Friday, January 23, 2009

I have a confession to make...

I cry during sporting events.

There. I said it.

Game-winning hail marys, the puck in the net in the last second of overtime, photo-finishes on an outdoor track, you name it! Normally, I can keep this little problem in check (I don't think my hubby has ever 'caught' me crying). I usually find some excuse to leave the room. The pregnancy has kicked my hormones into overdrive and now I can be reduced to sobs instantly. I'm lucky if I can manage to hold it to a few trickles of tears.

Why am I writing about this? Because Super Bowl Sunday is coming up and I that's a tough gig for me. The National Anthem always induces tears (well, if its well sung). And watching the winner celebrate with their teammates and families is a beautiful thing. I barely made it through the Winter X Games last night. How in the heck am I gonna outlast the Super Bowl?

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Obama Cupcake from Trophy Cupcakes


It was so worth the $4 price tag.

Happy Inauguration Day

I have decided to watch the inauguration festitivies at work with my students and co-workers. We're all assembled in 3 locations on campus (I'm in the cafeteria). Everyone is happy and there is a definite buzz in the air - an electric feeling. Baby K (who is very close to getting a name) is ecstatic and bouncing around in my belly. I have my box of tissue and my laptop hooked up on wi-fi. This is arguably the most important day in the history of the US during my lifetime. I am so blessed to be able to witness it! My God, what a great day - not only for the US, but for the world!

GObama!

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Well, the weather is back to normal here. No more frigid temperatures, torrential rains or freak snow storms. Gone are my fears of slipping and falling on ice (which I managed to do, but at least it was only once and I was already close to the ground).

This week, my college is celebrating the legacy of MLK with a bevy of invited guest speakers and performing arts ensembles. Its a great time to be on campus because there is so much activity going on. Plus, on the eve of the inauguration of President Obama, there is a sincere feeling of hope and excitment of things to come. The mood is infectious and I find myself smiling for no reason other than being glad to be a living witness to this time in our history.

I've identified my areas of focus for 2009. Last year was a good one, but it was a bit overwhelming and I think I put my mental needs to the side to be sure that other important areas of my life (ie. my marriage, my career(s), my family) where well taken care of. Well, now that I'm confident that things won't fall apart on account of l'il ol' me, I can take care of myself.

The areas that I need to focus on are:

1. My spirituality - Without a local church home and the absence of my ashtanga yoga practice have left a void and my relationship with the Divine has suffered because of it, I think. Good news is I'm pretty sure wer've found a church home and I've carved out 2 hours on one day a week to continue to my yoga practice. Because if there was ever a time for pranayama (breath and control of mind through breathing) then this pregnancy and the impending labor is surely it!

2. My ability to multi-task - This has never been an issue for me, however, I've never been a mommy before (and I'm assuming that my raising of Figaro the wonderdog doesn't count). So, I need to be sure that I can balance parenting, my career, my small business and being an attentive wife all at the same time. This will mean that I must remember to say no to some volunteer activities and try to keep at least an hour of "me" time each week in there somewhere. "Me" time is so important for us only children. We really suffer without it.

3. Having "unplugged" moments - Between my desktop, my laptop, my handheld and the phone at home I rarely get a minute of peace. And when I do find myself with sometime, I'm always scrolling through the DVR list to see what my dear recorder has captured for me while I was preoccupied with something else. Thanks to the writer's strike, I broke it off with quite a few tv shows I used to follow. I'm down to about 3 hours of tv a week and I don't feel so bad about that. Anyway, the more minutes I can spend without logging on to something, I'm sure the better off I will be.

I think if I can master these areas, I can handle whatever 2009 throws my way with a minimum amount of stress and worry. I want to be able to devote most of my energy to my family and I'll be no good to anyone if I don't have a leash on my own special brand of crazy.

Saturday, January 10, 2009

Baby K's blog is up and running

Monday, January 5, 2009

My new goal

One of my favorite bloggers, Nilsa, has just signed up to run a half-marathon. Oh, no biggie...she's done marathons and 5Ks and such before - she's a runner (take that, Nilsa!). However, I was inspired by her committment and have decided to make one of my own.

I will also begin training. Even though I don't have the benefit of months to prepare, I am going to start on a strict regimen. I will stop eating chocolate frosted donuts. I have a visit with my midwife on Thursday and I have a suspicious feeling that she is going to schedule my gestational diabetes screening. I don't want to have gestational diabetes, so I'm going to wean myself from chocolate frosteds. I have been indulging in chocolate frosteds about once a week (but 3 at a time!) for the last month or so. The buck stops here. Well, after I eat the 2 that I picked up this morning on my way in to work...

Thanks, Nilsa for being my inspiration. I will continue to look to you for motivation. If you can run in Chicago, in January, outside - then I can bypass WesternCo donuts on Saturday morning.

Friday, January 2, 2009

Happy New Year, Y'all!

Back at home, back at work, back to 6am walks through a spookily dark park with The Figs. I guess the holiday is over.

Oh, but it was time well spent - I ate my weight in Lemon Meringue Pie. My growing belly was sufficiently cooed over by future grandparents and great-grandparents. I finally got that GPS I've been wishing for. I wish I had more QT with my cousins, but I'm thankful for every minute - particularly since one will soon be deployed. I made it through the night in DFW without being harrassed, molested, or robbed. Lucky me!

I should be back to my blogging self next week. Cheers!

 

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