Hit by a Bus!

That is sort of what I feel like this am. Not really a bad bus, per se, but a bus all the same.

I think that I have told most of you about a Market restructuring they were doing at work...quick version....we used to have 80 locations, Controller at each location and then 5 Regional Controllers and the Controllers rolled up to one of the 5 Regional ones. Now we are in a reduction mode and they eliminated the 5 Regional Controllers, turned our country into 23 Markets and we have 15 Market Controllers (some over 2 small markets) now (and will likely not have a Controller at each location anymore to reduce headcount and combine operations where we can). This week was the meeting to "on-board" (gotta love corporate lingo) the new Market Controllers. It was a lot of information on where our company is going and it just gets draining. Plus, I lost one of my employees to the position (she is now a Market Controller) and I am about to lose another employee, maybe two to other projects (I told them I was going to stop letting people work on projects because they keep getting stolen). Then, the bomb was dropped on my that we are going to start taking a process that the field does currently and roll it all into home office (which I knew) and they want those people to report to me (which I did not know). At least it is the project I was about to lose an employee to so I will get to keep her. BUT, now I have to make a case and proposal on why I need to replace the people I lost in a time when we are reducing headcount. GEEZ. I guess the good thing is that they are going to trust me with this new project (and seem to trust me with "new" anyway since my whole department didn't exist before me) and it is nice that my name even comes up in meetings that I am not even in, but it also seems like when I get comfortable they change it. oh well, I was also told that I had the most job security of anyone so that is a good feeling. We also reached our budget this year for the one metric that we have to meet for me to get a bonus so YAY!

In the workout world, I have done really well and I am proud of myself. You do p90x for 6 days a week and then take a break. I started last Friday and I have done every day except yesterday. Since today was supposed to be the rest day and I didn't do it yesterday, I am just switching it. I even did it starting at 9:30 on Tuesday after a work dinner of Mexican food...that deserves a clap at least! I really like the program. I like that they tell you what to do and it seems to go by faster with each DVD. I don't love the chest and back but that is mainly because I can't do any pushups to speak of, I don't have a pullup bar and I just think it is draining. I also don't care for the first 35 mins of the 1hr and 32min yoga (isn't that REALLY long). I feel like every pose is almost the same and between all of them you have to do a plank...gross. But, now that I know there is something better at the end of the DVD (stretching and balance moves) I think that I will be a better sport for the beginning. The first time I did it I thought the whole DVD was going to have me doing planks and downward dogs. The whole thing is a pretty big time commitment if you don't already work out (an hr a day) but I was already working out for about an hour or more a day by the time you count the drive time to the gym and back. I did a little research on doing p90x and running and it seems like they discourage it a little (not sure why because only a couple of the DVDs are cardio so wouldn't it be like lifting weights and running) and they say p90x is SO INTENSE but I don't think that is true. It is hard, but it isn't like you need to sleep all day after. Anyway, they suggest that if you do run while doing it that you wait a couple weeks so I am going to start next week after I am two weeks in (if I can wait that long). I am also no longer sore. The last post I wrote was the last day I was sore...so I was sore for one day really bad but that was about it...the other days I was sore but not the kind of sore where it hurts to bend your legs to sit on the toilet. I like to be a little sore because I feel like it is working, but I don't like to be in pain too much.

The weight loss hasn't been so good (not bad but not great). I have been eating better and I feel better so I am going to focus on that. I haven't gained anything back but it has been slow moving...I have read a lot that seems to say that is common on the new ww plan so I am going to keep doing what I was doing and give it a few weeks. The past two days in Atlanta were HORRIBLE. I didn't get to pick anything I ate. The picked our breakfast, lunch and dinner. I tried to pick the healthiest options until we got to the Mexican restaurant and I ate my weight in chips. I know better than to go to that kind of restaurant when I am watching what I eat. Oh well.

This week is winter restaurant week and we are going to a really nice steakhouse tomorrow night to eat for $25.11 including an appetizer, steak, and dessert...good deal. I am excited since Dayton doesn't have that many local restaurants that we frequent :-) I feel like Drena and Carrie would be so proud of me.

That is about it for me. I am going to do a Living Social/Groupon deal here in Dayton (MUCH smaller market than in Atlanta). What would you guys like to see as a deal from a photographer? Session and pictures for one price? Prices? What size pictures? I am going to put together a couplet things for the marketing people to decide on but since you are all moms, I thought I would see what you would want. I have learned that the pricing here is a little lower than Atlanta so I changed that the other day. I know people here are not worried about pictures right now so I am going to do the deal when it gets closer to some nicer weather here :-)

Whew, that was a long one!!

Pictures are Rachel and I before and after the race last week.