ladyamber: (Default)
I can really tell I'm hitting my 27th year of life. My body's falling to pieces.

Two things have precipitated this opinion. For the last week, my shoulder has been aching to the point I can't move it very well anymore. Moving paperwork at work actually makes me cringe. This past weekend, I actually asked my mom to give me a Cortisone shot (steroid injection designed to reduce inflammation when injected in joints, for those who aren't aware of what Cortisone is), which took care of a lot of it. And now I'm on glucosamine for my joints. Great.

The second thing that's just driving me crazy are my teeth. I have horrible teeth, I always have. I inherited my mother's soft enamel, and since I haven't had consistent dental coverage for years, I also haven't been able to get regular maintenance on my teeth. Which means it's not surprising I had two molars crack on me.

The entire right side of my face hurts off and on right now, thanks to the damage. I'm probably in for a lot of root canals, if they don't just yank them and put in implants. If I can afford them. While my husband and I are doing a lot better financially since he got a job as a caregiver, it's still going to take a long time to pay for this.

And the pain's getting worse. So, guess who gets to call the dental college in the morning to set up an appointment? =_= Joy and rapture.

ladyamber: (Default)
I don't talk a lot about what goes on in my life. I guess I don't really think that the little bits of my everyday existence are worthy of documentation, I guess.

I'm still on my diet, and I've lost 40 pounds. I'm actually back to the weight I was when I met the hubby, which is rather nice. :3 I fit back into twelves, which feels like quite an accomplishment! I still have another 30-40 pounds to go, but I'm feeling quite a bit better since starting it.

Things... haven't been going that well fiscally, unfortunately. I'm still working the long-term temp job, and the hubby actually got a job as a caregiver this month, but we're still fighting to stay afloat. So... I'm going back to school. Taking an online course for medical coding and billing, which should pay a helluva lot more than my current positions. And if I'm going to be doing oodles of paperwork like I do now, it'd be nice to get paid the going rate.

So.... that's what's going on in the World of the Squirrel right now. Don't know if I should update more often, but given I did the first module of my course this evening, it felt like a good time to do it.

Medifast

Aug. 4th, 2012 11:33 am
ladyamber: (Default)
I have officially lost 13 pounds since starting this change. I feel a lot more energetic, and OMG my pants fit! YAY! This makes me happy.

I am getting tired of drinking most of my meals, though. Thankfully, I won't have as many shakes with my next order as I did with this one, so that'll change. I'm looking forward to the Chocolate chip cookie bake I'm getting.

Besides the diet, I'm feeling better about things in general. The hubby's meds are getting changed, and we're finally caught up on bills without asking for help from family. You have no idea how happy this makes me, and it leaves me very, very relaxed.

Also, my temp job got extended through the end of August. Hopefully, they'll hire me outright afterwards. **crosses fingers** We can hope, right?

I hope everyone out there's having a great day!
ladyamber: (Default)
So I kinda sorta stopped posting the foods I've had during the day because I was at work and such. Doesn't really conform to an obsessive paying attention to what I put in my body. Regardless, though, I've lost seven pounds on this plan, and feel a lot better than I have in months. So, yay!

Though last night I went off the plan for an evening. Barbecue put on by my workplace, followed by an hour of intense beach volleyball. I think I worked off the extra carbs I inadvertently put in my system, yeah?

Regardless, I'm back on plan this morning, starting with a shake and working my way to BBQ bites. It'll take a bit to get back to the ketosis, but I'm willing to work at it. I feel too good to want to stop with this diet after only a week.
ladyamber: (Default)
Today started really well with my morning weigh-in.

4 pounds. Gone. Just *pfft!* Nowhere to be found.

So that made me quite happy. :3 Anyway! On to meals!

Meal 1: French Vanilla Ready-to-Go shake
I wanted something easy, and let's face it, you don't get much easier than shake 'n' drink. Still not the best in the world, but drinkable.

Meal 2: BBQ Bites
These actually took me awhile to eat, but just because there's so many of 'em in the package. They're sort of like BBQ-flavored puffs, and pretty tasty. They're just also filling enough that it's hard to snack through a whole bag like you do with, say, chips. Or popcorn. Or cheese puffs. I don't like 'em as well as the pretzel bites, though. Maybe I'll try the cheesy nacho bites next month.

Meal 3: Swiss Mocha Shake
IT'S LIKE A BLENDED COFFEE DRINK. I made it with ice and blended it in the blender, and OMNOMNOM! SO HAPPY! I get excited about the small things sometimes. :3

Meal 4: Chocolate Mint Crunch Bar
...what? I wanted something cookie-ish. :3

Optional Snack: Celery with peanut butter
I actually didn't know this yesterday, but if I get really hungry, there are a few snackies I can have. This is one of them. Mmm, tasty.

Lean & Green: Baked Chicken with Fresh Spinach
I'm a bigger fan of spinach than I am of most iceberg lettuce, and there was a lot of fresh spinach at the store today. So yay, spinach! Oof, full.

Meal 5: Peanut Butter Soft Serve
A bit more trouble than it's worth as far as preparation is concerned, but incredibly tasty for all that. On the fence about getting this again.
ladyamber: (beauty)
Today, I started on a lifestyle change.

I refuse to call this thing a "diet," because it's really not. I'm changing how and what I eat, as well as how active I am, and what I think of myself. I'm doing this thing because, to be frank, I'm sick and tired of feeling sick and tired, yanno?

So. Day 1.

Weighed myself in at 210 pounds. I really wasn't surprised I'd broken the 200 pound barrier; as I said, not feeling good, right?

With the beginning stage of this lifestyle change, I have to eat these "meals" I get from Medifast. Five of them a day, and a "Lean and Green" meal as well for the 5&1 plan. Now, before people start flailing at me, these aren't something I'll always and forever have to eat. It's just to get me through the fat-burning stage, and I'll be able to be entirely on normal food when I hit maintenance. As for the fat-burning, the meals are developed so that I get around 72 grams of protein a day, so while I'm burning off fat, I don't lose lean muscle, which is what happens when someone starts to yo-yo.

Anyway. Because these meals are a little odd and could taste weird, I think I'll go ahead and rate them here. It'll definitely remind me what I like, at least.

Meal 1: Eggs, scrambled.
Not particularly thrilled with them. They're bland and the consistency is bizarre (I have issues with texture sometimes, and this is weird enough to set my teeth on edge). And since I really can't add a bunch of salt to get them to taste right, I'm not sure I'll be ordering these again. Blegh.

Meal 2: Cherry Pomegranate Shake
I actually really liked this one. Reminds me a bit of a virgin daiquiri mix, only not so tart that I can't drink it. And blended with ice, it was quite tasty. Definitely going to get this again.

Meal 3: Chocolate Mint Crunch Bar
One thing I'm happy about; the "chocolate" meals on this program have so little actual cocoa powder in them that I can actually eat them. Which is all of the yay. And this particular bar tastes like the peppermint patty cookies you get from the Girl Scouts. Which I adored. This is on my list to reorder, totally. It's candy in a healthy form!

Meal 4: Cinnamon Pretzel Sticks
I was hesitant about this one, because I don't generally like pretzels. They're too salty and dry for me. These pretzel sticks, on the other hand, are relatively fluffy and flavored with cinnamon and a small touch of sugar, and they are incredibly tasty. This will be something I reorder, most definitely.

Lean & Green: Lean Hamburger with Salad
All I can say is: **omnom**

Meal 5: Ready-to-drink French Vanilla Shake
Hrm... about the same as those SlimFast shakes you can get. Not horrible, but I think I like the Dutch Chocolate ones better. The flavor lasts a little longer.

I'm also drinking ALL OF THE WATER EVAR, as I'm quite thirsty for some reason. Shockingly, though, the bloat from my girly time (yes, I'm starting this during girly-time, I'm so weird) is going down rapidly. My capris fit properly, yay!

If people want me to, I'll go ahead and make a weightloss filter for my journal. Please, let me know what you think, and if I should put this all under a cut.

Let's hope this works, eh?

ETA: And before I forget, starting measurements.
Measurements Starting
Right Bicep 14.75 in
Left Bicep 15.25 in
Right Thigh 26.75 in
Left Thigh 26.75 in
Waist 44 in
Bust 43.5 in
Underbust 39.5 in
Neck 15.5 in

...stuff.

Sep. 5th, 2010 08:24 pm
ladyamber: (Default)
Okay, so I've been sort of incommunicado for awhile. This is probably a bad thing, but a lot's been going on.

I've been at my new job for... ten months now. It's been a bit of a rollercoaster, and because of it I actually got some treatment for depression that I'd sort of... ignored... for way too long. Ignoring your mental state is bad, boys and girls. Don't do it.

Anyway, things on the job front are good. I can't talk a lot about it, thanks to HIPAA, but rest assured it's going well. I even got a bit of a raise this last paycheck, yay!

I now have two cats, Simon and Sierra. Sierra's a two-year-old tubgutt whom I love, and Simon's a mini black panther kitty - half Siamese, half black kitty. So cute, and such a little asshole. I'll have to post pics sometime.

Aaron and I are seriously contemplating having kids soon. It comes up a lot in conversation, we just... have to finish with some bills. >.< Damn money problems. However, Aaron is getting his woodworking business off the ground, so hopefully business will be booming soon.

I'm trying to work on my novel again. I'll probably try and write a scene again here tonight. Whee! But as it is, I'm out. Peace, all.
ladyamber: (Default)
...wow, I don't think I've blogged since February. o.O

And it's really late, so don't count this as a blog post. I'll come up with something later. **waves**

Adulthood

Feb. 2nd, 2010 10:09 am
ladyamber: (beat)
For the last 24 hours, I have owned a home.

It feels really weird, being an adult and not only being married, but owning the place where I live. (Well, technically. Yay mortgages!) I don't feel like an adult; I feel like I should be worrying about getting to class, or hanging out with my friends, or taking a really irresponsible trip to somewhere cool and awesome for a weekend. Instead, I'm here at my desk, designing materials for a hospital while intermittently typing this post during brain breaks.

The town where I live is small, all things considered. It's maybe the size of where I went to high school, which originally scared me. Let's face it, I don't really have that great of a track record with small towns. :/ But the people here are incredibly friendly, concerned about my well being, and relatively tolerant of my desires to bring change to the office. ^^;;; That's what I get for having plans regarding making this place more efficient, I guess. My boss is amazing, though, and of everything I'm dealing with right now, work is the least of my worries for the first time since I joined the workforce.

We're looking for a church home right now. The one thing that really gets to me in a small town where I don't know many people is a lack of interaction with other people my age. Let's face it, I'm young -- 24 in less than a fortnight -- and just starting out in this place. With a median age of 40, there's not many young adults in the area for Aaron and I to socialize with, unfortunately. :/

Kids have been on my mind a lot, too. I know it was one of the smartest things I ever did, to wait to have children until I'd been married for longer than a few months, but it's kind of hard to keep waiting. We have credit cards to pay off, though, and some savings to build up before we even start trying. And I don't even know if I can have kids or not. :( Given my history, I really have no idea if I can even get pregnant.

But that's a depressing thought. I'll probably see if I can't post some pictures online later, of the house and how we're decorating it now that we own it. It's really amazing, actually owning my home. Now come the trials and tribulations of keeping it in repair, right? XD It may be 95 years old, but it's a good house.

I should probably get back to work on the lipid poster I'm designing. Whee, informational postings! :D I really do love this job.

Update!

Dec. 15th, 2009 04:15 pm
ladyamber: (Default)
So. I promised an update, and here it is. Right at the end of the year. Whee!

  • Last month, I started a new position at a county hospital. My official title is “Media Outreach Assistant,” and I do everything from printing brochures to writing testimonials to taking photographs to creating ads for newspapers. Pretty much everything I’ve done before now in a job, I now do here. Which is pretty awesome, when you think of how many skill sets I’ve had rusting in my head since January.

  • My husband and I are now in the process (literally, we’re bringing over a load of stuff each trip) of moving to the town where my work is. We got the keys to a nice little two-bedroom bungalow last week, and with my commuting, it’s cheaper to simply take stuff each trip than hire a U-haul. Yay for moving in increments!

  • The deal with our previous apartment has finally been dealt with. Granted, it involved settling, but at least I no longer have to say the words “The Pointe” without thinking of evil apartment companies. Big yay!

  • Ummmmm… I’m still married, with a wonderful husband and a slightly crazy cat, and will soon be out of my in-law’s house. Not that I don't love them, but the hubby and I are ready to be out of the house and on our own. Double yay!


I think that’s everything. Feel free to prod me if I’ve forgotten anything.

What’s up in the World of Everyone Else?
ladyamber: (Default)
I guess that last post's been up long enough. So.... I got the job!

I now work at a county hospital as one of their Outreach personnel. I'll update in more detail later!
ladyamber: (Default)
  1. Research responsibilities of ER nurses Little Details post
    1. See if any responsibilities pertain specifically to male nurses Apparently, mostly brute strength jobs and jobs pertaining to protecting female nurses (being hit on by male patients, etc.)
  2. Timelines
    1. Main Plot
    2. Romantic Subplot
    3. Backstory
  3. Scheduled Scenes
    1. Typical Shift for LP
    2. Meeting LS
    3. Roommate Interactions

o.o

Sep. 9th, 2009 12:34 am
ladyamber: (Default)
I just submitted two projects for consideration to a possible employer.

Freakout in 3... 2... 1...
ladyamber: (Default)
Random Girly TMI. YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED. )


In non-TMI news, I've had an interview at a county hospital here in Iowa... and they want me to come back for a second interview! This time, it'll be one-on-one with the woman who'll be supervising me if I get the job!!!

So! Excited! EEEEEEEE!

**frets**

Jul. 20th, 2009 01:42 pm
ladyamber: (Default)
...wow, it's been a long time since I updated. Guess I should get to work on doing that, huh?

I've been applying to a lot of out-of-state jobs recently. I've had a bite on one; I was given an interview for a position in Minnesota, and am currently waiting for the results from that. I'm also sending out resumes to places in Kansas, California, some other Minnesota companies, and Ohio. I'll probably send resumes to some other states as well.

Iowa's economy is just really sucking, if I'm honest. I've applied for positions here, but there aren't many positions to choose from in the full-time and publishing-journalism-media categories. So I guess this means moving far away... which the folks aren't too keen on, but they understand why the hubby and I are looking into it.

We're in the process of fighting The Pointe and that debacle as well. The collection agency claims it's a valid debt, though they don't have all the information and are completely ignoring Iowa law. We'll see what happens with that, but I hope it finishes soon.

As for an update on Sierra the TerrorCat, she's doing wonderfully. She's been fixed, and we also finally got rid of the worms she had, so she's bulked up to a health 10-12 pounds or so, and has grown a couple inches in length. She's also rowdy as hell; the in-laws have nicknamed "Rumbledy-Thumps the WereCat" when she runs around upstairs, and it's a fairly accurate nickname. She's probably going to be ticked at me this evening, since I've been gone all weekend.

So what's going on in all of your lives? I wanna know!

First post!

May. 4th, 2009 03:59 pm
ladyamber: (Default)
Work is very slow at the moment, so I guess I'll go ahead and post while I have some down-time.

So far, Dreamwidth is shaping up to be similar to Livejournal, save that there are fewer options and it's in open beta testing. Pretty cool, honestly, as it took me a bit to get in on Livejournal back when I got mine several years ago.

Life's been pretty good lately. I got hired less than a month ago at my current job, as a receptionist and data entry person for the local CW broadcast station. Meaning I get to enter orders and, when I'm not doing that, answer phones/watch TV in the lobby. It's a little slow up front today, so whee, Dreamwidth blogging.

The new cat is doing excellently. She had her shots last Friday, and I'll be heading down to pay the rest of her bill at the end of the week, when I get paid. It's nice, having a pet again, and even better to have a cat that I can handle without my sinuses exploding. Hopefully, I can develop a bit of a tolerance to other cats by owning one that doesn't trigger me as badly.

Not a whole lot else is going on, so I'll go back to surfing Yahoo for a bit. Those of you who know me from Livejournal, feel free to friend. I may use this as more of a writing journal. Dunno yet. But at the very least, this one will most likely stay open to the public for now.
ladyamber: (face!palm)
It's my first full day being unemployed, and I'm already really sick of it. My husband and I have had to wrestle with our apartment complex (They want almost four months' worth of rent in notice and fees! WE CANNOT AFFORD THIS.), we've been calling Iowa Legal Aid and I've tried to get enrolled with the Iowa Workforce, we're still completely unsure of when we're moving, and good luck trying to get a job where we currently live. GAH, so annoying!

Since the hubby and I can't do anything about anything until Monday, when we tell the apartment complex they're welcome to try and get blood out of a turnip, but turnips still don't bleed, we're currently at his parents' place. I've decided that having no hobbies and focusing entirely on work is not particularly healthy for my sanity, and thus may pick up crocheting sometime soon. Still looking for work, anywhere is preferable at this point.

Though I must say, it was very strange not worrying about the shift I was originally supposed to cover for the night. :D
ladyamber: (Default)
Today, the United States and most of the world watched in wonder as the first African-American was sworn into the highest elected office in this nation. It was riveting, and exciting, and no one will forget where they were when it happened.

I know I won't. I was waiting to find out if I still had a job.

This afternoon, at 2pm, ClearChannel radio terminated my position at the local AM radio station, along with three other workers. My position was the most expendable on the AM side; while I did do board operator work, my main role was as a reporter, which ClearChannel no longer needed as they are weeding out local news coverage. I was given my last three weeks' worth of pay, and a nice severance package for the next couple pay cycles.

Tomorrow, while millions of people wait to see how Obama's first full day in office goes, I will be speaking with my apartment complex, packing boxes, and trying desperately to find employment in an economy already drained to the dregs. My husband and I will be moving in with my mother-in-law, and trying to get our feet back underneath us.

I'm actually rather excited about the prospect. My previous job was the only thing holding my husband and I in the area, and now that it's gone, I see several doors opening. But that doesn't mean anything in the next couple months is going to be easy.
ladyamber: (Default)
The mere existance of such legal idiocy as this makes my soul cry.

This story is so patently ridiculous that I can only hope these idiots learn from it. Otherwise.... I think the label of humans being the most intelligent species on the planet is going to default to the dolphins.
ladyamber: (baby!al)
Since I'm currently the only person in the apartment, I've gotten very bored. Bored enough to try some baking.

I'm making cherry bonbons. Probably not the best thing for me, but they feel pretty festive. I could probably take them to work tomorrow or something.

Merry Christmas, everyone!

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