Dear So and So...

Dear Static,

You are the nemesis of my life. You cause me to continuously lose socks only to find them again poking out of my pants leg at 3pm. You make my hair appointments increase $20; due to the inability of my hair to lie flat and allow itself to be cut: a wash, cut, dry and style is now necessary. You cause my dresses to rise up in inappropriate places at inappropriate times. Even though I have spent the money you asked and bought a slip, this slip seems to enjoy you more than regular cotton!

You have defeated my purpose of buying 'flared' pants since they now cling to me and resemble a wrinkly pair of 'skinny jeans'. You scare the crap out of me at night as I toss and turn and see sparks shooting off my pajamas at 1am. Every time I get out of the car to pump gas and read the sign that demands I discharge static electricity from my body before pumping gas or risk losing my life.... because of you, I begrudgingly allow a painful shock to go from my finger to the metal hood of my car. Static, you hurt, you are annoying, you cost me money, dignity and comfort.

Please go as soon as humanly possibly. I will take humidity and sweat over you any day.

Thanks,
D

Get ready...

Get set... Go!

With the new year comes a new semeseter, my second to last one!!!!!

I start class this Thursday (this should be my official last semester of actual class).
I take the Praxis (for school counseling) on Saturday!
I then start my second semester of interning on Monday. (I'm really praying about this one, for God to calm my anxious heart.... he got me successfully through one semester, I know he can do it again).
Then, my second class starts Tuesday nights.

I'll be interning 3 days a week this term and only working (paid) two days so Ben and I are on a super budget. I've even been reading some blogs of people doing a 'eat what's in your pantry' challenge and I'm challenging Ben and I to the same for several months. I need to perfect my couponing and saving.

It's a lot of things that are about to begin and will probably go by very quickly!
Let's go!

A New Year and a New Diet

Not just any diet though, and not a 'DIET' to lose weight either (Even though I am still thinking about working on this).

This is a diet to help me help myself.

I have polycystic ovary syndrome (I'm actually proud of myself for telling you this because most of these type of posts end up on my secret blog where things don't actually get published... I'm working on it though and I guess this is step one).

Hi, my name is D.P. and I have PCOS.

There are a TON of symptoms that accompany this and I'm fortunate enough to not have to battle my weight to the extreme that some do or buy very expensive creams to keep the hair from growing on my face. (Hirsutism aka facial hair is another symptom of PCOS, due to the increased testosterone that the woman's body makes.)

What I do have and it kills me is adult acne. Some serious horrible acne. I have never known clear skin. I am already getting 'fine lines and wrinkles' and still have acne!!! Not exactly the way I had hoped I'd look in my mid to late (gasp!) twenties.

There are a lot of medicines that I can take for this, but they come with side effects too, some of which are intolerable or unhealthy for me right now.

So.... the next step is my diet.

Women with PCOS are often insulin resistant, pre-diabetic or even diabetic (hence the weight-loss battle). Last time I had my blood sugar checked, I was fine, nothing to be worried about, but my doc said, 'skip that cookie after dinner and be careful of your carbs'. I kept that in my mind for several months and then I think I buried that thought with cookie crumbs and forgot it all together. Skip to present, my skin is awful!!! I don't have proof that it is from all the holiday cookies, treats and other carby, sugary bites that I may or may not have eaten this past month, but I'm thinking it is probably one of the factors.

A low sugar, low carb diet can help a woman with PCOS with lots of issues, even possibly fertility, but I'm going to start it today in hopes that my skin starts to look a little more like that of a twenty-something and a little less like that of a 13 year-old going through puberty.

Goodbye bagels & biscuits. Hello salads and green beans! What on earth am I going to eat for breakfast? :)
I'll let you know how it works.

Happy New Year!

Getting to know YOU Sunday

1. Where were you born?
Ft. Lauderdale Florida

2. Toilet paper..do you crinkle/crumple or fold it?
Folded and I feel a little funny about telling you that.

3. What was the last movie you saw in the theater?
Probably UP! Yeah, I don't go to the movies much.

4. What room to you spend the most time in besides your bedroom?
Living room

5. Would you be grossed out if you found out your husband/boyfriend/significant other hadn't brushed their teeth for 4 days and you had been snogging (kissing) them?
YES! Brushing your teeth is a necessity in my life.

6. Do you fold your underwear?
Nope

7. What is one goal you would like to achieve this year?
Graduate grad school (I skipped all the ones I haven't started working on yet, or I'm not quite sure I want to share them yet).

8. What is your favorite month/least favorite month?
Favorite: April. Its my birthday, Easter (usually), spring time (my favorite time of year), the semester ends, the weather is usually amazing!

Least Favorite: January. After Jan 1st, I'm ready for warm weather, flip flops, tank tops, etc. I'm ready for the world to be green again and flowers to bloom. BUT.... instead its 28 degrees outside and brown.... everything is dead, school starts back (yuck).....

Your turn!! Click Keely's picture above and link up!

Santa came again

In the form of the Fed Ex man this time.

Remember a long time ago when I told you that Fiestaware was buy one get one free? And, well.... I couldn't resist. Thankfully Ben's mom gave Ben and I each a little Christmas cash to go buy something nice for ourselves and mine was gone in about 2 clicks.

They hadn't been washed yet, so you can see all the peanut fuzz covering them.


Also, all my other dishes are scarlet, but I have been told by many people that the whole fun of Fiestaware is to mix and match, so I did (and am still not sure what I think) but I got the plum and blue gusto (otherwise known as chili) bowls. My scarlet looks very orange in the picture above (perfect for Auburn!) But they are actually red.

5 Question Friday

***Update w/ the right question as # 5.

"Rules for 5QF: Copy and paste the following questions to your blog, answer them, grab the MckLinky code (if you'd like...), then link up! I'd totally love it if you'd link back to me, Mama M.!!"

Questions for the New Year!! 1/1/10: (Thanks to Kate and Kyrsten for their question suggestions! Head on over here, to offer up your great questions, and get linked on a future 5QF!!)

1. If you could bring one character to life from your favorite book, who would it be?
I'd bring Jones from The Noticer to life; with all his wisdom and being at the right place at the right time. He really is an amazing counselor though he talks more than he listens, the people he talks to seem to actually listen and take what he says to heart to better their lives, tricky tricky thing to do.

"One way to define wisdom is the ability to see, into the future, the consequences of your choices in the present."

I want to do a whole post on quotes from that book. Its wonderful!

2. Where did you get your very first kiss?
HA! It was in 9th grade, from my very first boyfriend, in the hall way, on the way to the bus after school. Yep. I wasn't even expecting it.... it was cute, and memorable.

3. How did you welcome in the New Year?
Ben and I went to some friends from high school's house, shot off fireworks, played a ton of corn-hole (I lost a lot more than I won) sat by a fire and had a great time with old friends! We made it all the way to 1am!


This is the ONLY picture of Ben and I on my camera. Have I mentioned that most pictures taken of Ben he looks drunk or asleep? He just can't keep those eyes open to save his life! So he is now refusing to be in them.... and this is what happens.


4. What is your favorite Beatles song?
Don't shoot me....... I really don't love the Beatles. Seriously... BUT - if I had to pick one, I do like Hey Jude and all the nananana's. Its a very happy song to me.

5a. What is the best gift you GAVE this year for Christmas?
According to me or the gift receiver? I think according to the receiver it was this picture in an old/woodsy frame:


I gave it to my mom, although I thought I should have made a copy for my dad too because the minute my mom leaves the house he gets them all up on the couch with him to love them.

In order from left to right: Logan, Lola, Dusty, Sierra, Casino, & Otis the pug, in Ben and I's 1949 Chevy. Anyways, my parents LOVED this picture and want more copies of it.

So there it is, first 5 Question Friday of 2010!!!!
I'm excited to see what God has in store for us this year.
Your turn!!


5b. Donuts: Overrated, underrated, or 'bout right?
Donuts = amazing. Especially Dunkin' Donut Chocolate Glazed. I was from New Jersey once upon a time and we didn't have Krispy Kreme there, just amazing Dunkin' Donuts and I don't think anything will ever compare. I've heard through the grapevine we'll finally have one within 50 miles of me soon. Uh oh...

Taxes

One of my favorite things to do is our taxes. I should say, USED to be my favorite things. I loved it because we always got money back, so I was very eager to get them done and get our money back! This year as normal, I've read about the taxes.... researched the taxes.... kept very good track of our finances ALL. YEAR. LONG. And I couldn't help myself. I filled in as much tax information that I have, and estimated the rest on Turbo Tax and it says, WE OWE MONEY! (GASP!) Surely its wrong....

However, if you read one of my very first blogs, it was about the money Obama put back into our paychecks from the stimulus package (I was convinced we'd OWE money because of all the money that wasn't being withheld), I think I may have been right and I'm super disappointed. Gah...