10 Ways to a Better Me

I have been so incredibly busy with work and going to volleyball and so tied up with things each weekend that I feel like I haven't had enough time to reflect on...me

selfish (maybe)...but here goes...

I know it's not the New Year (or anywhere close to it!), but I want to write down 10 ways to a better me, and maybe by doing so it will hold me more accountable to doing/sticking to them!

in no particular order...

1. Do something active 30 min/day

now that I don't have vball 2 nights a week for 2 hours each night, I gotta keep on the exercise train and keep active! Even if it's just walking Channing dog for 30 minutes around the neighborhood (he would probably LOVE that anyways!)...I also feel like somedays this is WAY difficult from already feeling like I have run around a lab for 8 hours of the day...but alas, it's on my list...I will try!

2. Drink more water

I am the WORST at this, but realize it is a much healthier alternative to the soda I adore...so I am trying my best to drink 60-80 ounces of water a day...and if I meet that, then I can "splurge" on other beverages!

3. Be less stressed

this is hard, I am your Type A personality ^max, and I have tried in previous years to reign in on my stress...any helpful hints/tips/tricks MUCH appreciated!

4. Spend more quality time with my husband

this is NOT to say that we don't do this already, but like I said in #1, I had been busy with volleyball and he is also busy with soccer too...I really enjoy being around him, he always knows how to make me smile

5. Continue to be crafty

I have truly LOVED getting back into sewing things and want to *try* to branch out and make clothing...this may be a work in progress!

6. Live in the moment

I make lists, it's who I have always been...I feel accomplished when I cross something off or when I finish compiling things...but I also get stressed in anticipation of not being able to finish things on time...so in trying to help with #3, I will live in the moment

7. Spend more time with family and friends

I always feel loved around my friends and family, which makes me less stressed and relaxed...even if it's something during the work week, I need to start hanging out and being less of a home-body

8. Try to get into yoga

I have tried this before doing P90X workouts, but the 1.5 hour long thing didn't really fit into by busy days...I think I may try to find some 30 minute routines and work my way up...plus this would be good for my back (which constantly seems to be in some sort of pain)...as well as a boost to relax a bit more

9. Be less negative

We ALL have those days where we put our own selves down, saying anything from "I am the worst at _____, or I suck at ______"...well, it doesn't help me in the least and takes up energy to think/say this crap, so be gone with it!

10. Find what makes me happy, and be around it/do it

I plan to be around people that make me happy and do crafty things or activities that make me happy...it seems only fair to live life to its fullest and enjoy every moment I get here by doing what makes me happy, right?

and as a bonus one, I *might* try to be better at getting less fast food/junk food...
but I don't think I would pass up the french fry if offered...
it might be a weakness of mine along with candy
(any candy!)

What sort of things do you think you could do to make a better you?

Photoshop

Just gonna say it-

I really wanna learn how to use photoshop

some kinda bad!

Lucky for me my husband seems to be a whiz at it and in a moment he can make something enhanced or really amazing!

Here are a few of the "tweaks" he has done from our Frisco Beach Camping trip

He took this...

and went to the following...

And then he took this...

and enhanced it to this...

And took this spit take...

and made a retro collage like this...

he also took a cute on of my sister and her two kids from our Mount Vernon trip...

and zoomed in, and black and white, and some other cool effect to this...

and he took one from being on the boat...

and made it into this...

maybe one of these days we will both get some free time and he can teach me :)

Getting old

You know, I love volleyball with a passion...kinda maybe a bit obsessed with it...But I am coming to realize that I can't do "tournament" nights anymore.

I played last night off and on from 6:45 til about 11pm.

I

am

so

exhausted

My body was screaming at me this morning to NOT get outta bed.

Would a sick day be in order...I wish!

I sure do feel like my body is sick...aches, pains and scrapes from hitting the floor last night.

But I just can't get enough, seems crazy, I know EXACTLY what playing that long in one night does to me and how I feel the next morning all day long...sigh

But, guess what!?!?

I get to do it ALL over again this coming Thursday with my coed team...sweet!

My women's team did make it to the finals anyways, so it was all worth it!

How does your garden grow?

Remember WAY back when I started growing things from seed...

well, I now have a garden...more like 2 small gardens since our first one filled up FAST with all the goods we have!

Now things look more like the following:

(onions, green peppers, tomatoes, lettuce and cucumbers)

Big ole tomatoes

Cucumbers, green peppers

So big and tall! Yummy tomato plants!

Even Channing enjoys looking at the garden with me

And we have basil and cilantro in some pots

and a few carrots (although I need to find some room in the ground for these guys!)

I'm very excited and can't wait for the yummy stuff to start sprouting off these bad boys left and right!

Funny thing happened today...

Let me rephrase that...

In retrospect a funny thing happened today, but definitely NOT while it actually happened...

Does that even make sense?!?

Anyways, lemme splain this situation to ya...

So I was busy at work today and (mind you I work in a lab and wear the white coat and gloves and all...) I was getting some samples ready to run when my glove slipped over a tube top and it felt HORRIBLE...

Like-think in this frame of mind...my hand just slipped and it feels as though I have ripped my entire thumb nail clean off from my thumb, you know, easy stuff like that...

Yes, in my head, this was the scenario that was happening

You know what makes it worse?

The fact that I am wearing GLOVES and CANNOT see what has actually happened to my thumb and nail (that I was currently praying WAS still attached...)

So, also keep in mind that for the better part of my life, when things super freak me out, I have an M.O.

I faint (read #6 on this post)

That's right, screw reality folks, I take the high road and pass out on the world, no need to literally feel the pain when I can go into my darkness and not even remember things...

tons better, right?

or, in my case today, maybe not...

(I promise the kinda funny part is coming)

So, lucky for me I had been working on a raised chair which I was sitting on...doing work on my lab bench with things neatly placed around for convenience...such as the tips I was using for my pipette and something to shake up my samples, samples in ice and a trash can beside me for ease of disregarding my trash into...

So, back to the swing of things- I was feeling overwhelmed by this "my thumb nail is torn off...OMG" that I tried my best to put my head down at my work area and take in some deep breaths, full on knowing my next task was...you guessed it...to faint...

Then, it must have happened (the fainting part) and low and behold I think someone must have been watching over me and my clumsy/accident prone self, cuz I neatly fell to my right side where I had placed none other than the extremely tall

trash can

Yes, you can laugh now, this is the "funny"...I fainted onto the trash can...it was basically holding up my silly self along with the swivel chair I was on...

At the moment of waking, I was half wondering "where the H-E-Double hockey sticks am I?", then promptly realized I was being held by a trash can on my row at work.

If anyone actually saw me, they left me or didn't bother to say anything to me the rest of the day...but the lab was still pretty empty and no one usually passes by unless they have to use the restroom and pass by my row...

This was probably in my best interest (talk about being hugely embarrassed...)

So, thank goodness for the trash can is all I can say...otherwise I would have fallen

all

the

way

down

to

the

floooooooor...tada!

And who knows, maybe I woulda picked up a concussion along with my thumb injury (and no worries, nail still intact and you can barely see that anything actually happened to it..)

Now all I have is a bum thumb and a horrible back and neck ache...sweeeet

Lesson learned: always place trash can near me in case I decide to be clumsy, it's pretty awesome at holding me up :)

Frisco Beach Camping

one word for this trip

awesome!

I had the best and most RELAXING time while at the beach this past weekend.

Beach camping SUCCESS!

Sunset Friday evening

Campsite #1 set up

Campsite part 2

beer, beach and "bag-o"

lazy summer reading

The crew

These floats were pretty amazing at supporting beers...

and also for floating some lovely ladies!

Erin and her "E" cup...get ready...

Spit take...it happened...

me, trying not to get much more sun, readin a magazine

ECL and C

Sunset Saturday evening

FIRE...no worries, we had it under control

glowing warmth

nothing says beach camping like s'mores!

a night by campfire

Mike frisbee throwing...last day

Charley throwing it back...

Thanks to all who were there, made my weekend amazing!

Let's do it again REALLY soon...

k, thanks!

Epic Beach Camping Trip

It's that time of the year folks...

Pull out your suntan lotion,
bug spray,
a tent,
a bathing suit
and stuff to make s'mores...

It's beach camping time!

Mike and I are going to Frisco, NC for the weekend and camping out with 4 other friends of ours.

We.Can't.Freakin.Wait.

I may have woken up with no alarm clock at 6:15 this morning
(it's quite possible I am still a 5 year old that is antsy to go to Disney World...or something)

Prepare for awesome pictures (we will be using our new camera and I LOVE taking shots of scenery and people in the moment...)

I think we are super lucky that the weather appears to be fantastic (80's for the day and 60-70's at night)...and lots of SUN!

The best part, we all stay in one "spot" and pay $20/night for 2 nights

you do the math:
split it up between 6 people = cheap fun with friends!

not to mention the beach relaxes me to no end...
can't wait to fall asleep listening to waves crashing gently into the shore...

Living the good life!