Tuesday, February 27, 2007

lip gloss

My nearly three-year-old niece is obsessed with my ‘lip plumper’ lip gloss. It tingles on your lips when you apply it. Any time we go to my sister & brother-in-law’s house, Sareny runs to me as soon as I come in the house and says, “I want some lip gloss.”

The other day, John and I were planning to go to their house for dinner. Sareny asked her mom, “Is Holli coming over? And her lip gloss?!” I think she probably meant to say, “Is Holli’s lip gloss coming over?”

Thursday, February 22, 2007

a happy happy birthday to you from me

I skipped out on my writing class last night to go to a Phoenix Suns game with John. It was totally worth it. Partly because I'm getting bored with my writing class (which probably means an MFA in creative writing isn't in my near future). And partly because basketball is my favorite sport of all time--both for playing and watching--and John has easily sold me on the brilliance of the Phoenix Suns as a team. But mostly because it was so nice to spend some time with my husband.

Especially since yesterday was his birthday eve. Which means that today is...Johnny's birthday!!! Yay. Happy birthday, sweetie. May this year be your best one yet. (You get to look forward to being born in the summer of your twenty-seventh year.)

I'm excited about the presents I bought/made him. I'll soon post pictures of what I made (plus a couple of pictures from Valentine's day). The homemade item I'm proud of because I used my sewing machine by myself, made something without a pattern, and though it has its flaws, it's not bad for a first try. Anyway, can't wait to celebrate tonight.

Happy, happy birthday Johnny dear.
Happy things will come to you all year.
If I had one wish then it would be
A happy, happy birthday to you, from me.

love,
Holli Jo

Tuesday, February 20, 2007

freeing myself from clutter

My house is a lot cleaner since I posted last. I'm following advice from Zen Habits, and I'm working to develop some simple habits. Here are the current two habits I'm working on:

1. I make our bed every morning. Something about the bed being made changes my whole outlook.

2. I put my clothing away every night. No more piles of clothing by the side of the bed.

I'm working on other stuff too, but these are two habits I am building this month. I will tell you that it has made a difference. I'm more willing to clean up other areas of the house. I'm more empowered to accomplish projects that I have been putting off for two years. TWO YEARS. That is how long we've been married and living in this condo, and that is how long I have waited to print out my wedding pictures. (It's more complicated than just printing the pictures; I also have to find out why some of the pictures have bad resolution and contact my photographer who is also a good friend and have her fix them, and THEN print them. So I'm not just lazy.) But the point is, I feel empowered to actually do all those things I've had on my list.

setting goals for my health

I wish I could find a doctor I had any faith in. I've been experiencing some vertigo/dizziness problems. I went to the doctor today because I am sick of this feeling.

She checked my ears for an inner ear problem and checked my eyes to see if it was a nervous system problem. I guess it wasn't that, because her only advice was: "Rest your eyes every 15-20 minutes."

Thanks. That's $10 advice I could have dispensed to myself. My only other option is to go with the advice of my chiropractor, and drink a special detox beverage. She thinks my hormones are out of whack, and a good detox would clear things right up.

What do I think? I think I need to treat myself to a strict regimen of exercise 5x a week (no excuses!), and seek out a new counselor. The exercise because of all its healing properties, and the counselor because I need a sounding board and because I want to learn to think in new ways. Healthy ways.

I really think exercise is the key to many, many problems in life. Exercise is better than many (if not most) prescription drugs at curing ills. Why I'm not strict about doing it, I haven't figured out. But that's going to change. I'm going to treat exercise like a prescription. It takes longer than swallowing a pill, but I know for me it's just as necessary.

So, along with my house-cleaning habits, I'm going to add exercise in.

Thursday, February 15, 2007

zen attitude

I found a website called Zen Habits that I hope will help me get organized. I really like the site so far.

I've just been frustrated (once again) by the fact that my house doesn't stay clean longer than five minutes. I don't have a system set up, and I also have bad habits such as putting my clothes in a pile by the side of my bed at night instead of hanging them up or putting them in the laundry hamper.

I'm tired of it. The clutter gets to me and I feel unsettled. And I feel like I can't start a new project or do anything fun until I get the house in order. But my house is never fully in order, so I never really get any projects done.

Wednesday, February 14, 2007

happy arizona day

And happy Valentine's day, too. I found this cartoon, and it made me think of my husband. He loves his diet soda. And I love him, so it all works out.

My writing class is tonight, so the Valentine's celebration will not begin until about 8pm tonight when I get home. I am bringing home delicious mediterranean food from one of our favorite restaurants -- Phoenicia Cafe.

And then while we're eating, we might as well watch LOST, even though TV watching is so anti romantic and all that. But...it's LOST!

Anyway, today I am thankful I married John. He is so good to me. We are soul mates if ever there were any. He is my life and my love, and I have truly been blessed to have him.

Happy Valentine's day, sweetie. I love you so hard!

Tuesday, February 13, 2007

be my valentine

I had a brilliant idea for Valentine's day. I wanted to make something for John, and I came up with a great idea. I've been feeling crafty lately, so I decided I wanted to make him something homemade. I've also been working on a homemade painted card, and I'll post a picture of it soon. It's my first attempt at painting anything at all, so...let's just say it's a little primitive. But I'm proud of it.

So last night found me in Joann fabric, searching for the right fabric for the project and at the same time collecting things I would need -- bobbins, pins, thread, etc. (I have no supplies for sewing at all.) This was all fine until I saw an ex-boyfriend. He's the one that I am embarrassed to have dated. It just feels so awkward to see him. Not to mention that the last time we saw each other (at least a year ago ago), we both pretended we didn't know each other.

This time, we were about two feet apart when we saw each other. By then, there was no way to pretend. We said hi, he's getting married, blah blah blah. I felt so very awkward. Then he starts asking about my project, saying, "Come with me. Let me show you a few things."

I did NOT want my ex-boyfriend to help me with my husband's valentine present, nor did I want him giving me tips about fabric or sewing. Thank goodness my husband called right that moment. He was having a sort of emergency. So I said, "Good to see you. Congrats. I've gotta go." And I left the store.

I tried two other stores for something cool or unusual. But nothing spoke to me at all. So you know where I ended up? The grocery store. I bought my valentine present at a grocery store. It's not homemade. But there's always next year, right?!! At least he gets a homemade card...

Friday, February 09, 2007

today is a gift

I'm exhausted. I'm mentally, emotionally, and physically spent and there's pretty much nothing left. There are many explanations and reasons for why I am at this juncture, but what matters is this: it's time to take care of me.

And on a happy note, it seems that I have lost 3 pounds. I had given up on trying, which may be the secret here. I've tried for overall healthy, and tried to be active, but I stopped counting every single calorie that I ate. And that's when I finally lose weight...Interesting.