Been busy and late on post...

Chilln' in our new digs!

Well, Joe and I have moved into our new digs.  A studio apartment that is furnished.  Yep, we’ve gotten rid of all of our furniture and downsized all that extra stuff that you don’t realize is accumulating in drawers, closets, and bins!  Granted we still have stuff to get rid of, and we are going to do quarterly sweeps of our stuff.  So every few months we are going to go through our bins, Tupperware, and kitchen stuff and get rid of things we have not used.  Currently I am doing the hanger swap from those plastic hangers to some thinner ones, if I still have items on plastic hangers after so long then that clothing will be donated!  

We have been in our new studio for almost a month now and we are doing well.  People are always shocked when we tell them of the small space we are now living in and what our future plans are. We’ve heard “well, you really got to like the person” um duh and we do.  Joe and I can occupy the same space and still be focused on individual things.  Yesterday was a prime example…

Sunday’s usually are not my best day…. I get the Sunday funk pretty bad and now that we are getting into darker days and gloomy winter weather, well it’s not a good combo for my depressed tendencies.  Some Sunday’s I’m good and I feel o.k. but yesterday was a struggle.  I did manage to shower *high five* but that was the extent of my movement, oh I did wash and put away laundry *high five* but the rest of the day, ALL of Sunday, I was on the internet.  I attempted to read but that lasted 5 minutes.  As a social worker, I know this type of activity is not healthy but as I tell my folks as long as you don’t build a house in that funk it’s o.k. to have a day or two.    Joe also has his Sunday funk and like me, sometimes it’s worse than others. He had a decent Sunday, he even worked out!  He spent most of his internet browsing in a more productive fashion by doing research. I felt bad for being a lazy butt but Joe in our relationship fashion, was not judgmental, did not force anything on me, and just gave me my space to do absolutely nothing and not feel totally bad about it.  This all went down in a studio apartment all day.  Even when we have our moods/funks/etc. we are able to not feed into it, make it worse, or feel weird about it!  How amazing is that?!

New place has a fire pit!

Now it’s Monday, work is typical Monday with a dash of crazy due to the first snow of the season and not a lot of people at work.  But I’m good. The funk of Sunday has not lingered and I’m feeling motivated to be productive.  

We haven’t been overly busy this past month getting settled into our new place, but looking back on some pictures I’ve taken we’ve been busy enough!  

After Mom's visit, and my last post, we had the awesome experience of driving into Denali park.  You can only drive so far in your own vehicle, with a pass, but at the end of the season and to give back to military they give a certain number of passes and there is also a raffle.  If you win, you get to drive as far as the road takes you.  Our neighbors had a pass and invited us along and it was amazing. Of course pictures cannot really do the beauty of this state justice.  We were blessed with a clear day but that also appeared to keep a lot of the critters away.  We did see a few bears, some elk, and a fox...along with the butt of a moose walking back into the tree line :)

Denali

Tourist in our back yard!

The weekend we moved into our new place Joe noticed there was some motorcycle travelers from Chile stranded on one of the many social media groups we follow. Since we were pretty much moved, just needed to organize and get situated, Joe took off to go pick them up and give them a ride into town.  We ended up having a couple of meals with them and picked their brain on their travels.  Awesome experience!  Joe got to spend more time with them due to not working during that time. Since then he has scored a state job that he is enjoying better than his other two jobs.  It's more of an office work gig, he's a program manager, and he gets to interact and talk with A LOT of people with the overall goal to get Veterans back to work.  

New traveling friends!

I can't believe 2018 is almost over! Before we know it we will be in 2019!!!  I believe I've found a work out that fits my needs and I'll actually stick with!  Pure Barre is a low impact high intensity workout and I've been able to go 3 times a week for a month now!  I cannot recall when that has happened LOL.  What I like it is low impact, you really work your muscles but I need to start adding more cardio somewhere.... the place I go is supportive and the little changes in the routine stop me from getting bored with the workouts.  Good music and the workouts go by quick so I don't find myself always looking at the clock.  The first week that I went they had a wine down Wednesday, yep they had wine for people!!!! So yeah, best workout place ever!  Nothing like a little treat for working out :)

Health and Fitness

For anyone that knows me or spends any time on this blog you may have noticed I start some things (lipsense, exercise routines, essential oils...) but then you never hear anything more about them.


Update:
-completely stopped messing with lipsense, I have some lipsticks that are collecting dust (I'm low maintenance and low make up)
-essential oils: I still use them for myself, at home, and at the office but am not a big seller of items no matter how much I like them and use them
-exercise routines: I have started and stopped more times than anything and I foresee that I will continue with this behavior.  I've accepted this part of me :D


One thing that I am decent about is monitoring myself, diet and exercise, and when I feel things are not going well or I'm slacking in an area I change.  If I feel that I've been over indulging in unhealthy food, wine, cider, whatever I will scale back.  When I begin to notice that clothing is getting tighter or that my arms are flapping more than I'd like I start working out again.  I do NOT just go out and buy bigger clothing.  I guess it's a blessing for me that I hate shopping and I'd rather starting expending more energy than shop for clothing ;)


Which brings me to my latest attempt to try something and we will see how long it last.  Being back in the regular work force I tend to not work out as much or eat regularly or healthy.  I end up rushing in the morning and skipping breakfast.  At my last job I kept a stash of energy bars at work (cliff, luna, etc.), something I could grab for breakfast or lunch on the go without walking to the coffee shack or vending machines OR skipping out all together.  I've been keeping my eyes out for a meal replacement shake.  A few years back I was ordering  and drinking Shakeology.  At that time it was good for me, the taste wasn't bad, and I kept with that for a decent amount of time.  Things that I didn't like about it, that I can remember, was the automatic shipping.  I hate automatic shipping for ANYTHING!  I tend to not use whatever it is in the amount of time they think I'll need another order.  I understand it's usually cheaper to do the auto shipping but for me I don't like to waste and that is what ends up happening. 


So my latest and greatest "try out" is Huel.  It's a meal replacement shake.  I'm not sure how I came across it, maybe Facebook, but I took some time and read about it.  Reviewed some write ups and what people thought about it.  It seemed good enough to try out and I don't have to do the automatic shipping (pro).  I got my first shipment this past weekend.  I was going to start drinking it for breakfast over the weekend to make sure I wouldn't have any gut problems with it (most of these drinks have a good amount of fiber).  I didn't stick to that plan... it was Memorial Day weekend and there are other things to drink and eat that was more appealing to me! 

For your first order you get 2 bags of Huel, a shaker bottle, and a tshirt.  I also ordered a flavor boost, strawberry, just in case the vanilla wasn't the best tasting.  The shaker bottle made me a little nervous due to not having a mixing ball in it, just a weird screen thingy.  Back to the internet I go "does their bottle work to mix it well" "what is the screen thing".  Some of the reviews complained that it is lumpy so I was worried.  How is this going to mix well without an agitator of some sort?  The whole point of this is for easy, mix and go, if I have to use a blender I'm not going to be a fan?! 
There were mix responses to my questions, which were similar to others.  Oh and the screen thingy is an ice catcher.


First day going back to work and first try with Huel.  First off it has a pleasant smell when I opened the bag, slightly sweet (I got the vanilla one) and oaty.  Directions say to poor 400 ml in the mixer, add 3 scoops, mix, and then another 140 ml of water.  That seemed a lot of water to me so I started with about 300 ml of water, added the 3 scoops, and did a little shake.  Actually a good shake, it's like it's own mini workout :)  Then I added about 100 ml more through the drinking spout.  This allowed me to rinse some of the product that got stuck there.  I mixed again.  I then took the top off and added a few ice cubes and then the ice catcher.  Easy peasy!(pro) The taste, I was surprised how good it was! (pro) Seriously.  There is a slight chalk/grit feel but to me it's miniscle.  I tend to take my time drinking it, once I mix it I am usually walking out the door, walking into work I give it some more shakes/mixes, and when I get into work I start drinking it.  I casually drink it over an hour.  I also have a 10 min meeting I go to every morning and the Huel is camping out at my desk waiting for me. 


Yesterday after drinking it I felt content with the amount.  I didn't feel bogged down or overly full (pro).  Some have complained of stomach upset.  In the mornings after drinking it I do not have any stomach issues or bubble guts.  Once it starts to process out of my stomach into my intestine (per google that is around 6 hours) I start to get some gut issues.  As I type this (this is my second Huel day) I have bubble guts and feel like I have to go, is this the lunch I just wolfed down or the Huel getting into my GI track?  I could go either way I think :(  Per the blogs, this GI upset is "normal" and my body will eventually adjust to it.  I got it, went through this with Shakeology but it was more aggressive with that shake.  You have to keep in mind most of these shakes have a good amount of fiber, way more than most of us routinely have in our diets although we should.  I get it, it's par for the course.  I am working on increasing my water intake so that should help mitigate this transition. 


So, my second day down drinking Huel.  I'm liking it thus far and I'm looking to trying out other flavors with it and even cooking with it!  As of today I have no complaints about it either but I'm a pretty laid back person.  I'll attempt to keep you all updated with how this Huel thing works out for me.  Oh, some people do meal replacement shakes for weight loss and some for weight gain.  I'm neither.  I'm comfortable with my weight but I would like to tone up some and get in better shape.  I am watching my caloric intake and a meal replacement is a great way for me to monitor the calories better.

Work time

Week 1 of work done.  It's a struggle for me being the "new person" at work.  I like the challenge and the new environment but it's exhausting because I tend to put really high expectations on myself.  This past week was mostly new employee orientation.  Working a federal job comes with different nuances compared to a non-fed job.  For me it wasn't all that different due to spending a majority of my work life in the military but I can see how overwhelming it can be for someone that has not worked in a federal environment.
It was a small group of new employees so that made it more comfortable and not as overwhelming since we could talk and bounce things off one another.  I have a beautiful view of the mountains from the hospital and I have my own office that I need to make cozy for my clients.  It's going to be a process but it will be nice to have that stability and personal touch when doing therapy.

One thing I have realized from my past job and now this one...not a whole lot of orientation.  You get a drive by set of basic stuff and then you're off to the races.  Coming here to Anchorage I did not realize that Alaska has the highest, or one of the highest percentages of veterans, so it seems as if the is VA has a lot more veterans working at it than other VAs.  The majority of people that I have met, coworkers, have either served or are married to a military member.  


My goals of working out didn't go too well this past week :(. I made it only two times to the gym out of my goal of 5 times.  BUT I did do a decent job at tracking my food, sticking to reasonable portions and not eating out a lot this week!  According to my food tracking I only went over my calorie intake ONE day!  That's a win for me!  I'll need to figure something out for this coming week,  more of a balance of working out at the gym and downtime at home.  I may be an ever other day gym person....

Last night we went to The Rocky Horror Picture Show!  Fun time but today I'm moving slow.... my recovery time after drinking is not as good as it use to be :(. We were all surprised that not as many people dressed up!  I expected more costumes but a majority of people were not dressed up. It was like us four and maybe another group of about 5 people!  

And so it begins....

Today is my last day of vacation/freedom since Labor Day!  I start orientation tomorrow for my new job.  As usually I'm anxious and have begun to stay more in my head thinking about everything.  I still need to figure out what to wear and pack my gym bag! Not only am I beginning a new job, the weather here has begun to shift more into the winter zone!  With morning frost and puddles being iced over.  According to my Mom, who is enjoying California currently, snow is projected for us this coming weekend!  Good thing I just bought an ice/snow scraper for my car.
As I mentioned I need to pack my gym bag.  I actually made it to the gym 4 times this past week! I bought a fitbook to write out my gym schedule and to track progress!  "They" say people are more prone to sticking with things if it's being written down and tracked.  We will see!

I also want to continue blogging like I have for whomever that finds this interesting.  It' helps me process some things and get out some of my mental rambles.

Health & Fitness

So, I didn't get to the gym on Monday :(. We all know that Monday sets the stage for your week right?!  Well, it's Tuesday and I've been going non-stop.  Woke up, had a Spark, a meal bar, and headed over to the gym.  I'm proud of myself for doing as much as I did!

When we had our "eval" the guy stated that walking on the treadmill at an incline is fine for what I want to do.  So 30 minutes, a face pace, and a decent incline!  BOOM!  I then went over to their "quick workout" area which is their weight machines.  They say if you do all of the machines you get a full body workout!  So there I went.  I was grateful that the gym wasn't busy when I got there and there were just a few people on the machines with me.  I worked my way all the way around, doing three sets of the weights.  I think I'm going to be a tad sore tomorrow.  I didn't go crazy with the weight but enough for me to be struggling by the time I was on my last rep!  I didn't time myself :(. I'll need to do that next time. The plan is at least 4 times a week, 4 days of cardio and three of those days do the weights.  I'll probably have to throw in a workout class to mix it up during the week!

Joe is currently at the gym so we are getting to it!  

I bought a crock pot the other day since Blue Apron doesn't deliver to Alaska (it's a bit of a sore spot for us).  So I planned for a few dinners for the rest of the week and all of those we will probably have left overs so that will be good to decrease the amount of times we eat out.

Did some more grocery shopping today and it was nice and empty at the store that was great!  I was in a checkout line behind a couple of older ladies, one with her checkbook, and the cashier was nice and chatty with both of them.  I get up there and she seemed to not want to be bothered with chit chat?!  I was pleasant but once I got the vibe I kept quiet and just waited.  When the bagger showed up from helping checkbook lady out to her car, the cashier was joking and chatty with him.  I dunno but it's definitely one of those things that I have talked about in my psycho-educational groups.

So often we are prisoners of our own minds and making assumptions of others.  It is easy for me to make an assumption about this lady that was directed at me: she doesn't like my reusable bags, I look too young to be shopping in the middle of the day...must be a stay at home wife, maybe I gave her a look without realizing it, she wasn't happy that I was talking to the older gentleman behind me in line...   I could easily internalize her mood and make it personal and all about me.  That's what we normally do.  Things that I tell clients all the time: don't take it personal, stop the assumptions, and if someone has an "issue" with you then they can say something if they don't then it's not important enough to waste your time/energy on it.  

I noted her change in demeanor towards me compared to other individuals, thought about some possibilities to "why" but those thoughts were fleeting and I didn't hold on to any one "story" that would impact my life.  I found the whole thing interesting and peculiar and even mentioned it to Joe but that was the extent of my energy and time given to it.  I've defiantly had days and moments when I was not able to let go of things and my whole day was ruined!  I am finally keeping my power and not giving it to others!  

All the moving boxes are GONE and we have two boxes full of give away/donations.  Next step is hanging stuff on the walls :). 

Bit by bit, more and more this is feeling like our new home!

Bit by bit, or box by box

It's been a busy week for us.  We are mostly unpacked but have yet to start putting things on the wall, baby steps.  We have a least two boxes of donation/give away items.  I survived that crazy workout session and can now walk normally again.  Tomorrow I will be at the gym but I will ease into my workout!  We have Alaskan driver's licenses and Alaska license plates on our vehicles!  

We are enjoying Alaska!  It's cool, it's been around 50 degrees  give or take a few degrees up or down and now we have a good dusting of snow on our mountains.  Yep I'm claiming our mountains because if I'm sitting at our table or on the couch I can see them :)

We are truly blessed.  We have another couple that we hang out with and they have been here for some years so they know what to do and how to adapt to living here.  

I picture above is driving to their place and it was amazing how the sunlight was highlighting that snow capped mountain!  Beautiful!  Also, a few minutes later during that same drive I saw my first moose walking down a side street!  NOW it is official, I saw a moose so now I live here in Alaska!

Pain and Stuff

There is a gym pretty much across the street from our place, The Alaska Club.  We checked it out and it's one of their bigger sites with an indoor pool, tennis courts, etc.  We thought they had the basics we wanted in a gym and even more so we signed up.  With that sign up we got to meet with an trainer to do an initial assessment which we did on Monday.  I'm STILL not walking normally and it' Thursday!  The guy, Roman, talked us about our goals and gave us some education.  He also put our information into a computer and gave us our "current age" based on our health.  I am at 48 :( it's not terrible but I knew I had work to do!  He did our BMI and all that fun stuff and again, I'm not in a crazy unhealthy zone but I got a few pounds to loose to get back to feeling healthy.  After all that fun stuff he took us not he floor and walked us through some exercises, just three of them and we are both waddling around like 90 year olds.  He started us on a machine for squats, he didn't add any weight to mine but the bar itself weighs 105lbs!  We warmed up and then two sets of 10.  I was hurting.  Then we did bench presses, again I was just using the weight of the bar and that was enough but I managed to do more than I thought I could.  Then we did dead lifts with the kettle bells.  He tried to sell us the personal trainer thing and we told him we'd keep it in mind.  
The weights and machines are upstairs.  The first step I took down stairs I thought my legs were going to buckle under me and I was going to fall down stairs!  Have I mentioned we are on the top floor of our condo place?!  UGH. 
We ended up meeting Adam and Michelle for dinner and I was managing the discomfort and it wasn't too bad.  The next day OMG!  I was sore BUT we found out that our household goods would be delivered on Wednesday so we were stoked about that.  It was a low key day for me and Joe did some errands and shopping for new tires on his truck.  I managed the stairs slowly and with a firm grip on the railing.
Wednesday, we get our stuff!  I'm STILL in pain but I popped some Excedrin and pressed on.  Alaska continues to impress us.  We both have moved numerous times and dealing with moving companies we get "we will be there between 8-5" and there is a lot of waiting involved.  These guys were calling us probably around 8:30!  We both drank what we could of our coffee, I ran to the store to pick up bottle water and donuts for the movers, and when I returned they were already there! The two guys were efficient and quick!  They had unloaded us by 2 I believe!  Now we are living in an apartment with boxes and chaos but we're happy! 
With this delivery it gives us ample time to get settled before I start work. Tux is happy he has the couch back and we're happy he isn't sleeping with us all night!
We downsized before coming here and we lost a little bit of room in comparing the two places but we lost a lot of space in our kitchen :(. So more downsizing is in order!  I tend to downsize better when unpacking.  I'm looking at stuff, not finding a place for it and ask "when did I actually use this last?"  and if I have to struggle to think of an answer... it's gone/donated/sold!  We are staying busy that's for sure!
One thing that I have been and am concerned about here in Alaska is my depression.  I already have a vitamin D deficiency that I take supplements for and here I am moving to a state that has months of limited sunshine!  Right now the sun doesn't actually poke out over the mountains till around 8:30/9!  I've been taking my supplements religiously (need to take them today) but I also bought some things to help out.  In our bedroom I bought one of the alarm clocks that wakes you up by mimicking natural light.  Not only is it a gentler way to wake up but it will aid me in getting in a positive gear in the morning.  I then bought a light box to sit in front of in the mornings when I'm having my coffee and breakfast.  The thing is BRIGHT and we've used it a couple of mornings so far.  I didn't use it this morning because it's a lazy day, Joe is still in bed hangover, and we all need a cozy low key day.  I haven't seen the sun yet (it's 10:53am) and looking outside it's grey, mist over the mountains, and low clouds.  I've been nursing my coffee all morning but I got a massage scheduled at 2 that I'm looking forward to with my sore legs! In addition to those lights the gym has tanning beds.  So I'm going to incorporate regular tanning to my "to do" activities to keep my sanity during the winter months!
I ordered a work out notebook so I can schedule and plan my weeks.  I know it will be important for me to stay on task with my workouts, tanning, vitamins, etc. to avoid a depression or resurgence of my PTSD symptoms.  I feel that I have been managing these things well but here in Alaska, I think that I have to be more aggressive with my self care for my mental health.
We will see how everything works out.

Happy Girl

I'm starting to get my routine down here in sunny Florida!  Yep, it's early November and I'm still walking around in a tank top and shorts :)  I'm seeing post of friends and family talking about snow flurries already happening!  I'm blessed to be near the ocean and doubly blessed for the warm weather!

Work is calming down some.  Our census, aka patient count, has decreased so I feel that we can all breathe a little bit more.  I'm starting to figure out the paperwork and haven't been making too many mistakes ;) and I feel that the clients appreciate me and I am planting seeds of change in them.  
I had an older client, he was a veteran and not active duty (a majority of our clients are still active duty).  He had gone through the routine treatments for PTSD at his local VA but was still struggling.  I did his intake assessment but was not his individual therapist.  Knowing that he went through the normal VA treatments I let him borrow a couple of books.... "War and the Soul" and "Come to Your Senses".  He was a volunteer client (most are) and he checked himself out on a day I wasn't at work, he returned the books with this note:

I hope he does well in his future even though he left before he got any treatment from our facility.

I'm still trying to navigate getting an intern license here in Florida. I need a letter from the U of U and it's been a struggle to get that from them :(  Out of sight, out of mind.  I'll keep trying and I'll talk to my supervisor here in FL about maybe just getting my LCSW via Utah but here in Florida.  Ugh.... such problems, but at least here in Florida it doesn't matter if I have an intern license to do therapy :P  

I'm not getting the hours I'd like at work, the joys of being PRN but I am enjoying the days off to decompress from work.  The days are long, full of therapy, routine work politics/frustrations so having days off being home alone is good for my self-care!  Plus I'm getting back on that work out routine!  Well.... it's been two days but it's a roll for me LOL  We finished our 24 day challenge and I feel good.  We haven't done our measurements but I do notice that my pants are fitting better along with feeling better.  I'm stoked because I can now have my coffee :D  I missed it in the mornings.  

Overall I am grateful for my life and what I am able to do to help others!  

Hello 2014

     2014 came in calmly for me, actually it came it while I was sleeping.  For Christmas we flew home to MO and OK to spend time with family which is always good.  Our flight out of Kansas City left at 0600 and we were staying about an hour away, our alarm went off at 0345 so that was a long day.  We took a short nap at home so by the time 1000 rolled around I was out!  I got a few Happy New Year text but I didn't even hear them, I was so out!  It's nice to see everyone's pictures from New Year's parties and sometimes I feel a twinge of envy for those gatherings but then... by the time I got home I was just burnt out with people so it was fine that we laid low :)
     
     This last year has been full of changes and it has been good.  I ended my active duty orders (much sadness to my bank account), started my MSW, started an internship,  and we GOT ENGAGED!  So like I've been doing these past few years I look back into the blog archives and found my 2013 goals of the year... let's see.  They were:
     -apply to MSW programs     DONE :)
     -take more vacations             not to the point I wanted but we did go to Lake Tahoe and the holiday visit to MO and OK
     -work out more often            I sort of did this :P  I have been doing better but lately have not so I need to start that back up again 
     -eat healthier                          this isn't consistant but I am pretty aware and try not to overdo it with unhealthy stuff.  I have gotten into essential oils and I'm enjoying that addition to my healthy goals
New for 2014
     -I'm carrying over: take more vacations (get out more even locally), work out more often, eat healthier
     -stay on top of things: school work, paperwork, house stuff
     -not only eat healthier but maintain my mental health also
     -do a better job in keeping in touch with people!
     -stay local in shopping and eating
     -get more involved in the community (actually I don't know when I'll have time for this but who knows ;)

I think that's a good list!  I got my first semester grades back and I starting off with a 3.950 GPA :)  All A's except for 1 A-! Go me :)  Classes start back on Tuesday and I'm back to work on Monday. ugh 

Shane is going to be working nights so he's getting on that schedule.  We get back from vacation with a few days for us and he's getting on a night schedule :( Yeah military life but he will be retiring this year, that's the plan, and then we will move to the city.  Down sizing will be interesting.  He's been in this house for, I think 8 years, so we need to down size a lot!  The plan is to move to the city for my last  year of school and hopefully after I graduate we could be moving somewhere else :)  So 2014 is going to be full of changes also but change is good, it keeps us on our toes!

End of Week Three

I still feel as though I'm keeping my head above water.  I have yet to figure out a good balance between my personal life (up keep of house/laundry/relationship), school work, and my internship!  There is so much reading.  I'm writing a minimum of 1 paper a week and it's going to be bumped up to 2 a week here shortly, don't even ask me how many papers I'm reading on average!  I have 7 books for my 6 classes and a lot of teachers have you read articles/essays/watch movies/etc.  I'm enjoying most of my classes.  There is one that is torture to sit in, basically lecture style, but we have group assignments/presentations starting up soon so that should break that torture!  There is SO much to learn and I'm drinking from a fire hose!

My internship is no different.  I'm blessed in that the person I spend the most time with loves to teach, she is a fountain of knowledge and we have a lot of conversations on practicing Social Work.  There is so much and I want to do right by the clients that I will eventually have.  I'm still trying to figure out my foundation and I'm leaning toward the Humanistic foundation, big surprise right?!  I'm still learning about all the foundations out there, but that one speaks me to more than the others.  We will see where I will be once I start working with clients!  

Last weekend, Shane joined me for an evening lecture about "Atheist In Foxholes" given by the president of MAAF (Military Assoc. of Atheist and Freethinkers).  It was pretty interesting it was about bringing awareness that the military is not just your mainstream religions and that society puts out messages like it's unAmerican to be unChristian and what does that tell nonChristians serving in the military?  Military members can put Atheist on their dog tags but you cannot put Humanistic, it's not an option.  I asked if I could put Spiritual on my dog tags just a year or so ago and I was told I could put Atheist, well I'm not an Atheist so I just put something :(  People that are Atheist or Humanist don't have a venue for their belief to where they can talk with like minded people.  You can request a Wiccan service so why is there such a block on Atheist being able to meet with others to talk about their views?!  Pretty interesting stuff.  One statement that really stuck with me was when the speaker said something to the effect of: Evangelism is cultural suicide.  Think about that!

Shane is in MO right now for his niece's wedding.  I was suppose to go but with my internship and work it just wasn't good timing :(  I'm looking forward to pictures!  Being home alone this weekend has been relaxing and I've been able to get a lot done but I'm missing my man.  Sami has been limping pretty bad all weekend (been carrying her up and down the stairs).  She was out front and it seemed as if some boys were teasing her by riding their scooters in front of her.  By the time I got outside they were down the street and Sami was limping :(  It seems to be getting better but if she's still limping pretty bad then we'll be going to the vet tomorrow.  

I'm still using my essential oils.  I just put in my last big order, from now on it's going to be an oil here and an oil there.  With no real income coming in I need to keep and eye on that :(  I did buy their vitamins and I'm looking forward to try them out.  I've been doing pretty better on maintaining that part of my healthiness routine.  I was doing well with maintaining my T25 this week.  It's a new day, so I'm not going to focus on that!

Dirty Dash dashed

Ugh...  So I had drill last weekend and like usual it was long days, then a regular work week but it's felt like a long week and my weekend was filled with "to do's", and the Dirty Dash.  So really, not a break from work, no recovery/recoup time.  Well, I guess my body decided to take matters in it's own capable hands.
Hello head cold!  Complete with aches/pains, full on congestion, nausea, body aches, and indecision of if it's hot or cold which all equals no good sleep.  Friday I did my "to do's" like I was doing the Dirty Dash, picked up my run package, bought some stuff from Savers so I wouldn't have to ruin my own stuff.
I woke up on Saturday feeling a little bit better but overall not up to the challenge. Hell, it felt like my head gained extra weight!  So, I made the adult decision and listened to my body and bowed out of the Dirty Dash :( and am bonding with my neti pot and fluids.

Moving Right Along

This past Friday I had an interview with my practicum coordinator so I can see where I'll be working this first semester.  We sat down and talked for about 20 minutes or so.  She even commented that I came prepared!  Is that NOT the norm?!  Anyhoo.... I had to give her a list of 5 places that I'd like to work at and after talking with her I just changed 2 of them, so I thought that was good picking on my part!  At the end of June I'll get an email stating what place she got for me, I call them and set up an interview to see how it will work out for me!  Shane had Friday off and we planned to go to the museum to see a special exhibit on Mummies! It was cool!  While I was in my interview, he checked out the bookstore and got me some Ute swag :D

I'm looking forward, yet nervous, to start into school again.  It's amazing how quickly it will be here!  Some days at work I'm thinking it's just a matter of months and I'll be done here and back to being a traditional guardsman!  I can't wait :D

My workouts have gotten cut back because of my acupuncture appointments.  Last week I started getting up even earlier so I could do more than my 30 min on the treadmill.  I did it a few mornings but it's hard.  In the morning I was o.k., but by the afternoon I was dragging ass!  I'll try it again this upcoming week and see how it goes.  

My acupuncture is going well.  It's amazing how one's body reacts to things.  If I show up stressed and irritated I feel EVER needle going in.  But if I'm relaxed, had a good day, and not feeling stressed... smooth as butta!  I'm also still liking my EOs.  Shane has even tried the lavender at night.  I asked him about it once and didn't push it but I know he's used again since then so it may be helping him out too!  I've had a couple of girls at work buy some and one of them has seen an improvement in her condition due to the EOs!  The other one just ordered the starter kit, it comes with 3 of the main oils and there is 101 uses for them.  I think it's a good deal.  

I haven't done much with the TBB coach thing, my main thing was the discounts :P  I have no problem talking about what has helped me and what I enjoy about the Shakeology stuff, but I'm not a sales person.  It seems to me that a majority of the coaches on the site either don't do much but workout and work or they don't have a regular job.  I want to enjoy my life and yes, exercising is a part of that which allows me to enjoy life but I also want to do other things and not rotate my life around working out.  I think today I'll start a hybrid workout of the Shakeology work outs and HHAs.  If I do it in the mornings before I leave for work, I keep it to the 30 min workouts any more than that I'm getting up way too early!  With doing a 30 min workout in the morning that has me getting up around 330! ugh

Work is work and it's going to get crazy.  We have a big exercise in July that we are going to start gearing up for, we already started so that will be fun :P  My motivation at work is hard to maintain and I've been getting "short" with coworkers.  I'm tired of some things at work, it IS time for me to move on to something else.   In the past month I've heard from 2 different people that they see me as being Chief!  Really?!  Isn't that some crazy stuff?  It makes me feel good to know that people see what I'm doing and that I am doing my best to care for my peeps.  We will see how things progress but crazier things have happend!

Health and Fitness

       I'm working at overall improving myself, and doing it in a safe, natural, healthy way.  I'm exercising, I'm trying to watch what I eat, I'm seeing an acupuncturist, I've been seen a chiropractor for a few years now, and yesterday I saw a Dr. that "offers specialized treatments for allergies, detoxification, nutritional deficiencies and emotional release."  I'll talk about each of these separately but I do feel that my life has come together and all things happen for a reason and each of these things are working together for me to be healthy and happy :)
       I've been getting regular adjustments on a regular basis for a few years now and if I don't go I can tell the difference.  My back gets tighter, and I start getting out of alignment.  I will do what I can NOT to miss a month.  I've since added at a minimum monthly massages.  I finally found a therapist that works on what I need focused on, with good pressure, talks with me about what I can to help things on my own and I respect that.  Up until him, the therapist would call me back, ask what I wanted, and that was about it.  This guy sits downs prior, checks to see what is going on, what the focus is going to be, and sees what I've been doing at home to help out.  KUDOS to him for taking the time and knowing his clients :D
      Now, on to the exercising.  I have a motivation problem.  I usually will start something and then low and behold something gets in the way and I stop working out.  I know a lot of people that are doing Team Beach Body (TBB) work out programs,  your P90x and Insanity type programs.  I also have a friend that is a coach.  I decided to check it out.  First off I looked into meal replacements.  Most things out there are focused on the protein and muscle building.  I wanted nutrition!  I get up early and have to be at work at 0600, and well I need something in the morning besides coffee.  I looked around and TBB has their Shakeology so I checked that out and decided to try that and at the same time ordered the Shakeology workouts.  This was the first week of March.  I enjoy Shakeology.  It gives me energy for the day, I seem more focused, and it's full fills my nutritional needs!  I'm been drinking Shakeology since I started for my breakfast and it's been a good decision.  I started off with the Shakeology workouts and they are good, there is a 30 min and a 60 min workout.  It is a whole body work out and it's a good way to ease into regularly working out.  During this time I signed up for the free club at TBB so I could log my workouts and utilize all the stuff they had for free on the site.  If you want a good overall "what can the site do for me" you can check out this video.  It really helped me stay accountable by seeing my workouts. Once I became a member and utilized the site, I was emailed by other members.  Now some people where fishing for clients that they can be their coach for (yes you can make money as a coach) and I was interactive with people and checked out peoples groups on FB but I really lucked out and joined a really good motivational group and good coach.  It has really helped me stay motivated and on the right path.  Soon after signing up Hip Hop Abs was on sale and I get bored easily with workouts (lack of motivation) and I knew from my club days that after a night of dancing I would feel it in my abs so I ordered it and today finished the program.  Tomorrow I take my "after" measurements so we will see how that went ;)  The TBB website, Shakeology, and their numerous different types of workouts that you can order has been good for me and I've been sticking with it!
      Now about a month ago I went to a woman's expo and I was introduced to the acupuncturist I am now seeing, along with the other Dr., and I got into essential oils.  The essential oils thing is intriguing to me and I'm trying things out.  I've been using the lavender like crazy (helps with relaxing) along with lemon and peppermint!  If you want to know more about that aspect of my over all health and fitness you can go here.  
      The next two aspects are more of eastern type health care and some people have a hard time "believing they do any good" and some even label such care with terms like "whack job, witch doctor".  So if you feel that way.... go ahead and stop reading :P
      
     Seeing my acupuncturist I was told I was "cold" internally and to avoid cold foods.  Chinese medicine label foods as hot or cold and it has nothing to do with their temperature.  Based on an exam, we have decided to go forth with regular treatments to get my body back to a normal flow, and working like it should.  This week I started taking a concoction of herbs to assist with my problems.  I joke that I'm making my dirt drink, but it's  not totally horrible.  I can get it down o.k., but I was taking a lot of it.  To the point that, in being in-tune with my body I didn't feel as if I need to take that much and I kinda only took half of what she had prescribed.  I know, she's the provider but I also feel that one needs to really take the time and listen to their bodies and what is good for it.  I have noticed some positive changes when I took half of what was prescribed the first day (I got them later in the afternoon so I couldn't do 2 doses), the next day I did the two doses and wasn't feeling to hot, the next day did the 1 dose and was back to good.  It's not rocket science really :P  So I'm getting my Chi in line, and make sure my liver and spleen are happy.

     Yesterday I saw Dr.B.  I wasn't feeling this appointment.  I already started with the acupuncturist, my friend just saw the doc and left with over $100 in supplements, and I really don't have the cash flow to add more to my health and fitness plan.  To add to the "not feeling it" I didn't see the Dr. till about 25 min after my schedule appointment, ugh :(  I told him right off the bat I was seeing an acupuncturist and didn't want any conflicting treatments.  His stuff compliments that treatment and he's also trained in Chinese medicine.  So I had an exam, and it's hard to explain via a blog but by the end I was sold.  Dr. B also said it's not his goal to have me come in weekly for months before I'm where I need to be, he wants to attack the problems/issues in the level of importance and told me what type of appointment to schedule but not say when I had to come back, that was up to me.  I had taken my Chinese herbs with me and because of that, he did not have to give me more supplements.  I just walked out with 3 different things and their focus is to help me sleep, my depression, and keeping my overall energy up.  Everything else is being covered by my Chinese herbs (so that right there is commendable).  Also in my exam he determined that the prescribed dose of the herbs was too much and gave me a different recommendation, pretty much what I already felt was needed so that was encouraging.

If you live in the SLC Utah area I will be happy to recommend who I am seeing, if you'd want.

I feel that I'm on the right path right now!  I'm feeling good and moving forward :)