Introducing - Heartfelt - the new Scentsy Charitable Cause Warmer for Spring/Summer 2012.  $5 from the sale of each warmer is donated to The American Heart Association via Scentsy Corporate.  In addition I will be donating another $5 for each one I sell to a local chapter of The American Heart Association.  

These warmers will be available March 1st on my website at http://pladesigns.scentsy.us or contact me if you'd like to pre-order yours!

Betrayal Hurts...

Even when it comes from people who are not especially important to you.

A girl I have worked with for the past 2 years who I considered at least a friend/acquaintance  got herself into some trouble with the boss and ended up quitting to be dramatic but the boss wouldn't let her back out of it so she is truly done.  In her final scenes at the restaurant she threw everyone she ever worked with under the bus in a pathetic attempt to prove the place could not survive without her.

After 2 years of being nice to my face it's interesting to hear what she had been saying behind my back and how she hates me most of all.  Nice.

She's only 21 and has a ton of growing up to do, and I really don't care what she thinks of me (I could be her mother) but still a little disconcerting to find out how two faced she really is.

Ah well at least my workplace is now drama free and I have more hours each week to pad my paychecks.

Basking in the Glow

The cruise was fantastic - best vacation I have EVER had.  It had just the perfect mix of fun, new friends, sun, sand, new experiences, relaxation and peace.

Pete and I enjoyed ourselves very much and made some new friends we will stay in touch with and may cruise with again!

We saw fantastic comedy shows by Second City and comedian Bud Anderson and the comedy hypnotist Brenda Kaye.  I laughed more in the 7 days on the ship than in the year leading up to it I think.

I participated in a group hypnosis session on the last day that was the single most relaxing thing I've ever experienced.  I bought the CD because it felt so amazing and the subject is Weight Management and immediately I started finding it much easier to make healthy and good choices, can't beat that.

Back home I'm finding myself with renewed energy and renewed resolve to make it happen for me.  And happily I did not come home with a single extra pound from the cruise (just the ones I took on with me to start with) despite everyone's warning that a cruise add's 10 pounds.

I'll leave you with some photos from our experience that make me smile and hopefully you will too:

Reality Check...

It's time for me to get serious about something, my health, my business, my life?  Well the business is growing slowly but surely, my life seems to be a lost cause most days, but my health I can do something about.  I have been in limbo here for years.  Hanging out at the same (over) weight for years.  Doctor says "glad you're not gaining BUT..." and I take a bunch of maintenance meds that I'd rather not have to take.

Recently my parents decided enough is enough and went on a diet and exercise life change routine.  They both look great!  Having lost 50-60lbs each they are both in the normal weight  range for their age and height and have both stopped taking many meds.  My mom's diabetes is well controlled for the first time in years and my dad is only taking allergy pills these days all the others have stopped.

Alternately a very dear friend who is 3 years younger than me is giving up on doing this the healthy right way and is having gastric bypass surgery tomorrow.  I can't say I haven't considered this option BUT I know that my problem is NOT a slow metabolism it is LAZINESS and bad eating habits.  Would having surgery help me lose weight?  Probably yes, BUT could I do it without?  YES I CAN. The thing that worries me about my friend is she has been prone to binge eating and I worry that something will set her off and if she binges with her new tiny pouch she could do some serious damage.  But I am hopeful that her psychiatric treatment has addressed that issue before clearing her for this surgery?

Anyway - if my 61 and 64 year old parents can lose 50+ pounds in 6 months I am guessing that I could do the same if only I put my mind to it.

So working on making better choices.  Getting in 30 minutes of exercise daily (to start) and will see where that goes.  I'm tired of maintaining the status quo - tired of taking pills for blood pressure and acid reflux, tired of the threat of diabetes lingering right in front of me.

So excuse me - just ate my Healthy Choice lunch and about to step on the Gazelle and watch some Ally McBeal on my ROKU while moving my posterior.  It's beyond time.   

Two weeks until my first real vacation in FOREVER...

I will be traveling by bus from Albany to here:

Then I will be boarding this:

By Monday afternoon we will be rounding South Carolina and hitting warmer weather and warmer water and I can break out my summer clothes again.  Then on Tuesday I will be spending the afternoon/evening here:

Then we sail again and on Wednesday we will be here:

And on Thursday we will spend the day here:

Where we will be swimming with these lovelies: 

And Friday which will be our 11th anniversary we will be spending the day at sea and I plan to spend some quality time here: 

All in all I am so excited I can hardly stand it!  I'm going on a cruise!  Woohoo! 

My latest endeavour...

I signed up to be an Independent Consultant for Scentsy - they make these great scented wax warmers that melt the wax based on the heat of a light bulb, the was is specially made to have a low melt temperature so it is safe to have in the home, you could pour the liquid was on your skin and it would not burn you.  The warmers are gorgeous - the one below is called Jane and is one of may very favorite warmers.  The melted wax creates a layer of fragrance that can cover a very large room without being overwhelming and with over 80 fragrances to choose from we have something for everyone.  

The opportunity is good, no crazy promises of BMW's or Mercede's free to you BUT if you work hard there is a decent profit in it for you.  The initial start up cost is under $100 plus tax and shipping, it cost $117 for me to get started and so far I'm having fun and loving my Scentsy.  

Anyone interested in buying, hosting or joining let me know here pladesigns.scentsy.us and you don't have to live near me to have a basket party.  I will ship you a bag of mini testers with all 80+ scents and catalogs and order forms that you can share with your friends.  

I hope you love this stuff as much as I do. 

Wasting my education...

I know many people think I'm wasting my education and my talents by working part time as a waitress.  I know my husband really thinks I should be making use of my master's degree and making a boatload of money.  And yet I am happy not having a "career" right now.  I'm able to make some money, visit with people while they are out having a good time, and available to take him to appointments and go camping and take a 7 day cruise.  I'm able to stay up late and sleep in.  To mow the lawn on Monday morning (after sleeping in of course) rather than getting up at the crack of dawn and driving an hour or more to a stress filled day.

Granted I need to do more with my life - I'm working on getting my home based marketing consulting business going.  And yet ambitious I am not, not at all.

It's weird, so not where I envisioned myself when I was working hard to earn that MBA and now that it is just a very expensive piece of paper framed on my wall, I still know that it was a great thing for me at the time and that I have no desire to take on the kind of long hours, high stress job that come with the title of MBA.

I'm perfectly fine being called "waitress" and I don't mind hearing "miss, could I have more coffee?"  With it comes more serenity than I ever imagined possible.

Fall has arrived...

And I am NOT happy about it.  It's cold out there and I want more summer.  :(  August was a weird month, only hot the first weekend, wet and rainy, temps in the 70's, not at all like August.  I never got into my swimming pool ONCE in August and I'm so bummed.  Now it is downright freezing - frost warning overnight and temps around 40 when I woke up.  I have to close my pool and that depresses me to no end.  :(

The upside to fall is I probably only have to mow a few more times as the cold nights stop the grass from growing and once we have a real frost it will be done for good. 

Time to get into fall mode I guess, sweaters, jeans, boots, apple picking, leaves changing, bonfires, I guess I can do this. 

My baby is growing up!

This is Max - 2 weeks ago when he had just come home from being neutered at 6 months old. My tiny little boy is now 60lbs and no longer a "real boy"!  LOL  

Realized it's been awhile since I've posted, been very negligent of this blog.  Time to change that - so many things to do now that fall is here. 

So I blacked out the other day..

Was in a doctor's office when it happened, not my doctor. My MIL's doctor. Not sure why or what happened but was standing near my MIL as he was asking her questions and checking her when I started to feel funny, then dizzy and then I decided I had to sit down and the floor was my only option so I sat.

At this point the doctor notices and asks if I'm okay I say I feel dizzy and just need to sit. Then I'm feeling queasy and both hot and cold and the black starts to creep in from the edges. I am seeing in a small tunnel in front of me and sounds are muffled and then black until something horrible is shoved under my nose (ammonia) and I start to come back out of it.

No idea why this happened. My MIL said I was white as a sheet. Her doctor had me lay back and put a cold wet cloth on my head. Within 5 minutes I was fine.

The thing I find odd is I passed out in a doctor's office and they didn't do a damn thing about finding out why? Didn't take my blood pressure or listen to my heart. Asked if I had eaten (I had) and didn't take a blood sugar to see what caused it. Now granted I was not his patient and not there to see him but don't you think he should have done more? I would have gladly turned over my insurance card if he wanted to bill it.

At the time I didn't think about it much but my sister was incensed that they did nothing to figure out why I just keeled over like that.

Anyway I see my own doctor in a week and a half for a regular appt. Will be getting bloodwork done next week first. Will be sure to mention it to her and nothing has happened like that since.

Right before it happened my MIL had been showing her doctor a sore on her leg that was about the size of a quarter and all black and blue. I am not at all uneasy about stuff like that. I had seen the same sore earlier that day when she changed the bandage. I have seen MUCH worse things. Blood does not gross me out. I think her doctor did not believe me and figured I just passed out at the sight of blood. It definitely was NOT that.

Oh well - no problems since and felt fine to drive my MIL back home after the appt. Very strange feeling though.