One is the loneliest number

I am going to take a few seconds here to whine, and then I will be done.

I miss my husband (I know, kind of a surprise!).  Between traveling for work, weekend activities and now being gone on a fishing vacation with some friends, I have not exactly gotten a chance to spend any quality time with him in the last few weeks.  The doggers have been good company (though they are not so great at being sleeping buddies right now), but I miss Kyle and I am ready for him to be home for a while.

Ok, I am done with the pity party now.

In other news, I finally went and redeemed my Groupon I purchased a while ago for a two month membership to the local YMCA.  I basically got two months for the price of one, and since I have been feeling better, I definitely have been wanting to get into some sort of a workout routine.  On Tuesday I finally went to the Y close to our house (it is literally two minutes away), and signed up.  I am  pretty excited.  There are not as many machines as there are at like a 24 hour fitness, but so far I have not had an issue with finding a machine, even at 6:30 at night.  And the best part is that each machine has it's own individual TV you can control!!  That means no Sports Center or CNN for this girl.  I'm watching Friends or Seinfeld or Two and a Half Men reruns.

Also, I did my first workout class tonight (I haven't done a class in over a year).  I decided to take a crack at the Zumba class.  I used to participate in Zumba classes at 24 Hour when I was a member there, but I never felt as comfortable there.  The class tonight was awesome!  The other ladies there were all real ladies who were there just to get a good workout and have fun.  And I really enjoyed the instructor.  She definitely kicked my butt.  To top it off, towards the end of the class for one of our "hip-shaking" routines, she even busted out the jingly hip scarves for us to wear.  I felt like a nerd, but I enjoyed every minute!  I will definitely take the class again.  I am trying to convince myself to get up early enough on Saturday for the 8am water aerobics class.  I have a feeling that is something I would enjoy as well.

I am looking forward to the weekend and hopefully some continued relief from the heat!

It's a hot one!

I'm certain this isn't news to anyone.  From what I can tell the entire country is in a heat wave!  Of course, today we got some "relief"....92 instead of 102.  The dogs think it is still too hot....

Daisy is being so lazy she won't even sit up to drink out of her water bowl (you would think they were going to die!)

I don't disagree with the dogs though, it is way too hot out there.  I am hoping for some relief in the near future.  The dogs, us (and the grass) would love some relief, and a little moisture.

I just hope everyone else has a good a/c!

Blogging Fail

So you can probably guess that I have failed at my blogging resolution.  I guess that's how it goes!  Here's a quick recap to try and get back into the swing of things:

• I had my second of two surgeries back on May 12th.  It was tough to go through another surgery, though I think my nerves were a little less this time.  I was so excited to get rid of the ostomy bag I had been toting around for 3 months and to get back to a normal life.  The surgery was pretty easy, though I was in the hospital for longer than I would have liked (and had to have a roommate for the last 3 days).  In the end, I recovered pretty quickly and surprisingly was ready to go back to work before work would let me come back (stupid drug tests!).
  
  
  
• Speaking of my surgery, it has now been over a year since this whole ordeal started.  I can't believe it, honestly.  I don't know if it is more stunning that it has already been a year or to think about all of the things that I (and Kyle) have been through in the last year.  I won't say it has been easy, because it hasn't (this isn't what they tell you marriage will be like when you go through all of those classes), but I will tell you that it is absolutely AWESOME to be feeling like myself again.  Really.  I think I truly feel like myself for the first time since this whole thing started.  That in itself is pretty great.
  
  
  
• I have been able to do certain activities that I have not been able to do in a year.  I have played tennis with a friend.  I wore a bathing suit.  I went to the pool.  I have been to the lake.  I have eaten nuts, sushi, and other food I couldn't imagine living without.  I have had fun.  I haven't had to locate the nearest bathroom everywhere I go.  I have been able to actually do my job.  I have gotten a promotion.  I have finally been able to live again.  Fabulous.
  
  
  
• Right before my second surgery, my manager took a position at a different company, which left an opening in our group.  I took a chance and applied for his job.  Honestly did not think I would get it.  I am so grateful that they decided to give me the chance.  I have been working really hard to prove to them that they made the right decision, though I will say I still feel like I am still getting some of the rust off of my previous managerial skills.  I think it will get better with time though.  Of course, there has been that 4-letter word we have been dealing with....XBRL.  Look it up.
  
  
  
• Entourage!  Sunday 10:30 EST.  Final Season.  Can't wait!
  
  Extended Trailer
  
  
• If you didn't think it could snow in July, you would be wrong.  I can bring our white Labrador Duke over to your house and prove it snows in July.  He shakes, white stuff all over the floor! :)
  
  
• Two of my favorite people in the entire world are now engaged!  One got engaged in New Years, the other in May.  I am so excited for both of them to be getting married (and those boys are definitely lucky).
  
  
• I turned 27 a little less than a month ago.  I don't really have a feeling one way or the other about it, but I do dislike being one year closer to 30.  I think 30 will be tough.  I'd really rather not talk about it.
  
  
• Over the 4th of July, Kyle and I did a little extended weekend honeymoon redo.  Needless to say, I did not have the best time on our honeymoon in Mexico.  Kyle surprised me with a trip to Table Rock lake with a two-night stay at the Chateau on the Lake resort.  It was fabulous.  Some of the highlights include a fabulous sunset dinner overlooking the lake with a steak the size of my head, sleeping in (in a fabulous extra big king size bed), fun at the water park, and just relaxing fun with my wonderful husband.  Great way to celebrate surviving our first year of marriage.
  
  

That's a good quick recap of the last few months for us.  Let's hope that things keep going the way that they are, because they are definitely looking up!

Things I'm Loving Lately

So there are a few things lately that have really caught my attention.  In no particular order:

NBC's new show The Voice!  After just two episodes I am officially hooked.  I love, LOVE this show.  I was never the person to get too into shows like American Idol, but I have really gotten hooked watching this show.  One of the things that I have really enjoyed so far is that the contestants don't get judged based on their looks, but just truly on their voices.  It has been fun to watch the variety of talent that you just wouldn't get to see on a show like American Idol where you have to be a certain age, height, weight, etc just to even get on the show.

Speaking of The Voice, a few of the contestants on the last two episodes auditioned singing songs by Adele.  Two of the contestants sang the particular song above.  I remember when I was in the hospital the first time, I heard her sing this song off of her new album on the Today show and I was hooked.  I know her album has been out since November, and I'm seriously considering going out and buying my first CD in a long time.  Her voice is haunting, enchanting and just plain awesome.  It also doesn't hurt that she has a look that is not typical of the "artists" you see in pop music today.  I am definitely a fan.

The new ride

Inside of the new ride

My new car :).  The pics above are actually my our new car.  Not that that Focus wasn't good to me, but it sure has been fun driving around in this bad boy.  It is such a smooth ride and I really enjoy the hands free blue-tooth feature.  The leather seats clean up so easily and there is even a Bridget-cam to prevent any run-ins with mailboxes!

The book Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  A close friend's mom sent me this book as a part of a get-well package back in January after my surgery.  It's probably not a book that I would have picked out on my own, but I am so glad that she sent it to me.  The book really captured me and was an easy read to get through.  I really enjoyed the plot and getting lost in the lives the characters were leading, back in the depression and present day.  It's a book I would definitely recommend to anyone to read.

These are just a few of the things that have caught my attention lately.  I'll try to get in another update before I'm out for a while after my surgery next Thursday!

Vroom Vroom...

Well, in my last post I mentioned that Kyle and I were planning to go test drive some cars this last weekend.  JUST test driving was our intention.  So much for intentions.  After a long day of test driving cars and talking to dealers, we decided to buy ourselves a new car.

This isn't our exact car, but looks a lot like it.

We ended up buying a 2008 RX350.  I feel a little odd about the whole thing, but I must say I LOVE the car.  Love it!  Not that I wouldn't have been happy in a Highlander, I really like those as well, but we got everything I/we wanted in this car, it's loaded with more options than the 2011 Highlander and was just about the same price.  As crappy as the last 10 months have been for us, this is a nice pick-me up (in addition to me needing a new car that we could rely on).

Now it's time to start saving for the next big purchase...a new house hopefully within the next two years!

Highlanders, Muranos, Edges, Oh My!

After ten years of dedicated car ownership of my 2001 Ford Focus, Kyle and I have decided it's time to start looking at a new car for me.  Not that I won't miss the Foc_s (I spell it this way because some time ago the 'U' fell off the back of my car, so I drive a Focs).  I've had my car since I was a junior in high school.  It will definitely be weird driving in something else.  However, her age is starting to show, running "hard" as I describe it, even when the weather is okay.

After having driven the same car for so long, I definitely have a list of things that I am looking for in my next car.  I want a leather interior (cloth is harder to keep clean); I want bluetooth capability for my phone; and I want an SUV.  Especially during inclement weather, I hate being low man on the road in my car, and I know I would feel safer driving in something that sits a little higher up.

Other than those few requirements, I have no clue what I want.  I've think I might like a Nissan Murano, Ford Edge or Toyota Highlander.  I also feel like there are so many other dependable SUV's out there that I am not even aware of, but I guess that's how this whole car search thing goes.  Kyle and I are headed out this weekend to test drive a wide range of vehicles so hopefully after this weekend, I will have a better idea of what I want (though I'm not looking forward to having a car payment).

Other than that, not much has been going on in our house lately.  Kyle is finally coming out of busy season and I am nearing the end of our quarterly busy time (though really work hasn't been all that busy).  I'm in the 4 week countdown to surgery number two.  I'm grateful to be feeling so much better, but I am ready for the next step!

Happy Friday!

Blogging Resolution

I feel a little guilty about having become a bit of a blogging slacker after I made the public resolution I would do better!  I could say that I have good reasons for not having stuck with it, but if I were honest with myself, it's really not that hard to find 10 minutes out of the day to put together a little blog post.  Really, I waste that much time on facebook in a day, at least.  So here's my new blogging resolution.  I'm going to start out slow (I've learned the hard way when I try to convince myself to take on something all or nothing, it usually winds up nothing).  I am challenging myself to sit down once a week for fifteen minutes to write a post for the blog.  Easy, right?  At least it's a goal that I can measure and hold myself too.  So here's my first of hopefully many blog posts to come.

I won't go into the sorted details right now about my surgery and such, I have another post in the works that I used kind of like a diary to write down how I was feeling throughout the whole ordeal.  Needless to say I feel like I'm on the downward slope of this whole process.  One thing I will say is that I have been feeling AMAZING compared to how I was before my surgery.  No joke.  Even with this bag attached to my belly, I feel like more of a human being now than I have in months, probably since the wedding.  I'm definitely ready for the next step, but so happy to be feeling so much better.

Life in the McGuire household never seems to be dull.  This week is my niece's confirmation.  She asked me to be her sponsor, which I was very touched by.  It will be pretty cool to stand up with her in front of the archbishop with my hand on her shoulder as she chooses to join the church.  I know I haven't been able to be the supportive kind of confirmation sponsor I was wanting to be.  Getting sick really put a wrench in everything, but that will also teach me to not be such a procrastinator.  Luckily even after this week I can still try to be a mentor to her and do things together like go to mass and support her in her faith.  That's why sponsors are supposed to be for life, not just for now.  It will be good for my faith too; to help me grow in my faith.  I have a lot to be thankful for.

Things are starting to pick up at work since we are working on our quarterly report.  It may sound funny, but I am so excited to be able to be there for the whole reporting process, instead of just part of it.  I feel like I get to be a "whole" part of the team, making no excuses.  I'm excited to be able to help out and show them how much their support has meant to me.  I am so grateful and feel very fortunate to have the job that I do and to work for the people I do.

Our lab Duke just about lost his life last night.  I made some extra chicken last night at dinner for leftovers so I could have lunch today and possibly dinner tonight.  Duke was in the kitchen for no more than 5 seconds by himself and comes back into the living room cowered over and smacking his lips.  That damn dog got on the kitchen counter and helped himself to some chicken!  He's lucky Kyle loves him so much, I would have let him sleep outside all night.

Well, my fifteen minutes of blogging has gone by pretty fast.  I'm hoping to keep this up!  I should have a post up soon about my surgery and maybe even about how life has been post-surgery.  Until then.