Two Different Worlds

Being back at the gym feels incredible. The muscles in my legs are rekindling themselves with that sore feeling I love so much. The last two nights I have slept through only waking up once. This was due to an extremely weird dream about mice, ants, and lizards crawling all over my body. I woke up wondering if there was maybe a mouse crawling all over me, but to my relief there was nothing on the bed. Although, I thought I heard a mouse nearby, but that could have been my mind playing tricks on me. Anyway, I do suspect that my nights will be spent dreaming about nice things and waking up whenever Dan decides to call me in the mornings.

Speaking of Dan, he is not having a good time. Hurricane Katrina caused no damage to his parents' house, which is a great thing. Unfortunately, they lost power and have no phone line. No fridge or ac in the Miami heat is not fun. Not to mention that all five people are home without the wonderful distractions we like to indulge in like watching tv, talking on the phone, or surfing the net. Needless to say, I think they are all getting on each others' nerves. I know I wouldn't be the best person to be around with in situations like these. Don't worry Babe, pretty soon you won't have to deal with anymore hurricanes!

How I Will Deal With Stress

Stress levels have been steadily rising. I can't begin to tell you how much this whole move compounded with other stuff has been driving me crazy. I've been breaking out (I feel like a fifteen year old) and my insomnia has returned, which has further worsened the situation. My patience levels are slowly depleting at work because of my lack of sleep.

With all of that being said, I need to find a positive outlet for my stress because as you know, like attracts like. I don't need any more added stress. I'm hitting the gym tomorrow!! The fact of the matter is that I haven't worked out since I've moved up here. The thought of taking a bus to the gym really deters any thoughts of doing so. This is especially true since I work mostly doubles. So how am I all of a sudden hitting the gym? Well, I got the idea from Dan. I mentioned to him how I want to workout, but the bus situation just makes me want to stay in bed. His solution is to take the bus to the gym, workout, shower, and take the bus to work instead of Tania taking me in the mornings.

By actually doing this, I will get the exercise that I need, which will help me loose the last 17 lbs. that I need to reach my goal. My stress levels will diminish, which will make me happier and help me sleep at night. The last added benefit of working out is that I'll have more energy at work. I'm going to suck it up for a month until Dan gets here and do it.

Much Going On In My Mind

I think the stress of being up here without Dan is beginning to get to me. I was excited about celebrating my thirtieth (Sept. 20). I was even planning on going down to Atlantic City, and now I'm scratching that idea right out of my head. I'm just not in the mood for it or any type of celebration for that matter. The car situation is now officially bothering me. I hate not being able to drive anywhere. I have to go look at an apartment, but have to wait and see if my father could drive me. I also want my own place so that I could do whatever I want without having to explain myself. Well, things could be a lot worse and I have to be thankful for everyone that is helping me out (especially Tania that is driving me to and from work).

I have to be a bit more patient. Soon things will fall into place and I'll be thinking back at this as a bad dream. I am keeping myself busy. I have to be very thankful about that. I do go out and visit my friends. I'm also reading a lot. Whenever it is that I'm actually home, I relax and read. Anything to keep myself occupied.

Another major thing that is preoccupying my thoughts lately is going to graduate school. I want to get that going. I've wasted enough time now. My ultimate goal is to be a college professor. I can't do that with only a BA. The job market will also be easier once I at least have a Master's degree. Nowadays, a BA isn't enough unfortunately. I hope that teachers all across high schools are conveying this message to kids. The work force has become so competitive that you stack the odds against you if you don't further your schooling. I'm not saying that you won't make it without a BA or a MA. I do know many people that are successful without degrees.

So that's what's going on lately. I hope to see this stagnant situation moving right along soon. I need my own place and with Dan in it. If anyone knows of any apartments that allow pets, let me know.

Back From Florida, Again

As you all know, I was down in Florida celebrating my five year wedding anniversary with my darling husband, Dan. I cannot believe we've been married for five years already. It only seems like yesterday that the big day happened.

So what can I say about being married for five years? I must be the luckiest person alive. I'm not trying to be sappy, but I don't have any complaints. I'm fortunate enough to have a husband that is great. We love each other very much and mutually respect each other. On top of that, we're the best of friends. I recommend that everyone become friends first before dating. You should be able to trust each other before you take that next step.

Back to our second honeymoon--it was awesome. We drove down to Key West and stayed there for three days. It was fun and relaxing. On our way back to Miami, we stopped at a key called Bahia Honda. This place was beautiful. The sand was very fine and pretty much white. The water was excellent. We hung out there for about three hours and then headed back to Miami. The rest of the vacation we spent hanging around and taking it easy.

The worst part was leaving Dan behind. I think this time it hurt more than when I originally left. A week together is just not enough to enjoy each other's company. I am glad that we were able to see one another. It would have really sucked if we were apart for our wedding anniversary. At least I know that the next time I see him will be for good. I hope that day comes very soon.

Warning--Women Only

There is nothing in the world that is more satisfying than getting the perfect haircut (well, you know what I mean). I've been wanting to change my hair style for quite a while, but not really getting across to my hairdresser down in Miami (no offense to her--she is great, but I guess my Spanish isn't the best in the world when it comes to explaining myself). Well thanks to Tania, she introduced me to her hairstylist. I explained to him what I was looking for and he told me he was going to update my look.

Let me just say that while my hair was wet, I was loving my haircut. I couldn't wait until it was dried. This was the first time ever that a hairstylist took longer cutting my hair than blow drying it. The end result--marvelous. I am soooooo happy about my cut that it's insane. Of course I have to share a picture with you.

A Little Bit of Everything

Let's see, what's going on? Well for starters, I'm flying down to Miami to see Dan for our anniversary. We're actually getting away for a few days. Key West is the destination. I love it down there! Dan is making all of the arrangements. I fly down On July 27th and come back August 2nd. I can't wait.

The job search is still the same. Although there haven't been as many job postings this week as I would have liked to see. It is the summer and I guess things slow down. At my current job, I'm making the most of it. I'm also having fun. No complaints there.

My next goal is to find a school to go to for my masters. I still have to take the GRE, which I'm dreading. I need to get my act together on this. Hopefully by the spring I could begin going. Let's see what happens on that.

Other than that, things have been calm. I have been working enough to keep me busy for the most part. My weekends are also busy because I'm catching up with friends that I haven't seen in two years. Well got to go!!!

I Have No Idea What to Name This Post

In my NJ world life has been moving right along. As you know I've been working like crazy trying to make as much money as I can. So far, so good. I've been doing well in that department. Just this week alone on one shift, I've made half of my goal. I have no complaints there. One great thing about waiting tables is that when you need the cash, you make it. What sucks is that you put in a lot of hours. The bad thing about waiting tables is that you get use to the cash flow, which means you end up spending just as fast. Luckily for me I've learned my lesson on that and I actually save. Twenty percent of what I make goes directly into savings. If I make more than my goal, I keep $50 and the rest goes into savings.

When Dan and I worked together, we would do basically the same thing. On top of that we made sure that we made money to cover our bills during the first part of the month. Then by the end of the month we're not scrambling to make cash. The big joke at work was that everyone thought we were loaded because they couldn't understand how we worked so little to make ends meet. We would just smile. We also didn't blow our money on drinking every night either, which helped with our savings.

On a different note, I'm down 10 pounds!! I can't believe how quickly I'm loosing all this weight. My goal is to loose another 15 pounds before I see Dan for our anniversary at the end of next month. The rate I'm going it looks as if I could accomplish this goal. I have to say that I feel great!! This is the thinnest I've been in nearly 7 years. I think I look great, too.

In total, I've lost 38 pounds. It has taken me awhile, but it's worth it. Everyone keeps on asking me how I've done it. I tell them that I eat smaller portions and I do keep active. That's the way to do it. And I'm not saying it's easy because there are some days I want to eat a house. What keeps me motivated is feeling good about myself and not wanting to go back to my heavier self.

And now I must go. Time to get ready for work.

Work, Work, Work

Two weeks in NJ and I definitely feel as if I haven't left. It's very weird without Dan. I miss him terribly, and I'm beginning to get anxious about him coming up. I want it to happen right now, but I have to wait.

Waiting tables, as I have been doing now for two weeks, is like riding a bike. You never forget how to do it. With that, I'm also remembering how wired you get when you get home. I've been up since 8am and I can't go to sleep. I'm exhausted because I worked a double, but it's not happening. I'm getting really close to cracking open a bottle of wine (that my folks have) and begin chugging away. I'll either get drunk or fall asleep. Now I realize why a lot of waiters/bartenders have drinking problems.

Anyway, I have been good about searching for jobs and actually applying to them. The great thing is that I'm finding jobs to apply for, which was not the case in Miami. At least I have the hope that I'll find something soon. Once we both get jobs, I know we'll get back into the swing of things.

I'm also being good about my diet and exercise. Since I've been back, I've lost 6lbs. I'm trying to eat as healthy as possible. Although I haven't been to the gym, I have been walking on Blvd. East and the city. It has been too beautiful outdoors to go to the gym. I rather enjoy the view and not realize that I'm doing it for the exercise.

So that's my update. I'll try to post more often, but to be honest it will be hard. This week alone I still have three more doubles to work. I have now begun my apartment search, which I hope to have a place by Aug. 1st. Wish me luck!! I think I'll go to sleep now.

Batman Begins

Thanks to my best friend Sal, I went to a screening of Batman Begins. What can I say? WATCH IT!! WOW! I can't even begin to tell you how great this movie is. I'm not going to discuss the details of the movie because I don't want to spoil it.

What I will say is that it has all the elements I look forward to in a movie: action, suspense, pleasantly surprising, funny, sad, and just damn good. I am also happy that the movie was not spoiled by the trailers I've seen. I did not expect things to turn out the way they did. GREAT, GREAT, GREAT!

PS: The other Batman movies should be ashamed of themselves.

Back in NJ

My first official day as a NJ resident went well. It is very hot, which for some unknown reason I wasn't expecting. The flight was delayed for an hour and we didn't get home until 1:00am. My poor dad, he was exhausted.

So my feelings--sad and numb. I'm sad for leaving Dan behind and I miss my family down there. I'm numb because it doesn't seem as if I ever left, but at the same time I feel like a stranger. Maybe I'm just tired and since I'm back at my parents without my husband, it all seems out of place. Hopefully, this transitional phase will quickly pass.

Also thanks to my dad's new eating habits, I'm dieting. No junk food!!!! I had turkey breast cutlets with broccoli, which was very tasty. Since both of my parents have to adhere to their own diets, they don't purchase anything that will sabotage their efforts. So if any junk ends up in the house, it's my own doing. No more temptations with pastelitos (for those of you that don't know what that is--stay away; they are too tasty) or any other junk food.

Well that's it for now. I'll keep you posted if anything happens to change.

Goodbye Miami!

This is it--last day in Miami! It's down to the nitty gritty. I'm almost done packing, I ordered internet access for my parent's place, and that about sums it up. I can't say I'm happy because I'm going to miss my in-laws very much and I'm leaving Dan and the doggies behind. This is the worst part about leaving. I know that everything is going to workout for us. I have great friends who are trying to get us jobs and I appreciate them dearly.

This transitional phase will be tough. Once Dan comes up and we settle down, things will go back to normal. In fact, our situation will improve drastically. These past two years in Miami have not been the easiest because all of our friends are up north. For those of you that think that friendships aren't important, never had real friends. I miss my friends tremendously. Now I'll be close to them again and that's a great feeling.

Another great feeling is being close to my family. With the addition of Bryan, I don't want to miss my niece and nephews growing up. Kids are great and they always put things into perspective. I can't wait to see them. Well, this is my goodbye to Miami. Be back soon on vacation!!

Back in the Game

As I told you last Sunday, I fell off the working out wagon. After my nephew was born on Friday, I finally got back into my workouts. I added a different twist to it: water aerobics. My last semester in college I took a water aerobics class (I technically could have declared Sports and Nutrition as my minor, but decided to declare Latin American and Caribbean Studies instead; it went better with my History major). Anyway, I learned plenty in this class. In fact, the class was full of football players who took it just to take it and they appreciated the class the most.

In water aerobics you're in the water upto your shoulders. With 90% of your body submerged, you have the most resistance. You take for granted the exercise because you don't feel as if you're sweating. The truth of the matter is that you're getting a great workout. You also use noodles or dumbbells to increase the intensity and resistance. The pool is also a great place for therapy for those people who have injuries or physical disabilities. There is no impact on your body and the benefits of it are spectacular. Some of the exercises do tend to get challenging because you have to learn how to balance your body. There's this one exercise where you step on the noodle with your foot. Your leg goes up and down as if you were marching. This sounds very easy, but don't get fooled. A very petite and thin lady in my class shot backwards into the water when she tried stepping down. We felt bad for her because she didn't know how to swim and had swallowed some water.

If you have access to a pool, I recommend that you try it. Practically any exercise you do on land, you could do in the water. I especially suggest those of you that don't like even the thought of exercising to try it. You'll have lots of fun and your body will appreciate the movement.

BRYAN

BRYAN
Originally uploaded by XiaDiaz.

Here's another picture of my little nephew Bryan. I just want to bite his cheeks off!!!!!

Operation Move Back

It's official! Operation Move Back is in order. I just finished booking my flight for June 8th. I'm joyed and saddened at the same time. I really don't want to leave Dan down here, but we kind of have no choice. He's not thrilled with the idea, either. I have to find a place to move into before Dan comes up because we need a place for our doggies. My hope is that I find a job quickly and get Dan up to NJ by at least August or September. I don't want to spend that much time away from him. Everyone wish us lots of luck!!!

Correction on the Name

I just found out that my nephew's name is going to be spelled with a y instead of an i. Bryan is doing very well. He weighed 9.3 lbs. and is 20 inches long. So far, he's been sleeping a lot. His older brother and sister are ecstatic about their new baby brother. We're very happy about the new addtion to the family.

Brian 5-27-05

Brian 5-27-2005
Originally uploaded by XiaDiaz.

I want to welcome my new little nephew Brian! He was born about 11:15am. What's funny about this is I was the first one to see him. I actually broke the news to my mom who had no idea that he had been born yet (and she's at the hospital). My sister promised that as soon as he was born that they were going to snap a picture of him and send it right away. Mom and baby are doing great and dad is emotional as you could imagine. I'm so excited about my nephew that I can't stop crying. I can't wait until I could hold him!!!

No Progress This Week

I fell off the working out wagon this week. To be honest, it hasn't been one of my best weeks. Since I don't like harping on the bad stuff, I'm not going to talk about it. In fact I realized how bad its getting when I woke up this morning and the first thing I thought about was the afternoon from hell I had yesterday. Not a good way to start the day.

Enough about that! I do have good news. As of this morning, my sister is in early labor. The doctor told her she was going to have a long labor (her last one was for 22 hours). I hope it's not that long this time around. As you could imagine, I'm extremely ecstatic about this. At the same time I'm very sad that I won't be able to hold him (she's having a boy) for another two weeks or so. She did promise to take a picture of him right away and send it via phone. Wish her and the baby lots of luck!!! Keep you posted.

Paying Off

Weight loss update: 1.5 pounds lost!!!!!
Not only that, but I've lost three inches on back, two around my waist, two around my hips, and two around my thighs. This is my progress in one month. Since I'm loosing inches, I'm not discouraged about the lack of movement on the scale. For the first time, I actually saw my body in a different light. I was trying on some tops at a store today when I came across a very sexy blouse. It was slim fitting and when I tried it on I didn't look like a ten pound sausage in a five pound casing. I didn't buy it because I found it too sexy and don't feel that comfortable in my own skin yet. Otherwise, I would have walked out with on (of course after paying for it)! I probably should have bought it, but I found another top that I wouldn't dream of wearing a few months ago.

At any rate, I'm very pleased with my progress and especially with my determination. My mother-in-law thinks I'm obsessed with working out, which she's probably not that far off. The way I look it is if I'm not keeping track of what I burn or how much I workout, then I'm not going to see the results. This keeps me focused on my task. Everyone has a method to their own madness. I happen to work in this manner.

On a totally different subject, my job search is going well. I haven't been called for any interviews, but I'm very excited that I'm finding jobs that I am qualified for. This is such a relief compared to the jobs available in Miami. What is even more comforting is that I am finding a vast variety of jobs that I wouldn't mind doing. I'm sure once I'm up there my luck would drastically be enhanced!

A Pound Farther Away

Unfortunately this week, I inched up in the scale. I'm not concerned about it because I am weight training, which explains it. Even though you really don't show significance body change for about eight weeks, third week in and I'm getting compliments. At least I know I'm doing something right. I should probably take my measurements to gauge how many inches I am actually loosing. This will keep me motivated and not focused so much on the scale. Keep you posted!!!

A Pound Closer

As I promised, I would keep you updated on my weight loss. I went to the gym this morning and got on the dreaded scale. It turned out to be not so dreaded since I'm one pound closer to my goal. Actually, I did get weighed at the doctor's office on Friday. Since then, I have lost a pound. I cannot even begin to explain to you how excited I am about this. I think I'll start the trend on weighing myself on Sundays to see my success and post it on line.