…and more visitors

Um… yes, I love having friends visit!  The middle of December I had three awesome friends visit.  The first, a colleague, I got a chance to take to one of my favorite places to eat, Founding Farmers.  It was so super great to have a chance to sit for the night and just really talk and chat, no work related convos.    The second was one of my AOII girls (again!), she was in town for work and then stayed with me for the weekend but unfortunately (yet thankfully) got snowed in.  DC didn’t get the snow, but the mid-west did so she got stuck with me for a couple more days than planned.  It was so super awesome to have lots of time with her …(of course we dished about boys, work, food, life, etc)!  My last visitor is also a colleague that was in town for work for a couple of days.  We got to spend those nights at the bar drinking, hanging out, talking about various work issues, and his new little one - super cute! 

Like I said before, there is nothing I love more than being able to spend time with good people.  Yes, that’s the extrovert in me, to continually surround myself with awesome people! 

new eyes

I just have to tell you all that I had my final check up with the eye doctor and I checked out perfect!  My eyes are officially done with post-opt surgery and back to annual check ups.    She is very happy with the results, and I’d have to admit I am too.  Though, I have found when I’m really super exhausted and finally crawl into bed I still reach for my glasses – haha!  I’ll be curious to find out when that habit is truly out of my system…

chi-town at christmas

The first Friday of the even months I head off to Chicago for work… it just so happens to also be one of my favorite cities, especially at Christmas time.  Thankfully I have friends in the city so I stayed the weekend to hang out.  The work part of the trip, I’m sorry to say, didn’t go so smoothly but hopefully next time will be better.  Cross your fingers for that please!  However the weekend was awesome, I ended up staying the weekend with a friend and we just had a great time hanging out.  She is also newish to the city so we had to do a few of the typical things too:  eat at the John Hancock Cheesecake Factory (she knows the person that designed the inside!), went to an awesome craft show, saw the Christmas lights at the Lincoln Park Zoo, had hot chocolate at Ghirardeli, wandered up the Magnificent Mile, ate at Gino’s East (did I mention I brought a pizza back for friends – we enjoyed that Monday night), and then went out to brunch at this awesome place on Sunday – Orange.  For brunch I ate these awesome ginger bread pancakes with apple/cinnamon spread in between  …it was amazing!    Actually the whole weekend was very cold but very fun – love Chi-town!!!!  Oh and I saw the windows at Macy’s Thursday night while I was taking a work breather.

highschool football state champs

…that would be my Yellowjackets!    I found out a couple of weekends before Thanksgiving that Ithaca was undefeated and doing awesome for this football season – I equally found out that I was able to watch online, which was so cool.  Then they won all there games and made it to the finals down at Ford Field.   So we switched up our family travel plans and instead of Mom coming here I drove home to see the game.  Thankfully I have a friend/co-worker that is also from Michigan so I had someone to drive with. 

We got in Thursday just in time for our Thanksgivings (Mom came down to Andrea’s and we spent the weekend there).  Friday was the game – it was perfect – had every football emotion one would wish for in a game!  They played so well and the stands were super full… the entire town, plus some, clearly came out for support.  Very good day to be a small town kid!    Then Saturday we, of course, watched MSU and then I went down to meet a friend (one of my AOII sisters) in Greek town for the night.  They were celebrating a birthday, so I tagged along but it was awesome to she her again.  We had a delicious dinner followed with lots of dancing – fun night.   

pcos update

ok two things on the update front…

1. I’ve officially decided I’d like to work towards being off my meds and controlling PCOS more naturally.  Therefore, I stopped, full on, for a total 30 days not eating any sweets – no candy, no desserts, no extras.   Since then, the holidays have popped up and I’ve tried my hardest not eating too many sweets and to be honest, it’s working.  I can completely tell the difference even when I have a piece of candy so it just solidifies my whole going more natural in my mind. 

2. Because I started this about a month and a half prior to this past doctors appointment (begin of Nov) it made a small but positive difference in my important blood work numbers.  My weight is back down to where it was pre-job transition stress and I’ve lost an inch around my waist and my doctor is happy about where my blood work is at! 

So after the holidays I’ll get back on track, working slowly but steadily toward controlling my PCOS with natural ways.  Thanks for all your support over this past few years… can’t wait to be med free someday. 

more friends visiting

So the weekend I got back from the conference I had more visitors… have I ever mentioned I love having friends come hang out?!  hahaha!  Well, two friends were actually in the city; one for work and the other for a wedding – so I was able to spend some time with both. 

Friday night we spent the night at the bar and just sat there taking up the table chatting the night away.  She is doing so well with the move up the north-east corridor (a few years ago) and life is just falling together for her so that just makes me so happy!  …and she gives super good hugs (which I miss terribly but always soak up when I can)!!   

Saturday night I cooked for my other friend, therefore we got a chance to just chill at the pad while dishing about boys.  What is it about boys that always make girls want to talk about them?!?  haha!  So… we had a great time talking about the new jobs and life in general.  Equally she is doing so great with the new job and I’m just so glad she is following her heart!

annual ofn conference

Awesomeness!  So at the begining of November I was off to SFO for a work – it was the same annual industry conference I’ve been at for the past five years.  Yup, -kind of amazing!  The conference itself was to be expected, lots of good people to meet and network with, along presentations with my new job, but nothing workwise that was new.  However, after hours and the following weekend I had a lot of time to just chill in San Fran, catch up with friends, meet a couple of newbies, and have a few classic San Fran activities.

The first being able to watch the parade for the Giants after they won the World Series – talk about amazing!!!  I love baseball and just being able to be in the area with that kind of fan excitment is awesome… and let’s be honest, my two teams are not getting into the world series anytime soon.  Later that week a few of us went out bar hoping one night – it was sooo much fun.  Thankfully we had a couple of locals with our group so they took the lead and showed us around town, it was so much fun to dance and just, in general, have a very fun night letting loose with friends.  The conference ended with me finding time for a tourist type bus tour around the city (I saw the Full House house!!!!) and a very nice dinner with a few of us, along with the friend that I was staying the weekend with.  Very delicous food!  Actually, all my food that week was good.    My weekend was a blast hanging out with a new friend, also a local, doing the site seeing thing.  We decided to adapt a see a site have a drink theroy for the day… I’m now a super fan that all vacations should be like that!  Then my last day there was a typical rainy day, so I spent the day shopping, eating, and drinking with the friend I was staying with.  We totally veggied out and it was perfect! 

ready for Vegas baby!

So for Halloween this year I did the usual trick or treating with the McLeavitts but was also conned into dressing up and attending a Vegas style gambling party.  Most of you know I’m not a big gambler so I wasn’t so excited about this party – well, I was excited for the people – but I dressed up and went anyway.  Actually, I dressed up as a ballerina… found my old toe shoes and everything!  Let’s just say that by the end of the night I was calling Andrea to tell her I was ready to head off to Vegas.  My friend’s party was super fun, she had hired people to deal at mini style Vegas tables – roulette, craps, and a high stakes poker area.  I’ve now officially learned the art of playing craps… it was sooo much fun!  We were truly the typical movie style crowd all shouting and happy that we were making money (fake money).  Just very cool …and yes, it kind of makes me want to actually play for real (kind of). 

However on the actual Halloween day I was with the McLeavitts for our annual trick or treating on Capital Hill.  Very fun – they were a monkey and bumble-bee while Grandpa and I went around ’filming’ people’s favorite parts of the holiday.  Tons of fun and, of course, lots of good candy! 

aoii visits!

Towards the end of October my AOII ladies came to visit… well sort of.  Actually they are being super healthy and running …so they entered into the Army Ten Miler race again this year – it just so happens that it’s also in my town, therefore I get to enjoy some extra time with them!   

I think they flew/drove in Friday evening, we had a great dinner and they got to meet one of my close DC peeps – so I was super happy to get a chance to blend the crews!  Saturday we spent the day wandering around town, mostly relaxing because I was not feeling well and they were chilling pre-race day type thing.  Sunday was the race, I got up early to see them race – yes, early for a Sunday – walked out to the race route a few blocks from my house with the cup of coffee and thankfully they saw me standing on top a bench (and someone else said he was going to cheer them on also but was a no show?!).  Everyone had tons of fun!  …later that afternoon we had lunch and hung out for a little more, just walked around the downtown area. 

Soooo glad to have extra time with them (I just realized we’ve been friends for like a decade – talk about good friends)! 

where’s the birthday girl?

As the world turns… apparently so does our age.  Andrea’s big 3-0 was in October and like the rest of us wanted to celebrate in style!   

I flew in late Friday night and back out on Sunday, due to still being in the probationary period of my new job, but had a blast in between.  Friday, it was just us adults so we went out and enjoyed a few of the newer bars in downtown Plymouth (and apparently the new crazy fashions and bad singing of the young ones – ugh!).  However, Saturday Mom came down in the morning – we went shopping for the new house, ate at JJ’s, and got ready to watch an awesome football game!   Mean while, the Gerbers had planned a very awesome scavenger hunt around the local area full on like the Great Urban Race (or Amazing Race).   It was very cool – there was this list of clues and about 3 hours to finish the race in.  Each team was supposed to dress up – it was hilarious!  The whole day was fun… and I have to say Mom and I were an awesome team!  We might have gotten the least points however we were also the only team to have a stationary vehicle (it was soft comfy and in front of a large screen - if that tells you where I ‘played the game from’)!!!  So below are some of our creative takes on the clues… but in all it was just a fun day and a big Happy Birthday to Andrea!! 

 

I ended my birthday celebration being a super awesome Aunt Chaz… teaching the little one to truly jump in the leaves!!!    Very proud moment!