Random Friday Stuff (Clever Title no?)

So guess what guys? I did it.

All thirty days. Yes really. 

It wasn't easy though, far from it. Especially when our XBox got the red ring of death last week (btw, how do we fix that?) so I was unable to stream different work out videos or play any dvd's. This miss hap forced me to get creative or just force myself to get out and walk and walk and walk. I feel better for forcing myself to be active. Its amazing how easily I would forget to be active if I didn't make myself do it. Unfortunately, I guess it just wasn't a priority, but now I assure you, it is! Now will I get miss Jillian's new video? Well let's not get crazy, I might have to work on the shred for a little while longer before I attempt this doozy.

I was tagged waaaay back in the day by Jimaie and then tagged more recently over at Joshely and the Charles with the same tag. So now I will finally do it!

Eight things I am looking forward to....
1. GRADUATION! (it's goin down on June 12!)
2. Getting magazines in the mail
3. Sewing with Nani.
4. Tending to my plants in my mini garden (I will share them with you next week)
5. Going to see Dane Cook on Sunday (I know, I know some of you don't find him funny)
6. I have the day off today so I am going to make some pancakes in a bit and I am really looking forward to that
7. Watching Taylor Swift on the TODAY show.
8. Maybe browsing H&M today...

Eight Things I did yesterday...
1. Went to work
2. Went to school
3. Took Frank for a walk with Jon
4. I read A Thousand Splendid Suns in the garden at school before class.
5.  Colored
6. Ate a fresh salad that Jon made me before he went to Poker.
7. Watched So You Think You Can Dance with a smile on my face and texted Erin with commentary on the most notable contestants.
8. Played with Frank on the floor

Eight Things I wish I could do....
1. Play a musical instrument
2. Sew, but I am working on it with Nani
3. Run
4. Ride a bike confidently 
5. Speak multiple languages
6. Travel the world on a whim
7. Have a garden in a backyard instead of in multiple pots around the patio
8. Sing

Eight shows I watch.....
1. Real Housewives of New Jersey
2. So You Think You Can Dance
3. TODAY
4. General Hospital
5. Dancing With The Stars/American Idol
6. Millionaire Matchmaker
7. Weeds
8. House Hunters/Property Virgins

So go for it answer any of the questions you want, post the answers on your blog, in the comments, whatevs. Happy Friday!

One Decade

People thought it wouldn't last, the ballerina, the skater boy. Well neither did the skater boy or the ballerina; "something different we'll see how long this lasts...", they thought.

But giggles turned to laughs, like turned to love and stories turned into a life together. Who knows what the future holds, it's not for either of us to say but whatever it is we will go through it together and that is more than enough for me.

While the term high school sweethearts seems idyllic and straight out of a fairy tale, a lot of work hides behind the term. Especially when those sweethearts leave high school and go to different, distant, colleges. So yes, it's been hard work, and yes, it has always been worth it.

I love you Jon. Happy TEN Year Anniversary!

When Reality TV Gets A Little Too Real

You might think less of me for the next two sentences I write.

The Jon and Kate + 8 episode last night made me really sad. Like so upset I actually lost sleep over it.

See I told you.

I was hoping to tune in last night to hear Jon and Kate talk about how all the tabloids were wrong, they hit a rough patch but they planned to stick it out. But no. Instead Jon was absent and when he was present he was not mentally there. Kate seemed more human and laughed more than I had seen in previous episodes but at other times she was at the end of her rope and doing a lot of stuff on her own. It was just so sad and a silver lining didn't seem to appear anywhere. And I know I shouldn't let a reality tv show make me melancholy, but it did.

Divorce is tough no matter how many kids are involved. Sometimes parents are better friends because of divorce which is ultimately better for the kids, but I think there is something about the first few months of the first decision to split that is hard on everyone. I don't know first hand what this process is like but I just know it can't be easy, when no children, one child or 8 are involved. I surprised myself by waking up last night with those little ones faces in my thoughts. I mean EIGHT children, that's a huge family, what is child support going to be like for EIGHT kids.

oh my.

They both admit that they started the show to chronicle their little one's lives, but now it seems to be documenting a very painful part of a family's life.  Is it time to turn the cameras off and heal as a family?

Did you watch, what did you think?

Mrs.Bundy

A couple of weeks ago my brothers and their girlfriends came over to go swimming. This is crazy for two reasons.

1. My brothers and I are finally at the age where we "hang out".  It's not that we totally hated each other before, but with a six year age difference, we didn't exactly see eye to eye on a lot because well we were always in very different developmental stages. 

2. Now this one will take some more explanation. 

While we were out at the pool swimming the lady at the front desk came out and brought me my garage clicker because it had been acting wonky and she had it fixed. So she gave me my clicker and since I was done swimming and I didn't have any pockets I tucked the clicker in my swimsuit top. When we got back to the apartment James asked me where I put the clicker (side note: it's also really weird when your little brothers start looking after their big sister, weird but nice).  So I told him that I "Peg Bundy-ied it" and he stares at me. I discretely pull out the clicker from my bathing suit and he says "You what?" And I tried to illicit a response by saying Peg Bundy once more. Nothing. I then had to explain to the four youngins who Peg Bundy is and that she was on a show called "Married With Children" and that the Peg Bundy character used to stick stuff in her bra instead of her pockets or purse. And still I got blank stares...and then I felt old.

Four Way Stop

Before I left for work this morning I watched a segment on the TODAY show about how drivers/conductors of buses, planes and trains are causing fatal accidents because they are texting and talking on their cell phones while doing their jobs. Scary right?

After the segment I kissed Frankie goodbye and got in my car. I buckled up and used appropriate signals. En route to work I came upon an intersection where the lights were out. This always makes me nervous. So fellow commuters and myself treated the intersection as a four way stop. Soon it was my turn and I accelerated into the intersection and out of nowhere a woman (going at least 20 miles over the speed limit) nearly hit me, she was apparently oblivious to the fact that the lights were out. She missed me by millimeters and seconds. Had one thing gone differently she would have hit me and totaled my car and I would have been seriously hurt.

Shaken up I caught up to this woman at the next light, prepared to give her my angriest look. My look went to waste, she didn't see me as I glared at her-because she was texting on her blackberry. She nearly changed both of our lives for the worse because she had to text while driving.

I know we are all guilty of it at one time or another. But the scary thing about driving is that no matter how careful you are, there is always someone else on the road that could wipe away all of the caution that you take. So since we are all sharing the road, please stay off your cell phones, listen to some music and just drive.

I'm So Excited!

I have no idea where this post is going but I do know Jessie Spano is involved

Ok so last week I had my final day at my internship. The amount of stress that I was under while working there was ridiculous, I would elaborate, but it would stress you out too. I like you, so I won't do that. So anyway, today was my first day of not having to go to the (internship) office after I got done with work and it was nice...but weird. I am not used to having time to think, nap or just play on the floor with Frank.

As strange as it may sound, I am going to have to get used to having free time. It is only day one and the idea of having free time is making me anxious. Do I read, blog, clean, or just sit here and try and make up my mind? This afternoon I did the last one, well that was until I went to my appointment with my therapist.  Where we talked about my "dilemma" of having unstructured free time and I can learn to deal with it. I'm sure in her head she was like, "relax already woman! Just enjoy it!"

I don't feel like I am doing a very good job at explaining exactly what this feels like. So instead, I turn to YouTube to assist me. Behold, the theatrical stylings of Elizabeth Berkley.

Well actually it's nothing like that at all since I don't have an addiction to caffeine pills, actually I don't even drink caffeine, so maybe that wasn't the best example. But basically I am just so excited to have free time but I am just overwhelmed by the possibilities is all. 

Sidenote: when I first saw that episode of Saved By The Bell I thought that scene was so intense. Ok, ok, part of me still does.

But P.S. I did a great job at trying some leisurely activities on this weekend.

Jon and I met up with our friend Erin at a bulldog meet up. (I find it very hard to take a picture of humans when so many bulldogs are involved).

And then Miss Emily Pie, Jon and myself went out and got lunch. Good times

So I mean I have an idea of how to have fun, it's just a matter of making myself take advantage of the opportunities.

Sigh.

ok that is it, see I told ya I didn't have a direction for this post.

I Think Someone Is Trying To Fill The Position Of My Blogging Manager....

Jon: "I've noticed that you haven't been posting as much lately....and your posts aren't that long either"

Me: "yeah...I've been busy...you know working two jobs and going to school full time...I would love to write more, but stuff just keeps getting in the way"

Jon: "I totally understand, I'm just speaking to you as a reader"

Me: "You are trying to make it onto the blog aren't you?"

Jon: "Not at all I am just letting you know that I have you in my Google reader and I don't see a little one next to Sensibly Sassy...just letting you know my concerns as a reader."

Me: "Alrighty, well how about this, since I am done with my internship I was planning to really get back on the blogging horse, more reviews on my review blog, more posts with less brevity, does that make you feel better dear reader?"

Jon: "...I was just making sure you weren't getting burnt out on the whole blogging thing"

Me: "...um, well thank you for caring."

Half Way Through 30 Flippin' Days of Fitness

I have been working out everyday for 15 days. I would be lying if I said it was easy. I mean being active for at least 30 minutes is not directly difficult but it is finding the time to do so that is tricky. Some days I take Frank for a looong walk other days I do my Kettle Bell or the Shred. I have found the work out dvd's that are available instantly through Netflix, (via Jon's xbox) are so helpful in keeping my work outs fun and varied. 

Its also really helpful that Steph has rallied the troops so there are a whole bunch of us gritting our teeth and being active everyday (and it doesn't hurt that there is some awesome whipped soap involved, I WANT it!). It was all of you guys that encouraged me to work out at 10:30 on Friday night. And it also didn't hurt that Jon kept saying to me, "don't be an Internet fake, don't lie to you public!".  So pat yourselves on the back for keeping me active and accountable.

I really want to keep up this work out mentality after the 30 days are over but I am honestly not sure I will feel compelled to do so if I don't have the internet staring over my shoulder. But isn't there some rule that says if you do something for 20 days in a row it becomes habit? Let's hope that is true! I can feel my body changing ever so slightly, my arms and legs are starting to feel more muscular and I have more energy in general. This makes me wonder about how it is still so hard for me to work out even though I am getting nothing but positive feedback to my body. Hmmm well, I am hopefully only 5 days away from making it habit so let's hope it sticks.

If you guys are taking part, how is it going?

If you aren't taking part, what's the matter with you, do you have something against whipped soap? Just joshin, what I want to know is how do you keep yourself accountable and motivated to work out regularly?

Italian Showdown

My grandparents are fun to be around for so many reasons, but a main one being is that they are really feisty. For instance, last week they had a discussion about who was more Italian. It went a little something like this:

Nani: I'm more Italian. Period. She folds her arms and looks smugly at Papa.(Nani is 100% Italian while Papa is only half).

Papa: Well I am more Italian here. (Points to his heart).

Nani: Ha! I am far more Italian HERE!! (Points to the junk in her trunk).

Papa: (pauses) Well I am more Italian HERE!...(He ceremoniously brings his hand to his nose)

Me: Well played Papa, well played.

Goalie McGoalerson

I am always ready for a good challenge and since my main challenges (school and my internship) are winding down I decided it would be a good idea to challenge myself. So each month I will think of a new way to challenge myself.

For instance, in April I gave up alcohol...for the entire month. I don't really have an "issue" with alcohol but I decided it would be a worthwhile challenge since I had been so sick lately and April was going to be a really busy month. Giving up alcohol would give my body a chance to get better (after having the flu TWICE in two months!). And really, it wasn't that hard at all. It was kinda fun actually. It was neat to hold myself accountable and feel a sense of accomplishment when I followed through.

For May I have decided to try and exercise for at least 30 minutes everyday. I believe I was reading Steph's blog when inspiration struck when she said this was her goal for this month as well. So far I have been going since April 28 (I started a little early) and it's been fairly simple and rewarding.

I really want to keep doing this for some months to come but I am afraid I might run out of stuff to do for months on end. Do you guys have any ideas of stuff I can do? Do you guys have any goals you want to try and do for a whole thirty days?

P.S. Steph is doing a fun giveaway for everyone that wants to work out for thirty consecutive days? Are you in for the 30 Flippin' Days of Fitness?

Birthday WIshes

Today would have been/is my Grandma Carol's birthday.

You can read about her here if you haven't been previously introduced.

The thing about losing someone in such a horrific manner is that you never really get over it; at least I haven't. I think it's because I know that her life still had so much in store and it was cut short for reasons that were a surprise to even her. I try so hard to focus on the wonderful things that made loving my Grandma so easy, but it's just so hard. For instance her birthday is just a marker of a life she should still be living. Plain and simple.

She loved Johnny Mathis and knew how to make some great Spanish rice. She loved being a Grandma and had big dreams for my brothers and I.  I miss her so much that it churns the pit of my stomach and the good memories make me smile but usually bring me to tears. She was a wonderful woman and I am glad that in my own little way I can honor her here.