Checking out

Well dear readers, this is it. The last post before I venture off to the Caribbean for 7 days.

And this is a total cop out because, well, my brain's just not in it today. But I wanted to stop by and let you know that I'll be thinking about you the entire time.

Okay, so really I just wanted to tell you that I won't have any updates until early April. Yeah...too lazy to line up guest posters.

So, I'm off to finish up some work and get some packing done. Hope y'all enjoy the next week.

Cheers!

-A

Confined to a padded room

That's where I should be right about now.

Typically, I'm not much of a clumsy person - sure, I have my blonde moments as expected, but they usually don't put myself or others in danger.

Well I'm not entirely sure what's going on today, but there has been a string of events this morning that has me concerned for what's to come.

-When I opened the refrigerator to get water to take to work, a very juicy melon rolled out and splattered it's stickiness all over the floor and my feet. Then I hit myself in the shin with the door. And I never did get any water.

-In an effort to give my pasty white legs a little boost of color before the cruise, I sprayed on some self-tanner last night. Not only did I manage to produce unnatural orange streaks that spiral down my legs, but the bottoms of my feet are now officially Longhorns fans. Who knew walking barefoot in the bathroom post-spray was a bad idea?

-While getting out of my car I caught the heel of my shoe on my seat belt - don't ask how - and twisted my knee. Pretty sure the popping sound that ensued wasn't healthy.

-Upon opening my yogurt cup, I was welcomed by three large splatters projectliling onto my face.

-Since I never did get water at home, I stopped at a store in my building to get a bottle. After paying I managed to knock over the bottle on the counter, subsequently spilling the entire community penny tray onto the counter and the floor.

-With all the commotion this morning I forgot to put on makeup. Luckily I carry a few staples with me in case of emergency. Let's just say I still can't remove all the particles of mascara that made it into my right eye and leave it at that, shall we?

And now I have to do my best to concentrate at the office while remaining relatively injury free. Oy, it's going to be a long day.

Cheers!

-A

My very own confessional

In sticking with my recent list theme, it seemed like a good idea to get a few things out in the open.

Believe it or not, I have flaws.

*GASP* - I know, you couldn't believe it either.

But believe it people, and there's more than you might think. Some of which I seriously need to work on.

And what a better way to kick my ass into gear than to share these issues on the interwebs for all to see, and subsequently mock me for.

No, ending sentences with prepositions is not on the list...apparently it should be.

Oh Lord -- on that note:

1) I am a social media over-sharer - as you're about to find out first hand.

2) Sometimes I like really bad music - currently, I'm listening to Nickelback's "Gotta be somebody." Yes, as someone who preaches her hatred for this group, I'm extremely embarrassed!

3) I procrastinate constantly - not just at work, but generally in life as well. Last year my boss told me I was an adrenaline junkie during my review. I'm pretty sure he wasn't complimenting me.

4) After the SO sleeps over, I use his pillow - it still smells like him, and for some reason that makes falling asleep a little easier. Sorry for the mush...but it's true.

5) My spending is OUT OF CONTROL - how is it possible that the economy is doing so bad when I'm out there feeding it daily?! This needs to be nipped in the bud immediately! Saving tips appreciated...

6) Keeping in touch with friends is hard - unfortunately, after college my friends and I scattered across the country for job offers, because even back then jobs in Michigan were scarce. And now we're all so busy with our careers and separate lives that phone calls are few and far between. Luckily this summer some of us are having a little reunion in LA, but that's not enough to tide me over. I dream everyday about living in the same city with them again....sigh.

7) It's rare that I disconnect - from phone, Internet, I even have Facebook on my Blackberry - probably for the reason above. I fear losing touch altogether. Though I never, ever take my phone into the gym or on a run with me. Gotta have some Ashley time every now and again.

And with #7 we loop back into being an online over-sharer. Though y'all seem to enjoy it so maybe I'm doing something right, eh?

So tell me dear readers, as I walk away slightly red in the face, what confessions do you have to share with us? C'mon, don't leave me blushing alone.

Cheers!

-A

More of the good stuff

It's Monday again, can you believe it? Where did the weekend go?

Oh, that's right. I spent mine in a car.

Given that Christmas was the last time I visited my parents in Michigan, I forgot how draining these quick trips can be. And this time was even quicker than usual.

Leaving on Saturday morning really puts a dent in the amount of quality time with the fam. But what can I say, yoga was calling my name and knowing that I've gotta be ready for beach wear in less than a week, I really couldn't deny this need.

After arriving home I had just enough time to chat with the 'rents before heading out again to get my hair did. Oh and in case you care I'm a blonde again...whew! I definitely feel more like myself.

And after my appointment I decided to do a little more cruise shopping - I was already in the mall, after all.

Speaking of spending, I really need to get my budget in order after this vacation. Know of any good financial advisers?

Anyhow, lucky for me by the time I got back, a vegetarian pizza from my favorite joint back home - Deluca's - was waiting for me on the table.

Well, there goes the yoga class....but it was definitely well worth it. Yumm...

But the heavy dough put me to bed early. And in an effort not to miss my Spartans beat down on USC yesterday evening, I left Michigan earlier than anticipated. Sorry Mom and Dad. I promise to come back soon!

But in the meantime, I thought it would be fun to make some additions to my list of The Good Stuff that I started earlier this month. Because, let's be honest here, there's lost of good stuff out there.

• Shirts straight out of the dryer. No matter how warm it is outside, donning a freshly dried hoodie always feels amazing. And it smells great too!
• Trips on the company dime. This stems from my recent week spent in NYC. I love visiting that city. But it's expensive. So traveling there for work is always welcome as I get to stay for free. Sure, I spend the majority of the time working, but those little moments of downtime make it all worth it.
• When a Barista learns your order. I love the Starbucks in my building. More than that, I love the fact that two of the Baristas know what I'm going to order. It definitely makes you feel like a valued customer.
• An unexpected March Madness upset. Even when I didn't call it in my bracket, this is great to see. Like Cleveland State beating out Wake on Friday. Or Siena almost beating Louisville. And we all remember George Mason's run to the Final Four 3 years ago. Gotta love a great underdog victory!
• Being a regular. Whether it's a bar, restaurant or even a store, being a regular somewhere has it's perks. You know there's always something you're going to like, you can bring friends and family to share in the experience and it never gets old, and sometimes even discounts are involved...just because they know you.
• Perfect hugs. Let's be honest here, I'm a hugger. Friends, family, even people I've just met. And nothing beats a good hug. You know what I'm talking about. You're with a significant other and you find that spot that's just so comfortable you never want to let go. Yeah...that's what I'm talking about.
• Natural blue. You know the color I mean - when you look up and say to yourself, "wow, the sky is really blue today." Or when you go on vacation and the water is this bright blue - almost turquoise - and yet when you walk in it's crystal clear. There's no color in the world like it.

Can you tell my brain has already checked out on vacation. Sorry y'all. I'm sure it's getting a little old. But there will be plenty of encounter stories when I get back. And of course, a Photography Friday with lots to share.

What'd y'all do this weekend? What are your additions to The Good Stuff?

Cheers!

-A

We'll see about that

Life has been rather random lately. Not that I'm complaining - it keeps me on my toes, which I like.

You know what else I like, lists. This should come as no surprise to most of you. Just check out the number of posts labeled "lists" on this blog, that should tell you something. Or don't. I certainly wouldn't if I were you. It's much easier to take my word for it.


But this is not about my laziness.

I highly recommend, if you're also a lover of listing, that you check out this list of ways to acquire peace and happiness. It made me happy just reading it. This also happens to be from one of my favorite photography blogs, Shutter Sisters. You should definitely check back often for some great photography.

Oh wait, maybe it is about my laziness after all - I'm not even writing my own list.

Okay, okay - I'm sure I can come up with some random stuff.

What I really should be doing is making a list of all the crap that needs to be taken care of before my trip like buying sunscreen and getting cash from the ATM - because, really, who carries cash these days...certainly not me. Though this is hardly the venue for that type of list...y'all don't need to waste your time reading that boring drivel.

But I'm sure there are some things I can complain about in the meantime - to help balance out the peace and happiness stuff, anyhow.

Hmm...let's see.....................

Okay, so we're in the process of moving our office to another building right now and the office is so cluttered, and my personal office is half packed and the disorganization of it all is driving me bonkers.

Not to mention the fact that at home I'm only half unpacked from last week's New York trip and I've already started piling up items to take on the cruise - so my apartment is pretty messy too.

Today started with an early deadline which I took care of from home. It felt like a good start to the day - you know those days when you wake up and you're all like, "yeah, I own today. I'm going to kick today's ass." That thought was derailed the moment this intense, nagging headache set in. I'm not a girl who gets headaches, so this is rough.

Shut up, Thursday. I can hear you laughing. Don't be a bitch. Sure, you're whooping my ass now, but the day's not over. I have Advil and Enya on my side...you haven't won yet, Thursday.

Though it would help if the atmosphere was a little more serene around here. With all the disassembling of office furniture there's a lot more banging, stomping and power tool noise than usual.

Don't even get me started on the abundance of moving men walking past my office. Guess I won't be able to get in my usual 2 p.m. nap, eh? Just kidding, just kidding. Though I did used to work for someone who did this daily. Seriously. But that's a story for another day.

If there wasn't so much work to be done I wouldn't have to concentrate so hard. Not that I should be complaining.These days, lots of work is a good thing. But I am doing everything in my power not to mentally check out before next Friday. It's tough. I'm in desperate need of a vacation. Haven't had a real vacation since college...over three years ago.

Wow, I'm old.

On that note, it's time to excuse myself and show Thursday what I'm made of.

What's on your random list this week?

Cheers!

-A

*Editors Note: see I told you I could use my brain and make a list...random as it may be, it's highly appropriate to my current state.

Spring cleaning

As a follow up to my discussion on a few things I love about spring, I thought it appropriate to broach the subject of spring cleaning.

It's time to face the facts, my life is cluttered.

Now I'm not just talking about my office or my apartment (both of which we can not leave off the list), but it's more about the intricacies of my mental state, rather than the physical world around me.

Believe it or not, there's a lot of deep thought going on upstairs that hasn't been addressed in quite some time.

So the time to clean out the proverbial mental closet is past-due. I definitely consider it a good thing that I'm headed back home for the weekend. The nice 3-4 hour drive gives me plenty of time to sort through everything that needs my attention.

And given that it's the weekend before the big Caribbean cruise - c'mon, you know you're excited for me - it'll do me a world of good to get the thinking out of the way so I can enjoy some fun in the sun.

Yes, I just said that.

Yes, I'm slightly embarrassed.

Yes, I'm sticking to it.

The time away, in and of itself, will definitely help ease the mental strain that comes from the constant interaction with social media and the virtual world around me, too.

In fact, I've even made the decision to turn my phone off for the duration of the 5-day cruise. Yes, willingly.

And, given the friendly threat from the SO, and I quote "if I see that you smuggled your Blackberry onto the cruise it's going into the f*cking Atlantic!" there won't be any work going on for an entire week.

I'm not saying it's going to be easy, in fact, I'm expecting a twinge of social media withdrawal, it's much needed. But of course, I'll miss you all dearly!

And until then, hopefully I can slip in some real spring cleaning with the remainder of my time.

What's on your spring cleaning to-do list?

Cheers!

-A

Things about spring

As I look out my window at the rising sun, the corners of my mouth are turning up slightly - yes, just slightly, I haven't had my coffee yet, alright - because it's starting to feel like spring is here.

Living in the North, a frozen tundra from November until March, April, or even May, sometimes it can feel like the warmth will never come. Of course, once the 80+ degrees and 99 percent humidity of mid-summer hits it's easy to forget the cool breeze that accompanies a crisp winter morning.

When it comes down to it, I tend to be a fan of the North. I know, I know. After this brutal winter I must sound f-ing crazy. But truth of the matter is, it's only socially acceptable to take off so many clothes before you just have to suffer the heat and sweat it out, but you can always put on more clothing...

Yeah...now you see my point, eh?

If not, come back in the heat of the summer and then tell me how you feel about it.

Anyhow, so not the point.

Spring has a way of getting me excited - in more ways than one.

Now would be a good time to remove your head from the gutter, because I'm talking about a few other little gifts of spring that I enjoy:

Daylight savings. Now, I know I bitched about this last week, because it definitely threw me off - way more than it ever has before - but I do love the longer daylight hours at night, and honestly, it's great to get out of bed and head to work when it's still dark in the morning.

Leaving the windows open. At the house, in the car. Oh how I love the feel of spring breeze.

Warm rain. Though most of the year I bitch incessantly when it rains, a good spring rain has this way of making everything green, and it smells so refreshing. It's also pretty great to run in - and speaking of running...

Running outside. Sure, I do this on occasion in the winter, when the roads aren't icy and I know I won't kill myself. But it's so much more pleasant in the warmer months and your lungs aren't screaming from sucking in the below zero wind chills.

NCAA basketball. Can you say March Madness?



Seasonal fruits and veggies. Seeing ripe avocado in the grocery store makes me want to make a big batch of guacamole, pick up a case of Corona and throw a party for my friends out on my porch. Oh wait, I just might do that...



Baseball season. Though I've never been much of a follower, because 100+ games a season is just too much to handle, baseball screams American fun. Watching the sport on TV is out of the question for me - there's just not enough going on and the men aren't pretty enough to watch chewing and spitting and scratching in the dugout - but going to games with a group of friends is always a great time. What's even better, I'm an Indian's fan! So for once I can actually watch a sport with my friends in this town and be cheering on the same team. W00t!

(Front row, upper deck at Game 3 of the ALCS in 2007. Last play before the win!)

Peaceful walks to the park, sitting by the lake. The park is just a short walk from my apartment, and the first summer I moved here I found this great little spot to perch on a rock by the lake. It's secluded and really helps me clear my head.

(A shot from perched atop my favorite rock.)

Patios. Come springtime everyone is out and about. In the North, 40 degrees means shorts weather for some. And you gotta love when all the bars open up their patios for the summer. There's nothing like a refreshing beer on the patio with good friends.

Flip Flops. Enough said.



Of course, these are all in addition to the obvious benefit of being able to walk outside without snot freezing to your face.

So tell me dear readers, what is your favorite spring past time?

Cheers!

-A

Photography Friday...on Monday?

Welcome to the Monday edition of Photography Friday. Since I suck and wanted to spend some time making out with the SO was too exhausted after my flight back from NYC, I didn't get around to uploading any of my shots from the week.

Given that my free time in the city was rather limited, I'm pretty happy with the selection of photos I walked away with. Between Grand Central Terminal, The Daily News Building, and of course the streets of NYC, I managed a few artistic shots worth noting.

The clock on the timetables booth at the center of Grand Central.

Here's one I actually got around to Photoshopping. Another from Grand Central.

Outside the terminal. I'm obsessed with this clock. And thanks to my Tamron 18-270mm f/3.5-6.3 Di-II VC LD Asph. Macro Lens I was able to capture this from the street.

Chrysler Building. Enough said.

A tile around the edge of the World in The Daily News building.

All in all it was a great trip. Though I wouldn't mind going back for a little less work and a little more photo play time.

Cheers!

-A

Quite the imagination

Last night was consumed with vivid dreams. And this is not at all uncommon.

In fact, I can't really remember a [sober] sleep night where I didn't wake up remembering, in detail, at least one dream from the night.

As far as I know, it's just always been this way.

Even as a kid I would regularly wake up having been so involved in a life-like dream that I would experience those thoughts and emotions in the physical world.

Like once, I woke up from a dream about hanging from a cliff and my body was half flung off the mattress, arms dangling on the floor. No wonder I was a little freaked out. And on numerous occasions I would awake from a scary or sad dream only to be sobbing in my bed.

Thankfully, my physical involvement in dreams has subsided with age. As far as I know I've never been one to walk or talk in my sleep, though I did recently have a sleep over with one of my favorites and she informed me that I was laughing in the middle of the night.

I suppose a little unconscious chuckle never hurt anyone, so I'll take it.

Regardless, my vivid dreams continue well into my adult life. I still even have the occasional tornado nightmare that's followed me from childhood. Though I must admit, the visions have become much less scary over time, but quite the picture all the same.

Someone once told me that people who regularly have vivid dreams are highly creative in the conscious world - but that could be a farce. Regardless, it sounds good so I'm sticking with it.

So tell me dear readers, do you often have vivid dreams? What about recurring dreams?

Cheers!

-A

To-do list

Well, I'm half way through my stint in New York and I've barely put a dent in my to-do list.

It wasn't long, but aside from actual work, there were a few things I needed to accomplished while I was here:

1) Grand Central Photo Shoot - this has partially happened. But one of the best parts of Grand Central Station is the lighting, and honestly, that wasn't quite right yesterday. I'll be heading back tomorrow or Friday I hope.



2) Chelsea Market Visit - the intent was to go this morning after a run, neither of which happened. Maybe I can sneak out for lunch? I'm desperately in need of some Ninth Street Espresso and a tall glass of chocolate milk - the best of which is only found at CM.


3) Local Shopping - this isn't completely necessary, but being in the Big Apple it's just one of those things to do. Plus, I could really use a few things before the upcoming vacation. It's penciled in for after work today, we'll see how well that works in my favor.



4) Hotel Runs and Workouts - this is my being obsessive over not gaining weight before the aforementioned cruise and an attempt to stay somewhat on a normal schedule. And given that I'm staying at a pretty fabulous hotel right next door to Grand Central, they've got a well-stocked gym. Monday was a bust, but last night I made it. Fingers crossed for three more before the week's over.



5) A night out with colleagues - has been scheduled! I'm lucky to have some kick-ass co-workers in our office here that have decided on a night on the town the day before I head home. Looking forward to a great dinner and plenty of wine tomorrow night.



So maybe I'm not doing so bad after all. Though it doesn't seem like I've accomplished much yet, I have a good feeling that I'll walk away satisfied with the trip and content with my NYC fix for the time being.

Cheers!

-A

Daylight suckage

I'm exhausted!

Ugh.

So this week I was sent to New York City for a client immersion of sorts. Feels more like submersion at this point because I'm beat.

Completely and utterly exhausted. And guess what, it's only day one.

I'm sure it has a lot to do with the fact that I didn't go to bed until 1ish this morning and had to peel myself out of bed at 4ish so I could make my butt-crack-of-dawn flight time.

But really I blame it on this daylight savings time garbage.

"Spring ahead" sounds so lovely, doesn't it? WRONG! Wrong on so many levels.

Today, it's been the bane of my existence.

Losing that hour on Saturday night caused me to sleep in later than I would have preferred on Sunday, so come Sunday night I couldn't go to sleep at a decent hour because of the "sleeping in," and having to get up way earlier than usual today has just about thrown me over the edge.

Quite the chain reaction there, eh?

If I wasn't a guest in our NYC office today I certainly would either be, a) on my way home for a nap (which, BTW, it's National Napping Day, so how appropriate), 2) asleep at my desk, or d) a combination of both, landing me somewhere in Lake Erie, or the East River, depending on which city I'm in.

And of course, tonight the team wants to take me out for my first night in the city for some dinner and drinks...regardless of how glazed over my eyes look. Let's just hope I don't end up face first in my margarita.

Cheers!
-A

Photography Friday: The Movies

I know, I know. It's about damn time I got around to actually posting on Photography Friday.

I've been slacking hardcore this winter. What can I say, so what if I'd rather cuddle up in my Snuggie on the couch and veg out with the SO instead of braving the bitter cold Cleveland winters for a few good snow-covered shots. What's wrong with that?

However, a recent trip to Tower City Cinemas for a client filming event provided the perfect opportunity to get a good behind-the-scenes picture of the inner workings of the theater.

There were a number of artistic documentary-type images I was able to capture so I had a lot to choose from. But believe it or not, this was my favorite.

(Diet Dr. Pepper in the fountain machine...brings me back to Texas!)

Without the proper lighting (and because I'm not a big fan of indoor flash) the shutter speed was slowed way down which helped to capture the bright colors of the scene. And personally, I really enjoy the depth of field, here.

Next week I'm off to NYC for work, but hopefully I'll have some time to venture out with the camera so I have more photos to share next week, too.

Cheers!

-A

Lovely mornings

As I've mentioned before, I love mornings. Though I don't necessarily consider myself a "morning person" per se, it's definitely rewarding to get up bright and early and start the day off right.

Yes, I know, you're sitting there thinking to yourself "why, Ashley, why?" But the better question is, what on God's green Earth is there to do at the crack of dawn anyhow?

Well, let me tell you.

But first, let me just say that for me, it's not so much the act of sleeping that I enjoy as much as the pleasure I take in being comfortable. I've always been one of those people who will lie in bed on the weekends, awake, just to take in the bliss of comfort between the sheets.

Mmm, but I digress.

Hard as it is to drag my booty out of bed and leave the comfort of my sheets on a weekday morning, I've found that certain activities really have a way of kick-starting the day.

Ha, look at that. It rhymed.

For instance, if I know I'm getting up to go to yoga, that means I've got two solid hours before I even have to think about work.

There are so many benefits to getting up early, I thought I'd share a little of that wisdom with y'all.

-Morning workouts and/or yoga. The earlier you plan this, the sooner it's out of the way. That is, if you're not one of those freaks who actually looks forward to working out.

-Brewing coffee at home. Okay, so I have one of those coffee machines that you can preset to brew at a certain time, but I have this thing about keeping unnecessary appliances plugged in when not in use. My mom taught me that...thanks, ma. So getting up early allows me to brew and start enjoying before ever leaving the house - which of course saves me money as I'm not going to Starbucks everyday.

-Blogging: reading, commenting and posting. I like to take this time to sip my home-brewed coffee and catch up on my sports, photography, and travel blogs, check up on what's happening on 20-something bloggers, and of course, read and comment on all y'alls blogs. And it can all be fit in before the work day begins.

-Getting to the office early. Not just for blogging, but to catch up on e-mails that may have come through the night before, get organized, review to-do lists, and get going on some uninterrupted work. It's pretty fabulous when there's not a phone call, e-mail or procrastinating co-worker stopping by every five minutes to disrupt your day.

-Sunrises. Okay, so I'm a sap and love to stop and watch the sunrise. It's honestly the most peaceful part of my day. And couldn't we all use a little more tranquility in our lives?



Of course, take this for what it's worth, because there are some downfalls:

-Lunch hunger pains come a little sooner. When my stomach starts audibly rumbling during the 10:30 staff meeting I only have the 5 a.m. start to blame.

-Early brain shut-down. Come 5 o'clock my work brain is mush and I'm ready for some mind-numbing relaxation....which brings me to my next point.

-Too much time in the evenings to sit in front of the TV and eat garbage. And for someone with very little will-power, finding nighttime motivation can be a bitch.

-Tiredness setting in at 9 p.m. Talk about feeling old!

Regardless, I still think the pros outweigh the cons. You can always down some more caffeine to keep your mind and body alert as needed. And that also helps the mindless munching situation. See, problems solved!

What do you like most about the morning?

Cheers!

-A

It's good stuff

So I recently came across this blog - yes, I know, I'm way behind the times, given that it's already well into the 800s at this point - and in thinking about it, it's really a fabulous idea.

And of course, since I'm genuinely unoriginal, I'm going to write a little list of my own. Though since I'm so far behind, there may be repeats for the above list. My bad. I'm just too lazy to make sure there's no overlap.

And no, it won't be 1,000 things long because, let's be honest here, I just don't have the time to capture all that in one post. And I know y'all don't have the time to read that crap.

So, here's my rendition of 1,000 Awesome Things, that I like to call, The Good Stuff.

• Finding a $20 bill in the pocket of last year's winter coat. You haven't worn it in a year, so that money was long gone in your mind. So really, it's like finding $20 bucks on the street and knowing you don't have to find it's rightful owner. Score!
  
• Getting packages at the office. I always ship my online orders to the office, mainly because I'm never at the apartment when the leasing office is open to pick them up. Sometimes I forget that I'm expecting a package, so when it's delivered I get a nice little surprise - from myself - to brighten my day.
• Out-of-the-blue @ replies on Twitter. An unexpected Tweet that links to your profile, or better yet, gives props on a blog post is most satisfying. Gotta love a little ego boost.
• Random compliments. Speaking of ego boosts, isn't it great when you get compliments from strangers? I once had an older gentleman stop me in my building just to tell me that I looked beautiful in my outfit. Beautiful?! Compliments have a way of making the whole day a little brighter.
  
• Waking up and remembering your SO slept over. This is one of my favorite things about midweek sleepovers. You roll over in the middle of the night and see the one person that makes everything better and it puts a smile on your face...even when you know you've gotta get up in two hours and start the day. But at least you get to share a cup of coffee with him on the way out the door!
  
• When drunk texts fail to send. We've all had those nights. Things got a little crazier than expected and you remember thinking about that asshole that dumped you two weeks ago, so you texted him. Looking in your outbox you see that the network was on your side and the text never made it. Whew!
  
• Seeing your reflection and actually looking thinner. You know when you're working out a lot, or eating better and the pounds are dropping but you still don't see a difference? Yeah, that seems to happen a lot. But on the day when you wake up and look in the mirror and you can see that you've made progress - good stuff! Especially when that motivates you to try on your skinny jeans and they FIT! W00T, success!
• Receiving work-day text messages. This is something I'm notorious for. But you can't tell me that it's not nice to come back from a long meeting to find an awaiting text message from a good friend.
  
• Running into an ex who is far worse off than you. Ah, the satisfaction. Maybe he's still living at home, or his girlfriend just dumped him, or he got fat or bald, or he's in debt up to his eyeballs with no job. Whatever the case may be, clearly you are way better off and much happier. Puts a little smile on your face just thinking about it, doesn't it?
• Left over coffee from an office meeting. You know those days when clients or bigwigs visit the office and coffee is ordered by the gallon from Starbucks, there always seems to be some left over for everyone else. Who doesn't love free coffee?
• Milestones. No matter how small, milestones give you a reason to celebrate. Ten days on a diet, alright! Completing your first 5K, way to go! Six months in a solid relationship, awesome! It's the little victories that count.
• Meeting up with old friends and picking up right where you left off. Isn't it great when you finally get back together with the people who used to be your closest friends and it's as if you've never been apart? I love those friendships. It's like you didn't miss a beat.
• When the forecast was wrong and you wake up to the sunshine. Anyone who lives in the North gets what I'm saying here. It was supposed to rain, snow, sleet, fog, whatever, and instead you wake up because the sun is peeking through your vertical blinds just so. The irritation factor quickly disappears as you realize it's beautiful out!
• Learning that it did happen for a reason. Being a believer in the "everything happens for a reason" theory, it's highly rewarding when you get that 'aha' moment and realize that even the things that seemed terrible at the time, happened to make room for something better.
  
• Having something special to look forward to. It's the dead of winter, you're in a rut, but in 25 days you'll be heading out for a tropic vacation, lounging poolside, drink in hand, not a care in the world. Ah, how lovely that will be, right? It's a good motivator to keep moving, and I'm definitely one for countdowns. Lucky for me, I'm a planner, so I've always got something good on the horizon.
  

There you have it. Good stuff, right?

Now you tell me, what's missing from this list? What's happened to you recently that's made you stop and say, damn, that was great!?

Cheers!

-A

Personal growth

First off, can I just say how crazy it is that it's March already. Wow!

And I may very well be the most excited girl in the country

as March Madness is just around the corner. My Spartans have probably secured a 2 seed in the big dance and at least a share of the Big Ten title. Woot!

Okay, now that that's out of my system...

These last few weeks have definitely taken me through some personal growth changes that I never expected. Today I feel like things are finally slowing down, or at least I see a nice little flicker at the end of the change tunnel, and I feel pretty good about how I'm coming out.

Alive.

Okay, so it's not quite that bad. In fact, I feel pretty good.

There have been some big, tough decisions to make that I never anticipated. But, in doing so I've come to realize what's most important to me at this point in my life -- where my efforts need to be focused.

And I gotta say, it feels damn good to finally have figured that out. Unfortunate that it took some stress, anxiety, and even a few tears along the way but I managed. And now, I move forward in a direction that feels nothing less than positive.

On an even brighter note, I have today off. Yay for 3-day weekends. Oh, AND it's sunny today. Yes, in Cleveland. I know, right?

Sure, I've got lots of chores and catching up to do, but at least I'm not at the office like all you poor bastards right now. Oh, did I say that out loud? I mean, I can't wait till I get back to the office, too. But for today, I'm enjoying a little me time.

Cheers!

-A