Sunday, December 19, 2010

Happy holidays!

Alrighty. Long time, no write. I’m getting back on this horse. Not the fitness horse. No siree. I haven’t fallen off that horse. Just the blogging horse … as have all of you, I might add. What’s up, ladies? What’s going on?

Here’s what’s happening here. This has been the most stressful semester of my life. Why, you might ask?

1. Job change. I took a pay cut and got WAY MORE RESPONSIBILITY than my previous job. The hours I put in this semester are not sustainable (for me, anyway) long term. I was putting in 10-12 hours a day Monday through Friday, and taking home 5-10 hours of work on the weekends. It was complete crap. But I am optimistic that I can make some positive changes to improve my quality of life and reduce my hours in coming semesters.

2. Living apart from my spouse. Again. This time it was four months, and we had an end date (mid-November), but it was still hard. He’s my best friend, and I missed him.

3. Selling our (lovely!) home in a terrible market. It’s not official yet, but it is under contract with a closing date of Jan. 20. We’re happy about the possibility of getting out from the under the responsibility of owning a home in another state and getting our lives started here, but we’re also very aware of the financial pain this house sale is causing us. Trent and I have agreed not to discuss numbers with anyone, which is probably a good idea. It’s pretty damn embarrassing, and it’s going to hurt us for awhile. But we’re hoping that the move is worth it … being closer to our families, living in a smaller city. It’ll work out.

So this semester has had a bit of suck to it. It’s also had some highlights (see previous post). But one thing that has kept me going (even when I was seriously wondering what the hell we were thinking when we decided to move back here) was my regular workouts.

I’ve been swimming, running, lifting weights, walking, and/or biking for at least 60-75 minutes most days of the week. And that physical exertion has been my saving grace, I think, particularly now that it’s getting cold outside and I can’t spend as much time outdoors. It’s been a way to take my mind off of work, finances, and missing my honey (who’s actually back in Georgia right now, waiting to find out if the home inspection will require any additional work on the house – I hope not!!).

So, I hope you’re all getting ready for a lovely holiday this week. I’m planning to enjoy some eggnog, iced sugar cookies, and homemade chex mix. What are you all going to enjoy?

I know Honor’s going to enjoy spending time with her third grandchild. Congratulations, Honor! Love to you all!!

2 comments:

Honor Louise said...

Hi! It sounds like you had a lot of stress this semester. I am glad that all the physical activity helped you cope with everything. I hope you enjoyed the holidays. I drank some eggnog, ate sugar cookies,and plenty of other goodies in December. The Problem with that is, I was not running, biking or swimming an hour a day. Solution? Once again, I am going to join Pound Plunge. This is a program offered by the Hays Wellness Center to help people eat healthier and lose weight. Participants must be members of a team of four people. Our team has been named The Sassy Seniors. I do my initial weigh in this coming Thursday. Ugh! I am going to hate that. I have to weigh in once a week until the program ends. Losing weight is very humbling. I plan to exercise more too.

I hope this year will not be as stressful as 2010. You deserve a break. Let's just believe that things will settle down.

I am happy to be a Grandma again. I enjoyed the time I spent with my grandchildren. Thanks for your well wishes.

Here's to healthy living.

Katie Cramer said...

Thanks for your reply, Honor! I'm writing after finishing some homemade doughnuts ... mmmmm, good.

The Pound Plunge sounds like a motivating opportunity to take charge of your health. I hope you'll keep us updated on your progress!! You can do it!!

What kinds of exercises do you plan to do, particularly in the winter? Does the Wellness Center offer opportunities for physical fitness?

I hope you're staying warm. Snow is moving in to Kansas. :-)