Saturday is my new favorite day....

So I was up WAY too late last night watching "Criminal Minds" reruns. Part of me was also waiting for Ethan to get home from his extra job which he works from 11 PM - 3 AM. He got home, we talked, and then I think we fell asleep at 4 AM. It was like the old days when we both worked later shifts and would stay up ridiculously late and then sleep in....

This morning we were up at 11. It was cold and rainy outside so we just stayed in bed for a little while snuggling before we got up to have breakfast. It's so nice to be home together on a day where we don't have to work... well, I don't have to work until later (Greek kids gig). Ethan has CPA homework anyway, and he likes to have some alone time to play video games with his brother and friends so it works out pretty perfectly.

I hit the gym earlier and finished week 4 of Couch to 5K. Yay me! Ethan surprised me by researching my treadmill and figuring out what the problem was...he ordered the part that needs to be replaced, and he is currently fixing it. The part was only $10, so I'm excited to have my treadmill back! I have decided that I will only be walking on it though and will save the running for the gym treadmills since I want it to last as long as possible...it's already so old to begin with, it's a miracle it's even still working. I have no doubt in my husband's ability to fix ANYTHING. He's just that kind of guy. Nothing fazes him, and he's super scary smart but without acting like a know-it-all brainiac. I got the total package.

Tomorrow is brunch with my friend Lauren...I call her L.D. to differentiate and avoid confusion, and then coffee later with my friend Lindsay. I'm looking forward to seeing them both and catching up! Brunch is at this place that I've always wanted to check out called "Sun in my Belly", so I can't wait to taste the food there. It's one of L.D.'s favorite places, so it's highly recommended. I'm sure I'll be back tomorrow to update on how it was!

Weekend plans

Can't believe it's Thursday night and my week is almost over. Just have to make it to 8 PM tomorrow....Friday is going to seem so much longer now that Ethan doesn't have to work and I'm going to want to rush home to be with him, haha.

Today was pretty uneventful as far as days go. I came home and then went to work out and finished W4D2 of C25K.... I will finish out week 4 on Saturday at some point. Very excited to move on to week 5. I've discovered that I need to run on an empty stomach if I want to actually keep my speed up...otherwise my stomach literally starts to cramp and it's not pretty. I have a confession...I really don't like running. I wouldn't say I HATE it, but it's not my favorite thing to do. I sometimes just grit my teeth and get it done with. However, as much as I don't love it, I do love that it whips me into shape in no time and I love the sense of accomplishment that I feel at the end of a run. Not everyone is determined enough to run, so I like to think that I'm determined enough to not back down from the challenge of doing something I don't particularly care for.

My weekend plans aren't major....sleep in on Saturday, make breakfast for my husband, finish week 4, maybe watch a few shows on DVR, get a pedicure, and then I'm spending time with some friends on Sunday which I'm looking forward to. I was thinking of a massage this weekend but decided that I'll do it next weekend instead, to celebrate finishing week 5. It's good motivation.

Speaking of sleep....I need some! Goodnight....hopefully I'll post something more interesting later on in the weekend.

Something new...

Well, as of today, Ethan and I share a common day off! This is the first time this has ever happened our entire marriage. He used to have Wednesday/Thursday off but it has now been changed to Friday/Saturday. I'm absolutely thrilled about this (even though I panicked a little bit at first). It means that we'll get to sleep in together every Saturday morning and I'll be able to make my husband breakfast in bed! Amazing... I know it seems silly, but if you've been married to someone for over five years and never got to do that as part of your normal routine, you'd be excited too. The other plus is that if we want to take a long weekend, we each only have to take one day off - I take Friday, he takes Sunday - voila! We'll be able to jet off to wherever our destination is on Thursday evening and return Sunday evening. It's a step in the direction that our life is heading in anyway! I'm very thankful to have one shared day off. It also means we'll be able to have dinner together 4-5 nights per week now instead of just 3. So I'm a happy camper!

I got home from work by 5 today and we headed out to try a new place in nearby Decatur called The Pita Pit. It was okay... I don't think we'll be going back anytime soon, just because the service was so incredibly slow. We discovered a Lebanese place that had AWESOME pitas earlier in the week, so I think that will be our go-to place when a craving for a pita hits. :) Atlanta just doesn't have Showmars....::sigh:: After we ate our dinner, we walked down to The Yogurt Tap. Ethan had never been, and I've taken the kids quite a few times, so it was fun to introduce him to that. It's like Yoforia...only better!

I can't believe it's Wednesday evening already...I'm looking forward to the weekend....what to make Ethan for breakfast on Saturday? Hmm.....

There's no place like home....

This past weekend, I was able to go home to Charlotte and spent 4 blissful days with my family and friends. I loved being able to spend time with my grandparents, my parents, my sisters, and my best friend, all of whom I never get enough time with. It was awesome. On Saturday, I went to the FHC service with my dad and sister (mom was feeling sick) and then I took them to Amelie's for dessert, which is a 24 hour French bakery in the NoDa neighborhood. Dad had the Napoleon, I had the salted caramel brownie (what they are known for), and my sister had a chocolate eclair. All were totally delish- and we brought home an eclair for mom to eat the next day. I wish I could have stayed forever with everyone, but I would miss Ethan too much. Maybe someday we'll move back to Charlotte....the Lord knows exactly where we're supposed to be at all times, and right now that's Atlanta. I'm thankful that it's only 3.5 hours away, and I hope to go back for another visit in May.

Work is going well - my fingers are crossed that the girl we are trying out for 2 weeks works out well. I've been able to leave by 5 latest every day except Friday which has been great. I've been able to stay on top of things much better, and I've been working out like I should - I'm on week 4 of C25K now, and did day 1 today... it was HARD....my speed isn't improving much, I'm afraid, but at least I'm able to keep up with it....so far. I'm dreading the 25, 28, and 30 minute runs towards the end but I know it's good for me. I WILL finish the 9 weeks and segue right into the Bridge to 10K.... I WILL! NO MATTER WHAT!

I have to go to Alys Beach for a week in April with my employers, so that's sufficient motivation to keep me moving! We're staying in this house, so it'll be a nice trip. I'm loving that there's a pool for the kids as that will make everything a lot more fun for all of us! We went last summer, and the community amenities are great. Awesome playground for the kiddos, a giant community pool, and a fitness center with treadmills to continue my workouts... which is good, since I'll be on week 9 (the last week!) of C25K and will go right into Bridge to 10K, which is a 10 week program, and I should finish June 12th....and be able to run for an entire hour straight. Crazy! I'll be happy to be able to run that at 5 mph, I am not going to be crazy and think that I can accomplish it any faster than that...at least for a while!

This spring is going to be nutso busy now that I think about it. I am also traveling to Savannah for Easter weekend which will be busy, and then I have the kids for two full weekends in May due to their parents being out of town. I'm hoping to get up to Ohio to see my parents at their summer residence in June, and then we have the annual 4th of July at Bremo trip, and possibly a Bahamas trip at the end of July. We'll see if that actually happens (it's a work trip). Hopefully no work travel in August! We still haven't decided on a location for our 6th anniversary trip! Hawaii is looking like it's a no-go because literally everything is ALREADY booked up. ::sigh:: We'll figure it out!

Thank you God, for coffee....

So last night I came home from work and found that Ethan had run the laundry for me (I had forgotten to ask him, but he did it anyway!). I was so happy that it was done, so I folded it and put it all away. Laundry is actually my favorite chore....I think because I can see the results of it...a heap of unfolded clothes gets folded into piles and then placed in the correct drawer.... I'm type A like that. Haha. Then I went to the gym to get my workout in, had dinner, and tried to go to sleep in preparation for my early wakeup call today. It didn't work.

I didn't fall asleep until 11:30 (or later) last night... and the alarm this morning was like a punch in the face. I immediately developed a raging headache....dragged myself to work and went back to sleep on the couch. Thank god the kids didn't require my attention until 7:45 AM because I would have been in bad shape otherwise. As I was giving them breakfast, I noticed that there was coffee still left in the pot. I poured it into a mug, added skim milk and my truvia, and started drinking. Within an hour my headache was gone and I felt human again. I totally understand why moms drink coffee in the morning now. Completely. I have always sworn that I'm not going to be a coffee drinking mama in the future, but we'll see. I'm going to keep my options open on that one for SURE. Haha. I just don't like to be dependent on anything to keep me going on a regular basis and I see some moms guzzle it all day long...definitely don't want to be like that.

So the kids and I are hanging out until Ethan texts me...he took my car in for an oil change and some other services, and we're going to pick him up since he'll probably have to leave the car there all day. Since my bosses are out of town in the Bahamas for the day, they left the minivan for me to use with the kids. It worked out quite perfectly if I do say so myself. Next weekend I have a road trip to Charlotte, so he wanted to make sure my car was in tip top shape. It's one of the many ways he demonstrates his love and care for me. I'm a lucky gal!

Ever had the rug yanked out from underneath you?

That's kind of what today felt like....my part-time nanny informed me she's taking a six week leave of absence, Finn threw up all over my car today, and I have to be at work tomorow at 6 AM, which means I have to wake up at 5:30 in the morning. Yowza.

First things first. My part-time nanny and I have had bumps in the road with our relationship, but nothing we haven't been able to overcome. I've been very accommodating to her needs, and she's gone away on several vacations for a week at a time here and there, and I've usually been able to secure backup so it isn't an issue. Due to personal reasons, she's taking a 6 week leave, and wants me to find someone to work temporarily so she can have her job back when she returns. However, I'm tired of this.... and I think she needs to be replaced by someone who is reliable and who I can trust to be there and not constantly be wondering if she's going to announce she's going out of town. So I've started looking for a replacement....but I only have 2 weeks until she leaves, and that's usually nowhere near enough time. This job is anything but easy and it takes a special kind of person to step in here and take the reins from me. Normally I would try to make things work, but my younger two go down for naps from 1:30-4ish, and Finn has to be picked up from school at 2:45. Then he has to be taken to taekwondo, and he was supposed to be going to swimming lessons, but I don't see how I'm going to be able to make that work.... there are just a lot of schedule conflicts. Not to mention, I don't want to be here until 7:45 PM every night. There are things I like to do....like be at home....go to the gym....have dinner with my husband, etc. So, keep me in your prayers ... I need to find a permanent replacement or a temporary 4 week replacement at the very least.

Now onto grosser things.... I went to pick Finn up from his great grandmother's, and she informed me that he'd gagged a little at breakfast and handed me two grocery bags for the car in case he threw up. So, we're driving on the interstate, and all of a sudden...yeah. Well, the bag overflowed. So the seat was covered in vomity goo that smelled like rancid strawberry yogurt (even though he didn't have any strawberry yogurt). It was so awesome. Not. I pulled off at a random exit and found a random free parking garage and grabbed my pack of diaper wipes and did the best I could. We changed Finn into his PJ's that he had worn the night before and got back in the car with the windows down. We got home and got him into a warm bubble bath, and when my part-time nanny came I took my car to get cleaned. My bosses pay for the car to be cleaned if that happens, which is nice. It still has a faint odor though, so I'm just going to put a cup of coffee grounds in my car and it should disappear within a few days. It's the best thing for getting yucky smells out of a car.

Tomorrow morning is a 5:30 AM wakeup call....my boss is an interior designer, and she has to fly with a client to the Bahamas to make a site visit for the house she is designing. It's the client's private jet, so they have to be at the airport by 7, which means they have to leave at 6.... yeaaaaah. I'm not looking forward to waking up that early, but it must be done. I'll survive!

So it's been quite the day. Serenity. Now.

Canon 60D.....

So I finally decided to purchase the Canon 60D! It will arrive on Wednesday...I'm very excited! It will take my photography to the next level, since my Canon Rebel XT is over 5 years old. The main reason for the upgrade was my need for expanded ISO... my XT only goes up to 1600, and the 60D goes to 3200 and is expandable to 6400. It's perfect for natural light photography and low light photography as well.

I also got the Bridge to 10K application for my phone so I could see what it was all about. When you complete C25K, you immediately start Bridge to 10 K.... well, it's pretty awesome. By the end of the 10 weeks, you are literally running for 1 hour total! I should finish June 18th with the C25K and Bridge to 10K.... and I should be in pretty darn good shape! I'm excited about the prospect of pushing myself to run for one hour without stopping....wow.

In other news: Hawaii is most likely where we are headed in August. As soon as I said "Hawaii is another option" to Ethan, his ears perked up and he immediately said "Can we go to the North Shore and surf?!".... so the decision was basically pretty much made! I'm super excited....even though it means we're on a plane for basically 12 hours. Whatever, it's Hawaii!