4.3

That's my GPA for my first semester back to college after four years. At a university. In upper-division, online courses. Lots of room for procrastination there but I cowgirl-upped and did it. So, yeah, I'm a genius. :)

And I am going to stop now before my head gets too big to fit through the door.

a few things...

• I am back from Thanksgiving and it was rather enjoyable. No drama...quite a change.
• I just submitted my last paper of the semester.
• My smoke alarm decided, at 5AM this morning, to start beeping because it was dying. And my apartment complex won't change the battery. Uggggh!
• Garage sale on Saturday. Which means I have only four days to clean out my apartment and be ruthless. Out it all goes.
• I'm debating whether or not to decorate for Christmas this year. Not sure I want to.

That's all.

three weeks = 15 pounds

Three weeks (well, actually 3 1/2 weeks but I cheated a couple of days) into the cookie diet and I am down 15 pounds. Holy crap!! It's coming off so fast and I do not feel deprived at all. Granted, I cannot work out heavily because I'm only taking in between 600-800 calories a day, but that's a sacrifice I'm willing to make. For now.

And I've decided on my "holiday game plan." They food I want to eat will still be around next Thanksgiving/Christmas and I'll be able to enjoy it (in moderation ) then WHILE wearing a cute little outfit. Now that's incentive.

weird weekend

Ya know how, every once in a while, you have a "weird weekend" that throws you completely off-kilter? Well, that's what this past weekend was for me. I'm just going merrily about my business when, WHAM, all of the sudden a couple of things happened that made me discombobulated. It's an odd feeling though not totally unwelcome. And, if I were to be totally honest with myself, I sometimes need to be thrown off-kilter. I need to be shaken, not stirred. I tend to become too complacent in my life and need to mix it up a bit.

But, really, come on. Couldn't all this have waited until after the holidays and semesters?

christmas lists

I remember one Christmas, when I was about 8 years old, I forgot to ask Santa for the gift I really wanted. Well, I can't remember if I forgot or was too scared, shy, nervous, whatever, to ask for this special something. It was a green plastic Cabbage Patch Kids stroller/carriage. I wanted that stroller so badly I could think of little else in the weeks leading up to Christmas. But, when it came time to ask Santa for it, I didn't.

After crawling into bed on Christmas Eve, I was overcome with guilt and sorrow that I hadn't asked Santa for the carriage. It was the only thing I really wanted and it wouldn't be awaiting me on Christmas morning. I cried myself to sleep that night.

The next morning, I woke up, disappointed that I wouldn't see the carriage under the tree but with a certain amount of anticipation as to what did await me downstairs. I remember running down the stairs with my brother and stopping cold when I saw IT by the tree. A beautiful Cabbage Patch Kids stroller/carriage. I truly couldn't figure out how, without even being told, Santa knew exactly what I wanted for Christmas that year.

Fast forward twenty-three or so years and I'm still forgetting to ask Santa for what I really want. Of course, now it's more out of an appreciation for Santa's bank account and the fact that I would have to haul whatever Santa gave me home on an airplane. Like this spice rack from Macy's or a new entertainment armoir. Definitely not fun to lug through an airport. I learned my lesson the year I brought a KitchenAid stand mixer home in my luggage.

random ramblings

• I can't believe Thanksgiving is next week! Am I a total geek for being excited to travel with my new luggage? The luggage set that isn't quite complete since I'm still waiting on the last (and biggest) piece.
• My Verizon USB modem is a pain the butt. Not only did it take two weeks to get to me (via FedEx, nonetheless) but now it won't work and I have to take it into a store to exchange it. I swear, one more strike and Verizon is out and I'm moving on.
• The new holiday ornaments from Anthropologie are so dang cute. I'm loving the ice skaters.
• In addition to working, I'm wrapping up an essay for one class, a thesis for another while trying to both clean my house and clean OUT my house for our garage sale on Dec. 1. Add to that I have three DVDs from my Blockbuster que that I've had for two weeks and a stack of books I want to read this holiday season. Why, oh why, do I take on so many projects at once?

movie madness

So many great movies opening up in the next several weeks. On my list:

Martian Child
August Rush
Fred Claus
The Spiderwick Chronicles (although I don't think this one comes out until next year)
The Golden Compass (Two words: Sam. Elliot. Enough said.)

And my most anticipated movie of the holiday season

National Treasure: Book of Secrets

i'm going to take that mountain

A group of girls here on campus have decided to start climbing "A" Mountain once a week. Last night was our inaugural hike...and I about died. I had forgotten how steep the darn thing is. At one point, when I was nothing more than a sodden, red lump standing on the side of the trail, I was convinced I was going to have to be airlifted off the mountain (which is actually more like a hill).

BUT, I persevered, with some gentle prodding from Michelle and Kelli, and made it to the top. I figure the more I climb this damn thing the easier it will get. I hope.

"A" Mountain is in back.

i'm ashamed

That I've not been to a single Sun Devil game this year. What kind of fan am I? Well, there's one home game left (after the sold-out game against USC) and it's a dosy. ASU vs. Arizona. And I'm there, come hell or highwater!

GO DEVILS!

one week- five pounds

This past Monday I started the cookie diet. It's a pretty restrictive plan, much like diets I've been ardently opposed to in the past. But, I've put on 20 lbs in 2 1/2 years and it needs to come off. Now. So I decided to do the cookie diet through December just to get these 20 lbs off and then I'll slowly ween myself off it and back into regular, healthy eating.

Today is weigh-in day. I'm minus five pounds. And my jeans, which I bought in September and fit well, if a tiny bit loose, are actually baggy. Over the moon excited about this and just had to share.

Quote of the day: "Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels."