starting 2011 ... in 2010

new years eve is officially next week.  and every new years i say ... i'm gonna lose weight ... i'm gonna learn a new skill ... i'm gonna travel more ... i'm gonna pay off my credit card.  and every year ... within a couple of weeks ... i say "disregard."  so instead of waiting until 2011 to start accomplishing what i set out to do in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2002, etc., i'm gonna start 2011 while still in 2010.


as most of my readers know (all five of you) ... i've had a very hard time adjusting to being home from overseas.  and in my attempts to comfort myself, i have taken food consumption to a whole new level.  now i've always enjoyed a good, juicy, messy meal ... with a big fatty diet coke ... and a warm chocolate dessert that oozes down my chin (and y'all know i don't share).  but this was out of control.  so after 1.5 years of struggling to adjust by eating to my sweet heart's content, a few months of therapy, and a couple bottles of anxiety happy pills (which i don't need anymore), i've grabbed my life by the balls and signed up for a personal trainer.  and tonight was my first session.


meet jake.  poor guy.  he's pretty quiet with a hint of personality.  he seems to truly want to get to know me and as a result, i apologized in advance for whatever may come out of my mouth.  he laughed but had a serious look of "oh crap" in his eyes.  i cracked a few jokes that he sweetly laughed at (because i'm paying him to) and as i cracked them i realized i sound more and more like my mother.  hi mommy!!  and then came the measurements of my body.  holy sh hell.  talk about mortifying and yet astonishing.  but i kept reminding myself that this is why i'm here, i'm the only one embarrassed between the two of us, and it is what it is.  i somehow got through it.  and then IT appeared ... the skin pincher.  hell no!!  i (ahem) politely declined the utter humiliation of having my skin pinched and even did so with a smile.  and you should've seen the flexibility test ... i'll just let you take a moment to visualize.  do you see it yet?  yep ... it prolly happened that way.


he asked me about my goals.  i got to choose three.  only three?  so here they are ... besides the obvious (weight loss), i said upper body strength (two surgeries on the same shoulder has wiped it out), running (which i hate but want to conquer) and flexibility (think back to your visual).  then i saw fear in his eyes.  i think i just became his 2011 challenge!


i somehow made it through the treadmill test and then the miracle of all miracles happened ... i signed up for more sessions.  six sessions cost quite a lot ... and i won't lie ... i was a little irritated that today counted as one of my sessions.  an introductory price yes ... but session price no.  so for now i'll be meeting with jake on tuesdays and thursdays.  he's even going to give me homework for my non-trainer days.  i officially start the tuesday after christmas ... cuz i plan on eating every last bite of all my holiday candy ... and we'll take it day by day.  i have a long road ahead of me ... but i've finally reached my breaking point and have nowhere to go but up!!  so that's what i'll do ...

a trip down the road ...

so i had another first.  after living in southern virginia for almost 1.5 years, i finally traveled 20 minutes down the road to yorktown!  bcz fall has not arrived yet, it was a very warm day ... blue skies, lots of sunshine, and everyone was basking on the yorktown river beach.  had i known it would be so warm ... i might have brought chairs and an umbrella.  but alas i will save that for another time.  here are some pics ...



 


 

and that's about it ... ha!  it was cute but zero shopping ... so now i've been there done that!

The New Bachelorette Pad

This last February, I had to move out of the house I was renting because of bad drywall.  While it was a gorgeous home, it wasn't home.  Enter my new apartment.  They're brand new apartments and right across the street from a town center, with fountains and ice cream and the best mexican food.  I like to sit beside the fountain at night while eating the best ice cream ever (Kilwins).  During the summer, there are live bands and lots of people walking around, along with the sounds of fireworks coming from Busch Gardens.  I really do love this area and my apartment ... even with the scandalous prostitution ring that happened the next building over!!

Growing up, we never had white walls.  Every apartment I've painted over the white walls.  This one is no exception.  My mom, sister, and aunt all flew to Virginia to help me decorate.  Okay ... more like they decorated and I stood around singing and entertaining.  Tomatos/Tomotos.  We had so much fun!  I hadn't laughed that hard in a while ... and even though it was 105 degrees with 100% humidity, we kicked some butt!  Below are some before and after shots.  Unfortunately, I managed to delete some good after shots ... so these will have to do.



not sure whose butt that is ... but like my new tv?



aunt jo showing us some fancy medonich moves!



my messy and utterly white kitchen





not so white anymore!  i love it!



this mirror is so freaking cool.  notice mom working hard.



the beginnings of my picture wall.  thanks natalie for the canvas idea for my centerpiece!



we were allowed an hour or two to play!



my first time ... at busch gardens!!

i know you were all hoping for a juicy story ... but please get your minds out of the gutter so that i can tell you about my first busch gardens experience!

a favorite girlfriend of mine (susan) brought her daughter (gigi) and two friends (ally and jessie) to celebrate gigi's 16th birthday.  they drove down from dc for some quality rockstar time and to go play at busch gardens.  i definitely had a packed home ... laughing teenage girls, air mattresses, blankets, clothes, pizza (+ diet coke) and the atmosphere that came with it only excited us more for our trip.  here is our story ...

williamsburg is home to busch gardens - europe.  who knew that in one day we could visit france, italy, scotland, england, ireland, and germany!  the girls went their separate way with the goal of riding as many scary rides as possible.  (there were roller coasters that just by watching them i was wetting my pants ... so congrats to the girls for accomplishing their goal!!)  susan and i opted for the train rides around the park, the gondola ride that took us from country to country, and rooms with air conditioning so we could enjoy our food ... and more food ... and more food.  however, we did go on a very fun 3-D haunted house ride where we were almost eaten by werewolves, skeletons threw knives at us, and we fell head first through the castle.  i apologized in advance to the strangers sitting next to us for my soon-to-happen screaming.  it was awesome.  the weather was perfect ... about 75 degrees with low humidity.  as the day wore on the cooler it got and we had a nice cool breeze in the evening.  it was a fabulous day!  here are some pics for you to enjoy ...

there was a small line to get in ...

germany!!

view from the gondola ...

susan enjoying the gondola ...

who knew big bird would be in europe?!

we didn't know at the time what our sins were ... but how appropriate!!

wetting the pants ...

the girls enjoying a calmer ride ...

rockstar and skirt in the sandbox ...

material girl

i'm 33 years old.  i'm single.  i make money.  i buy things.  one day a lightbulb goes off (no comments please).  i'm 33 years old.  i own no diamonds.  i want diamonds.  i make money.  i buy diamonds.

say it ain't so ...

well lucky me.  this is the second time i've been snowed in this year.  this difference is ... this time i was in williamsburg!!  we don't get snow!!  of course, they had school closures at the threat of snow and i'm not even sure if work will be open tomorrow!  it's like seattle ... the city shuts down at the threat of snow.  here's a nice little pic ...

and because i didn't want to be on the roads with these morons wonderful people, i decided to hit up the grocery store with everyone else and their dog.  i bought bread, milk, shells and cheese, and cookies.  i thought i would be the responsible adult and be prepared.  and not only did i purchase these items, i actually broke down and ... wait for it ... cooked!!  or at least my version of cooking ... say it ain't so ...

if stealing blogs is wrong ... then i don't wanna be right ...

so i completely and totally stole this blog from my dear friend wendy.  hey ... i never claimed to be original!!

3 names i go by:  jennifer, rockstar (call-sign), and jenni wenni (thanks mom)

3 jobs i've had:  movie theater person (movies 8 in provo), legal assistant, and federal government

3 places i've lived:  spokane, washington dc, and baghdad

3 favorite drinks:  diet coke, diet coke, and diet coke

3 favorite tv shows:  how i met your mother, biggest loser, and keeping up with the kardashians (yes, i know)

3 places i've been:  punta cana, kauia, and baghdad

3 people i text regularly:  pretty much everyone in my phone ... i don't like talking on the phone

3 favorite foods:  red robin's bbq chicken wrap, red robin's french fries dipped in campfire sauce, and any kind of chocolate

3 favorite books:  all of the above

3 favorite colors:  black, blue, and grey

3 hobbies:  reading, weekend road trips, and anything else that sounds good at the time

3 items in my refrigerator:  an expired and bloated gallon of milk, a pizza box, and diet coke

3 things i do every day:  listen to music, some sort of reading, and think of which place to eat (what's a girl to do when she has the above-mentioned groceries)

3 things i'm good at:  finding new places to eat, sighing, and exercising in my mind

yes, i realize i'm not a very in-depth person ... but at least my priorities are straight (hence keeping up with the kardashians)!!