or to face your fears in any situation. While there is such a physical part to this, there is also a very big mental aspect to. Finding your inner peace, and building the strength inside as well as the outside. Lately Ive really been trying to work on that, inner peace.

One of my coworkers practices a form of martial arts. She just got involved with it the last few months. And to hear her stories about class, about how its helping her through a difficult time in her life is really inspiring. I can feel the excitement in her expressions and words. I can see her transforming, and its pretty exciting.

Im glad we took the class. And the instructor said he will do a 4 hour part 2 class for us. So hopefully we will get signed up for that again. Im really enjoying trying out all these new classes. Its opening up possibilities that I really never thought of before. Now to decide which ones I want to follow through with.....decisions. Decisions.

Why am I so tired?

Seriously. Now I have a thyroid disease so am tired pretty much all the time. But I have been working out more and more and Im still exhausted. Drained. Tired.

I went to Jazzercise today, and I was yawning through the whole workout. Yawning? Seriously? And yesterday I ran and did Yoga. Isnt this working out gig suppose to give me energy?

I cant wait till I get in to see the new endocrinologist. Its not till December 23rd though. Which is really a long time away when your feel crappy health wise all the time. I may start searching to see if I can find someone sooner. I hate feeling like crap.

On that note, this entry is a whining entry. I thought I would have better things to talk about tonight, but all I can think about is laying my head down on my pillow. So to the bed I go.

Weekend Updates

Its been an eventful weekend to say the least. I had some good quality time with friends and family. It started on Thursday. I went with the PL to see Josh Blue. He his the comedian that won last comic standing. He was hilarious. Seriously, I havent laughed that hard in a long time! Grant would of loved him, so I got him the DVD. :)

Friday was a pretty low key night. We just hung out at home getting chores done, and catching up on some tv.

Saturday I was heading over to Wendi's for a spa/game night. Crazy combo? More like fun combo! There was about 15 of us there. And we got mani/pedi's, massages, and than played some games. We played American Idol on the WII. I even got up and sang. Can you believe that?! I sang tainted love. LOL And we all were taught the cupid shuffle. Damn I have no rhythm. I am so akward looking when I dance. At least I think so. Im sure people dont even care what I look like. I like hanging with these girls, they are pulling me right out of my shell. Something that is good for me :)

Sunday was a little to heavy for me. I went over my sister, Kellys, house. And my other sister, Robin, and all my newphews and niece were over. It was my newphews birthday, and the kids were carving their pumpkins. We had a discussion about the event of spreading my dads ashes. Since I have chosen to not go due to the issues my mother and I are having, I let them in on that. They surprised me with telling me that they will not do this without me. They have already tried to talk my mom from going, but she is refusing. So they are going to talk to her again. They thought they could set boundaries with her, that she can not talk about her "new life", or try to make amends with me. But they know is she agrees with that, she wont be able to stick with it. So think its best if we go on two separate trips. Now to just get her to split up the ashes may be a difficult task. We shall see where that goes. It was nice to hear them support my decision. I just dont want this situation turn into a negative experience. Its a time to remember the memory of my dad, and I just dont think I can do that with my mom there, nor do I think she can do this without making the weekend about her.

I cant believe the things my mother is doing right now. I dont understand her, and never will.

So it was a good mixture this weekend, except trying to deal with the feelings with my mother. Spending time with the PL has really helped my moods lately though, they are a fun bunch of girls :)

Happy Octa-Versary To Us!

So yesterday, 10/14, was our 8 year anniversary :) And our last "dating" anniversary before our wedding. (we think, although we haven't set a date so aren't sure on that one!)

So to celebrate the amazing day, we did the typical date night. We went to dinner at Paul's Chop House. Their food is soooo good. I wish we could afford to eat food like that every day! lol We both got filets. Yum yum. We saved a little bit for the dogs since we felt so guilty for leaving them so soon after we got home.

After dinner we headed over to the movies. We decided to see Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. I love Michael Cera. *swwooooonnn* He would of so been my boyfriend in highschool. It was a really cute movie. One of those feel good movies, that make you warm and fuzzy inside :) Perfect movie for an anniversary date. (Better than Juno, IMO!) We did had some annoying kids sitting behind us in the theater. It never fails when we go to the movies. Does that mean we are getting old? tee hee I said kids, yep Im getting old. They were more like highschoolers :p

When we got home we spoiled the dogs with the steaks, caught up on some Internet time, and enjoyed desert. I picked up some bakery goods at the Sweetheart Bakery. Soooo yummie. And enjoyed each other to of course ;)

Grant got me a cute wife anniversary card, and in front of the word wife he wrote, to my soon to be...it makes me giddy thinking about it :) And a Gerber Daisy plant! I LOVE Gerber Daisies. I'm not so great with plants, so I hope I dont kill it! And he got one of my overly emotional cards (Im known for that) , and some delicious cupcakes. He was quite excited about them, which made me happy. A way to a mans heart....sweets! I should learn to bake so I can make them for him next time. Maybe Ill have Danita give me baking lessons :)

It was a great anniversary :) I think about the last 8 years, and we have been through so much. Good times and bad times. And we have grown so much into a couple. It really has been an amazing 8 years. And Im excited to see what the future brings to us. I cant wait to marry this man!

Phew! Im Out Of Shape!

So Ive decided to start running again. Just a short 5 months ago I ran in my first ever half marathon. It was absolutely amazing, and I felt like I was in the best shape of my life! The summer came, and I didnt want to run in the heat, and going through the things I was going through..I decided to take a break from running. Now that Im starting again, I wish I didnt take a break. LOL

So last weekend I got out there and ran 3.75 miles with no problem. It must have been a whim. Because today I felt like I was going to die! Since I was able to push out 3.75 miles last weekend, I decided that I will run the 10k on Thanksgiving vs the 5k. Why not. I like the longer distance. Ive ran in 5ks, 4 milers, 10ks, and half marathon. And 10k was always a fun distance to me. It will make me strive a little bit harder than if I was training for a 5k. So Ive set up a schedule from now till Thanksgiving, so I have 7 weeks to get my ass in shape!

Running has always been the best cardio for me. I see the results I want, and I feel great when Im done. Even with how hard it can feel while Im doing it. I also love being outside and active. Your among other active people. And you get that special nod, wave, or smile when you pass each other. Its pretty damn cool. And it was a beautiful evening. The sky was a pretty blue, the clouds were fluffy, and the sun was just setting. It was beautiful out. I love outdoors :)

So today was Day 1 of the training program. I ran 2.5 miles, and it took me about 35 minutes with cool down. A little on the slow side, but I was moving the whole time. Which was my goal. I was huffing and puffing like Puff the Magic Dragon. Seriously I thought I was going to keel over. Than I thought about when I was finishing that half marathon this past May, and kept right on moving. It will get easier, with time and consistency. And I have to admit I was pretty happy that I have a 2.5 mile base. I thought Id be right back at square one. With running/walking rotated every 60/90 seconds!

So a 10k in 7 weeks. I can so do this.

Finding Our Destination

So Grant and I got engaged this past April. Sadly my dad passed away a few weeks after we got engaged. So in the midst of grieving, we decided to put the wedding plans on hold till the fall.

Well now that fall is here, and everyone seems to be anxious to find out our date, so we have touched the topic of where again. We have decided that we are eloping, with just the two of us. Most people know this, so I wonder why the date is still a question most ask. Anyways, so we had our hearts set on Hawaii. But realistically we are not going to be able to afford Hawaii. Getting married in Hawaii and having our honeymoon there, and than having a at home reception will be way over our budget. So now we begin some extensive research.

We have decided to research the following locations: Hawaii, Sanibel Island, Vancouver, Lake Tahoe, Key West, Arizona, San Juan, Sandals, Virgin Islands, Bahamas, Cayman Island, and Mexico. Phew! What a list eh?

We have tossed around the idea of going to Sanibel Island by driving there. Making it one big road trip. I dont know about driving 20 hours straight there. But Id be up for the adventure of stopping by a few places on the way there. That would be fun. Especially in Sgt Pepper, aka our mini cooper. I have to admit Sanibel has one of my higher votes right now :)

I also really like the idea of Vancouver. I hear its beautiful there, and its just different than the norm place to get married.

Once everything is in black and white. All the different costs, and different times of the year we can go...hopefully we can make a well rounded decision. I have a feeling that decision isnt going to be as easy as we think though. lol

Pink Ladies

So I browse meetup.com from time to time to see if there are groups maybe I could join and meet new friends. Since my dad passed, and with all the changes Ive gone through in the last few months it seems my friends have become more sporadic. Im not sure if its me sheltering myself from them, or its them not knowing how to be there for me. All in all, it just sucks. I have heard that when someone loses a parent, that a lot of friends exit, and new friends enter. Sometimes people cant handle that you've changed and want the old you back. Or simply just dont know how to be there for you, so you need to tell them. (But Im not sure how I need them to be there, at least not right now.) New friends never knew the old you, so can be there for you in ways maybe your old friends cant. Not that Im looking for friends to help me grieve so to speak. But really just missing the connection of friends. I would love to just go out and laugh. Have fun again. Not be so sad. With new friends that sometimes can be easier since they dont know everything that has happened, ya know?

So Ive decided to make a more conscious effort to find new friends. Not lock myself up in the house with my depression. And hopefully one day Ill be able to reconnect with those old friends, once I get more into the healing process and better understand how hard it was for them or that they didnt know what to do.

So I joined one group but only made it to one get together where one other person showed up. I did fall upon this other group called the Pink Ladies. Now first I love anything Pink. And second I LOVE GREASE! So of course I joined. Its a group of woman from late 20's to early 40's. This group is so active. There are meetups going on all month. From 2-4 a week sometimes. And the range of activities is fun. Stuff I like, and stuff Id love to try. When I joined it was right after the Boston 3 Day, so I didnt get a chance to get out to anything. And than I was fundraising and training for Michigan, so I didnt get out to anything in September either. But now that the 3 day season is over, I can start meeting up with these ladies. So this past Friday I went to my first meetup. Dinner, Movie, and Drinks.

I had a blast! These woman were so welcoming. They were really easy to talk to, and I felt like I had known them for years. We went to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, than went and saw the movie, How to Lose Friends and Alienate People. Great movie by the way :) Than grabbed a few drinks at Buffalo Wild Wings afterwards. Im glad that I decided to step out of my comfort zone and go. Im really looking forward to getting to know these woman better. This was just the type of group I was looking for. :)

Dear Dad,

Hi Dad,

How are you? I know your doing great. Me? Not so great. I never realized how hard life would be without you in it. At times I wonder if I took you for granted. I wish I would of made more time to visit, or did more daughter/father days. I know you know how much I love you though. Since you have been gone things feel so chaotic. The family feels like its there, but not in the same way. I walked in the 3 day this weekend. It felt weird to not have you there. I could feel your presence though. You were with me every step, and let me tell you it was not an easy walk. But my favorite by far. Those HILLS are killer, but worth every step. We raised $7.2 million, can you believe it?!

Are you having fun with Sadie? Give her tons of kisses from me. Rusty is adjusting quite well to our household. You should see Bandito and him play. They love to play tug-a-war. Vinyl is even giving him kisses now. Its really cute. Now if I could just get him to stop snoring in my ear so I can get a little bit better nights sleep. lol

Well I just needed a place to talk to you. Let you know I love you, and miss you dearly. I cant wait till one day when we get to see each other again. I know that will be quite sometime, so maybe Ill see you in my dreams soon.

Love and miss you dearly,
Melissa