*exhale*

Wow. I don't really know how to start this entry. I could go into my past health history, family health history, but I know now that I need to look ahead, at my future, and at my future family's future, because I am a lot worse off than I ever thought.

I went for a training session at the gym tonight after work, and the trainer and I sat down to talk about my goals, why I was there, and beginning steps to take to start reaching my goals. Then he did my BMI test. I have a 34% body fat mass. That is off the charts for someone my age and height. It's really hard to put that out there publicly, but I feel like I need to own up to what I've done to my body. It is what it is, and now I have to fix it. I thought I was in the ballpark of needing to lose 30 pounds to be healthy. The truth is, I need to lose about 50.

So after going over the nitty gritty and numbers, he got me going on the elliptical to raise my heart rate a bit, and then he had me work on strength training. He kicked my butt! I knew he would, but I didn't know how hard it would be. I didn't know how physically challenged I would feel doing things that 10 years ago would have been simple.

I did squat presses with a 20 pound bar, where I held the bar in both hands at eye level, had to squat really low, and then as I stood up, lift the bar over my head and back down. It's one fluid motion, and I had to do it 15 times in a row, twice. That hurt. Hello thighs!

Next he had me sit on a mat and squeeze a big weighted ball between my ankles (so I couldn't cheat). He tossed me a 5 pound weighted ball and I had to catch it and twist to the left and toss it back, then to the right and toss it back. Then he had me lean back at a 45 degree angle and do the same exercise. Holy abdominals! That was followed by him tossing the ball to me, I had to hold it over my head and go back into a full sit up and toss it back to him on the way back up. Ow.

That was followed by lowering myself off a bench, like a butt-down pushup, and then a modified chin up. I was really hurting by the end of that, so I walked on the treadmill for 20 minutes before going home to ease my heart rate. Tonight was the first time I really felt the degree to which I am out of shape.

So, as he told me to do, I am keeping my "eye on the prize" with the shorter term goal, which is looking amazing in my wedding dress, 1 year from this coming Friday, and long term, which is the family I hope to have, to be healthy and teach my kids to live a healthy lifestyle so they don't have to struggle as they grow up.

So you've read it here. I have 50 pounds to go. I am going to need encouragement, and I am going to be encouraging Sean as well, as he and I are doing this together. We have a lot of bad habits to correct, but I have faith that we can do this and the rest of our life together will be happy and healthy.

Weeknights with David Allen Boucher

Driving home to my parents' house tonight, I was radio surfing as I hit the Mass Pike, trying to pick which radio station would accompany me on the final stretch home. I usually go straight to 105.7 WROR, but I wasn't feeling it tonight. I've been listening to WROR streaming at work the past couple weeks, so I could use something of a different flavor.

That flavor came in the form of the smooth, rich baritone of David Allen Boucher, the weeknight disc jockey for Boston's "soft rock" station. I had forgotten about his existence. His voice could lull the hungriest of bears to sleep. Picture in your head Delilah (the female soft rock inspiration spouting dripping with the cheesiest of fromage disc jockey found on easy listening stations nation wide), but male (obviously), and so soothingly sexy. His voice is like the moment you first wake up in the morning, all warm and cozy and snuggly, BEFORE you realize that you have to in fact get up.

So D.A.B. accompanied me home, and I heard a song I had only ever heard once before, and I just loved the lyrics so much. I thought I would post them here to share with you. The song is "Come Away With Me" by Norah Jones.

Come away with me in the night
Come away with me
And I will write you a song

Come away with me on a bus
Come away where they can't tempt us
With their lies

I want to walk with you
On a cloudy day
In fields where the yellow grass grows knee-high
So won't you try to come
Come away with me and we'll kiss
On a mountaintop
Come away with me
And I'll never stop loving you

And I want to wake up with the rain
Falling on a tin roof
While I'm safe there in your arms
So all I ask is for you
To come away with me in the night
Come away with me

Single Ladies Challenge

I just finished a 30 minute dance workout on DVD, and I really want to get back in shape so when I dance, it looks fun and sassy, not like it's a workout!

Thanks to The Modern Gal I was introduced to the glory that is Beyonce's "Single Ladies", which has an incredibly fun video. They spoofed it on SNL when Beyonce was either hosting or the music act, starring Justin Timberlake, which can be seen here. I can't find the entire sketch, unfortunately...

Thanks to this video I can attempt to learn the dance, not only because it's sassy, but it looks like one hell of a workout!

Wish me luck!

Birthdays Galore!

I have many birthdays wishes to spread for this week; past present and future!

Happy birthday to my aunt, Diane! Her birthday was Saturday the 3rd, and not only is she an amazing aunt, she is also my godmother and very near and dear to my heart. Happy birthday, Auntie Di!

Happy birthday to my sister, Andrea! She celebrated her birthday yesterday, and she is the best sister in the world!

Happy birthday Mom, TODAY! am such a 'momma's girl', I can't wait to get home this weekend and give her a big birthday hug!

Happy birthday a little early to my great friend Mollie! Her birthday is this Sunday, and although I sadly cannot make it to her birthday shindig Saturday night, I will be taking her out sometime soon for a fabulous dinner.

Are you having a birthday soon? Let me know so I can wish you well!

Cheers!

*I ended nearly every sentence with an exclamation point. How wonderful!

Adventures in Heating

It all started Sunday evening, after we took down our tree and brought it outside, when we noticed that the house seemed a bit chilly! We've been trying to be conservative about our heating so we don't get hammered with a massive bill, as well as not wanting to be wasteful. We sucked it up and put on the sweatshirts and socks and blankets and had a fun night with friends.

Yesterday morning, it was what I would call "nippy" when I got out of bed. It tends to be cooler in the morning anyways, compared to the cozy snuggly warmth of being in bed, but it was cold enough for me to actually stumble in the dark looking for slippers.

When I got home last night, I sat at the computer, posted my previous two posts over the course of an hour of Stumbling, and my right hand became numb on the mouse. I put the warmest sweatshirt, socks and fleece pants that I could find on, turned the thermostat up to 68 and curled up under a blanket on the couch to watch The Bachelor (don't judge me). I heard the heater going in the basement, but it didn't seem to be getting any warmer. Sean came home just after midnight and crawled into bed. His feet were like ice blocks! Sure, we laughed over it (he likes to torture me by putting his cold feet on my warm legs- gah!) but the fact that he thought it was cold sure told us something.

Which brings us to this morning. This is the first morning in a I've woken up not sweating from wearing fleece pj pants, a long sleeve t-shirt, piled under a sheet, a knit blanket, a thin down comforter, a quilt, a small quilt down over our feet and a big puffy down comforter folded down over our feet. I rousted myself out of bed and literally scurried into the bathroom and into the shower. The floor was freezing! I "surfboarded" on the bath mat so as to not touch my toes to the seemingly frosty tiles. I relished my 15 minute steaming shower. Dried off as quickly as I could and (gross, I know) put my pajamas back on note to self: buy a bathrobe! and scurried back into the bedroom and threw on the clothes that I planned out to wear while in the shower. \

I cranked the thermostat to 70 before I ran out the door, hoping it would warm up a bit before Sean woke up. Again, I heard the heater turn on in the basement.

Well, it wasn't any warmer when he woke up. Our house had officially lost about 85% of it's heat and it was time to investigate. Sean went and bought a new thermostat, but that wasn't the problem. Along comes Landlord's Repairguy who determines that our pilot light will not stay lit. It must have been mislighting for at least the past 3 or 4 days for it to have gotten that cold.

Needless to say, he replaced a part and it's fixed and Sean cranked the thermostat to 70 before leaving for work so I would come home to a nice warm house. Which I did. Yay!

I just turned it back down to 65.

Lolz

This just makes me laugh...

First Monday of 2009

So I got through my first working Monday of 2009, and it wasn't bad. As I suspected, the next few weeks are going to be sheer madness in the way of putting together sales presentations and materials, but there's always a light at the end of the tunnel.

I have been thinking (already) about the spring and summer, and I very badly want to take a week off at some point, hopefully with Sean, and go somewhere. I don't care if it's camping or hiking or holing up in a little cottage or cabin in the mountains of Vermont or New Hampshire, but I want to get away. It was so nice to have days off during the holidays, and it made me realize that I cannot let another 2.5 years go by without taking a full week of. It was truly good for my soul. I left work two Mondays ago cranky and never wanting to step foot in my office again, and after vacation, I felt at the very least a.) grateful that I have a job, b.) grateful that with this economy, I'm doing fine, and c.) I have a great network of people who I work with who are like a family away from home. So while at times it gets stressful and I want to bang my head against my desk, for the most part, it's not bad at all.

I'd like to end this post with a shoutout to my readers, I am looking forward to delving more into this blog this year, finding ways to make it interesting to read. Like here:

Taking Down Christmas

I decided to take down Christmas decorations today, and I have had mixed feelings while doing so. I am sad to put them away because it was such a great holiday season for me an my family. We had a very blessed month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, and for the first time in a while, I really felt the season along with being happy with myself and where I am in my life.

I was happy to put them away because I am ready to have our house back to it's normal state, and there is so much to look forward to in the coming months. Plus, our house has a lot of red and green accents (our couch and chaise are forest green, and our accent table, rug, display, and fireplace are a nice cranberry red.). It's a very cozy place, probably my favorite room in the house.

So with each ornament and garland and kitchy candleholders I am saying thank you for a wonderful season and next time I see you, I will be (OMG) a month away from getting married, my little niece will be turning 1, and I can't wait to see what else is to come this year!

379 days to go...

Day 1 of Bridal Boot Camp got underway this evening. I took my first trip to the gym after work and had a good 45 minutes of cardio. I didn't push it too hard, since I didn't want to totally wear myself out and not feel like working out for another week. But I did work hard. I did alternating power walking/jogging on the treadmill for 30 minutes, and then did 15 minutes on the elliptical. It felt really good to get moving again, and I feel comfortable at that gym. I don't worry about people looking at me or judging me. All type of peopole go there, fit or fat, old or young. We're all just trying to get healthy!

Not sure what to make for dinner. I am going to take a shower and then scope out what's in the ol' fridge. I should probably have some leftovers so they don't go to waste.

Oh, and after 10 days of vacation, today was a really easy day at work. It was nice to go back and not feel like I hit the ground running. Monday, however, I can't say will be the same. Good thing I have 2 more days before then.

Happy New Year in 3 Hours

So long 2008...with only 3 hours left, I can truly say that you were a great year, many wonderful things took place within your days and I only hope 2009 lives up to your greatness!

This year's great moments and accomplishments include getting promoted at work,moving in with Sean, getting engaged, my niece being born, and seeing a couple of my close friends find new loves, become engaged or get married.

I am not making any resolutions this year. Every year I make resolutions and I do not keep them, so what's the point? I know what my goals are and what I need to do. I would rather seek to improve myself on a daily basis than refresh the same ideas and ideals year after year.

Having said that, feel free to laugh out loud here. Sean and I joined the gym together yesterday. We have been meaning to since last summer, and now seems as good a time as ever to join, especially with the deals they throw out there for New Year's. It's not an expensive gym, but it'll give us the equipment to workout on that we need, and hopefully we'll both learn to live more actively and healthy lifestyles by being able to encourage each other along the way.

So how is this for cliche? I have a coffee table of Chinese food and wine, and I have plenty of tv shows and movies I could watch. I'm not really feeling it this year for watching the ball drop, but maybe I'll change my mind by midnight. For now, I'm trying to stay awake till Sean gets home so we can give each other a new year's kiss.

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and days of auld lang syne.

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup of kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

Christmas Overload

Merry Christmas, somewhat belated! It's been a busy past few days for me, full of wonderful things.

I went home late Tuesday evening, and for the first time since I can remember, I saw my parents, siblings, and their families every day since Wednesday. It was so nice to have quality time with the kiddos, bonding time with the girls, and it really felt like Christmas. We haven't all been together for Christmas day in at least a couple years, and if we have, it's just been for a couple hours. So this year was very special. The kids had so much fun at Grandma and Grampa's house (by today I think they'd had it though...). This was the first Christmas that my older nephew, who is 3 1/2, really got into it and knew what it was all about. My dad worked at the fire station Christmas eve, so "Santa" called Lane to ask him if he'd been a good boy, and read him the Night Before Christmas over the phone. It was really precious. Then we put out milk and cookies for Santa and Cheerios for the reindeer, and Lane was so excited, he wouldn't go to sleep! How wonderful to see it as an adult, the sheer joy and excitement about him the whole night and following morning.

I was able to go back to my parish for midnight mass and sing with the singers (it's usually a good mix of alumni and current youth singers). It felt different, but was still very peaceful and the perfect way to celebrate the holiday.

I spent Christmas Eve with Sean and his family. We booked our reception venue (more on that later) and yesterday morning I went dress shopping with my mom, all 4 of my girls, and Sean's mom. It was a successful trip! We were so successful that we found a dress for the girls too that looked fabulous on all of them! Talk about difficult finding a dress for girls with all different heights, boobs, hips...but we did it!

Now I am home and enjoying the peace and quiet of not having toddlers running circles around me. I am going to make some dinner and wait for Sweetie to come home. Did I mention I also have the next four days off? Ahhhhhhh life is good.....

Be Careful What You Wish For

For the past month or so, I have been eagerly awaiting the first real snowfall. Well, we got it yesterday in a big way. So big that work was let out at 1 pm and the highways were already clogged with people trying to get home. Some friends from work and I decided to get a bite to eat down the road, so we slowly made our way there and had a mini feast. I got a delicious steak and cheese sandwich with fries and a Harpoon IPA. We ended up staying there for 3 hours, hanging out at the bar, playing pool, and enjoying not being stuck in the traffic and weather. ARound 4:30 I said my goodbyes and headed out into the snow. It was really nasty out. I made 2 stops before getting on the highway, to get food for dinner and a shovel, and to fill up on gas. I got on the highway at 5, and pulled into my driveway at 7:30. Yuck. I didn't even take anything out of the car. I hopped out and got to work shoveling. Luckily, we have gracious neighbors who snow-blow the sidewalk in front of the house, but I had to clear a space for Sean, who was on his way home, and clear the steps and porch so our neighbor-lady could get up at 7 am this morniing to go to South Caroliina. Bless her, she came out and tried to help me shovel. I've mentioned before that she's 92, right? I let her sprinkle some salt on the steps and shooed her inside.

So it looks like it's not a great day to do much of anything outdoors. I'll go outside in a bit and clean up the front again and try to de-ice my car. I guess it took Sean about a half hour this morning to clear his car off enough to drive. And sadly, it's supposed to snow more later, which means he will likely stay at the hotel in Stamford that his company puts people up in when the weather is really bad. Given that he's supposed to be in at 7 tomorrow morning, this is the safe thing to do. I will just miss him, since he won't get out till 8 tomorrow night. IT'll be a very quiet weekend.

I hope you are all safe and warm and have power and food. Stay dry and have a very merry Christmas week. I will be heading home to my parent's house for Christmas eve and will be there through next Sunday, so I might not get around to posting. Enjoy your holidays!

Ding Dong Merrily On High

Wow, I am slacking in the blogging department this month compared to November. Don't worry, I still have a pulse!

Thank you to all for the well wishes for the engagement and the new baby in the family. Life is pretty fantastic these days. I am in the final push of work before taking my first vacation in 2.5 years. I can't wait to have 13 days straight of not having to work!

This month has been fairly busy! We had a tacky Christmas sweater party Friday night, which was a big hit and we will most likely be hosting one each year from now on. We had another party on Saturday, and most of the day I was recovering from Friday night, so I didn't go too crazy with food, and I consumed only 1 glass of wine and probably a gallon of water and Gatorade. Oh, the things we do to ourselves around the holidays...My work party is Friday at an Italian restaurant in Stamford. There is wine a-plenty, so I will do my best to restrain from becoming belligerent. I don't think I'll be going to any afterparties this year as I have the past two, so the idea of driving home from Stamford on the Friday before Christmas is enough to limit myself to 1 drink.

I think I'm doing pretty well in the weight loss department, I'm down 8-10 pounds from October, and since it's the holidays, I know I'm doing well because this is when I usually pack on 5 or so extra pounds. It'll be easier once the holidays are over and I have time to get to the gym. These days I'm relying on diet alone, which is not easy.

I won't bore you any more with my mutterings, but I'm still here. Just very, very busy...

Cheers!

Just over a week later, wedding planning is underway. There is a lot to do right away, I'm finding, and then we'll have months of waiting, and then another lot to do in the month or two beforehand. So with Christmas approaching, I am trying to stay cool and relaxed and not worry too much about everything must get done. We are calling the church tomorrow, I have scheduled an appointment to go try on dresses the weekend after Christmas, and we already have a pretty good idea as to where and who we want for our reception, photographer, and possibly DJ. The big thing will be firming up the date with the church and then with the reception venue in a couple short weeks. And that's when we start shelling out the money.

I am more excited for this Christmas than the past two since living on my own. I think a lot of it has to do that I love my roommate (*giggle*) and we've really made this place our home. The tree is up, the entire house is decorated, and it's so cozy and full of love and warmth. It sounds so cheesy, but this is what the season is supposed to be, and it finally is for me.

Also in wonderful news, my sister-in-law had a c-section on Friday and my first niece (I have two nephews) was born at 2:47 p.m. Bailey Elizabeth graced the world with her presence and my world has been changed dramatically. I first saw this little face and almost started crying, just out of happiness. My brother and Kathy are on cloud 9, everyone is doing well, and I managed to take a day trip up to see them all on Saturday, as I am an impatient auntie and couldn't wait until Christmas.

So to leave you with a smile....

Photos taken by the proud mommy & daddy.

A Holiday Engagement

Well, it's been over a week since I posted, and a lot has happened in that week that is worthy of sharing! First of all, I cooked (with Sean's dishwashing help - life saver!) a delicious gluten free feast with everything I put on the menu minus dessert and dinner rolls. There was an overabundance of food, and I am very proud of the success of not only my stuffing but my green bean casserole. I spent much of Wednesday night making the homemade components for the casserole, and it was just plain delicious with the meal. So, for your viewing pleasure, here is our feast:

Since Sean had the day off, we had talked about going into NYC to spend the rest of the day hanging out, possibly ice skating or seeing a show...So we hopped on the train and were in the city by 4 pm. We walked up Fifth Avenue, looked at all the gorgeous window decorations and displays.

We made our way up to Central Park, commented on the delightful smell of the horses and carriages (yuck!), and kept making our way to the skating rink, stopping to take some pictures along the way.

We got to the rink, and it was very crowded, so we decided against skating. I probably would have knocked over many small children. I wanted to keep walking, but Sean suggested we go over to the observation deck area and watch the skaters for a little while. That sounded like a lovely idea! We found an empty space along the railing to watch and take pictures. I had just taken this picture:...when I felt a tap on my shoulder. I turned around and Sean said "Shannon? I have a question for you..." He got down on his knee and opened a small black box with a ring in it, and asked "Will you marry me?" It took my breath away. And of course I said yes!

It was the most perfect, romantic, memorable day I have ever experienced. He is the man of my dreams, and in January 2010 we will say our vows before our dearest friends and family, and become husband and wife. How lucky am I to be marrying my best friend?

So after the important phone calls were made (it was hard to actually get a hold of most people since it was dinnertime on Thanksgiving - duh!), we walked down to Times Square and got tickets to see Avenue Q, a delightfully politically incorrect musical starring puppets. It was the perfect way for us to end the day, laughing together, unable to stop grinning from ear to ear.

I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and as we near Christmas, I hope your hearts are filled with joy, wonder, and peace. Cheers!