CARE PACKAGE GALORE

OH MY GOSH, I just received a care package!!

Mom, Grandma & Papa, thank you SOO much! I really needed some foody love, and today was the perfect day for it to come! :D I opened everything just now, with this huge smile, ear to ear, (I probably looked ridiculous from the street outside,) giggling as I found more things. It was like being a college freshman again and getting treats from home. (Except instead of a roommate giggling beside me, I had a nosey dog snuffling at every bag of goodies.)

Mom, I LOVE everything you put in there! Holy crap, there was SO much stuff! I didn't even know they made some of this craziness. Chili spiced pineapple?? (Not gonna lie, I opened that on sight out of sheer curiosity. Delicious, by the way.) Anyway, these are really great healthy snacks for me, and the massive amounts of protein in my cabinet now will make me strong, strong, strong!!

Grandma & Papa, I REALLY appreciate the gift card!! I love Trader Joe's food, and that's where I get all my healthy stuff for meals, so this should totally feed me for like a month! You rock! Now I can expand my cooking to new healthy meals! I'm so excited.

Thanks guys, this totally made my day. It takes a bunch of stress off me too as far as needing to buy more food goes.

ALSO: Mom, I forgot to tell you.. I know you were worried about me cutting out a lot of carbs in the new P90X diet, but I read more into the whole nutrition plan, and here's what I learned that will hopefully make you feel better: It's only for the first month that most carbs are cut out, so the body can replace fats with muscle (protein). It also says in the guide that if I start to feel tired during work-outs, I should add more carbs to my diet to give me extra energy, and I should adjust the diet to fit my own body's needs. The second month, I eat equal parts protein and carbohydrates to boost my energy and keep me feeling healthy and energized. And the third month, I actually eat a lot more carbs than proteins to maximize my endurance and give me the energy to continue to "Bring It!"

That's all, folks! :)

I'm off to Northern California in a few hours! Love to you all!

Life, etcetera

Hello all!

Lots to update on, it seems. First, I'd like to thank you all who have bought some of my ceramics, and those who have been helping me network them through friends of friends! Every little bit helps me out a TON!

You all should also know that I received my proof in the mail today from Thailand! The book looks pretty good, but there are a few changes they need to make, so I've emailed my contact, and now I wait. Hopefully I'll be able to have the books printed and in my home before the end of the year. (This is my goal.) The price has changed, so I'm going to have to compensate for that, (it went up after there was a little confusion on the layout/page numbers,) but it will work out, I think. Everyone has been very generous and helpful to me thus far!

Geoff and I have begun a new workout program called P90X. You may have seen it on the TV infomercials. It's a really, really intense 90 day work-out/diet combo that is supposed to get you really fit in just 3 months. It's been a week, and it's totally killing me. I'm SO sore every day, and the work-outs are brutal. However, I feel (and look a little) stronger ALREADY and I'm only on week 2 out of 12. Awesome.

I decided to start the program because I haven't done anything physical in about 2 months. When I don't physically exercise, I get pretty tense and irritable, so I was really glad to finally start doing something. I miss going to the climbing gym, but it's impossibly expensive, and we'd have to cut out eating if we wanted to continue climbing. I like eating, therefore, P90X.

The "diet" part of the program isn't so bad. For the first month, it cuts out most carbs/starches and fats, and we concentrate on LOTS of protein and vegetables. It teaches us to eat about 5 small meals a day, (though their version of "small" isn't so small for me!) which consist of healthy things like nuts, eggs, lean meats, salads, and protein shakes. I was never a huge meat eater, but I'm actually starting to physically feel healthier and stronger, and it feels great! I do miss things like pizza and chocolate and super cheap ramen, but this is better for my body anyway. For those of you who are afraid I am doing this to lose weight, FEAR NOT! I am happy with my weight--the diet part supplements the exercise and makes you healthier, not necessarily skinnier. In fact, I'm eating more than I would normally by doing this program, and I'm learning to cook new things too! Also, if anything, I may gain weight through this program, as muscle weighs more than fat. (And I am totally getting more muscle!!)

On a different note, Geoff and I are going up to Northern California this weekend to visit his parents. I am excited to be going somewhere.. getting a little stir-crazy here in Long Beach. Tails will probably hate the car ride up, but at least when we get there, he can play with Chance (the Luecker's big Collie). And at least we are taking the new Subaru up, (lots more space for Tails's crate,) so I can make Tails a comfy little cave to hide in. He hates riding in the car... sometimes he even gets car sick on very short drives. It's strange.. I've never met a dog that didn't like riding in the car. However, it may be that he associates car rides with going to the animal shelter when he was picked up as a stray. :( Poor thing.

Anyway, I think that covers most of what's going on with me! I hope all is well with you guys, and I hope to hear from you soon!

Ciao!