I've added a new link to a page on my blog for a blog hop. I do hope to see everyone add their own unique blog to the list. You can find the link on the left side of the blog!

Well here it is, the start of the new year. I don't do silly resolutions anymore, as they always seem to drop by the wayside 2 weeks in...what I do is make realistic goals for myself throughout the year. I've achieved so much this past year with my weight....wow, over 50 pounds and going strong. I wanted so much to start an exercise regime and get my heart healthier but I could just never find that motivation that I needed...I found it, somewhere deep inside me, and now I'm doing awesome with exercising for an hour, 6 days a week. And on the resting day...I actually miss it! Ha. It does get easier the more I lose, though, since the more I lose, the more energy I feel. It all affects the others and creates a nice snowballing effect.

My Hot 100 goals were to drink at least 2.5L of water per day. I am still struggling with this one from time to time, but overall I'm doing rather well with it. Obviously on the weeks that I do better at it, I do see results on the scale.

I also made the goal to keep up my exercise. As I've previously covered above, I'm doing so great with this one. I'm extremely proud of myself for sticking with it, no matter my mood or how little I want to get on from time to time. I figure it is those times that I need it the most and sometimes quite literally have an argument in my head about how much of a quitter I'd be if I didn't get on. That's generally enough right now...I've quit so many times...I don't want to quit this time.

School, well, it's between semesters but I can't wait for the semester to start. I never know quite what to do with myself when school's not in session. Summer kills me. What can I say? I love to learn! I'm really looking forward to my classes coming up. I've signed up for writing fiction (you may have noticed my as yet to be posted on blog), digital photography, and of course, math.

Now for the weigh-in. I went off of my food plan a few times this past week and was actually dreading getting on the scale. I never did stop exercising, though, for which I'm quite happy about. Anyway, I really felt that I'd gained and certainly not lost. However...getting on the scales a little bit ago I was pleasantly gifted with a beautiful loss of THREE pounds! I did say that right...3 pounds! Woohoo!!! Go me!

A little something to make you smile...

I think I may have painted my step-dad in the wrong sort of light because I didn't get my SB card from him! That's so not true! I just wanted to add that for the past several years he's purchased Hummel collector's plates for sisters for both myself and my sister. This year was the final pieces of the set...and I believe there are 10 all total. These are not cheap. They're beautiful and extremely thoughtful on his part. He's always treated me as a daughter, and I think of him as my dad. He's everything that I wish my own father was. This year he also gave me a beautiful cross/heart necklace with a lovely engraved saying on the back. I wear it from time to time and when I do it always reminds me of him. He's given me so much, both in love and material things...I'm ashamed that I may have painted him in a bad light.

Randy...I'm sorry. I love you and appreciate you...and I'm so glad for the large part that you play in my life. You are, and always will be, a blessing to me. Thank you for everything that you've done for me, for us.

(This is a pic that's a few years old...
but he's just as awesome now as he
was then!)

I've started volunteering at the SPCA in Reno. I really enjoy it so far and am able to finally get my cat fix in since K's allergic and we can't have one of our own. The dogs are awesome to play with and walk and the atmosphere there is hopeful. I enjoy being there...and I feel like I'm actually doing something good with the time that would otherwise be spent playing online or worrying about money!

This particular little lady has captured my heart. Her name is Fuzz and she loves to snuggle and be close. She eventually took a cat nap laying back in my arms, cradled like a baby.

Dear blog...

I'm so sorry that I've neglected you so much this past month, or so. Things have been kind of crazy in my life. And even when it wasn't crazy, I just didn't feel like blogging about it. Finding the right words to define something that I have no idea how to define is kind of hard...so sometimes, I just have to say enough for now. Of course, I have kept up on every single Hot 100 posts...even whilst on holiday over Thanksgiving. (I'm aiming to get those peppers!) Ha.

The semester ended a couple of weeks ago with me receiving a 4.0 GPA. I was pretty excited about this fact, because doing so well in math has helped me have a more positive attitude about it all. I'm actually starting to actually LIKE math. *Gasp* Yes, I did say like. I like how there's no gray areas in math....it's cut and dried. This is how you do it, this is the answer. There are no exceptions. Yada yada. I'm surprising myself at how much I'm truly enjoying it.

The last month of the semester I was also working on my English paper...and it was the hardest one that I've had to write, so far. I was stressing over it and just really hoping that it was good enough for an A. I struggled with it...but, alas, I shouldn't have. Everything turned out just fine.

I randomly got a call from my dad about a month ago, as well. He was drunk at the time, and it was hard to talk to him like that. Apparently it's been colder than he's used to where he lives and since he only has warm weather clothes, he doesn't go out in it. So instead of getting his daily exercise and social time he stays holed up inside and drinks beer and smokes all day. This is not a good activity for anyone...but especially him. It prevents him from having any human contact, as well as all that beer is causing him to put on weight again. And he's going just a little senile, as well. He has these crazy conspiracies about people out to get him.

Anyway, during the conversation I asked him if he had decided whether or not he was going to come to Reno to visit us over xmas. He started rambling on about how he doesn't owe Reno anything and Reno doesn't owe him...and that he left Reno on a bad note. Now, when my dad and I first started talking again after so many years, he kept telling me that there were things that he wanted to tell me about that time...but that he was waiting for the right time. Suddenly, I think he believes he's already told me. When I asked him why he left Reno, he told me, "I've already told you, Shauna, but you just never listen..." I told him that he hadn't told me anything about what went on when we hadn't seen each other...and once again, in his drunken slur and booze induced, über emotional way, he once again tells me that I never listen to him when he talks. Where the hell does he get that shit from??? Maybe when I was 14 and thought I knew more than he did...but that's certainly not the case NOW!

Needless to say, it really affected me and now I'm afraid to call him to talk because I worry that he'll start on another tirade again. I didn't see or talk to my dad for 14 years...I had no idea where he was, or what he was doing. I had no idea if he was even alive. I'm enjoying getting to know him while we're both adults, but this crap with him thinking this stuff about me is over and above....

The holidays are rarely good for me these days. With each year that passes, I see my friends' kids growing up, celebrating xmas, settling into a quiet suburbian life, whilst K and I are struggling with my being unemployed and going to school. We don't celebrate xmas because we have no money. People say that it's about giving and not receiving.... Well...we don't have money to give...therefore we don't receive. We received 2 gifts this year, one from my mom and step-dad, and one from our wonderful friends, Richard and Holly. The generosity from the latter never ceases to amaze us. K and Richard essentially grew up together and it hasn't been until we added them both on Facebook that we began to be more involved with them and their lives, and vice versa. My mom and step-dad sent us a check with a note to spend it on something fun for ourselves. Well, most of us know what happens with checks. It gets deposited in the bank and bills get paid. I tried to explain to her that we need things from our wish list...and that there were plenty of GC's on there to choose from...but alas, we got a check...which went towards our power bill, I believe. :) Hey...it was used for a good cause, at least.

It's funny, really, but ever since I met my step-dad he'd started giving me a Starbucks gift card every xmas. Then last year he forgot and I mentioned it to him over Thanksgiving while we were visiting. He said he could have swore he'd sent me one last year and that he'd be sure to remember this year. What he doesn't realize is that THAT is the ONE thing that I look forward to every year. Not money, not anything else. The one thing that I have found the most enjoyment in was the Starbucks card that he used to send. What can I say? I'm a SB girl! So I was pretty excited for this year's card...I thought for sure that he'd send me one. But he didn't. I know that I should never expect something like that...it makes me seem rather frivolous and greedy...but I couldn't help (and still can't) but feel let down and despondent about not receiving one. When one doesn't even receive a gift of any sort from her husband, there are very few things that one can look forward to....that was mine.

Add to all of that the fact that I'm married to scrooge, whom doesn't appreciate even decorating or carols...and it makes for a very sad and very depressing time of year. I'm very happy to see the end in sight so that we can get on with our lives....and hopefully this year will bring more cheer than this last one.

We attended an xmas eve Christian service with our friends, Richard and Holly, and had a fun time. We went over to their house afterward and had pizza and eggnog and rum. The company was fun, the atmosphere was certainly more pleasant than at our house, and for once, I felt a bit of the spirit of the holiday. It was good.

In reminiscence of my post written previously, I feel the need to reconvey the same message once again.

1) I might not like your songs (which is VERY likely)
2) It starts all over again ON EVERY SINGLE PAGE
3) It disturbs the current song I’m listening to
4) I get a sudden heartattack when the song starts playing out of no where.
5) It slows down my internet.
6) I will leave your blog RIGHT AWAY.

This past week has obviously been rather different in terms of food intake and the like. However, that being said, I still managed to lose .5 pounds. I'll take it! I attribute it to the fact that I didn't stop my exercise regime. I Continued my 60 minute daily with my uber hills and all!

As for my Hot 100 goals...

My official grades were posted and I received A's in all classes. Woohoo!

My water intake was so-so this week. I could have done better. The days that I did get it in, I usually got more than my 3L so I consider that I did fairly well there, as well.

Exercise...well, that's been the easiest goal that I've had and thankfully I've not struggled with it much. I struggle sometimes to get ON and start...but I'm always so very grateful after I finish that I did. I just love how I feel afterwards. It's amazing. :)

Over the past 20 years it's been beaten into us that smoking around children/babies is wrong. My question is...if you smoke, do you do so around your indoor pets? Do you believe that their health balances precariously, just as small children's does, in your hands, or is an animal's health less important because, after all, it IS just an animal?

I'd love to hear your thoughts on this one...and please vote in the embedded poll!

Thanks!

If you have indoor pets, do you smoke around them?

I had a .5 pound loss this week. I'm okay with it because I know that, a) It's THAT time of the month, b) I didn't do so well with my water intake this week and, c) I had 3 lattes this week (all non-fat, sugar free...but still). All of those combined makes for a lean loss...but like I said, I'm okay with it since I know all of that...and besides, it's a loss, not a gain! Sweet!

As for the rest of my goals for Hot 100...I am doing awesome. Still doing my exercise, and...the semester has ended with me having a 4.0 GPA. Woohoo! I'm totally stoked!