Judgment

I have been thinking about this a lot lately...maybe because I feel judged that we don't have a baby yet or that I should have gotten married sooner or tried sooner or whatever.  I am more sensitive to what is said to me now.

Why do we, as humans, and especially as women, feel such a need to judge others?

I know that part of it is just natural, but I wonder why.  Is it because we question our own choices?  Is it because we are jealous that we didn't make the same choices that others made?

I picked all of my friends because I liked something about them.  They are unique people and that is what attracts me to them.  I don't want them to be just like me.  I can hang out with me anytime I want.  I want people who choose different paths than I do, who have a different style than I do, and who think of things or know about things that never think or know about.  To me, that is what makes life so interesting.

I am not saying you have to agree with every choice that your friends make but why talk about them behind their back or feel sorry for them?  Why not just appreciate the fact that they are different?  It is probably why you became friends with them in the first place.

I am not innocent of this judgment either but lately I am trying to be more aware of why the thoughts enter my head.  Why do I have that reaction and what can I do to try not to have it?  I don't aim to be perfect but I feel like people try hard enough in this world at whatever they are doing.  We should all be more supportive and nice to each other.

Unless it is someone who is mean to you, then you can talk bad about them.
I kid, (sorta).

Winter

Here are my thoughts on winter....

1. It is March 5th...WINTER should be a distant memory at this point!  I should not have a snowflake at the end of a 10 day forecast.
2. I am truly amazed that we got 3 inches of snow on Sunday and then by Monday afternoon my entire driveway was completely dry but it never got above 15 degrees outside.  It really makes me question those news programs who fry an egg on the pavement to show how hot it is...apparently the sun can also melt and dry snow when it was only 15 out, and trust me when I say, it didn't make it feel warm out.
3. Apparently my mood (and waistline) is really affected by constant cold weather.  This is really the first year where I didn't think I could stand it anymore.  Normally by the time I get fed up, it is warmer a week later.  Not this year.
4. Snow is very pretty and I still get a little excited when they predict it...just not in March.  The first snow fall is my favorite and the weekend snowstorms that I can watch out our bay windows are my second favorite.
5. I realized this year how many of my activities with my friends here involve being outside...bike riding, walking, running, taking kids for walks in strollers, etc.  I miss all of it.  
6. 50 is now t-shirt weather to me...so sad.  I remember the summer I lived in NJ and was there in May where it was 50 at night and my family was sitting on the deck with t-shirts on while I had one 2 layers of clothing.  I could now sit out there with them (for a little while).
7. I am not the only one affected by winter...everyone I know that is from here has said this was the worst winter in their lifetime...I sure hope so and I hope it doesn't happen again for another 35 years.
8. My driveway is so steep that my car will not go up it, even with snow tires on it, if we get more than 2 inches of snow...this seems to defeat the purpose of a garage.  I have to park at the top if I want to go anywhere the next day.  If we ever get another house, a sun filled, FLAT driveway will be a big selling point...that or we need to put a heated driveway in at this house.  
9. I am not even sure what I would do if I had a kid...see #8.  I can barely walk up the driveway myself without slipping, how would I carry a kid and all their crap.  Plus, as a friend pointed out...you can't exactly stick a small kid in a car that is -7.  That is a lot of up and down a steep driveway in below freezing weather.
10. Everyone here has remote start for their cars...that is the one feature that our cars don't have but it would really help with #8 and maybe one day #9.
11. We have an outside kitty that has probably spent at least 20-30 nights in our basement this winter because it was too cold for her outside :-(  We have had her for 4 years and this is the first time we had to do that.
12. And finally...I am really proud that there were at least 5 occasions when I went to boot camp at 6am while it was dark and with negative temps (but no snow).  No way I would have done that 5 years ago!

READY FOR SPRING...I would even take consistent 50s at this point!

#ASSP

Ali and I love to make up hashtags...we don't actually use them on twitter or instagram or wherever else you are supposed to use them but we do use them in text messages to each other.

It all started with #wgp...we use this one when we are complaining about what would be considered first world problems...like the other day when I had to park on the top level of the airport deck and I got back in town with my leather boots on trying to drag my suitcase through two inches of snow.  This was not life shattering but at the time it sucked.

#ASSP is for Anti-Stuffed Sausage Plan.  This is what I have named my current attempt to get back in shape.  Another friend once said she felt like a busted can of biscuits.  Either would apply in my current situation and it needs to get under control.

Shortly after we got married, we starting trying to have a baby...since I was planning on getting big while pregnant, the motivation wasn't completely there to get in shape.  Then fast forward a year and a half, and I am still not pregnant and I weigh more than I ever have.  It is gross.

I do boot camp 3 days a week at 6:30am (when it doesn't snow so much the night before that I can't get my car out and when I am not out of town) and I love it.  I am definitely the type of person who doesn't push myself enough on my own and I do better in a class, with a trainer, with a friend or training for a race.  This winter weather has interfered on a lot of days but I am hoping that we are getting to the end of that.  I plan to add some other fun stuff like spin and zumba.

The eating is where I really need to concentrate!  Back in April I had some food sensitivity testing done and (no surprise) I am pretty much sensitive to everything.  Really I think that it has to do with the fact that soy, corn, and wheat are in tons of processed foods.  I can have any meat and almost every fruit and vegetable (except onion, blueberries, cantelope and a few others)...it just takes more work.  It is especially hard in the winter when I just feel like hibernating and nothing is fresh.  Some of my staple spices, etc are also on the bad list like parsley, oregano, cumin, and lemon.  Most of my recipes contain one, if not more, of the above ingredients, take out yeast, eggs, rice, almonds, dairy, and sulfites and you have eliminated a lot more (plus wine and beer).  So, as you can see, it was pretty frustrating and you really have to be on top of the fresh ingredients.  I did do it for a while though and I dropped weight fast and felt amazing.  I need to get back to it and figure out which of those sensitivities actually affect me and which ones are ok.  I found out that not all of them bother me.  I just can't remember which ones.

So, yeah, winter is still in full force here (snowing as I write this) but spring is around the corner and I need to get it together so I can fit into my spring clothes.

FOREVER...

So, it has been forever since I have posted on my blog...I am not really sure why except that I guess I got busy and felt like I didn't have much interesting to say.  Now I have decided to try to get back into it, and I think it was because I see my blog books from a few years ago and I think about how much easier that is than trying to keep an actual journal (which I am a failure at).

Anyone still out there??  HA!

I think that it is really funny that my last blog post was where I said I would keep up with our biking trip on our honeymoon...FAIL.  Whatever, moving on!

The thing that probably keeps me most busy these days is my crochet/knitting business.  In 2012 a friend of my sister's found an infinity scarf on Pinterest and asked who could make it for her.  My sister volunteered me and I set out to the craft store to find the gray that she wanted and made it for her.  I didn't have any way to contact her other than FB so I posted a picture there.  7 of my friends wanted one and I thought that was fun.  I decided to post it in my Etsy shop.  I had my shop since 2008 but mostly posted baby stuff and running headbands.  At first the scarf didn't sell and then all of a sudden 15 sold in one night...AHHHH!!!  Then they kept selling!  They take me about an hour to make and, as you can calculate, I don't have 15 extra hours a day so I recruited my mom to help.  I also kept raising the price a bit until I found a good balance.  Now, only a little over a year later, I have sold over 700 scarves and am in a local store.  I simply can't believe it!

When I was home this weekend, it seemed like a question I was asked a lot was whether I would ever do it full time.  Believe me, I have run the numbers :-)  I kind of go back and forth on this...I love my day job, but I also love my crafty side.  It is really fun to have a "second" job where I can make money and spend it on fun things...I don't know how I would do if I HAD to make a certain amount.  This Jan and Feb have been a lot slower than last year.  It could be because my scarf costs 50% more this year so I am selling less or it could just be the way things work.  Having a job that would be so inconsistent would scare my type A personality.  Having said all that though, if I ever was able to make enough to make a living consistently, then yes, I would love to do it full time.  It has always been a dream of mine to own a craft store and I think that recently that has turned into a dream to own a yarn/coffee shop...one can dream, right?

I am launching a blog for my business so I am hoping that I will blog more regularly...I will give all you parents out there an exciting glimpse in to the wonderful childless life (sarcasm).  HA!

So, if anyone is still around, shoot me a comment.  I am doing this for myself but still interested to see if anyone is reading it.