When you're smiling on me, that is all I need

So - We've moved in with Justin's friend's Trent and so far (a week in) it is going really well.  Trent isn't home a lot so me and Justin spend a lot of time with his Doberman Pinscher, Blue.  Blue is pretty cool - like a 100 lb lap dog.  I made dinner last night for the first time since moving there (besides sandwiches) and it wasn't too awful having a counter sized dog following me around and sniffing.

About a week ago, Justin sent me this song that his friend Charles and sent to him and it's pretty dang awesome.  The original is really good as well, but this one is pretty... talented - 5 people playing one guitar.  Check it out.




I've been working out pretty hard, although not really training for the half.  I'm justifying it by the fact that my waist and arms (as well as OTHER areas) are getting smaller and my muscles are getting bigger.  I'm feel pretty good.  I'm going to start trying to eat 5 small meals a day instead of 3 larger meals and see if it helps with the weight loss (muscle tone) and feeling hungry all the time.  I FINALLY found a friend to work out with me twice a week and that makes me happy and a lot more motivated.  The rest of you guys are all lazy!!!!! :-P

Not much else to say, but thought I'd give a quick update.

Much love!

A Poor Man's Fish

So like a year ago, at the gym - I saw this poster advertising a website called TunatheWonderfish.com.  It went off a bit about how good tuna is for you.  I don't know about you, but my experience with tuna is pretty much tuna fish sandwiches and Tuna Helper.  My mom would also make this hot tuna mixed with Cream of Mushroom soup that we'd eat over slices of toast (which by the way, I'll totally be making with my own non processed version of Cream of Mushroom because that stuff was great!).  - But the wonderfish... really?  More like tuna-the poor substitute for salmon.com.

So because I want to be healthy and I want to do good things for my body, I checked it out - and forgot about it.  A couple of weeks ago, I checked it out more thoroughly and decided it was awesome.  The best part is... Justin LOVES tuna - and now I can more than provide.

Tonight we had this:  http://tunathewonderfish.com/cookbook/recipe.php?id=41

Pretty basic, eh?

So, my question was how do I take a poor man's fish and turn it into a gourmet meal... well - like this.  You'll see that I vaguely followed the recipe.

1 can (7 oz) tuna, rinsed
1/2 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon basil
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup chopped onion
2 pinches seafood seasoning
1 (10 oz) package frozen peas
1 cup half and half
2 tablespoons flour
3 (smaller) cloves of garlic
1 stalk green onions, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Put a pot of water on to boil.  Add spaghetti.
Pour olive oil in a skillet and heat.  Saute onion until translucent, add garlic and green onions and cook for 1 minute.  Add in 2 tablespoons flour and stir into vegetables.  Once combined, pour in half and half and bring to a boil.  Once thickened slightly, add 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, basil, seafood seasoning, salt, and pepper.  Add tuna and peas and allow to heat.
Pour sauce over cooked spaghetti noodles.

Viola - delicious.

Next:  http://tunathewonderfish.com/cookbook/recipe.php?id=26  I'll substitute Greek yogurt for the Mayo - and who knows what other changes I'll make...  The goal is 1 tuna dish every 2 weeks.  Okay - go!

Justin and I are gearing up to buy a house... and once we have a house.... We're going to get one of these guys!!!! We have the perfect name picked out for our little Teacup Yorkie.

I can't wait!

Please give me a reason...

Today, I've been looking at dresses - I suppose in order to prepare for next year's work Christmas party - but really sometimes a girl just needs a reason to wear a pretty dress.

Please, give me a reason.

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/xscape-pleated-stretch-satin-sheath-dress/3142774?origin=category
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/suzi-chin-for-maggy-boutique-chiffon-satin-sheath-dress/3261173?origin=category
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/suzi-chin-for-maggy-boutique-draped-matte-jersey-sheath-dress/3098464?origin=category
http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/ml-monique-lhuillier-bridesmaids-strapless-satin-dress-nordstrom-exclusive/3165971?origin=category

Forget regret, or life is yours to miss.

I think everyone has things in their life that they regret, everyone has a million "what ifs" that bounce through their heads from time to time.  At least I know that it how it is for me.  I regret a lot of things.  I regret some things I've done.  I regret some things that I didn't do.  I think those regrets and what ifs will always be there.

Having said that, there is no regret in my life that is so huge that I can't forgive myself or love the life that I now have.  I'm happy, incredibly happy - I didn't even know it was possible to BE this happy.

Last night, Justin and I watched a movie called Blue Valentine.  I don't recommend it, but I'm not saying I didn't like the movie.  I'm not really saying I liked it either.  It is interesting how 2 people can watch the same movie and take it so differently.  It was a sad movie.  It is about two people who fall in love, the girl finds out she is pregnant - but by a previous boyfriend, and they decide to get married anyway and become a family.  It fasts forwards to years later and they are so obviously unhappy.  They can't stand each other.  In the whole movie, you only see one moment where they were truly happy.  It really IS sad.

Since meeting Justin, he has made it his duty to educate me on movies.  I like to tease him that all the movies he watches are incredibly depressing... Anything from Memento to Gone Baby Gone to Mystic River - such depressing movies.  But last night, THIS movie truly depressed him.

That's not how I saw it.  I watched that movie and watched a story unfold of life - real life, sometimes how life happens.  Justin said that that isn't how life is, and I said that it was.  He asked me if that was how I felt, that there was only ONE moment where him and I were TRULY happy.  No, not with him.

I guess my point to all of this is... life has its ups and downs.  Sometimes the downs and horribly horribly sad - but they are beautiful in their own way.  To me, that movie in a way... "celebrated" the sadness, and to me it was beautiful.

I do not regret the life I've lived.  I do not regret the things I've gone through, the people I've loved and lost, the hurts I've received... because that's life and life is both beautiful AND tragic... and I'm glad to have lived it.

Homemade... what?

Sorry the formatting is so strange, blogger is being dumb - and I'm too lazy to fix it.

Hey everyone!!!  Still staying super busy with this job of mine, and still suffering from excessive tiredness.  I'm pretty sure it's about time to go to the doctor... but I'm still kind of hoping it's the new schedule and things will get better soon.

Anyway - I hate deodorant.  Really, I do.  I still wear it every day, though.  For years, I've had problems with deodorant either dying my shirts yellow or white in an inconvenient spot and/or causing irritation on my underarms.  I have SUUUPER sensitive skin and a diagnosis of keratosis pilaris, which is where the same stuff that makes your nails gets stuck in your pores.  If you ever noticed how red my arms are... this is why.  Unfortunately, there is no cure so I just do my best (lots of exfoliating and unscented lotions).  Fortunately, it has gotten a lot better than when I was young.  Either people are politer and don't ask (or spread rumors that I'm diseased and it's catching...) or my arms don't get as red (or purple in the case of me getting cold...).  So ANYWAY - I've set out on a mission to go natural in order to help my skin out a bit and here is the first step.

How to Make Your Own Deodorant
1/4 cup baking soda
1/4 cup arrowroot powder 
4 tablespoons coconut oil
10 drops/shakes grapefruit essential oil
A tin or jar with lid


In a bowl, stir together dry ingredients, then add oils gradually until you like the consistency, mixing with a fork. Store in a closed container at room temp. (If the mixture seems too soft, try refrigerating it for a bit to firm it up.)


To apply, scoop up a bit with your finger, hold it against your skin for a couple seconds so it melts a little, then rub around.


This is still in the trying out stage - so I don't have a testimony of it yet, but I'll keep you updated. If it works out, I'm going to make a guy scented one for Justin.  The only thing I found was that the coconut oil was very flaky, like cold butter (even though it wasn't cold) so in order to achieve the pasty consistency, I put it in the microwave for 10 seconds and then was able to stir it in better.  Also, I used sweet orange essential oil because Whole Foods was all out of grapefruit.  


This makes enough deodorant for 4 or 5 months.  I'm not sure what the cost would be because I already threw away the receipt, but I still have plenty of ingredients to make more deodorant - so I think that combined with the fact that I won't be shoving aluminum in my pores makes it all worth it.  
Here's what I have coming up next:


Four Homemade Cleaners
Liquid Handsoap
Homemade Body Wash
How to Clean Your Face Naturally
High Efficiency Laundry Detergent
Homemade Dishwasher Detergent


Check it out!

I gotta get used to this.

New job.  New schedule.  New Amy.

So, in case you haven't heard - I LURVE my new job!  Everyone has been pretty nice and for the most part I've been busy and proactive.  However, this job makes me tired in a completely different way than my old job did.  Rather than 2 a.m. working, I wake up every morning at 6:20, usually pull my hair out of a sock bun and am out the door by 6:45-6:50 to catch Trax, getting to work around 7:50.  I spend the day transcribing, mailing out said transcriptions, renewing medical licenses, and other odds and ends.  When 4:30 hits, I'm on the Trax ready to be home, but still have an hour of sitting.  I use this time to crochet (yes, I'm the crazy crochet lady on the train) or to read.  It's actually quite relaxing.
For the first 2 weeks, I couldn't possibly be grumpier.  Unused to a 40 hour work week and add 10 hours of sitting on Trax, I come home ready for bed.  Add to that the fact that Justin has been sick so I don't need much encouragement to just lie on the couch until we go to bed around 10:30 (having already took a couple of naps possibly).
My waist line is suffering!  I've decided that for the time being, you can all refer to me as "The Chunkster."

Over Thanksgiving break (yes, I got a 4-day weekend!!! Jobs where they appreciate their workers are wonderful!), I've worked out 3 times, which is ESSENTIAL to my well being.  I'm not just talking about my waistline and health, I'm talking about the crazies.

You see, I'm a worrier - and I'm very proficient at it and for SOME reason, when I don't have a place to pound out all those worries, they all seem to combine and I just being this mass of anxiety that NO ONE, not even myself wants to deal with.

So, I found a treadmill workout that I can do at the club house here at our apartment complex.  It's only 20 minutes and I think I can spare the couch, and Justin can spare 20 minutes of snuggles so that the crazy doesn't come out.

And yes, at some point I need to turn that 20 minutes into about 2 hours - cause I've got a half marathon to run... working on it!

Toodles!