New running blog!!

I have now created a blog just to chronicle my running program - leading up to my first EVER 5K that I've signed up to run in July. Then, the future will be determined once I reach it! Please follow the blog at:

http://learningtorun.blogspot.com/

I will still be updating this one from time to time, with non-running related news, but I wanted to keep that one separate, as it is a separate part of my life right now. Thanks for checking in and following this blog!

Reading Update

I am addicted to Emily Giffin. It first started with Something Borrowed. I saw a preview for the movie coming out soon, and wanted to read the book before the movie came out. It was an impulse buy and - I finished the book in 24 hours.

It was that good. Another amazing impulse buy (like Eat, Pray, Love).

So then, the next night, I couldn't wait and went to Borders and got the sequel - Something Blue. It's a followup to Something Borrowed. I got it on a Friday - finished it Sunday afternoon. Less than 48 hours. Must be a new record for me.

Now I'm addicted. She has 3 other books out there - Baby Proof, Love the One You're With, and Heart of the Matter. They're all seperate plot lines from the first two, but I realized that I really liked how she wrote.

I just bought Baby Proof online 5 minutes ago. I didn't want to spend the full $15 at Borders, so I found a website selling it for under $4 - including shipping!!! It's used, which doesn't matter to me. It's still the same book! Plus, after I read them, I plan on trying to sell them online, so I should get some money back. Good deal.

Can't wait!! Only 7-14 days til Baby Proof arrives, and when it does, before I even finish it, I'm ordering another one because I know it will be done in less than 2 days!!

I've said it a million times...

But I really need to get back to reading. Recently, I read "Eat, Pray, Love" by Elizabeth Gilbert. I watched the movie and then bought the book online on impulse.

Best. Impulse. Buy. Ever.

Anyway, I saw a movie preview for "Something Borrowed". And I then (impulsively) bought it online from Amazon.com. And I know, I'm years behind the curve, but at least I'm not a bandwagon fan, right?

I read several reviews, and it seems like it's a very popular book. Plus (duh!) it's being made into a movie!

So between Emily Giffin and Elizabeth Gilbert, I've got a great series of books to start on either way! Not to mention the 18 books I already have stacked up at home to read, but at least it's a start!

Any thoughts/feedback/opinions on "Something Borrowed"??

Brief Update

Well it' s been more than a month again. And I can't say I haven't visited this site during that time; I have been catching up on your blogs! I keep checking the website and reading other blogs and thinking "wow I'm boring". But you know what? I've never been happier. I recently got out of a bad relationship. It's like a breath of fresh air. I spent almost 2 years being miserable, but now only have to think about ME finally. I recently moved into my "own place". Granted, my parents own it, but now (again), it's finally all about ME and what I want. (On a side note, I went out and bought a combo modem/router So, as I promised over a month ago, I will update you all on the remaining "topics" I had listed:

• Recently, the lady who runs our employee events and employee newsletters (things going on at work, weddings, babies, etc.) moved to another department in the hotel. So her role was open. It was filled briefly by someone else at the hotel, but she then decided to go back to her original department, so it was open again. Basically, I was handed all of the newsletters and any kind of graphic design stuff that the position used to do! Another lady I work with got the party planning stuff (which is fine with me) and now I get to be much more creative. It's GREAT!


• At the time I wrote my last entry, a Hungarian named Luca was living with my parents. She came to the US a year ago to work at the hotel, and my parents became her "host family" - basically, when they come work in America for a year, they're away from all their friends and family, and my parents would have her over for dinner, and to do laundry and basically be there for her. It was like having a roomate! She's my same age, and we talked about boys and family and life. She went back to Hungary, but it was nice having her around!


• My New Year's resolutions (Yea, they're pretty much all broken by now). Not much else to add. But again - I'm just happy.


• Don't remember about my reading list - but I haven't touched a book in a month. I should really start reading again!


• Phone Saga - I switched to a Samsung Instinct back in October. I hated it. Other than the phone calls and texting, it didn't do a single thing I wanted. So I switched back to a Blackberry over a month ago. Again, another breath of fresh air. I LOVE it!!! And I have 2 sparkling rhinestone-type cases. HEAVEN.


• Necklaces - for about a month back in Feb/March, I was making beaded necklaces like nobody's business. Well, that has slowed down a bit, but it was creative and sparkly and it felt good.

Whew. Well, that was my list. Hopefully another month won't go by before I blog again.

A Life-Changing Haircut?

So, as I promised, a real blog. And I'll be spreading out what's going on over a few blogs, as to not overwhelm myself or anyone who reads this.

Last night, I had the weirdest dream. I can't remember where I was in the dream, but some stranger came up to me and just cut off a chunk of my hair, specifically on my right side. First of all, it cut my bangs (which I don't have) and secondly, there was no reason or provocation and I didn't even know who this person was!

I googled "dreams about getting your hair cut". Believe me - that's out there. I found a website that offers interpretations of many different types of dreams and found this description:

"If you dream that you make a drastic change to your hairstyle, then it means that you are making a drastic, new approach to some issue in your waking life. To dream that you are cutting your hair, suggests that you are experiencing a loss in strength. You may feel that someone is trying to censor you. Alternatively, you may be reshaping your thinking or ambitions and eliminating unwanted thoughts/habits. "

This actually makes sense to me. About 5 months ago, I made a major life change. I had been dating a guy named Justin for over 2 years and I ended it. Without going into details, it was a very rocky and harmful relationship at the end, and an even worse break up. But it had to be done. I moved back in with my parents and spent a few months just basically recovering. I'm happy to say that I feel like I'm finally getting back to "me". So I am (or recently have) made a new, drastic approach to my life. I'm living it without that on my shoulders.

Now, in the dream, I wasn't the one cutting my hair but I do feel that back in October and the few months after that I did experience a loss in strength. I can't begin to explain all the emotions I was feeling but I did feel pretty sucked dry. I did feel like someone was trying to censor me (or you could call it smother or control). And then I began to reshape my thinking and led me to eliminate unwanted habits - him. So, if you were to really interpret the "other person" cutting my hair, you could say it was Justin shocking me into realizing what the hell was going on and that I needed to make a drastic change.

I am extremely thankful for all of the support I recieved from friends, co-workers, and especially my family.

And now, I'm facing the great opportunity of moving out and living on my own again. Finally, my life is getting back on track!

That's 2 blog topics down - 6 to go!

What happened?

Well...I feel like I should really blog, because it's been almost a month. But at this point, it's already 10 pm, and I have to be at work at 7 am tomorrow. And it's a very hairy day ahead. So I think instead I will watch some Netflix and doze off. But I have every intention of blogging a REAL blog soon, so to help my anal-retentive and somewhat spacey mind, I have to make a bulleted list so I remember.

• I had a dream last night that someone walked up to me and just cut a huge chunk out of my hair for no reason. I did some googling, and I think I have the answer.


• A major change in my life that happened a few months ago, and another one coming up in a month or two. (*Disclaimer - no, I am not pregnant!)


• A promotion that I'm stressed/excited about at work.


• A Hungarian student named Luca (pronounced "Lootza", like "pizza" but starting with "loot")


• My New Year's resolutions (Yea, they're pretty much all broken by now)


• My reading list


• My phone saga


• My necklaces

On second thought, maybe I should space those out into other blogs. Yea, that might be good. For the 8 followers!! :) Maybe I could get to 10 if I posted more??

And on that note, I wanted to share a picture that makes me happy:This is the cover of this month's Texas Monthly magazine. I may be in Colorado, but I'm still in love with Texas!!

So I’m back!! I figured I was due to update my blog and my resolutions on how I was doing.

First of all, I’m on track with my one book a month resolution. In January, I started to read "Inside of a Dog: What Dogs See, Smell and Know" by Alexandra Horowitz, and it’s a really interesting book (mini-review to come once I’m done), but by today, it’s simply not finished.

However, on Friday, January 28th, I walked into the library for employees we have next to my office, looking for a future month’s selection. I grabbed one short book (probably 25-30 with large print), called “Dinner with a Stranger” by David Gregory.

I read the entire thing over my lunch break. My resolution was technically achieved in a matter of half an hour without me knowing. It’s about a man who receives a dinner invitation by someone who claimed to be Jesus, and the man accepts. The more “Jesus” talks to him at dinner, the more the man starts to really think the stranger is Jesus. It’s basically a really good book on apologetics. It puts out some very familiar questions that I’ve either been asked or asked myself, and could never put it into words, and it actually has answers that just simply make sense.

However, it’s still bugging me that I haven’t finished my original January book, so I intend to finish it in February. I feel that I can say I read one book this month, since it’s the only one I’ve read in February and I will finish it!

Also, I have every intention of doing my scrapbooking page for this month this weekend. It only takes me about an hour a page, so I feel like I can do it – it’s just a matter of buckling down and getting started!!!

As for the weight loss, I’m not really down from January 1st, but I'm not up either. And the eating better – well, that fluxuates depending on the day. But, I have been very disappointed in my January performance, so I’m making a more conscious effort to consider what I’m eating and determine – “This is enough. You don’t need more, right? RIGHT!” Plus, I’m very busy at work, so I’m noticing that I’m not hungry as much as I used to be, which just proves to me that I eat out of boredom. I haven’t really worked out much, even after buying The Biggest Loser for Wii, but I’m just not a work-out type of person. I seem to do just fine without it.

And there you have it!! Thanks for sticking around!! And I can use your support and encouragement, so if you have any suggestions or comments on anything related to what I blogged about, then please share!