1, 2, 3, 4

Sitting on my couch with a cup of coffee and some mini muffins. Kitty purring by my side. Ah, it's good to be home.

A few topics:

1. Work/ Travel:

I have spent 30 out of the last 47 nights away from home. Getting a ton of hotel points, and I've gotten the hang of feeding myself safe gf meals (a meal prep travel kit and the crock pot are game changers), but this is not a sustainable lifestyle. Once I get home, there is so much to do on the weekends that there's hardly any time for fun or relaxation.

2. House projects:

I got home on Friday in the mid-afternoon and mustered up the energy to paint another section of the living room, around the doors. It's hard to tell in the picture but it's now another bright spot in a formerly shadowy area.

I am fairly motivated to finish painting the living room and a couple other small things, because I'm hosting Missy's engagement party in a few weeks. Nothing like a house full of strangers to compel you to wrap up some projects.

Speaking of, I finally got that hole in the eaves repaired. Well, FG and his friend fixed it and it's beautiful. No more worries about critters crawling in there.

3. Health:

Wrapping up this Whole30. Well, technically I think it was 27 days but whatever.

I feel different. I've definitely reset some bad habits that I wanted to break. I had hardly any stomachaches, and my skin is still looking pretty clear. I've also been waking up before my alarm goes off -- Whaaat? I know. I suppose when you don't drink yourself to sleep every night, it becomes easier to get out of bed in the morning.

I have lost some weight. Not just from the Whole30- when I was feeling sick for those few months I lost some weight, and I lost a few more pounds in the last few weeks... I guess there are a lot of calories in alcohol and chocolate.

Although I feel pretty good, I saw a picture of myself recently and I don't like how I look. I think I look sick and I'd like to put some weight back on, in a healthy way. Plus I don't fill in my bras anymore and that's just sucky.

Because I'm not sure what made my skin clear up, I'm going to slowly introduce foods back into my diet and see how it reacts. Maybe, just maybe, I can pinpoint something.

4. Miscellaneous follow ups:

Kitty has started eating again. Steroids seemed to help in the short term. Vet suggested keeping her on a low dose if she stops eating again. So we shall see!

MISSY IS GETTING MARRIED YAY! I'm having fun with this bridesmaid stuff. An excuse to throw several parties? Yeah, I'm okay with that.

All right, massive to-do list is calling. Maybe I can get it all done in time for this restorative yoga class at 4:45.

halfway point

Day 15 of this Whole 30 and I'm currently wishing I was sipping on a glass of good red wine.

The craving for sweets has died down, but I think it's been harder to dismiss the wine habit because it's so good at winding me down at the end of the day, but also because I miss the act of sipping. You know how smokers find it hard to break the habit of wanting a cigarette between their fingers? I think it's harder to break the physical habit of sipping something than it is to give up alcohol. So I've been trying herbal tea, and it kinda helps.

Another thing, WHY did I decide to do a Whole 30 during a month where I'm traveling every week? It's hard enough to do one of these when you have a full kitchen, much less a hotel mini fridge and microwave. There have been lots of salads.

One thing I've noticed, and I completely did not expect it... my skin is looking a lot better. Like, a LOT better. The breakouts have basically stopped. It could be coincidence, or the fact that I've been eating really healthy lately, but I'm thinking something I cut out of my diet might have been contributing to the acne. When it's over, I think I'll slowly start introducing things to see how my skin reacts. In the meantime I'm going to enjoy my healing skin.

P.S. I love going to Walmart in tiny little towns. The people are nice, there are enough cashiers, and it's actually fun to shop.

quiet moment

Finally taking a moment to blog. I've tried but I've been so busy. Literally.

I spent about a month driving back and forth to Laredo every week. Not too terrible, but I got tired of staring at the same hotel walls and nothing got done at home. Now I get a little bit of time at home, then I do the same thing on the opposite side of the state for about 6 weeks. At least it's in a larger town and there's more to do there.

Pumpkin is on steroids for three weeks to see if her appetite will improve. CBD helped, but not much. I have to squirt the medicine into her mouth with a syringe, and now every time she sees me with something in my hand, she hides under the bed.

Decided to do another Whole30-ish this month. Mostly because my sugar cravings have gotten out of control and I need to stop drinking alcohol to see if my stomach behaves. I'm not super strict with all those Whole30 rules, since I know what food habits I need to break. (Peanut butter and beans can stay for now.) I'm mostly sticking with whole foods and avoiding junk, dairy, and grains. I've noticed that this time around the cravings are harder to dismiss. I'm apparently very used to eating a bunch of chocolate while drinking wine in the evenings. But, I am feeling a little better so there's that.

I'm tired, my sleep schedule has been all jacked up. g'nite.

light up the room

Remember how I said I had a ton of house projects that I wanted to complete?
Well, I mentioned them to FG and the next thing I know, he's showing up at my house with a toolbelt and a roll of wire.

Which is why I can now see in my shower.

Ooooh, Ahhhhh, woo!

Now I can also see how dirty it is, but never matter. What matters is that now I can see what I'm shaving, plus I can get a real shower curtain.

In addition, I also finally went up into my attic and apparently there are some fishing poles up there, I have really good insulation, and I learned how to install a new light fixture because he patiently taught me as we did everything.
(He just keeps getting hotter, y'all.)

P.S. Plain White T's came to Houston this weekend and the show was absolutely FANTASTIC.