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Friday, March 20, 2009

Networking.. sort of

Today I made the trek to Mira Mesa and Clairemont for some gift buying and supply getting. As I was putting stuff in my car in the Target parking lot, a black car pulled up next to me. I waited for the person to ask me if I was leaving and if they could have my spot. I was ready with the "sorry but i still need to go to babies r us next door".

She remained sitting in her vehicle while the following conversation ensued:

Lady: Do you live around here?
Me: NO, i don;t
Lady: Don't worry, I'm not asking for directions. I mean do you live in San Diego County
Me: well, yes
Lady: Are you currently employed or looking to change your career
Me: yes, I am employed
Lady: Where?
Me: I am a 911 Dispatcher
Lady: are you considering a career change?
Me: No. I love my job.
Lady: well i am a business owner that is new to san diego (blah blah blah blah)

Hmm not the typical questions one would expect. I just kept thinking to myself.. could anyone really take this person seriously when she pulled up next to them in a vehicle, didn't even step out of the vehicle and was wearing a t-shirt. I didn't realize that parking lot stalking was a form of networking for your business. Why not stand out front of a grocery store with the Girl Scouts.

Strangely enough, when I was finished in Babies R Us and returned to my car, she was there again! She was talking to the women in the car next to mine and they were actually giving her their phone number. For their sakes (eventhough I don't know them) I hope this lady is legit.

Wednesday, March 18, 2009

Lessons Learned

Today was the day.. taxes. My stomach was in knots all night. What would this year bring? Last year I ended up paying $2200. Not a fun thing by any means. I felt hopeless and scared and wondered how in the world I would pay that off. My tax guy, Kenneth, saved me from drowning in my tears by giving me some suggestions on how to improved this years outlook.

So last year I walked away from Summit Financial with a baby bit of hope. I came home and immediately made some changes. I changed my tax with holdings, donated to a few charities, joined the Susan G Komen breast cancer walk and started volunteer work with the San Diego Burn Institute.

It is amazing that a few suggestions and a little bit of follow-through can change someone's life in so many ways. I started living a little differently. I watched my income more, made charitable contributions and kept track of mileage to all training and volunteer events.

Those small changes made a huge difference this year. Thankfully I am getting a refund. When I pulled out my tax information for Kenneth, his face lit up. He "oo'd" and "ahh's" over the spread sheets I made. I explained that I had taken his suggestions to heart and made some changes. He was so excited and expressed how proud he is of me.

Volunteering for the Burn Institute has certainly changed my life. I love it. The kids, the other volunteers, burn run and fire expo.. I've learned so much from each thing. The Breast Cancer walk was a life changing event and I can't wait to do it again this year and get other people involved. Who knew you could learn so much from getting your taxes done!

So to all who feel like hope is lost, take a step back, make a few changes if needed and press on. Things will always get better. Learn from the past, don't regret it.

Monday, March 16, 2009

The Big Flub

Cake baking consists of many things including cramping hands, a sore back, late nights and early mornings. The latest cake was no exception. You see, my Chief is retiring this week so we are throwing him a surprise retirement luncheon on Monday. Of course I offered to do a cake for the event. A delicious chocolate cake with chocolate mousse and raspberry filling.

On Saturday I started building the cake when one of the layers fell apart. So I rushed back to the store to pick up some eggs so I could remake the third layer. I also needed the supplies to make the raspberry filling. I could have bought seedless raspberry preserves to use as the filling. But did I? NO!! The darn perfectionist side of me came out again. So I start making the filling from scratch... running between the kitchen and bathroom.. stir the filling, curl the hair, stir the filling, curling the hair.. (I was getting ready to go see RENT).

Sunday came along and things were going great with the cake. I packaged everything up and brought it to work. I had a good start on it and knew I would have plenty of time to work on it during my shift.

So there I was in the "kitchen" area in the command center chatting on my phone and piping detailed flames along the sides of this cake. The frosting was on but I was smoothing every tiny piece of it with a paintbrush dipped in water. I went to turn the cake to finish the LAST flame when the unthinkable happened.. it fell of the counter. It was like this slow motion movie moment. I threw out my hand but all I got was a handful of frosting. Then I uttered the most horrific words known to any baker " I just dropped the cake". The person on the phone blurted out "NO way!" as did my co-workers. They thought I was joking. Tears welled up and I just stood there silent looking at this crumbled chocolate cake on the floor. My co-workers walked over and we just stood there. It was like a moment of silence for my belated creation. I squeaked out an "I'll call you back" to the person on the phone then proceeded to scoop up the mound of mushed cake and put it in the trash can. A very very sad moment for this baker. I guess everyone that said they couldn't wait to see it are going to have to wait a lot longer..

Saturday, March 7, 2009

Perfectionist

Some say I am too hard on myself or I don't have enough faith in myself. What it comes down to is being a perfectionist. I like to do things right the first time. Sometimes I put undue pressure on myself. This weekend I made a firefighter helmet cake for a friends son. I tried out a new cake recipe, a new frosting recipe and a new design. Big tasks for one birthday cake. The cake recipe is super yummy and turned out great. The shape/design turned out pretty good but I will tweak some things next time. The frosting, however, not so great. It would work better as a filling. The perfectionist side of me came out big time and I spent many hours with a small paint brush trying to make lines perfect and smooth out the troublesome frosting. In the end I was fairly satisfied with the final product. The best part was Gariel running into the room asking me if i made his firefighter cake. He was SO excited! When you have a child's reaction like that, the perfectionist side melts away and joy comes over you. I loved his reaction. Everyone else had a good reaction but his was the best. It reminds me why I make cakes for people. I have 3 more cakes to make this month. Apparently my business is "booming". Check out the lastest pics on my cake blog: http://thecandidcakelady.blogspot.com/

My days off flew by this week! Amongst the cake mania that was taking over my kitchen, I actually had time to scrub down my whole apartment AND go to the gym. Over the last couple weeks "weigh in day" wasn't so great. I didn't lose anything! Friday was a different story. Down 3 more pounds! That's 10 so far..woohoo! Many people have said that you can hit a plataue and that's probably what happened. Thanks for having faith in me but it was pure laziness. I didn't work out nearly as hard or as much and I didn't eat the right stuff or the right amount. I slacked.. big time. This last week was a different story. I got back on track and the scale confirmed that for me. Not losing any weight two weeks in a row was unacceptable in my mind. Again, perfectionist. I've set my mind on a goal and I am determined to get there.

I am doing much better than I was last week. My family and friends have stepped up and really supported me and encouraged me. No one has offered advice on dating or tried to push me to talk about it. They simply tell me they love me. I got some much needed therapy a few days ago when Brian and Katie invited me to go to the park with them. I just can't believe how big Peyton is getting. She's adorable and I loved watching her play at the park. The therapy continued last night when I got endless hugs from Alissa and Justen. I tell you, hugs and kisses from my nieces and nephews are the best therapy in the world. I love them soooo much!

The day I went to the park with Brian and Katie I woke up with the chorus of this song in my head..
"It's a Great Day to be Alive" by Travis Tritt
"And it's a great day to be alive I know the sun's still shinin' when I close my eyes There's some hard times in the neighborhood But why can't every day be just this good?"

Oh how true it is.. It really is a great day to be alive.