happy new year's!

so, tonight is new year's eve. i'm sitting at home alone with my 3 dogs while john is in odessa visiting his family. i've enjoyed the solitude during my long weekend, as i'm recovering from a yucky cold and just needed some time to veg out and relax. i'm spending new year's eve alone, but i'm okay with that. the pups and i are just watching some movies and drinking champagne (well, only i am drinking the champagne!). i've also just listened to the hip tranquil chick podcast on setting goals for the year, so i figured i'd spend some time on that.

kimberly first said that we should reflect on the lessons we learned during 2007. i guess a couple of big ones for me are to take risks, listen to your intuition, and take trips. at the end of may, i left a wonderful job in a small, out of the way town to move back to san antonio to be with john. i left without having a new job - a HUGE risk and a very un-me thing to do. but something inside me told me it was the right thing and i was right. i ended up finding a new and equally wonderful job within a month of my move. it really did just seem to fall into my lap. kind of like someone was watching over me. :) also, john and i took our first proper vacation together to las vegas a couple of weeks ago for his 30th birthday. while vegas is not a major thing for most, it was huge for me. i've always talked about traveling, but always told myself i couldn't because i didn't have enough money or time. taking that trip was such an inspiring and invigorating thing for me. it's made me so much more confident that i will see the world!

now on to my "resolutions" for 2008. kimberly suggests that we list our larger goals and then create smaller, specific goals that will help us achieve the bigger goal. so, here's my list for 2008:

1. get into a yoga classroom instead of just home practice
a. enroll in local studio's beginner series class
2. prepare for trip to France
a. take French class in January
b. get passport
c. save $100/month for trip
3. lose 30 lbs.
a. reduce soda intake (1/day)
b. daily exercise (yoga, walking dogs, etc)
c. eat soup regularly (heard this helps)
d. drink more water and green tea
4. stay pretty
a. wax every month
b. nails filled every 2 weeks
c. pedicure every month
d. hair care every month

it's not excessively long, but i think that's enough to keep me busy for the year. it's also a bit superficial, what with the lose weight and stay pretty resolutions, but since i've started working, i have to say that i've let that area slide a bit. so, i need to work on it. here's to 2008! time to enjoy some more champagne.

honestly, when are the health problems going to end!?! first the ankle that won't heal and now i've been plagued by a cold for three days now. it's just becoming so frustrating. it has been over 5 weeks since my lovely running into the garage incident and my ankle is still messed up. i've been to a podiatrist, had an mri, and am now scheduled to see an orthapedic surgeon next week. i just really want this to be over with. i'm tired of limping and not being able to work out. i know i should be grateful and stop complaining, but i'm just so tired. anyway, had to take a minute to vent.

merry christmas

i can't believe christmas is already over! time is slipping away so fast. i know i'm starting to sound like my parents, but it's crazy how fast things are going. the holiday weekend went pretty well. john and i drove to my parents' house on friday evening. we pretty much lounged around the entire weekend and did a whole lot of nothing. john spent a lot of time with his sister, we drove around looking at christmas lights, and i drank many starbuck's peppermint white chocolate mochas. but, regardless of the relaxing facade, visiting parents is just stressful. i've told john that next year we are staying put, because, when I think about it, i have traveled for the holidays for over 10 years now. i think it's time for a real break. anyway, here's a picture of my little bentley in his santa hat with john's sister. notice how happy he looks?

vegas!

john and i got back late last night after a long weekend in vegas! it was our first time there, and i have to say that i am in love. my absolute favorite thing was paris, of course, but another favorite was the cirque du soleil show that we saw our last night. so amazing.

we also made a stop by the playboy club at the palms. john fulfilled a right of passage by getting his picture taken with a playboy bunny. the club was okay, but left a lot to be desired. cirque was much more entertaining, as was dinner at the eiffel tower restaurant.

so, vacation is now over, and it's time to get back to work. but, i'm already planning my next trip to vegas. so many things to see, and never enough time!

ongoing problems

well, my car is still in the shop. i was so hoping it would be ready by friday, but alas. which means that i had to go with john to his work this morning so he could drive me to my spa appointment that is nearby. so much for sleeping in this morning. also, we're leaving for vegas next weekend, and i just realized that we need to do something with the dogs. i just got off the telephone with my mom (who lives in houston, by the way) after asking her if she would watch our three dogs. needless to say, i don't think she was ecstatic, but she did agree. so now we have to drive to houston after work today to drop off the pups. my poor babies. i'm so not ready for vegas and my foot is still in bad shape. these ongoing problems are really getting old.

wasting

i'm at work and obviously distracting myself from what i'm getting paid to do. it's really more of a combination of the insane cold and the fact that i'm am very tired. sadly, it is probably only 65 degrees in here, but that is still way too cold for me. i've got my little space heater on and my heating pad to keep my feet warm. i don't know why i'm tired, other than the fact that i have to be at work at 6:45 a.m. every morning since my car is in the shop and john has to drop me off before he goes to work. and i just learned from the mechanic that my car will not be ready until the end of the week, so that is at least one more day of immobility.

progress

well, i'm still here. almost one week after the drama and i'm still hanging out on the couch with my foot propped up on pillows. i did manage to go to work yesterday, but after standing all day in court, my foot was not looking too good. today, i'm actually seeing huge progress and my foot is starting to look like a foot again, albeit a very bruised foot. it's interesting that as my foot heals, it actually starts to become more bruised. i hope that's a sign of healing. i'm still requiring the use of crutches, but am able to actually put some pressure on my foot. it's going to be a slow process, but i think i will eventually be back to my old self. hopefully, before my vegas trip. nothing says unsexy like a gimp.

oopsie!

as promised, here are pics from my recent "incident." here is the garage that my car rolled into after i jumped out of it. notice the support beam and crime scene tape.

my car, amazingly, came away relatively unscathed.

i can't say the same about my ankle though . . .

stupid girl

while most people are enjoying a relaxing happy thanksgiving with family, friends, and lots of food, i, however, am spending it bedridden, hungry, and with my 3 zealous dogs. 2 days ago i had the accident of a lifetime when i jumped out of my car because of a wasp without realizing that i had just put the car in reverse. so, the car starts swiftly rolling down my steep driveway and, needless to say, i was unable to stop it in my 3 inch heels. the car plows me over and rolls into the street, into my neighbor's driveway, and into my neighbor's garage. the garage looks like crap, my car miraculously came out with just a few nicks, but my ankle is another story. it's currently swollen to twice its normal size, but the doctor said there were no broken bones. thank goodness, but it honestly looks REALLY bad and hurts even worse. i'm having to learn how to work the crutches, and that makes me even more tired and sore.

this has really not been my finest hour, but i suppose, all things considered, things have worked out okay. my insurance will pay for my car and medical bills, and hopefully for the garage, but they are still investigating, of course. the whole thing could have been much, much worse. pictures will be posted later.

marie antoinette

so, it's been a while since i've actually seen this movie, but it was so beautiful that i have to post some pics.

the move

we have officially moved out of apartment life and into our cute little house! we've been here all of 1 week, but i already have forgotten the perils i endured not so long ago in our cramped apartment. my commute to work has been cut in half (john's commute on the other hand . . . ), and the backyard is a godsend. the most exciting part, however, is that one of the guest rooms was already painted . . . hot pink!!! john keeps threatening to repaint it, but i forbid. the room is mine. i've started converting it into my office/yoga retreat. while i will begrudgingly admit that it is not quite the shade of pink that i would have chosen, it certainly is better than the standard mundane beige. so, i finally have my girly room and i am going all out. i can't wait to get everything in its place so i can really focus on using it for my yoga.

we just got our cable/internet set up this evening, which means that i've been without for over a week. yet, it feels like forever. am i an addict? as i surfed through my fav websites tonight, i realized that the visual stimulation has such a calming effect on me, which i guess is why i love it. am i retarded? plus, i just get so inspired. i want more than anything to create a community for myself. it's been pretty hard since i've moved around so much, but i do crave it. i keep dreaming about the yoga teacher training and about a career after law. i see myself doing something so much more creative and uplifting than my current job. my entire career has involved thoughts of doing something outside of the legal field. and while my legal career has definitely improved for me over the years, the thoughts persist. is it just a dream or am i being prepared for something more exciting in my life? i hate unknown answers.

locked out

i just spent over 2 hours of my morning locked outside in the rain in my pajamas with my 2 rowdy dogs. yep, from 6:45 a.m. until 9 a.m. turns out that when i went outside to take my dogs for a walk, john went ahead and left for work . . . AND LOCKED THE DAMN DOOR! i don't think i've gone through so many emotions in so short a time - panicked, frustrated, hysterical, angry, FURIOUS, resentful, and finally just given up. eventually, the maintenance guy found me and figured out that i was locked out. so, here it is 9:20 and i still have to get ready for work. good thing i didn't have court or i would have been screwed. i just hope this isn't a precursor to how the rest of the day will go.

lounging around

i'm sitting on the couch watching john pack. yeah, i'm such a helpful girlfriend, but i've packed my stuff already and i have a headache. ;) seriously, though, i'm finding myself regressing into laziness. i truly hope that moving into a bigger space with a whole room to use for my yoga and fitness will help keep me on track. in fact, i'm really trying to think about how best to decorate it to encourage me to go in there and actually work out on a daily basis. i'm thinking pink and fun. not a lot of furniture, but lots of interesting things on the wall. some great window treatments. stuff like that. actually, if you want to know the truth, i'd love to paint the walls pink and hang some curtains with large vertical black and white stripes. john doesn't seem too excited about that idea. go figure!

pink shoes

on a cuter note, how fun are these? i'm looking for some cute pink stilettos. wonder if i can find some like these. . .

just one shot of tequila, please

i'm currently watching the new reality show "a shot at love with tila tequila." i must say that i've hit an all new low in my tv watching. this is the show where this girl is bi-sexual and basically has 2 competitions - 1 with men and 1 with women. so far, totally not impressed but can't stop watching. kind of like the proverbial train wreck. OMG! i just learned that her adieu is "drop the keys and bounce." alright, time to change channels. anyway, i can't believe i've actually wasted a post on a crappy show about a girl i've never heard of, but there you have it.

the count

i just saw a movie adaptation of the count of monte cristo starring jim caviezel and totally LOVED it! it isn't 100% faithful to the book, but it's a beautiful story in and of itself. must buy it in the near future.

pink wedding

are these not adorable!?! pale pink wedding dresses, what a great idea. not too out of the box, but just enough to be unique. this is definitely one to remember. i'm imagining all shades of pink and red as accents. too fun!

thinking

so, i have taken up walking around our neighborhood in the evenings with john. it's amazing how much of a difference it makes just taking a brisk walk outdoors. i feel better and it doesn't take too long to see results physically. why is it always so difficult to maintain a routine? beau and i are both guilty to getting lazy and tired when it's just our slovenliness that makes us so. such is the cycle.

over 2 years ago, i made some belated new year's "intentions." interestingly, i never bothered to look back and see what i accomplished, but i'm kind of feeling the bug now. so, here goes . . .

1. focus on friends and family. i remember feeling depressed about losing contact with so many friends over time. while i have improved on maintaining contact with my family, keeping in touch with friends has continued to prove difficult. getting beyond the e-mail only status is just difficult with busy jobs, lives, and distance.

2. find a great job. fortunately, i can say with much satisfaction that i have come a long way toward this goal. granted, i continue wistfully thinking about other non-legal things i could do, but perhaps i'll always be looking for the next great thing. i am at least in a position where i can say that i am happy with my job and i don't drive to and from work in tears.

3. spend time creating a welcoming space. ugh. right now i am so far from that goal, but i blame the temporary living situation. before i moved in with john, my apartment had come along pretty nicely. now that we are moving into a house, i'm so excited to buy "adult" furniture and really make it home.

4. take care of my dogs. i really have improved on this one. we have a local dog park nearby that we go to all the time, which i am going to miss terrible one we move. but, i still plan to haul the babies there; it shouldn't be too bad. my pups really have enjoyed hanging out with john's dog. they have so much fun together, and the biggest perks about the new house are the large backyard and the fact that i can stop by during lunch to let them out. it's the little things, i guess. :)

5. focus on yoga. ok, so not so good at this one. i think about yoga all the time, and during my month off between jobs i was so good about daily practice. alas, i have currently regressed back to neglect. i hope, hope, hope, that our upcoming move will bring me closer to studios that i can get serious about.

6. focus on teaching yoga. this one has been completely on hold while i focused on getting a job in my first career that i can actually get through without crying all day. baby steps. first i need to focus more on number 5, but i am always intrigued by the idea of teaching and helping others.

7. reunite with an old flame (ballet). i've gone so far as to look at a local ballet school's adult schedule, but have not gone so far as to don tights and a leotard and struggle though a class. haven't given up on it, but just haven't really done anything with it.

8. take a painting class or two. now, i had done a little bit of painting before i moved in with beau, but now there's no space and i just haven't made time to continue playing around with it, much less take a class. still something i would like to do. plus, i've been scouting out places to take beading classes so i can make awesome jewelry.

so, that's it. i think overall i've made some progress. i definitely feel better than i did two years ago - about myself, my situation, and my future. i still have a ways to go and time is a'ticking.

the paris apartment

i have found the most beautiful blog called the paris apartment. for anyone who dreams of paris and all things french, it is a must see. how can you miss a site that has pictures like these:

don't they just make you feel excited and inspired? i especially love the sign with the pregnant woman and the beautiful interior design just makes me want to jump on a plane and experience it for myself. i mentioned to my sweetie (again) how much i want to go to paris and he told me that i need to get my passport since it takes almost a year to get one these days. when i told him that i wasn't likely going within the year, his response suggested that he might have his own plans for our trip! too adorable! so, we'll see. wouldn't it be wonderful if he took me there and proposed? not that i'm expecting anything. ;)

anyway, so i'm feeling all romantic and frenchy lately. i really can't wait for our move because it will bring me closer to things that i want to do, such as fabulous yoga studios and the alliance francaise where i can start my french lessons. there's no way i'm going to that fabulous country and not speak the language (plus, i've heard that they very much frown on that - not that i blame them).

so, here's to feeling inspired!

new house

things are going pretty well. the job is still good, but keeping me pretty busy. now that i've gotten the hang of things, though, it's not quite as crazy as it was. the worst part of the job is the defense lawyers, of course. but they are even worse here than in my old job. so whiney and, quite frankly, stupid. i'm learning how to put my foot down with them.

the really good news is that john and i have found a house and will be moving into it in 2 weeks. i am so happy to leave apartment life behind. after 9 years of it, it's about time. we definitely do not have enough furniture to fill it, so guess i just have to go shopping. it feels so good to finally feel like i'm putting down some roots.

moseying

so, things are moseying along. john and i are house hunting. we're just looking to rent but the idea of having my own place with my own backyard is just so exciting! i'm sure the 3 pups will love it too. i'm equally excited because in december we are going to las vegas! i've never been to vegas before, and this will officially be our first vacation together. yes, we've dated for over 8 years and have never taken a proper trip together (i don't count visits to the parents). so, not sure what we'll do when we get there, but i want to do EVERYTHING!

otherwise, things are still going great. the job is pretty fun, but i sometimes miss the little town i used to work in. i'm trying to focus more on yoga and self-care, but it is slow coming as usual. someday i'll find the motivation to focus on that, but that will be after my 6 jury trials in november and christmas season.

thank god for my simple life

so, tomorrow will be my 2 month anniversary at the new job. it is still going great, but is SO busy! and i keep getting new job duties all the time. i like to think it's because they're excited about how i'm doing.

john and i are trying to get serious about finding a house to rent. i think we've narrowed down the location. now, it's just a matter of finding a house. to be able to open the back door and let the dogs run free in the morning will be my greatest joy. :)

so, i really, really . . . really have a completely insane friend. COMPLETELY! that would be because she got arrested for a dwi this past weekend. i'm seriously at a loss about what to do with her. i'd like to think that going through this mess will scare her straight, but i'll believe it when i see it. i'm so glad i live a simple life.

things are good

life is good. the job has been going fantastically. it's hard to believe that i've already been working for 3.5 weeks. time sure flies, as they say. and, believe it or not, i've already gotten a promotion. the juvenile prosecutor up and quit without any notice one day and the da and chief civil prosecutor approached me with the job. of course, i said yes, and so this week will be my last as the jp prosecutor. i did the juvenile docket this last friday, and it went pretty well. this county does the hearings a bit differently from my last job, but i can adjust and hopefully contribute some new things into the system.

living with john has also been good. things are still a bit cramped in his 1 bedroom apartment with our 3 dogs, but that will be changing in less than 3 months. there's still so much i'd like to try and get started on, but money and time always seem to be tight. right now i have to focus on our vegas trip in december. i promised john i'd take him for his birthday and there's no way i'm backing out b/c i can't save money. besides, it's about damn time we took a real vacation together. i'm so excited!

new job

yea! so i have a new job. i am now an assistant district attorney. i'll be spending a large part of my time in the jp courts, which will require a company car, laptop, and cell phone since i'll be out of the office most of the time. ahh...the perks. an interesting quirk about the job is that it apparently involves dealing with members of the republic of texas "cult". sigh...so i hope it won't become a danger to my health. we shall see. anyway, here's to another new beginning...

birthday

yesterday was my 29th birthday. i feel so old. however, i had a fantastic day. my best friend, jennifer, came to town from dallas to celebrate with me. we first went to dinner at boudro's, and while the food was fantastic, the ambience was lacking. i always forget how crazy the riverwalk is during the summer. yucky tourists in their flip flops and t-shirts sitting 2 inches away from us kind of made the restaurant less special, but overall it was good. we then ventured off to zinc champagne and wine bar. i like the place because it never gets too crazy crowded. jen and i drank champagne all night long. after the obligatory stop at ihop, we went home and crashed. i had a great time and i hope john and jen did too. while i can't believe that i'm 1 year away from 30, it's not really so bad. here's to my last year of youth.

i did it!

so...it has been a while since my last post. first thing, mi padre is doing fabulously! his recovery is something of a miracle. he's had a hard time breathing and doing anything physical for some time, but since his surgery things have gotten significantly better. he'll never be able to run a marathon, but to be able to walk from room to room without practically keeling over from breath shortage is a huge improvement.

on another note, i did it! i actually did it! at the beginning of may, i gave my notice to my boss and as of june 1, 2007 i have been living with john in san antonio. i was so nervous about giving my notice, mainly because i did not know how my boss would react. amazingly, while he was very upset by my leaving, he did not take it out on me. he was very positive about my moving up and wrote an almost embarassingly flattering letter of recommendation. furthermore, the reaction from the entire courthouse to my leaving really made me feel like i made an impact on that place. from judges to attorneys to staff, everyone let me know how much they would miss me and what a great job they thought i did. every judge offered to provide a reference without my asking. my office threw a wonderful going away party that everyone attended, even judges. i can't begin to explain the effect that place made on me. it was a great environment to work in and i learned so much during my year there. given my state when i started this blog, i'd say this is true progress.

now, while that is all well and good, the fact remains that i've quit my job and moved to a new city. i now have a whole new slew of challenges, the first of which is one that i'm already familiar with - the job hunt. one thing i told myself when i decided to make this move is that i need to put myself in more control over my career decisions. no more letting others do it for me. therefore, if i want a job in san antonio, then that's where i'm going to work. no more traveling the texas countryside because that's all i think i can get. and, surprisingly, it has already started to pay off. i have my first interview this week with the da's office.

anyway, time for bed. more to come...

daddy

greetings! i'm sitting here at my parents' house trying to deal with an allergic reaction to my new mascara. i'm trying to make myself presentable since i have to visit my daddy in the hospital in a little while. he had a minor heart attack this past wednesday and is recovering from that. the surgery to find the blockages and fix them went fine. unfortunately, the incision began bleeding internally and that requires another surgery today. my poor daddy. he's starting to handle it pretty well, but he was not a happy person wednesday - friday. not that i don't blame him. so, that's my life...

Ho Hum...

Greetings! I have nothing to write about today, but oh well. It's a quarter past 6:00, and I really should be home already, but I'm dragging. Tomorrow I have a jury trial in JP court. Not exactly high profile, but it is only my third jury trial, so I'm still a bit nervous. What amazes me the most is why someone actually wants to challenge an unrestrained passenger charge? Seriously. Oh well, I'll just call it practice.

Work is going pretty well. My secretary came into my office this morning and asked if I was still thinking of leaving. It's nice to have people want me to stick around so much. Don't I feel special. Anyway, not much else to say. Until next time.

You're Never Too Sick for New Shoes

I'm a bit under the weather today. Sore throat, groggy head. I'm praying it doesn't get much worse. Other than that, things are good. Work is constant, but not overwhelming. A couple of weeks ago, I got to spend a week in Austin for what is affectionately called "baby prosecutor school." It was great meeting young prosecutors from all over the state. I may have even made a connection with an attorney at the Harris County DA's office. Unfortunately, a major ice storm hit Austin that same week, and I was pretty much locked inside the hotel. It was still nice to get away from the work grind. Last night I participated in a teleclass with Kimberly Wilson, yoga instructor and author of Hip Tranquil Chick. I've never done anything like a teleclass before, so it was kind of neat. It was short, so she couldn't delve too deeply into the topics, but at the end she opened up the forum to questions and I realized people were there from Ohio, DC, and tons of other places. It's amazing how she has connected with so many people all over the county.

Anyway, I'm off because, in spite of my sickness, I must go shoe shopping!