Irony ...

I suppose it's a little ironic that my last post was entitled "Happy" and that I mentioned how I was spending as much time with my boyfriend as possible ...

Sadly, we're no longer together. While I'll spare you (and my heart) the details, I can say that the last couple of weeks have been anything but happy. Thankfully, though, I'm getting better every day, and I do think I'll be happy (maybe even happier) in the near future.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful friends - they've really helped keep me busy and have helped me move forward a little bit at a time. I'm really excited about the Susan G. Komen 3-Day for the Cure next weekend in D.C. and can't wait to see my best friend Kristin! I've raised more than $2,300 for the cause and I'm actually looking forward to walking sixty miles over three days. The following weekend I'll be "running" a half-marathon here on the Island, but I'm not sure how much actual running I'll be able to do. 73.1 miles in approximately ten days is going to be pretty exhausting, but I'm pumped about it!

Fall is definitely in the air! I love everything about it - the smell, football, Fall decorations, Halloween, sweaters and cute boots :) I've always been a huge fan of summer, but I'm ready for the change. I cleaned out my closet today and pulled out all of my colder weather clothes. So exciting!!

Big things are happening at work, too. I found out last week that I'll be promoted again on October 11th and I couldn't be more excited. I'm finally moving into the bureau that I've been wanting for three years and I can't wait to get started.

Things are definitely looking up :)

Happy

I've been MIA for a little bit, but I'm back :)

I can honestly say that I am the happiest I have been in a really, really long time. Everything seems to be falling perfectly in to place. Here's to hoping I don't screw it up :)

You haven't missed much. I've mostly been busy with work and spending as much time with the boyfriend and my friends as possible.

Double-date night with our dear friends C & G

Easter at M's mom's house

Tea with Shannon and Shaina at Lady Mendl in the City


I've never been one to take a lot of pictures, but I've decided it's something I need to do more!

Books

Can anyone recommend a few good books? I haven't read anything (for fun) in a really long time, so I'm way behind. What are some of your favorites?

I heart ... kicking clutter!

IHeart Organizing is having a giveway! If you love organizing as much as I do, hop on over and enter to win a copy of Organizing Junkie's book, Clutter Rehab. It's filled with 101 tips and tricks on getting your life (and your home) organized!

Bucket List

From time to time, I hear people talk about, or I randomly think of, things I want to do/see/experience before I die. You'll often hear me say "add that to the list!" but in reality, I've never actually made such a list - at least not an extensive one. I've written things down here and there, but never in one place. Fear not, because I've decided to start one now! I can't possibly remember all of the little things I've wanted to add to that list, but this will certainly be a start. Some of these things are more "normal", like wanting to get married, have children and buy a house, while others are little more extravagant, but I'm at least trying to keep it realistic!

Before I die, I want to...
get married
have children
buy a house
complete an extensive family tree
go on a cruise
try a homicide case
go to the Summer Olympics
go to the top of the Statute of Liberty
run another marathon (without getting hurt!)
watch every movie that has won Best Picture at the Oscars

I want to visit...
all 50 states
the United States Supreme Court
Paris
London
Italy
Greece

I want to learn...
to snowboard
a foreign language (enough to converse)
to skydive
all of the history that I never really learned in school
to sew



It's not complete, but it's definitely a start! Do you have a bucket list? What do you want to do before you die?

It's been a while ...

It sure has been a while since I've posted! I feel like I've been super busy, running here and there, working hard and spending my free time with friends, but it's all kind of a blur and I can't really articulate what I've been doing!

Work has been insane. There have been a lot of not-so-good happenings in the County relating to the crime lab at the local police department which is, of course, affecting a large portion of the cases that I'm currently handling. It's certainly making for long hours and interrupted sleep!

I've been spending a lot of time at the gym, too. Early in the morning, or late at night, thanks to it being open 24 hours a day! I'm determined to be in tip-top shape by the time my 10 year high school reunion rolls around in June.

Random, but have I mentioned how much I love sushi? Tonight is date night - and sushi it is!!

New gym, new me?

I finally broke down and joined the gym that I've secretly been wanting to join for, like, a year. I've always avoided it because I thought it was just too expensive, but I found out that as a county employee/member of law enforcement I'm entitled to a discount. That was exactly the motivation I needed to suck it up and take the plunge. I am *so* glad I did! This place is incredible. 160+ cardio machines. Hundreds of weights and weight machines. Pool. Hot tub. Sauna. Steam Room. Basketball court. Salon. Tanning. NICE locker rooms (locker rooms creep me out, but these are really, really well-kept). Personal training. Snack/juice bar. A shop for workout gear/supplements/etc. Seriously, this place has it all. I joined Saturday morning and I've already been three times - twice on Saturday! Hopefully this will jump start my goal of getting back in shape and getting ready for summer.

In other news, it's snowing. Again.

Hello Spring ... kind of

The sun is finally shining, the snow is finally melting, and temperatures are slowly starting to creep above the thirty-degree mark. Spring cannot get here fast enough. We got teased yesterday with near 60-degree temps and beautiful, clear skies ... but it was back to barely thirty and windy today. They're calling for warmer temps this weekend, so keep your fingers crossed!

It's been a really busy couple of weeks here. Last week was plagued by tragedy and concern, but I'm hoping for a better week this week, and it's already looking better so far. Late Friday, February 4th, a local police officer that I've worked with in the past was killed in a horrific crash in the line of duty. Because my job requires me to work so closely with police and because I have several close friends in the department the tragedy hit all too close to home. I've never seen anything like what I saw last week, from being present in court (because where the guy that hit him appeared is where I work) to attending the wake ... seeing so many uniformed, mourning police officers is unreal and completely indescribable. Take a look, and please keep the Officer's wife, three young children, friends and fellow police officers in your thoughts and prayers as they begin to deal witht he aftermath of such an unnecessary tragedy.

A couple of nights later I got an e-mail explaining that doctors have found a mass, either a cyst or a tumor, in my cousin's brain. She went to Dallas today for further testing and I'm anxiously awaiting an update. Please also keep her in your thoughts and prayers.

In happier news, my kitchen reorganization project is well underway! I'm at a bit of a standstill because of budget issues, but I've certainly made progress. I'll post pictures once I have a chance to finish the project. It's much more exciting all at once than piecemeal.

I haven't been getting much exercise lately because I've found that my knee is bothering me even when I'm not being active. I'm doing a lot of stretches and other exercises in an attempt to resolve the issue, but I don't feel like I'm getting anywhere. I guess this means it's time for me to go back to the doctor to make sure it's safe to run/exercise again. I'm getting pretty restless around here!

Apartment Organization: Step 1 - Kitchen!

I mentioned a few posts back that part of the stress in my life comes from feeling unorganized and overwhelmed, and a quick look around my apartment confirms that I am, in fact, very unorganized. It's a shame, too, because until I moved into this apartment I always considered myself, well... organized.

I've done a lot of dreaming about what I want this place to look like, but for the longest time I've felt like I just didn't know where to start. Then, about a week ago I discovered iHeart Organizing. Take a peek. Seriously. It will amaze you. I've never seen someone's home so well put together. Every room, too! Obviously I don't have the space (or resources) to make my small one-bedroom apartment look like that, but it's a great place to get some wonderful, easy ideas to organize and declutter your space. I've scrolled through months of posts, looking at before and after photos, clicking on links to products and other blogs, and just gathering ideas for my great re-organization. Seeing such beautifully designed and organized spaces gave me just the motivation to finally start what seems like will be a never-ending project.

But I did. I started! I chose to begin with my kitchen, and more specifically, the storage space in my kitchen. Thankfully this area of my tiny little place offers a lot of storage because I've accumulated a lot of, well, crap over the years. I'm actually grateful for the opportunity I've now given myself to go through some of this stuff and weed out the things I haven't used since mylast apartment, and hopefully update a few of the things I use more often.
I decided to start with the drawer that I affectionately call the "junk drawer" so that I could gauge how long this project would take. Boy, was I surprised! So surprised, in fact, that I only made it through ONE drawer tonight - and it's small - but hey, it's a start!

This is what I started with:

It's a huge mess, I know! So I took everything out ...

Wiped it down with one of these ...

And lined it with a little of this.

Let me tell you ... that part was not easy! Sure, the measuring and cutting part were pretty simple. But actually placing the liner in the drawer was not. Trust me, it isn't perfect ... but that's why I chose to start with this drawer in the first place! I'm a little annoyed that there are a couple of small bubbles in the paper, but you'll see in a few minutes that it really doesn't matter anyway. (p.s., in case you're wondering, the liner is removable, so if/when I ever save enough money to buy my own house and move out, my landlord will be happy that I didn't leave a permanent gift in her kitchen drawers!)

This is what it looked like when I finished the lining ...

When I emptied out the drawer I tossed everything into this bucket and took out all of the organizers that I had in the drawer to begin with (and that clearly were not serving a purpose!).

I put them all back in, snapped them together, and viola!

Going through the bucket took the longest, and in the end I tossed about 60% of the junk that had previously lived in my "junk drawer".

This is what I was left with ...

It sounds a little silly, but I'm so impressed with myself! Sadly, this little project (ahem, portion of a project) took at least 45 minutes, but now that I've figured out my plan I think it will all go more smoothly for the rest of my drawers.

Stay tuned ... there's a lot more to come!

Please help me reach my goal!

Addiction

I. Can't. Stop. Drinking. Dr. Pepper.

Seriously, look up the definition of "addict" in the dictionary and you'll see me holding a bottle (or can, or glass, whatever!) of Dr. Pepper. It's getting out of control and I can't stop. The worst part is that I know how bad it is for me, yet at least 50% of my daily caloric intake has been in the form of Dr. Pepper lately.

Any suggestions? I tried to quit cold turkey, but I just couldn't handle it. Other sodas don't cut it for me, and I despise Diet Dr. Pepper. I still drink several glasses of water a day, but nothing tastes so good as a cold DP. Help!

Brrrrrr

It's just a little chilly this morning!

Million-Dollar Idea

I had a "million-dollar idea" this afternoon, so you can imagine my disappointment when I found that someone else beat me to the punch. Shortly after my astounding revelation about my eating habits (see post below), I started trying to inventory my pantry and refrigerator to see what I have, what I need, and what I can possibly make for lunch and dinner. Then it hit me. What if there was a website or program where you could enter all of the contents of your kitchen by ingredient and then with the click of a button you receive a list of all of the possible options for a meal? Genius! Then I started googling. And then I found it (more than one, in fact). I found supercook.com, MY brilliant idea put into action by someone else.

All kidding aside, it's a pretty cool little website. You literally enter everything you have in your kitchen and the box on the right fills with possible recipes. I haven't yet tried any of the recipes, and I'm sure many are less than stellar, but it's a start. There's also a box labeled "Do you have?" with suggestions of ingredients you may have forgotten about, and every time you add one of those suggested items more and more recipes appear. I'm looking forward to trying a few this week!!

Are you kidding me?!

Over the last several years, mostly because I've lived alone for a while, I've developed a really bad habit of rarely eating meals at home. I decided last night that I'd take a look at my last few bank statements and see just how much I'm spending to eat four or five lunches and three or four dinners out, whether fast food or otherwise ... and the result was ASTONISHING. Are you kidding me?! Almost embarrassing! I'll spare you the ridiculous number, but let me tell you - when I multiplied the weekly result by 52 I realized that I would be much closer to clearing some of my credit card debt if I'd take a few minutes each morning to make my lunch and cook myself a home-cooked dinner each (or most) night. The sad part about it all is that what I just said is so obvious.

So add this to the list - one of my new goals for this year is to eat out less and eat at home, or home-made lunches, more. I'm sure it won't be easy, and I know it won't happen for every meal (there are a few places that I just love to go to for lunch), but I have to start somewhere, and even a small change will be better!

One of the worst parts about it is realizing what it is that I've actually been eating. Trust me. It's not healthy. So, if somehow this plan doesn't manage to save me money in the long run, although I'm sure it will, it will definitely get me eating healthier. Definitely.

I happen to really enjoy cooking, but I feel like I really just don't have the time for it. The bigger problem, I guess, is that I currently have so little structure in my life that it just feels like I don't have the time, but really ... I do. While we're at it, let's add that to the list, too. I need to structure my days. I need a plan for each day (with room for changes, of course). Adding a little structure to my life would probably help put into motion many of the other goals I have for myself this year.

What an enlightening day I've had so far :)

[in]sufficiently healed

"Now that I'm sufficiently healed it's time to lace up my running shoes and get back in shape."

I was wrong. Shortly after my post on Monday I decided that there's no better time than the present to get started on those 2011 goals than now. Why put off to tomorrow what you can do today, right?

Well, no. Not always. I layered on running clothes, charged my Garmin 405, made a fun new playlist on itunes, laced up my running shoes and headed out the door for my first run of 2011. And for the two miles or so I felt GREAT. I literally couldn't stop smiling (except, of course, when I was avoiding large puddles of ice and mounts of snow). It was cold, but not unbearable. My lungs felt great. Mentally I was totally in it.

Then it hit me. A little more than two miles from home I experienced a pain in my left knee that I've become all too familiar with. Seriously, why me?! Needless to say, it was a long 2+ miles back to my house. I ran, but incredibly slowly. I can't even tell you how disappointed I am. I've run only a handful of times since the race in October and I felt certain that I could get through a few miles pain-free three months later. It's really, really frustrating.

When I went for the MRI in November the Orthopedist offered a script for physical therapy but I declined because of my ridiculous work schedule. I'm seriously reconsidering. I think I'd rather give up a few hours of work each week to be able to get back into the shape that I want to be in so badly. According to the doctor, the muscles and ligaments around my knee, particularly the IT band, are the source of the problem and led to the tear in my meniscus. The stretches and exercises I do at home clearly aren't enough, so I think I'm going to have to take it a step further and take him up on that PT script.

In the meantime, it's back to the eliptical.

New year, new.. blog?

This is at least my third attempt at blogging over the last few years. Clearly it hasn't worked out in the past, so here's to hoping I can stick with it!

I've welcomed the new year with open arms and am so excited to see what's in store for 2011. I'm happy, healthy, and finally feeling like I'm finding my place in such a big, grown-up world!

I'm so glad to have had the day off today. Happy Martin Luther King, Jr. Day! I'll be honest - I actually haven't worked much in the last week or so because of a nasty stomach bug, but it's so hard to enjoy a "sick day" when you're really sick! I finally felt well enough today to venture out for a mani/pedi and a little MLK Day sale shopping.

Keeping with the title of this post, here are a few of my goals for the new year ...

1. Get organized - and stay that way! I'm usually pretty good at keeping my apartment clean, but lately I've been feeling very disorganized. I think I've been watching a few too many episodes of the Style Channel's Clean House. I also have my eye on some new furniture, but before I make the purchase I want to get rid of a lot of things and organize the stuff I'm keeping. It's a lofty goal, but I'm making progress!

2. Work less, socialize more. I was quite the social butterfly in law school, but once I graduated, passed the bar exam and began working as an attorney I found that my social calendar quickly took a backseat to working long hours for very little pay. Now that I have a couple of years under my belt at my current office I finally feel like I can spend a little less time at work and more time doing things I enjoy. I'm not going to lie - this sounds a lot easier than it will actually be for me, but it's worth a shot.

3. Get back in shape and start running again. I tore the meniscus in my left knee (for the second time) while running the Diva's Half Marathon here on Long Island in October and have gotten very little exercise since. I was really disappointed in myself, my performance and for getting injured again, so I pretty much gave up running and basically all other forms of exercise in protest. Now that I'm sufficiently healed it's time to lace up my running shoes and get back in shape. It's a new year and a fresh start, and I'm looking forward to getting back into the sport. Now if I could just get the temperatures to rise and all of this snow to melt ...

4. Take control of my finances. I could go on and on about this, but I'll spare you the details. Just know that $160,000 in law school debt certainly takes its toll on a third-year county-employed attorney living in one of the highest cost-of-living areas in the country. It's time to take control ... so if you have any suggestions on debt management and money saving, please feel free to comment :)

5. Visit HOME more! It's so hard being so far from my family and dearest friends, but if I do nothing else on this list this year, I want to visit "home" more often.

So that's it. Well, maybe not IT, but those are the top goals on my 2011 "To Do" list.

Here's to 2011!