Well, friends, here's the update for my goals for this week! You'll recall from earlier this week that I wanted to publicly set a few goals in order to help myself stay accountable before I leave for a couple of weeks!Check out my "New Digs" post. (SKYE: you still have to teach me how to do links!)
1. I haven't quite stopped eating like a horse and gotten back on track. I am down a smidge on the scale from earlier this week, but still up about 6 pounds in general. And I am about 9 pounds away from my ideal weight. This is a weight that is healthy for me, where I feel good and look good. It's nothing too drastic, but it sure is hard to get there!
2. I have been to the gym only once this week. I am planning to go today after work. I am realizing/remembering how difficult it is for me to work out after work. I am way more of a morning person, especially in the working out department. I am not the crazy morning person type- you know, those people who are just so happy and perky? I am NOT one of those, but I tend to get a lot more accomplished in the morning, than I do in the afternoon. I had my gym bag all packed yesterday morning to go after work yesterday afternoon. But a sudden and fierce wave of sleepiness came over me; so I went home instead. Today will be day 2 of working out, though.
3. We will be bowling tomorrow!!! We didn't go last week, because of the move, but we are going tomorrow. I actually have a much needed massage scheduled for tomorrow at 10am; so we will head to the lanes after that. I am so looking forward to both: massage and bowling. I am also sure that we'll do some other stuff while we are here in town.
4. The dining room is almost completely unpacked!!! I have one box left; it is full of some antique salt and pepper shakers that used to belong to my grandmother, Lois. There are a few other things in there, which is why I need to unpack the box, but because it is mostly S/P shakers, I haven't touched it. Otherwise, the "bar" is unpacked (This is really just a chest that we use to hold our wine glasses and koozies, but it's more fun to call it the "bar."); the china is put away. The napkins, place mats, and table cloths have found their place!
5. Haven't touched the A/C unit. Although I really can't be blamed for this... It has been raining off and on (mostly on) for the past few days here. While I would normally find this very annoying, we are currently experiencing a drought in SE LA, so I can't complain. We haven't had rain like this for months. So, the A/C window unit not getting in hasn't been the worst thing in the world. Although, I would really love to help Jared get that done before I leave... Perhaps the rain will hold off a little today!
That's it for now. I will post our scores tomorrow, hopefully! And then you won't here from me for a week!
Thursday, June 23, 2011
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Salt
I would love to say that this post is about something very deep and wonderful, like the passage from Matthew's sermon on the mount about being salt and light, or even talking about how I think people from the Midwest are the salt of the earth, but it's not.
It's not even remotely related to salt in a metaphorical way. It's not complicated; it's not terribly unique. It's not even that interesting, but it's something I love.
I LOVE SALTY SNACKS!
I much prefer salty and savory foods to sweet things. When I get stressed out or tired or emotional, I reach for salty snacks, not sweet ones. I love tortilla chips with a passion! I love popcorn, particularly cooked on the stove in some oil. I love the combination of crunchy and salty. It can't be beat!
Today is a day where I am a little stressed. The unpacking is going well, but I have that whole mission trip thing that is going on at work... and that's what's stressing me out. I feel like Jessie Spano in the "Saved By the Bell" episode where she's hooked on the caffeine pills and she says, "There's never enough time!" But I am not hooked on caffeine pills; I'm hooked on salt. Delicious salt.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post a quick note on salt. I think this would have been too long for Facebook...
It's not even remotely related to salt in a metaphorical way. It's not complicated; it's not terribly unique. It's not even that interesting, but it's something I love.
I LOVE SALTY SNACKS!
I much prefer salty and savory foods to sweet things. When I get stressed out or tired or emotional, I reach for salty snacks, not sweet ones. I love tortilla chips with a passion! I love popcorn, particularly cooked on the stove in some oil. I love the combination of crunchy and salty. It can't be beat!
Today is a day where I am a little stressed. The unpacking is going well, but I have that whole mission trip thing that is going on at work... and that's what's stressing me out. I feel like Jessie Spano in the "Saved By the Bell" episode where she's hooked on the caffeine pills and she says, "There's never enough time!" But I am not hooked on caffeine pills; I'm hooked on salt. Delicious salt.
Anyway, I just thought I'd post a quick note on salt. I think this would have been too long for Facebook...
Monday, June 20, 2011
New Digs
Well, we made it! We have moved into our new parsonage, and Jared has had his first Sunday at the new church! I will have some photos up soon... But between trying to unpack quickly and preparing for the youth mission trip (that I am doing) on Saturday, it's been a little busy around here.
Needless to say, we didn't go bowling last Friday. We were unpacking instead. We also haven't been for a run in a while; we were unpacking instead. And we haven't been eating very well... we were unpacking instead. The one thing that I can say for us is that we've been reading the Bible, even though we've been unpacking! We are trying to make it through the whole thing, start to finish, in one year. It breaks down to about 3 chapters per day. We did get behind during the move, but we caught back up yesterday.
We've had a lot of friends to support us during this time. We couldn't have done the move out or the move in without the help of my in-laws! John and Marie are the best in-laws anyone could ask for--they even had our nieces last week, while Jared's brother and sister-in-law were on vacation; and they still came to help us unpack, not once, but twice! On top of that, our wonderful friend Mrs. Jones came to help out, too! (Yes, the same one who we went bowling with the week before!) She brought her sweet 6 month old baby over to help me unpack! We have the best friends!
And yesterday at the 11am service at the new church, our close friends Allison & Charlie came to church! It was such a wonderful surprise that I almost started crying!
For accountability purposes, I am going to put a few goals up here. I will update you on Friday, before I leave for the mission trip.
My goals are as follows:
1. Stop eating like a horse and get back on track.
2. Work out 3 times this week.
3. Go bowling with Jared before I leave for the trip.
4. Start unpacking the dining room.
5. Get the A/C window unit and curtains installed in the master bedroom.
That should be sufficient for the next 5 days! Wish me luck!
Needless to say, we didn't go bowling last Friday. We were unpacking instead. We also haven't been for a run in a while; we were unpacking instead. And we haven't been eating very well... we were unpacking instead. The one thing that I can say for us is that we've been reading the Bible, even though we've been unpacking! We are trying to make it through the whole thing, start to finish, in one year. It breaks down to about 3 chapters per day. We did get behind during the move, but we caught back up yesterday.
We've had a lot of friends to support us during this time. We couldn't have done the move out or the move in without the help of my in-laws! John and Marie are the best in-laws anyone could ask for--they even had our nieces last week, while Jared's brother and sister-in-law were on vacation; and they still came to help us unpack, not once, but twice! On top of that, our wonderful friend Mrs. Jones came to help out, too! (Yes, the same one who we went bowling with the week before!) She brought her sweet 6 month old baby over to help me unpack! We have the best friends!
And yesterday at the 11am service at the new church, our close friends Allison & Charlie came to church! It was such a wonderful surprise that I almost started crying!
For accountability purposes, I am going to put a few goals up here. I will update you on Friday, before I leave for the mission trip.
My goals are as follows:
1. Stop eating like a horse and get back on track.
2. Work out 3 times this week.
3. Go bowling with Jared before I leave for the trip.
4. Start unpacking the dining room.
5. Get the A/C window unit and curtains installed in the master bedroom.
That should be sufficient for the next 5 days! Wish me luck!
Monday, June 13, 2011
Rolling with the Jones Trio!
Friday night we bowled at our favorite lanes, Circle Bowl, with some wonderful friends here in BR. Our friends have been married about as long as we have (2 years today, BTW). And they had their first baby in December. So, all three of them came out to roll with us on Friday night! It was great fun, even though it wasn't my best work. :)
The last couple of weeks have done a number on my diet and exercise. Our eating has been out of control and very difficult to reign in. Our fitness has been very sporadic and inconsistent. Moving really does take a toll on all of the wonderful routines you set up for yourself. Not to mention the fact that the NBA finals have really messed with my sleep schedule, but thanks to my Dallas Mavericks, I won't have to worry about that anymore!!!
To make a long post short, I am ready to move. We are almost completely packed, just the small stuff left. Jared calls this the period of the "stuff boxes." This includes finding random "stuff" and putting it into a box labeled "stuff." So, we are in the "stuff" period. We really just have to pack our overnight bags, a few last minute things in the kitchen, and our freezer full of meat. I am sure we'll have a few "stuff" boxes to go into that mix, but we are pretty much done!
Movers come on Thursday morning!!! Really looking forward to getting our home transported to a new house and making that new house our new home!
The last couple of weeks have done a number on my diet and exercise. Our eating has been out of control and very difficult to reign in. Our fitness has been very sporadic and inconsistent. Moving really does take a toll on all of the wonderful routines you set up for yourself. Not to mention the fact that the NBA finals have really messed with my sleep schedule, but thanks to my Dallas Mavericks, I won't have to worry about that anymore!!!
To make a long post short, I am ready to move. We are almost completely packed, just the small stuff left. Jared calls this the period of the "stuff boxes." This includes finding random "stuff" and putting it into a box labeled "stuff." So, we are in the "stuff" period. We really just have to pack our overnight bags, a few last minute things in the kitchen, and our freezer full of meat. I am sure we'll have a few "stuff" boxes to go into that mix, but we are pretty much done!
Movers come on Thursday morning!!! Really looking forward to getting our home transported to a new house and making that new house our new home!
Tuesday, June 7, 2011
My First Photo
Thanks to my wonderful friend, Skye, for posting on her blog how to post pictures! Here's a good one of Jared after he rolled a strike, I think.
Now, if I can only figure out how to make this look like it's just the rounded edges and not the outline with rounded edges inside... Skye!!!
Now, if I can only figure out how to make this look like it's just the rounded edges and not the outline with rounded edges inside... Skye!!!
Monday, June 6, 2011
Stuffed to the Brim
Life is full right now, very full. This is the kind of full that is past the point of feeling satisfied. In Weight Watchers, they talk about feeling satisfied, as opposed to feeling stuffed. I am more than satisfied right now. My life is full, very full.
This weekend, Jared and I took a break and went to Biloxi, MS for a mini-vacation, a very full mini-vacation. We had originally planned a nice, long trip to Hawaii for our 2nd anniversary. But then we got the call from the District Superintendent of the LAUMC to ask if Jared would be interested in and willing to move to a new church this year. What an opportunity! We couldn't pass it up. So, Hawaii will wait; and Biloxi is only 2 and a half hours away.
The night we arrived, we went to eat at a Memphis style BBQ restaurant located at the Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino. We ate and ate and ate. The next day we slept in, which is something that I don't really do anymore. So, we went to the gym and did a quick 2 mile jog on the treadmills. We had hoped to run along Beach Blvd., but by the time we actually got up, it was over 90 degrees F; and we weren't going to put ourselves through that heat.
We had a quick "blunch" (a term coined by my husband- somewhere between brunch and lunch, I think). The blunch was exciting because it was the first time that Jared has ever had a mocha. Jared is not a coffee drinker. His family primarily drinks tea for the designated breakfast drink. And a few years ago I developed acid reflux, so I gave up coffee and switched to tea, as well. But Jared decided that he wanted to learn to like coffee, so we ordered him a mocha. He drank it. It was an exciting day for the Williams in Biloxi!
Next we went to the local bowling alley! Island Strikz is the name. Other than the two unaccompanied minors two lanes over from us, it was a very enjoyable experience. (Although the two young boys were unaccompanied minors, they eventually picked up on the concept of lane courtesy! Exciting day, indeed!) Our scores were as follows:
Game 1
Jared- 145
Alina- 159
Game 2
Jared- 150
Alina- 181
Game 3
Jared- 120
Alina- 116
Game 4
Jared- 173
Alina- 124
You can see that I tapered off as the hour went on- my elbow became a little sore and I was getting tired. This is pretty normal for me. But as Jared's hour went on, he actually worked out some of the soreness that he was still feeling from last week's bowl-a-thon at the All Nighter.
After bowling, we shopped... a LOT! Great fun! We got some new sunglasses and new clothes. We also needed some "nice" clothes for the dinner reservations we had made at BR Prime for later that night. Gulfport, MS has a great outlet mall, which is only about 10 minutes away from Biloxi. And the car was very, very full on the way home.
At BR Prime we ate a lot of food... We were very, very full. You might even say that we were stuffed. It was delicious and very nice, but we ate a bit too much. So much, in fact, that I awoke in the morning and headed out for a 3 mile walk along Beach Blvd. It was lovely. There were some early birds out walking, as well as a number of folks who I can only assume slept on or near the beach. One such gentleman saw me walking from a distance; when I got closer he yelled out, "Hey, miss! You should come walk on this sand if you really want to get that heart going!" It was funny. I smiled back at him and kept walking on the sidewalk: my dad has told me horror stories about football practice in Cuba- the coach used to make them train in the sand!
On the way back to the red stick, we ate some Cane's chicken fingers, which were delicious, as always; but I drove back very full, again. Full Alina; full Jared; full car. Just plain full.
Upon arrival at our approximately 1100 square foot parsonage, I remembered why it was so nice to leave: there are boxes EVERYWHERE!!! We are moving in a little over a week. We have a lot of stuff, but most of it was hidden away in closets, under beds, and/or in its proper storage cabinet/shelf. And now, all the stuff is everywhere. It's all packed into boxes, but then the boxes are taking over our house! Our house is full of boxes; stuffed full of boxes!
The new parsonage is a bit bigger than the current one, but I am quickly realizing that we will have stuff everywhere in the new house. I have 6 shopping bags full of stuff to give to Goodwill today in the back of my car. My car is full, once again.
All of this begs the following questions: why do we have so much stuff? Why do we feed ourselves to the point of feeling stuffed? Why do we fill our lives and our homes with stuff that we don't need? Why do we take up so much space (we, ourselves, and our stuff)? Are we really being good stewards of all that God has given us? And are we really convinced that just because we can afford "it," then "it" must be a gift from God?
This weekend, Jared and I took a break and went to Biloxi, MS for a mini-vacation, a very full mini-vacation. We had originally planned a nice, long trip to Hawaii for our 2nd anniversary. But then we got the call from the District Superintendent of the LAUMC to ask if Jared would be interested in and willing to move to a new church this year. What an opportunity! We couldn't pass it up. So, Hawaii will wait; and Biloxi is only 2 and a half hours away.
The night we arrived, we went to eat at a Memphis style BBQ restaurant located at the Beau Rivage Hotel & Casino. We ate and ate and ate. The next day we slept in, which is something that I don't really do anymore. So, we went to the gym and did a quick 2 mile jog on the treadmills. We had hoped to run along Beach Blvd., but by the time we actually got up, it was over 90 degrees F; and we weren't going to put ourselves through that heat.
We had a quick "blunch" (a term coined by my husband- somewhere between brunch and lunch, I think). The blunch was exciting because it was the first time that Jared has ever had a mocha. Jared is not a coffee drinker. His family primarily drinks tea for the designated breakfast drink. And a few years ago I developed acid reflux, so I gave up coffee and switched to tea, as well. But Jared decided that he wanted to learn to like coffee, so we ordered him a mocha. He drank it. It was an exciting day for the Williams in Biloxi!
Next we went to the local bowling alley! Island Strikz is the name. Other than the two unaccompanied minors two lanes over from us, it was a very enjoyable experience. (Although the two young boys were unaccompanied minors, they eventually picked up on the concept of lane courtesy! Exciting day, indeed!) Our scores were as follows:
Game 1
Jared- 145
Alina- 159
Game 2
Jared- 150
Alina- 181
Game 3
Jared- 120
Alina- 116
Game 4
Jared- 173
Alina- 124
You can see that I tapered off as the hour went on- my elbow became a little sore and I was getting tired. This is pretty normal for me. But as Jared's hour went on, he actually worked out some of the soreness that he was still feeling from last week's bowl-a-thon at the All Nighter.
After bowling, we shopped... a LOT! Great fun! We got some new sunglasses and new clothes. We also needed some "nice" clothes for the dinner reservations we had made at BR Prime for later that night. Gulfport, MS has a great outlet mall, which is only about 10 minutes away from Biloxi. And the car was very, very full on the way home.
At BR Prime we ate a lot of food... We were very, very full. You might even say that we were stuffed. It was delicious and very nice, but we ate a bit too much. So much, in fact, that I awoke in the morning and headed out for a 3 mile walk along Beach Blvd. It was lovely. There were some early birds out walking, as well as a number of folks who I can only assume slept on or near the beach. One such gentleman saw me walking from a distance; when I got closer he yelled out, "Hey, miss! You should come walk on this sand if you really want to get that heart going!" It was funny. I smiled back at him and kept walking on the sidewalk: my dad has told me horror stories about football practice in Cuba- the coach used to make them train in the sand!
On the way back to the red stick, we ate some Cane's chicken fingers, which were delicious, as always; but I drove back very full, again. Full Alina; full Jared; full car. Just plain full.
Upon arrival at our approximately 1100 square foot parsonage, I remembered why it was so nice to leave: there are boxes EVERYWHERE!!! We are moving in a little over a week. We have a lot of stuff, but most of it was hidden away in closets, under beds, and/or in its proper storage cabinet/shelf. And now, all the stuff is everywhere. It's all packed into boxes, but then the boxes are taking over our house! Our house is full of boxes; stuffed full of boxes!
The new parsonage is a bit bigger than the current one, but I am quickly realizing that we will have stuff everywhere in the new house. I have 6 shopping bags full of stuff to give to Goodwill today in the back of my car. My car is full, once again.
All of this begs the following questions: why do we have so much stuff? Why do we feed ourselves to the point of feeling stuffed? Why do we fill our lives and our homes with stuff that we don't need? Why do we take up so much space (we, ourselves, and our stuff)? Are we really being good stewards of all that God has given us? And are we really convinced that just because we can afford "it," then "it" must be a gift from God?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)