Blog Closed, For Now…

After giving this a lot of thought, I’ve decided that keeping up two separate blogs is a bit too much for me right now.  Since my main focus (and much of my free time) is spent thinking about and practicing weight loss, Bella on the Beach is going to be the blog that I concentrate on.

As many of you can tell, I’ve been writing less and less frequently on this blog, and writing on an almost daily basis on the other one.  So, for now (until I’ve completed my weight loss journey, I guess) I’m only going to keep that one going. I’ll still leave this up so that new visitors can read the archives, and I’m sure someday I’ll be back.

This was the blog that started it all, and it will always be close to my heart.  This is my 327th post, and I’ve poured a lot of my heart out onto these pages.  I’ve also made some great blogging buddies, and I appreciate everyone who’s commented.

I wish you all the best, and look forward to seeing you on Bella on the Beach.

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!!!

I’ve noticed recently that when I make comments on Facebook, other people’s blog posts, etc. I am using a ton of exclamation points.  It’s sort of worrisome, because exclamation points are not something that should be overused, and as an English teacher, I should know better.

On the other hand, maybe my use of many exclamation points just shows how energetic and passionate I am? When I use them, it’s usually after writing something supportive, encouraging, or congratulatory.  Or, to show how much I enjoyed something I’ve been doing.  I don’t use them a lot in my “normal” writing (emails and letters), but I do use them quite a bit on the blogs.

I know this isn’t hard-hitting stuff I’m writing about today, but I’ve been noticing it, and thought I’d write about it.

What’s your take?  Do you use a lot of exclamation points when you write?  Do you think they’re overused?

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Update: Getting a Life

Ever since I started my weight loss blog, I’ve been writing much less frequently on this one.  Because weight loss is my main focus (almost like a part-time job), it makes sense that I have more to write about that topic than any other.  Still, sometimes I feel badly that this blog, the one I started blogging with, gets pushed back to second-class citizen status.

One thing that seems appropriate to write about here is how I’ve been doing on my quest to “get a life.”  Last August, I wrote a post where I vowed to take back my life and stop living to work instead of just working to live.

I’m happy to report that I am now a reformed workaholic.

It wasn’t easy.  At first I felt like I was really sloughing off on my duties at work.  “I really should go to the play this weekend.” “The students would really like it if I went to that football/basketball/soccer game,” etc.  Instead of feeding into this guilt trip I was laying on myself, I just said no.  I took myself off of the numerous committees I had been serving on and kept only those that I felt were the most important.

Did I feel like I was out of the loop?  Yes.  Did I crave being “in the know” the way I was when I served on lots of different committees and attended tons of school events?  Sure, sometimes.  But that feeling of being slightly out of the dialed in group was well worth the time and energy I found now that I wasn’t spending so much time and effort at work.

It was a strange year for me because CTLB, my best friend at school and one of my best friends in life, left.  I felt a lot lonlier than I had in the past 4 years, when were were “joined at the hip.”  But before you start feeling too sorry for me, I do have an amazing group of friends at school, and we all eat lunch together every day, so it’s not like I sit alone in my classroom and grade papers while I eat a stale sandwich.  (That would never, ever be me, by the way).  We also had a new principal this year, and that made for a lot of changes.  Good changes, but still, there were a lot of things going on this year that left me feeling out of sorts a lot of time time.

But my life outside of the work day was fantastic!  I found that I had tons of free time, and I used it to try new activities, reach out to old friends and make some new ones, spend lots more time with my family, and just enjoy myself by doing whatever I wanted to do – riding my bike, reading a great (or trashy) book, watching movies, cooking, etc.

It seemed idyllic until the school said they were looking for someone to teach a “summer school after school” class.  I saw dollar signs and knew that if I taught the class I would have the money I needed for a down payment on my new car AND I wouldn’t have to work this summer.  So, beginning after February break, I gave up 60 hours+ of free time and taught the class.  (This may not sound like a lot, but this is on top of teaching 5 other classes.  Not to mention grading and prepping for 6 classes).  It is something that I’m glad I did (for the money), but will never do again.  It’s just not worth giving up that much of my life.

All in all, I loved having my life back.  I felt like I was a better teacher because I could look at things from a well rested, happy point of view.  I plan on doing more of the same this coming school year.  Actually, it should be even better because I’m only teaching one honors class, which will dramatically cut down on my paperload.  Can’t wait.

Ok, enough writing, time to get out there and LIVE!

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Still here…just less often

Regular readers of this blog may be wondering why my writing has been so infrequent.

Last year (December 2007), I started a weight loss blog as a way for me to write about my journey.  What began as a secondary blog to share my weight loss stats has turned into a primary blog with a community of weight loss bloggers who offer me amazing support and encouragement.

Living a healthy life has become the primary focus of my life.  This encompasses weight loss, exercising, trying new recipes, attending WW, and celebrating all the little victories that add up to huge success on the scale and beyond.

I guess you could say that taking care of myself and losing weight have become a sort of hobby for me. But the word “hobby” doesn’t even begin to cover what embarking and continuing on this journey means to me.  It’s all-encompassing, and it feels amazing.

Which means that if you want to read my writing on a daily (or almost daily) basis, you should bookmark Bella on the Beach, my weight loss blog.

I’ll still be writing here, but it will be less frequent.  I want to save this blog for truly amazing, inspiring, funny, and poignant things that happen in my life. Sometimes, these things happen several times a week; other times, they may happen only a few times a month.

Life is good, and I couldn’t be happier.

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Gradingpalooza currently in progress

I have tons of grading to get through this weekend, so I won’t be writing until Monday  at the earliest.  Do you have any idea how difficult it is to grade when the weather outside is in the 70s?  HARD!!  Between wanting to do just about anything but grade and all of the procrastination possibilities online and around my house, I’m going to need to work hard to keep focused on the task at hand, let me tell you!

Please send me good grading vibes this weekend.  I’m definitely going to need it.

In the mean time, check some of the fantastic bloggers in my blogroll.

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Finally Friday

I know I haven’t written a real post on here in a while.  Not sure exactly why that is, other than the fact that I’ve been writing a lot more on my weight loss blog, and sometimes it’s hard to come up with content for both.  Or, the other obvious reason, because there hasn’t been a whole lot worth writing about going on in my life. 

So, I thought I’d do a quick recap/update of some of the things I’ve been doing

• I’ve been sticking to my Back to School Plan of staying 2 hours everyday after school to get my work done, rather than grading at home, on the weekends, and pulling all-nighters.  So far I’ve been really successful.  We just had grades due on Monday, and normally my weekend would’ve been stressful and I would’ve spent hours and hours grading.  Instead, I only spent about an hour grading my last 10 book reports that I hadn’t finished. It’s so nice to get home around 4:30 or 5pm everyday knowing that I have left school at school.  I know I have the entire evening stretched out ahead of me, and I can do whatever I want to with the time.  Weekends too.  It’s been great!
• On that note of having more free time, I really need to get some hobbies.  The last two years I have had almost no free time, so this idea of having idle time is sort of getting to me.  I know that I could/should use the time to workout, and I want to do that.  It’s just that reading a book on the couch sounds so much more fun than working out, ya know?  I think I’m going to tell myself that once I’ve been going to the gym or doing some other form of activity (bike riding, doing exercise DVDs, going for a walk, etc.) at least 5 days a week to start, then and only then can I entertain the idea of doing some other hobby.  Because the main goal I have in my life right now is to lose weight, so I feel like most of my efforts should be focused on that, if at all possible.  Ok, this bullet point was a good little pep talk for me.  🙂
• I joined eHarmony, but so far, the results have been nothing to write home about.  Or write a blog about.  None of the guys that are my “matches” are people I would want to go out with.  Not that they have anything wrong with them, per se, but they either live too far from me, are too old for me (11 years older is too old, I think), and seem to be in a different place in life than I am.  I paid for 3 months, so I’m hoping some diamond in the rough stands out and he and I decide we want to at least go on a date.  So far, I haven’t even entertained that idea with any of my so-called matches.  Ugh. 
• Any ideas of other places I can meet a nice guy? 
• The library has become my new favorite haunt.  I’ve been going at least once a week to return books and pick up new ones.  I’m like a reading machine.  I’ve always been an avid reader, but over the past two years I didn’t have as much time to devote to reading for pleasure, because I had so many things to read for my Masters program.  It’s so nice to read anything I want again.  You can click on my Goodreads link in my sidebar to see what I’ve been reading lately.  Mostly chick-lit because sometimes you just need to get lost in the fantasy, right?
• Now that I joined Weight Watchers, and I’m  eating real food again, I’ve been able to start cooking!  I’ve come to find out how much I really love cooking.  I want to start spending more time pouring over recipe books, creating meals and showing off my culinary creativity.  So much fun!!
• I’ve been enjoying spending time with friends and family.  Every weekend since school started I have been able to spend time with my parents, my sister, my nieces, and/or my friends.  It’s been great.  I’ve spent spa days, had cocktails, hosted a book club, gone to several dinners, and had lots of quick coffee/catch-up sessions.  I love reconnecting with all of my favorite people. 

So, that’s what’s been going on with me.  Nothing overly exciting, but all good things.  I’m enjoying the quieter side of life right now.  I’m learning to live life at a bit of a slower pace and enjoy each day.

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Home Sweet Home

I got home at 2am on Thursday night/Friday morning, and I was too tired to think.  I was so happy that I had spent all that time cleaning the house before I left, because there’s nothing better than coming home from a trip to a spotless house.

I dragged all my bags into the house and was about to get changed for bed, when a thought occurred to me.  I was about to get into a welcoming bed with wonderfully clean sheets, and I was feeling less than fresh.  Spending more than 13 hours in airports and on planes can do that to you.  So, at 2:30am, I decided to take a shower and wash the day away.

It was the best decision I could’ve made.  As I crawled into my clean bed at 3am, I knew I was going to have a wonderful night’s sleep.  And I did.

__________________

As much fun as I had on my 10-day trip, I am so happy to be back home.  It’s so nice to be surrounded by the familiar comforts of home after being gone for an extended period of time.  I spent most of Friday and Saturday unpacking, doing load after load of laundry, and uploading over 450 vacation photos.  Oh, and blogging about the last part of my trip.

I had an amazing time on vacation, but it’s always nice to be back home.

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The Smile Award

Geggie gave me the Smile Award.  I was completely surprised, and I have to say, when I read her blog and saw that she’d given it to me, I did smile from ear to ear.  So sweet!  I have learned so many things from reading Geggie’s blog – I found Goodreads.com, a simple way to make homemade body scrubs, and too many scrumptious recipes to count.  

These are the characteristics of the Smile Award, and I feel so great knowing that Geggie thinks this about me.  

1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times–we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids

And, now I get to pass it on!!

These are the rules:

1. The recipient must link back to the award’s creator (http://www.geggieblog.blogspot.com/)
2. You must post these rules if you receive the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to receive the award after receiving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

And the Smile Award goes to…

Joy because she is a friend, not just a blogging buddy.  She remembers my birthday with e-cards, and we’ve always enjoyed a special bond.  When I get to NYC someday, I definitely want to meet up with Joy for coffee or a drink!

Cammy because she is one of the most positive bloggers out there.  She shares so many wonderful tips, and always checks in to my Bella on the Beach blog to check out my weight loss progress.  She’s a great cheerleader to have on your side!

Jen Lancaster because she is sassy, amazing, hilarious, and I can relate to so much of what she writes about.  I know she and I would be friends if we lived near each other.  (On a side note, the other night DRMK told me that Jen Lancaster’s writing style reminds her so much of mine.  I was blown away and very flattered by the thought, although I think Jen is a much better writer than I am.  Still DRMK’s comment inspired me).

Kalyn is an amazing cook, and an inspiration to me as I take on this weigh loss journey.  Her site offers so many cooking tips and delicious recipes, whether you’re following the South Beach Diet or not.  I look at her site several times a week to figure out new ideas for dinner.  

Michelle because I think it’s so cool that she moved to Italy and lives with Italian man whom she met when she moved there.  Plus, she always posts such interesting stories, beautiful pictures, and just seems like a wonderful person.  And the name, Bleeding Espresso?  How can I not love her blog?!!!

So, go check out these bloggers, because once you do, you’ll be hooked!

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Via iPhone

I just found out that WordPress now has an application for the iPhone!

This is so cool because it means I can blog while I’m in Boston. Almost like a travel log.

That’s all for now. I just wanted to test this feature out.

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200th Post!

It’s been a little while since I’ve written because I wanted to wait to write something “brilliant” for my 200th post. Then I started thinking about it and realized that today was a pretty great day, and why not write a bit about that?

Today was what I consider one of those perfect summer weekdays. Yes, I had to work, but things went really smoothly, and I got a lot accomplished. Things are really starting to come together, and I should have no problem finishing my assigned project by my last day, August 1st.

After work, I headed to the bike shop and got Lola a little accessory – a wicker basket! Now her look is complete. She was cute before, but now she’s adorable, don’t you think?

I love the basket because it allows me to carry the essentials with me without having to wear a backpack on my back.

Once I got home from the bike shop, I put the basket on Lola, which was not as complicated as I feared it would be. It actually made me feel good to do this myself, rather than asking my dad or my neighbor to help me.

When I checked the mail, I realized that I received my diploma! It looks so amazing, and I’m so proud of myself for all that I’ve accomplished. My sister gave me a gorgeous frame to put it in, and I can’t wait to hang it later this weekend. I have the perfect spot in mind.

After I ate a quick and healthy dinner (grilled chicken and steamed string beans), I was ready to head down to the Starbucks that’s about a mile and half from my house to meet CBCB and BeachGirl. It took me about 15-20 minutes to get down there, but I felt so confident riding the bike. Plus, I knew how cute Lola looked as I was riding her. Riding the bike really makes me feel so happy to be alive. I know that sounds cheesy, but it’s true. I love that I’m able to move my body, get exercise, and feel so good about myself while doing it.

Chatting with CBCB and BeachGirl about our summers was great. CBCB just got back from a trip to Hawaii and a visit with a friend in central/southern California. BeachGirl also just got back from a trip to Northern California with the youth group at her church. The one thing I miss about working during the summer is the ability to take quick trips like this, but when I weigh it against the money I’m making, it’s worth it, for this summer at least. Next summer I’ll see how I feel (and how much money I’ve saved up during the year).

On my way home, I kept thinking about what a great day this was. The perfect combo of work, exercise, and socializing. A perfectly balanced day. One of those “regular” days that seem far too seldom in my life, but I am working hard to change that. It’s my goal to re-design my lifestyle so that I can fit more of these days into my normal routine, even when school gets back in and things get a lot more hectic. I’m hoping that if I can make it a true change this summer, things will naturally fall into place when school gets back in session.

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I met Jen Lancaster!

Tonight I went to SF (two nights in a row!!) to go to Jen Lancaster‘s book signing for her new book, Such a Pretty Fat.

I was so excited to go to the Books Inc. in the Marina district of SF because it’s been over 2 years since I’ve gone to a book signing, and I love meeting authors and hearing them read from their newest books. Hearing the words spoken by the person who wrote them is like nothing else! Plus, I love hearing their thoughts on life and their interactions with the crowd.

And what a crowd! Lots of big girls who were all about girl-power, the typical SF-types who are overly politically correct, and a bunch of book lovers who couldn’t wait to hear one of their favorite authors speak. The room was buzzing in the minutes before Jen came out. Everyone seemed to know every detail of her life, and were regular readers of her blog.

I myself accidentally happened upon Jen’s blog through another blog I read. How glad I am that I discovered her, because she’s witty, sarcastic, a bit cynical, and struggling to lose weight — all the right ingredients to make a fun night and a great read.

CTLB joined me and told me that this was her first book signing ever! What a cool experience for us to share. Jen Lancaster has to be one of the funniest people I have ever heard. The whole crowd was laughing non-stop as she read from the new novel and answered questions from the audience afterwards. I couldn’t have asked for a better time.

Hearing Jen speak inspired me. I really hope that someday I’ll be able to write a book about some of the funny, touching, and intense things that have happened to me in my life. Why not?! This blog is a good starting place, and I’d really like to take some writing classes to hone the craft even further.

When it was finally my turn up at the signing table, Jen said, “Wow, you look just like every member of my family.” I asked her if she was Italian, and she said yes. “Well, half Sicilian.” And I said, “the best half. Or, at least, that’s what my mom would say!” She laughed and chatted a bit more with me. How cool is that? I told her I bet we were probably somehow related, as all Italians seem to be.

CTLB took some great pictures of the book signing, although it was hard to get good shots through the crowd of people who were there to hear Jen.

Here’s one of Jen signing the book for me. (Those eyebrows, black hair, and nose, wearing black? That’s me!! Nice cropping, huh? Gotta maintain the anonymity).

I thought it was cute that Jen was standing under a book called Smile, and a bunch of books from the ultra-princess-y Nancy series.

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Week off wrap-up

I had this last week off, and I had all sorts of plans for how I was going to fill my time. Some of them fun, some of them work, but all of them helping me get organized and ready for the long haul that I have ahead of me before Spring Break. (At this point in the school year, it’s all about living for the next week off!)

I didn’t get as much accomplished as I had hoped, but mostly this was because I made sure to take plenty of time for me.

I watched movies: Once, Dogfight, Jane Austen Book Club (from Netflix) and Juno (in the theatre).

I read: Lucia, Lucia and Rococo (I was on an Adriana Trigiani kick), and more of Into the Wild. Plus all of my daily blog reads (found on the blogroll).

What I didn’t read and should’ve: my book club pick Water for Elephants (I guess my Tuesday evening is suddenly free now) and some articles for grad school. I will make sure to get to the articles before I go to bed, since class meets tomorrow.

I did grad school work: CTLB and I spent 5 hours on Tuesday working on our action research project (thesis). It was great to accomplish so much, and just reinforces what a great team we make.

I forgot to pay my grad school fees: The 2nd installment of my fee payment was due on Monday, but it totally slipped my mind. By Friday the university completely dropped me from all of my classes! Yes, you read that correctly – I’m disenrolled. Ugh! So now I have to pay a $150 fine and go through some rigamaroll to get re-enrolled, but I guess I have no one to blame for myself. Good thing I have the money, including the extra for the fine, so this should just be a matter of going to the student services office and turning in paperwork and a payment.

I dined: I went out with friends twice this week. Thursday night to the Afgani restaurant and last night to a great Mediterranean place with CBCB (who was just back from Paris) and BeachGirl. I also went to The Counter, but since I ate that at home, that probably doesn’t count. Tonight I’m headed to my parents’ house for a mini-Oscar party. My mom has all sorts of “small bites” that she made for us to eat while we watch the Oscars (and judge the dresses).

I worked out: I went four times this week, which is a lot for me. I never made it to Club One as I had planned, but that’s ok. I’ve decided that I don’t need to join a chi-chi club; 24 Hour Fitness is great for my needs, plus it’s a whole lot cheaper.

I cleaned: I did the normal house chores and laundry, but I never made it to fully organizing all of my files and my new bookcase. The books are all organized, but I have a bunch of stationary and binders that I wanted to get set up. This will be finished before the end of this week — it sounds like a great weeknight project.

I cooked: I tried a couple of new recipes that turned out really well. I didn’t go through all of my great new recipe books and mark the ones I’d like to try, but again, this sounds like a great weeknight project.

I blogged: I wrote quite a few posts on this blog and my weight loss blog, and it felt great. I love having the time to write, a luxury I rarely have during the hectic work week.

I erranded: Ok, so I know this isn’t a word, but it seems like it should be. I ran a bunch of errands this week, which was great.

I decided: I made the decision that I will work this summer again. I was looking forward to having the summer off, but practically and financially it makes a lot more sense for me to work again. After I pay my parents back, the rest of the money will be fun money, which is always nice. Hopefully I’ll have lost so much weight by August that I need to buy a whole new wardrobe!!

I relaxed: Most days I slept in until at least 9:30, which is so strange for me. Even on the weekends, I’m usually up by 7:30, so this was really a treat. It also caused me to go to bed really late, but hey, that’s what vacations are all about, right?

All in all, I feel good about how I spent this week. I was able to find a nice balance between work and play. I can’t ask for more than that.

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Bloganniversary

Today is my Bloganniversary. 1 year ago today I started this wordpress blog, and it has been such a joy for me. I’d been blogging for a couple of years when I decided to start this new blog here. I’ve always loved to write, and it started out with long emails to my friends about things that had been going on in my life.

Once blogging became more accessible, I decided to start one, and loved it. It was a way for me to connect with so many people, most that I’d never meet. Even though so many of the people who read this blog (and my previous one) are people I don’t know, I feel like we’re kindred spirits. I read their blogs and feel like I know a bit about them from what they’ve shared.

I don’t feel that anything I say is that profound, but to me, it’s a creative outlet. I love coming up with things to write about, even when life is rather dull and dreary. Blogging allows me to look at my life from a different perspective and share it with others who may find some glimmer of themselves in the words I write. That’s powerful.

I’ve written 136 posts (137 with this one), and my “best day ever” according to the stats counter was then 189 people viewed my blog. That doesn’t seem like a lot to people with huge, well-known blogs, but for someone like me who started this as a way to express what I was thinking and feeling, it seems remarkable.

So for those of you who have read this blog for a long time, thank you. To those who have just discovered it, welcome.

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Got the January blahs? I’ve got just the thing for you…

Today we’re having our first major rainstorm of the year.  And this isn’t just any little rainstorm.  The winds are about 35-40 mph with heavy rains.  I woke up at least 3 times last night because of the wind and the sound of tree branches falling all over the place. Wild, I tell you.

I love the rain, and love to be inside during a storm, but some of you out there may be feeling a bit of the winter blahs, right?

Well, I’ve got just the thing for you.  Go to Geggie’s blog and enter her Pay It Forward contest.   Be sure to tell her who referred you.  I love the idea of a Pay it Forward contest, because it just spreads good karma.  Plus, it seems like a great way to get your blog out there for people to see and comment on.  So many people “lurk” on blogs but few ever take the time to write a comment.

So, take a few moments and go enter the contest.  While you’re at it, why don’t you leave a comment or two on my blog, too!!

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On the last day of the year…

I can look back on 2007 and feel a mixture of sadness and joy, as with all years worth living, I suppose. A few things that stick out for me:

January: Lots of grading, going out with friends, and grad school work. A pretty nice balance, all in all.

February: Mr. Done broke up with me on Superbowl Sunday, but that would not be the last I heard (or saw) of him. I was so devastated that day, but now I think that he did me a huge favor, because he was not even close to be “the one.” February 20th was the date I started this Bella Blog, and it’s been a source of so much joy for me.

March: This was the worst month of last year for my family and me. My beloved uncle died on March 17th and our lives were forever changed. He was only 53 years old, and it was a huge shock for all of us. He had been in the hospital since the previous November, and he doctors told us he would never be back to the person he was before he got ill. I’d call it a blessing, but losing him is definitely nothing but a tragedy. He touched all of our lives in such a profound way, and I think about him all the time. It doesn’t seem real to me that he’s gone, but I hope to honor his memory every day.

April: The only good thing about April was that I had a week long break and CTLB had a birthday. Other than that, my month was spent doing things for grad school and work. No moments out enjoying “April showers,” unfortunately.

May: This month I went to a few weekday happy hours at a local wine shop, which were fun. This month also marked the end of my first year of graduate school. I breathed a huge sigh of relief that I was halfway through and had several months off.

June: School’s out! Freedom reigns… well, until I started my summer fellowship working at a huge, international company. The extra money helped me enjoy the summer a bit more, and led me to find balance. Working a “normal” job allowed me to see family and friends a lot more often than when school is in. I need to change that, somehow.

July: Any month that has my birthday and the 4th of July within two days of each other is a great month! I started taking the Buddhism in a Nutshell classes to explore a new philosophy/religion that I’ve been interested in for some time. This was also the month that I really began exercising (walking, pedometer, working out) in earnest. Lots of nights out with friends this month, as well.

August: The beginning of the month brought huge changes to my duplex — new couch, new paint in most of the rooms, and a new duvet. All the redecorating helped me turn this house into a home. Lots of nesting this month. August 7th was the night that Barry Bonds hit THE HOMERUN. I never expected to see it in person, yet by the luck of being Italian (it was Italian Heritage Night at the Giants’ stadium) it was destiny. Of course, school also started back up this month — the beginning of my 4th year at my current school.

September: Grad school and teaching are in full swing and the wonderful sense of balance that I felt in the summer is long gone. This was the beginning of my most difficult and demanding semester of grad school yet.

October: No major highlights, just working, going to school, and trying to see friends/family in the few moments of free time.

November: See above. Continuing the juggling act, although the ball marked “fun, family, and friends” seems to get dropped.

December: A month of significant changes. I began the South Beach Diet and started myself on the path of weight loss. The 3rd semester of grad school came to a close, with only one more to go! Lots of time spent with family and friends, well at least during the last week of the month, thanks to Christmas Vacation. Working out and yoga also became a new lifestyle for me this month.

All in all, not my most fun-filled or exciting year. Some pretty major things occurred, but looking back, many of the days were spent doing mundane things. I don’t want to repeat another year like this. I want to try to attain more balance to my days (and nights) and make more memories along the way.

December 31st is always a great day to take stock of the year that’s about to end and look forward to the coming year. I have said that 2008 is going to be the “new me” year, and I mean it. In fact, I’m not making any new year’s resolutions, only New Me Resolutions this time around.

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