History repeats itself.

I am spreading myself too thin. So exhausted most days. I'd 6 of 7 days of the week are spent utterly, well, spent. I have given up on posting. I'll get home at 8:30 most nights, then I race to get Alyssa ready for, and into bed. By 9:30 I am trying ot wolf down some dinner, and then I clean up and get ready for the day for another hour, get ready for bed, and veg out for another hour and a half. At midnight, I crawl into bed, and get about 6 and a half hours of sleep. 7 on the days that I am really lucky. I don't even try to study at night. That would only keep me up later.
Ugh.
It is exhausting.
Add other stress factors (the same two that have been with me for the past 3 years that I will not bore you with), and I am left without wind in my sails, so to speak.

I have given myself a deadline for making an important decision. It has been about 4 years in the making, and I feel that i need to make my happiness a priority again.
I am giving myself a deadline for fulfilling one of many goals. Just one. I have to start somewhere, right?

And that is all.

And so, with that, good-bye for a while blogger. I may post from time to time, but it will be sporadic. Whenever I use that word, I think of Clueless.

Goodbye!

Absence

Ugh. I used to enjoy blogging, but lately, I haven't been into it. Not keeping a personal journal or anything, really. Been busy. And at the end of the day, I am exhausted. Blahhhhhhh..

After-School...

I haven't updated in a pretty long time- we had Michael's little brother stay with us for a few weeks, during which, my computer was occupied at most hours of the day.
And I didn't feel right kicking him off because we're a pretty boring bunch, and I assumed that that computer provided the only bit of entertainment that he would get while visiting.

At any rate, I have a slew of pictures from the holidays and of recent family outings to post.

Michael and I are watching an episode of Boy Meets World...scratch that- I am watching it and Michael loves me enough to sit through it. I LOVE after-school specials...and Michael's mind-in-the-gutter side commentary. Haha!

What's new? Since I last updated I have:
Watched It's Complicated, Garden State, Date Night, and True Grit. Next on my queue is The Fighter. This is an unusually high number of movies that I've been able to watch...let's keep it up!
Gone out TWICE with friends. (Getting out for a few hours is a feat rarely accomplished, so I'm happy!)
Started School. It's a bit intimidating being back in something I've been away from for a while.
Updated my iPod.

It's well past midnight.

Goodnight!

Quick Holiday Update

We're so near! Christmas is almost here! I haven't been to church lately, haven't sent out even one Christmas card, purchased even one gift. To say that I am behind on things this year, would really be an understatement.

Next year, I promise I'll up my game.
At least we did decorate cookies and make homemade hot chocolate according to Martha Stewart's recipe. Yum!!

I am excited for the new year. Every year has the potential to be great, but this year, things are lined up in such a way that I am not just hopeful, but excited even.

What will we be doing on New Years? Not sure yet, but we are definitely hitting the town while grandma watches Alyssa. I'll work out those plans in detail, I guess, this week. Okay. Off to get ready for Lesli to come over for lunch!

A Dilemma

Is it really a dilemma when I have made my decision? It's only every now and then that I wonder if I shouldn't reconsider. Then I snap back into reality and realize that my initial answer is the correct one.

An incomplete decision? Not really, I guess. It's there always on my mind...the other option isn't. So the feeling that is overwhelmingly present in my heart/mind is the one I should go with, right? Hmmmm...

It's not often that my heart and my mind are on the same page, but I can say in this case, that they actually are.


Sort of.



This didn't help at all, did it?





One thing is certain-- Alyssa is my favorite person to be around. She is just amazing. She is my world.

Men I Love

I have had a long-standing celebrity crush on Christian Bale.
He had me at Huey Lewis and the News.
I usually don't like gory movies, but his performance made me put that aside. 3:10 to Yuma? For realsies. He is still my favorite.





Next up, Jeff Bridges.
Yes, he's old. His is not a legitimate crush like the one I have for the man above. He's magnificent and I respect him. He's what I imagine a man should age like.
Here's to you, Mr. Bridges.






Honorable mention goes to James Franco and Mark Ruffalo whose eccentricity and intelligence never fail to keep my adoration engaged.
Okay, I have to get back to Christmas Cupid. Yeah, you read that correctly. Shut it.

This weekend...

Our mantra was: Get fat and be lazy.

Seriously. Friday, Saturday, and Sunday were spent eating not just one or two or even three cookies at a time, but as many as I could put down before getting nauseous. We had ribs on Friday, Philly cheese-steak and mac n' cheese on Saturday, and pizza today. I had alcohol, midnight grilled cheeses, popcorn, french fries, and gluten-free donuts.

And how much did I run on these three days? Not even two feet. I didn't even pretend to struggle over whether or not to run. I just woke up and indulged in playing with Alyssa and munching on comfort food.

How much progress did I make in preparation for the week? (Grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry, cooking?) Nothing. Not a thing got done. I didn't even tidy our place up. At one point, Michael made the suggestion that he put things in a bit of order, but I talked him out of it.

So, all week I'll be scrambling to make up for lost time.

Thanks a lot, Megan. Thanks a whole lot.

Really, we were layabouts. My motivation was partially hormonal, and partially emotional. Tomorrow, I pick myself up again by my bootstraps, and put my lackadaisical self back on track.

With that out of the way, I can celebrate- I finally saw The Deathly Hallows Part I!!! I love the Harry Potter cinematic series. Admittedly, I cannot count myself among the literary fans, as I have only read one book- the last one, which I did enjoy immensely.

Off to be lazy for the remaining time I am allowing myself to be...maybe with some ice cream?