Let's Talk About Life...

First of all, my Boston Celtics made it to game 7 of the NBA finals against the Lakers, and came up 4 points short. It really hurts. I know it may sound silly to you non sports fans, but as a die hard fan - I am very attached to my team. When they win, I feel like I've won. When they lose, I lose. I could barely sleep the night before game 7 and was nervous and jittery all day. It hurts so much to see a group of guys that love each other, fight so hard night in and night out, and personify the true meaning of "TEAM," lose. To come this far and lose. And to know that this was their last, BEST opportunity to win. Ahhh....it sucks. But I love my team and I'm proud of them. I'm sad for them, and I feel for them. But....there is always hope for the future. Celtic Pride for life. I'm in it for the long haul. "And that's all I have to say about that," -Forrest Gump.

LOL.

In other news, we moved. Yeah. I know I was supposed to post a big dramatic blog about moving and the house and the times in the house, etc....it was just too hectic of a time. And very emotional. I had to be strong. I didn't need to give in to nostalgia. It was a hard situation, but it was our situation, and we had to get through it. It seemed like leading up to the move, everything that could go wrong, WAS going wrong. Closing was delayed. Money problems. The apartment almost wasn't ready. Bank screw-ups. The list goes on. BUT, I am sooo thankful to GOD because we made that really tough transition with minimal tears and only 1-2 days of "funk" to get through. I'm so proud of my mom for making it. But I don't think I've given her any choice. lol. I don't let her mope. You gotta pick yourself up when you get knocked down, and keep on moving. That's life.

I did have one day that was exceptionally hard. Really, just a few moments. The last day we were able to go in the house, after we'd already moved into the apartment. I had to go by there to fix one last hole in the wall and paint over it before going to David's grad party. I thought I was ok, but when I got to the Neffs' I broke down a little. To know that I was never going to go in that house again...it was sad. I hated crying at David's party, and taking attention away from his achievement. But it was brief. I hugged Susan and I cried. I loved that house, and I loved my adolescence growing up in that house. All the family times, friend times, mayhem, and peace. Holidays, birthdays, barbecues and sleepovers. That was a cherished 14 years, but I can only hope that the next 14 will bring just as much happiness. One thing I've definitely learned through this is that, as cliché as it sounds, home IS where the heart is. Mom and I have moved into this apartment, and honestly, it feels like home. Yes, there's less space. We bump into each other a little more. We don't have a yard. But it's ok. We're doing ok. We get through everything together, in love.

Speaking of love, I've been loving my Summer. It's been low key, but I've already had some great days with friends and family. I love the people in my life. I'm excited for what each day may bring. I hope to start getting out more and maybe to meet a man at some point. lol. We'll see.

One thing I am NOT happy about is how my good eating/exercise habits have totally fallen to the wayside. Once I started working at Maggiano's, it was almost instantaneous. My sleep schedule immediately got off track which ruined my energy for exercise. Also, I started slowly nibbling on the Maggiano's food which led to basically eating whatever I wanted. So everything is out of whack. I wasn't making enough money for what it did to my life, so I quit (after I applied at Goodwill Staffing). I will be fine to live/pay bills through July with what I made. I should be starting a temp job any day now. I didn't want to have a period of not working, but I had to give Mag's 2 weeks notice, and I didn't know when Goodwill would call (they only give 24 hours notice before you have to start) so I didn't want to have to just up and quit. lol....We'll see. In the mean time, I'm applying for other temp jobs. We'll see what comes of it.

That's about it.

OH! And Jazmyne and Samuel graduated from 5th grade. haha. My babies are growing up (especially Jaz). She moves in with us this weekend. Gonna be fun!

I'll leave you with some pics from the past few weeks.

Mom and I settled on a place to live after much debate and discouragement. We were told by a realtor that basically we would have NO chance of getting approved on a lease application without adequate employment/income. We were really trying to avoid apartment living (for obvious reasons), but we realized that financially it was the best decision. And I knew that wherever we ended up, we would make it a "home" because we'd be together. SO....We will be living in a 2 bedroom apartment near Shoreline called "the hunt club." I knew it was nice because Ashley lives there, and I'd been several times and been impressed with the space/cost/community. Here are a few pictures of our place:

Living Room Area

Balcony

It'll definitely be a big adjustment, but I'm kind of looking forward to the change. Plus they have a fitness center, 2 pools, tennis courts, and more. I think Jazmyne will enjoy it too.

In other GREAT news, I will start working at Maggiano's Monday! I'm really excited. I definitely willed myself into that job. I'm going to be doing carry out during the week and hostessing on weekends. Matt (the manager) instantly loved me, and knew I would be great for it. There are bound to be some fun new friends! And I am excited to get to work with Elizabeth on weekends until she leaves in a month!

And speaking of Elizabeth, I love her so much. It's always amazing to have a best friend who you have SO much in common with, it's scary. We stayed up until 4:30am having deep convos about life, reminiscing, and talking about hope for the future. It reminded me of a night we had 8 years ago when we first became best friends, our first sleepover back in '02. She keeps me young! LOL. Anyway, she's amazing and will be successful in law school. I just hope she comes back when it's over! Or maybe before it's over! :(

And we have to lay down some tracks in the studio! I'm so excited to be able to explore my performing urges in other genres besides opera. I feel so liberated, like I'm no longer in a box. Opera was never my first love. I just spent so much time working at it that I excelled - but I'd really like to do some contemporary and quazi musical theater type stuff. Singing and teaching is going to be so amazing. I know that by continuing to perform, it will help me better relate to my students. Teenagers also have a lot of respect for people that are doing what they want to be. I'm excited to be busy again.

Also, Ashley and I went to my good ole friend Jake Raines' birthday show last Friday. It was so great seeing him after 5 years, but kind of a shame it'd been so long. He looks so different, in a good way.

I hope to be able to reconnect with a lot of old friends now that I'm back. I know I won't see people super often, but I want to reestablish some of those relationships.

Anyway, I'm happy. Time to go have a Saturday morning walk with mom. I've been doing so well. I'm -12 lbs! Keeping up the lifestyle change! :)

Peace and love. ♥

Thursday:

Awesome Earth day festivities that included Avatar on bluray at Julia's and some amazing pizza.

Friday:

LAST day of PT, lots of errands including lugging a 32" TV 3 blocks. You know, people in Boston don't offer assistance when they see a lady struggling.

Awesome night of Celtics, Prosecco, and amazing quotes with Sarah & Ben.

Saturday:

Lots of car packing, and a night of INTERESTING one act operas at Longy with Kelli, and Fred's amazing performance!

We also got to meet Sapphira Cristàl...

Sunday:

LAST day of church, plus Applebee's and a funeral. Fun stuff. (Applebee's, not the funeral...)

OUTSTANDING dinner with Fredsie at Upstairs on the Square.

Monday:

PT performance, finally finished packing the car, and then...

AMAZING going away dinner at Sunset. I was so overwhelmed. Everyone came to tell me how much they loved me and will miss me. And the best part was the AMAZING birthday song followed by cheers throughout the restaurant. ROCK STARS. It wasn't my birthday btw...hahaha I LOVE THOSE GUYS!!! I wish I'd gotten pics of everyone.

To see more, check out my facebook album: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2668029&id=23400627&l=aedf118798

The next day, this is what I had to say:

So now I'm back in Austin and I'm feeling so amazing. Not only to be home and spend time with my family and besties, but I've finally started exercising. It feels so amazing. The past 2 mornings, mom and I have been getting up in the morning and walking around the track in our back yard. Today I jogged and walked. I have no idea how much I weigh, but I feel amazing. And I can feel myself losing fat. It's such an amazing feeling, to get healthy. I'm so happy that after the weekend of high caloric intake, I got right back on track! Here's to health!

♥♥♥

I'm finding that I have a million thoughts running through my head. Still thinking about the amazing dinner I had last night with Fred at "Upstairs on the Square" in Harvard Square. It was soooo amazing and so special. I honestly don't think a friend has EVER spent that much on me. I felt so special and so grown up. We had a bottle of some AMAZING Riesling, "Hot Dates" for an appetizer along with tomato soup and an asparagus dish. For main courses: I had a seared chicken dish with some kind of lima beans and greens, and Fred had this amazing halibut dish with cucumber and herbs. Then we both had dessert - he had some gourmet chocolate turtles and I had a "zebra cake" with chocolate ice cream, which I could NOT finish. I tried!! But it was such an amazing evening. I don't know if any date I ever have will top it. Good luck, men of the world! :) What fantastic friends I have.

(Amandeep just won $52,000 all cash!)

Yesterday was my last church day. It was kinda sad. I had a solo that I completely effed up. I was so afraid of running out of breath and hitting the top note well, that I screwed up the notes in between... Not the best way to end it, but it's ok. LOL. I got to be amused by Dorsey's amazing "Wolfie and Esmerelda" puppet show. I love watching the children's innocent little faces as they watch the puppets, and I notice that some of them REALLY believe it's the puppets talking. It's so precious. Kids sunday was always my favorite. I wish they would have sung a song too. They're so good. Then after church we had to sing a funeral, so between the services Sarah, Ben, Caleb, and I went to Applebee's, which was super fun (and more calories). But worth it.

I'm also thinking about crap for today. I have yet to hear from the people who are supposed to be picking up my car today about when they are getting it. So, I'm a little worried about that. And I'm still worried if the rest of my clothes will even fit!! AHH. It'll be ok... Then, I have one last PT performance which will consume about 3 hours of my day. For one 3 minute scene. LOL. It's ok though. I guess I'm just concerned about coordinating that with the car pick up.

But I'm really excited about tonight. It's my last night in Boston and I'm spending it with the people that have been the most awesome in my life here. We're gonna go have dinner/drinks at Sunset. Hopefully I will be hungover for my early flight tomorrow. LOL.

(2nd episode of wheel: there's a REALLY annoying woman named Erika who is freaking out about everything. Pat said he didn't know if he could do the full half hour. LMAO. I would have said the same thing. We all know how low key I am when it comes to getting excited. LOL. )

It's soooo hard to stick to a healthy eating schedule/menu when you're being social. It's sooo nice hanging out with everything but this weekend has been so bad, food wise. Too much eating out. And then Tuesday is my brother's birthday so that will be difficult. But I think it's nice that I've allowed myself to be treated this weekend. It'll be easy to get back to my routine, and I won't feel so "deprived." Health experts say it's healthy to treat yourself every now and again, as long as you're eating healthy 80% of the time. That way, it's not really a "diet" but more of a general re-wiring of your brain and the way you think about eating. So, I think I'm doing pretty well! Plus I've lost about 8 pounds. :) And my hip is good so I will begin exercising as soon as I get home. (Although, I suppose all this lugging crap up and down the stairs has been pretty good exercise too) And I'm gonna force my mom to get out there with me! Yay for health!

That's all for now. Next blog will be more exciting with pictures and such. Erika has calmed down a little, so I'm gonna see if she wins anything. lol.

Peace and Love :)

So when I got back I found out I'd already lost 5 lbs! One week at a time... I don't really want to weigh myself very often, because I have a tendency to get obsessive. I think I will be ok to work out tomorrow, although my hip is still giving me trouble. I'll take it slow at first.

So my trip home was amazing. We are going through tough times, but when you're with family, everything is just better. We have to sell our house for financial reasons, and we're hoping for a contract any day now! Please keep us in your prayers!! So in the mean time, we'd been checking out rental houses in the Pflugerville/Round Rock area in the event that our house sells like...tomorrow. This is my fave:

kitchen

"my" bedroom

living space

master bath

The biggest thing on my mind these days is how I've recently decided I'm really ready to make the change. Weight loss. It's plagued me my entire life. So now that I have this awesome life plan that I'm totally excited and confident about, I feel like it's really time to get my health in order. And this time I really feel ready to make the life change. I'm in a happy place. So I've been eating healthier for about 6 days now. And I'm feeling great. I haven't started the exercise regime yet because of my hip injury, but I would like to start walking ASAP, and slowly work other things into the routine. I really want to get in shape. I'd like to not get winded after walking up stairs. Anyway, that's what's happening there. That reminds me, it's breakfast time.

Today is going to be great. I'm going to my alma mater and future workplace, Pflugerville High School. I am so excited to work there everyday. It's really the best job someone like me could ask for. :) But I'm going to listen to the choirs before UIL contest and offer constructive feedback. It'll be the first time I've gone since I was given the voice teacher position for the fall, and the opportunity to be the potential future of the PHS choir program--so that makes it a different visit. It'll be special.

Not much more to say. We'll see how long the blog lasts. LOL. Off I go!