Well, it’s been a week since I’ve cut meat out from my diet.  So far…I’ve lost 2.6 pounds, just from cutting out meat!  I know it has nothing to do with exercise, because I am pretty much benched until I have my knee surgery…I can walk and that’s seriously about it.  Right now, I’m going to the gym and walking on the treadmill, then doing a ton of upper body strength work…but its hard not having any cardio.  I’m still very happy with how things are going…I feel much more energetic, which is always nice.  Plus…no guilt every time I eat meat!

In other news…still no word on the jobs.  I’m going to follow up today to see if anyone has made a decision.  At this point, I just want to know…things go slow here, so I’m really not surprised there’s been no word.  And, since I am still in my current position, there’s really no rush, if that makes sense.  At least, from my perspective.  I’m sure the people doing the hiring are anxious to get people into the jobs, but I’m just sort of hanging out.

I’m officially in the countdown for Hawaii.  I can’t believe Wednesday is the 1st of May!  The time is absolutely flying this year (though I’m sure part of it had to do with the move back home, etc.)…but as of today, we are T-16 days until we leave!!  I am so excited to celebrate our anniversary there…it has been a whirlwind five years, and incredibly hard to believe that we’ve been married that long!  We’re spending the first half of our time in Oahu, in Waikiki, then midway through we’re flying over to the big island and spending the rest of our time in Kona/Captain Cook area.  The second half of our trip we’ll spend doing a lot of diving (though I’m sure we’ll dive our first half too), because the owner of the rental we’re renting is a Master Diver and takes his guests out for diving if they want!  Free dive tours…awesome!!!  Otherwise, I plan on soaking up the warm weather, the ocean breezes, and the food.  And then coming home and having surgery…arg.

That’s about it for now…not ready to start the week, but I don’t really get a choice in that.  Hope you all have a good week!

XOXOXO,
K.

I am so glad today is Friday!  I feel like this week has gone by so slowly, and I’m always exhausted come Friday afternoons.  I don’t think we have anything planned for tonight, which is nice.  We’re going to go home, hopefully go for a walk outside (the weather is gorgeous today), make some dinner, and pass out.  I love Friday evenings…it’s like you have a world of possibilities in front of you with the upcoming weekend…you can do ANYTHING and there’s so much time!  Once Saturday rolls around, it’s the countdown to the end of your weekend and the minutes just tick past at rapid speed.  But Friday after work?  Oh yeah, the world is your oyster on Friday’s after work.

I’m three days into a meat free diet, and so far it’s been great!  I feel like I have increased energy levels, I never have that “overfull” feeling from eating, and I’m overall happy with the options available (both to cook on my own and when eating out).  I even managed to find something to eat at McDonald’s last evening when we had a last minute dinner prior to another commitment.  I recognized pretty early on, however, that it does require a bit more planning to execute…at least in the early stages.  I don’t feel like I can leave dinner plans to the last minute, because there is less chance that I’ll be able to find something I can eat.  But, I did get my Martha Stewart cookbook “Meatless” in the mail yesterday, and I’m excited to try out all sorts of new recipes!

Still working on potential jobs, at the moment.  I am hoping to hear back from two of the positions that I applied for…soon, hopefully.  Probably next week, if I’m lucky.  But, another position came open and I was approached about it…it’s right up my alley.  I’m not sure if that makes my decision easier or harder, so I’m just sort of playing it by ear to see how things go.  I honestly just wish a decision was being made, regardless of what it is…I’m tired of the indecision.  I really hope to have more info by this time next week, or else I might just pull out my hair.

That’s all for now, really.  Things are good!  Our house is unpacked (though not completely put away) and things are moving along!  I need to start picking paint for the spare rooms and downstairs, but we still have time for that.  I’m excited to be finished with the inside, though, and to start really enjoying our house!  I’m ready for BBQs and having friends over for dinner/drinks, and not feeling like I have to apologize when we give a tour because the rooms are a disaster.  Hopefully in a few more months it’ll be more presentable…but for now I just need to deal with it as best I can, and move through the clutter one thing at a time.

Hope you all have a great weekend!

XOXOXO,
K.

Today’s “Letter of the Day” is brought to you by the letter V.  A few “V” things going on in my life right now…and no “virginity” isn’t one of them.

First…volunteering.  Our company is really big on volunteering, and every year we have a goal of 100% of our employees doing 4 EEEC hours (Every Employee, Every Community).  Now, four hours isn’t much, and we can even take the time off during the work week, and you’d be surprised how many people DON’T do this!  I find it so weird…it’s free time off work, to go help others!  How is that a non-win?!  During undergrad, I was member of a Service Fraternity, Alpha Phi Omega, and had an amazing time!  I volunteered at some amazing places, and met friends that will last me a lifetime, not to mention, I gained memories to last a lifetime.  So, when we went to the NL and I discovered that volunteering wasn’t really a big thing there, I was super disappointed.  We finally, towards the end of our time there, gained some insider knowledge on how to volunteer.  We were able to volunteer a few times, but that was it…and then we moved home.  But, here at least, volunteer opportunities are around every corner!

So…I picked my first one today.  I have filled out the application to be a “Book Buddy” in the fall.  This is basically a school program where adults come in and help children with their reading skills for one hour a week, during the school day.  Most of the time its during our lunch hour, so I don’t have to miss work, and it’s something that is ongoing throughout the entire school year.  I’m so excited!  Reading and literacy is one of my biggest passions, and I really hope I can inspire kids to love reading as much as I do!  I won’t find out where I’m placed until July timeframe, and the program starts in August, so hopefully things with the move home and life will be all sorted by then. 

On top of this, I would really like to be a Girl Scout leader.  I contacted the organization while we were in the NL, and never heard back from them, so I’m going to try again now that I’m back in the States.  Hopefully I’ll be able to start something up with that as well, once the school year starts.  I love these sorts of projects!  Working with kids makes me super happy.

My other “V” news is vegetarianism.  I’ve been toying with going veggie for awhile now…even though I freaking LOVE meat.  But, even though I love it, I feel like shit eating animals (huge animal lover here), so I’ve decided that, if I can’t stand to kill it myself (hypothetically), then i’m not going to eat it.  I’ve started another blog about this, so if you want to check it out, it’s over here.  I’m honestly not sure how it’s going to go…I feel very committed, but I also realize that in some of the places we travel, it’s not very realistic.  I don’t want to get to the point where having something made with beef broth is going to make me vomit everywhere, so odds are I’ll probably eat meat eventually…who knows.  For right now, though…I’m very happy with my decision.  I’m just playing it by ear and doing my best to stick to my values…while recognizing that nothing is perfect.

So yeah…that’s about it for now!  Hope you all are having a wonderful day!

XOXOXO,
K.

I should have known it wouldn’t last forever.  A few days ago my knee started hurting.  And not just “eh, it’s sore” hurting…like, agonizing hurt.  I have struggling to go up and down stairs, and I’m living on a steady stream of Aleve and Excedrin.  I went to the orthopedic doctor today and he was like, “Look…I know you don’t want surgery, but it’s time.”  And so…surgery it is.

I did manage to get a reprieve until after Hawaii.  I refuse to be all stitched up for our anniversary trip, and if I take it easy, I should be able to keep the pain at bay until then.  After that though…it’s on.  Thankfully, it’s a super easy procedure, outpatient, and I’ll be walking that night.  It’s not a big deal, but I really didn’t want to go through it again (I had knee surgery on the other knee done when I was 18…same procedure).  I’ll probably take a few days off work (or better yet, have it done on a Friday so that I’m back in work on Monday), but otherwise, I’m good to go.  Just frustrating.  I wish I had good joints, that I was able to do the same things other people are doing my age.  Damn body.

Hope you all are having a better day than me! 

XOXOXO,
K.

I just finished up my third interview for the third job I applied for.  I think it went well, but I’m terrible at gauging things like that.  Who knows…it could have been crap.  I’m hiping I hear something soon for the positions, as I’m getting impatient.  I’m just ready to know what my next role will be so I can start working towards that…I hate being in flux. 

The house is slowly becoming more and more unpacked.  We got the hot tub fixed and cleaned out, and now we need to balance the chemicals, and then we can get in and relax!  Other things are also coming together with the house as well…we’re starting to find places for things, and I’m going to start thinking about paint colors so that the painters can come in and finish up the upstairs.  Then, we can focus on the downstairs and get it all sorted.  Slow going…but Rome wasn’t built in a day.

In other news…last week I had more skin cancer removed from my back.  I had noticed that one of the moles on my left shoulder blade was looking really funky, so I made an appointment and went in.  Doctor did a mole check, removed the spot on my back, and I should hear back in a week or so to know if they got it all.  I’m assuming yes, but we’ll see.  However, the other day the area was really sore, because my bra strap keeps rubbing it…ugh!  I need for it to hurry up and heal…though I’m so thrilled for another scar.  Especially because all my scars are hypertrophic, which are like keloid scars, but don’t really extend beyond the area of injury.  They still stick up and are red, but follow the injury area only (which is good, I guess).  So…one more to add to my collection…bah.

And…I think that’s all.  Not a lot going on right now, mainly just lots of unpacking and dealing with house issues.  Hope you all had a fantastic weekend!

XOXOXO,
K.

Earlier today, I was talking to one of my best friends from college.  She’s pregnant, about halfway through her pregnancy, and I wanted to see if they’d found out the gender yet, so I could get to work on her baby blanket.  They’re having a girl!  I’m so excited and thrilled for them…I can’t wait to see the little darling!

And then my friend says, “and I wanted to ask you something important.”  She and her husband want to know if Jamie and I would be willing to raise the child should, god forbid, anything happen to them.  Talk about a slew of emotions!  First, incredibly honored that they’d trust us with their child.  Second, incredibly sad at the idea of anything happening to them…she’s like a sister to me, and I can’t imagine her not there.  Third, panic, at the idea of taking in a child dealing with the emotions of losing their parents, and worry that we wouldn’t be able to provide them the necessary emotional support they’d need to deal with such a shit time.  

So, Jamie and I will discuss it.  The chances of anything happening to them both are incredibly slim, but I completely understand their desire to be prepared for anything, especially when it comes to something as precious as a child.  I’ve already mentioned it to Jamie, and I’m sure we’ll talk about it more indepth before we give our answer to our friend, but in the meantime, a part of me is already in love with this child that I’ve never met.  She’s going to be so loved, and that’s really incredible!

XOXOXO,
K.

I didn’t make my plan of joining a gym the day after we returned, but I did do it within the first week!  We had really gotten into the habit of going to a gym, and I really missed it here, even though we were crazy busy (and it hasn’t let up).  But man…I am so glad we did!

Our gym here has semi-private training sessions (4-8 people in a group) several times a day, and it’s all functional training, which I absolutely love.  It’s particularly effective for me because I have so many problems with my joints, and it really helps me build muscle in the areas that I use every day.  Plus, if done right, you still get a really good cardio workout as well, which is always a bonus.

Today was a functional training day…and good lord, was it killer!  We did 4 rounds of a circuit:  BOSU burpees, rope smacks (basically, you have a giant, industrial strength rope in each hand that you raise up to your eyes and smack on the ground…50 times), box jumps, and then sled pushes (a metal “sled” that holds a 25lb. weight that you push down the length of the gym and back).  So…that was a complete circuit, done four times.  At the end of it, I was ready to die, but it was so much fun!  I had to modify the box jumps because of my knees, so I just did step kicks onto the box, but I did extra to make up for it.  I honestly thought I was going to puke, but I am so excited for Wednesday!

In other news…the weekend was full of: buying a vacuum, cleaning, unpacking, going to a hockey game, dinner and drinks, putting together furniture, and other random crap.  I feel like I need a weekend from my weekend!

Hope you all have a great day!

XOXOXO,
K.

We’re going with something short and sweet today:

- I have REALLY got to start cooking at home.  We have eaten out nearly every day since moving home, and I’m getting so tired of it.  It’s just hard when everything is a wreck, we’re getting home super late, and both are exhausted from work.  Must force myself to cook.

- I still love our new car.  My Prius is fabulous, but now I need to think up a name.  Thoughts??  She’s dark grey.

- I had an informal chat with the person who posted the job that I really want.  I flat out told him “you have a job opening and I want it, what do I need to do to get it.”  Those exact words.  He likes my “style and attitude” and thinks I have what it takes for the job, but I still need to go through the formal interview process.

- We’re going to a hockey game on Saturday and have seats in a suite!  I’m stoked…I love hockey!

- Work is still going well…I’m so glad to be back in the office, and I have already reconnected with a few of my friends here and we’ve made plans…really happy to be home.

- I have this insane urge to go to Thailand.  Like, right this minute.  I’m actually looking at flights…sigh.  Thailand.

That’s all for now…hope you all are doing well!

XOXOXO,
K.

So, since moving, I have been working back in our main offices where our world headquarters is located.  Can I tell you all how much happier I am working here??  I feel so much more connected with everything/everyone!  I loved the people that were in our old office in the Netherlands, but none of those guys worked on my program, so while we would chat it up during the day about random stuff, they weren’t a work support structure.  That was all located in the UK, and it was hard to get a lot of my job done with there being such a large gap.  That is so not the case here…it’s fantastic!

I mentioned in my last post that I had been hired on here as a full time employee.  While we were in the Netherlands, I was a local hire for the Dutch portion of our company, so I was a full hire there, but it was limited to the scope of Jamie’s employment.  So basically, he goes home, my employment ends.  As we were planning the move home, I had been looking into jobs here, and had applied to a few.  So yesterday, being called into HR and being offered a job PRIOR to having interviewed for any of the positions I was scheduled to interview for was such a surprise and so exciting!  Then, yesterday I received my offer letter and realized that I had been given a job with a substantial raise attached…and it was even better!  I feel so much more relaxed about the house (we had spent more than I was comfortable with) and all the money we had going out due to the move.  I stress about things, even though I knew logically that we were fine, but I would prefer a BIG buffer.  Thankfully, with this job, I can have that reassurance.

I had my first interview this morning.  It went well and I think I’ll be a good contender.  Then, as I was walking upstairs to talk with Jamie about how it went, I ran into another coworker, and he was like, “I want to interview you for a position…are you free at 3:30pm?”  Ummm…SURE!!!  So, I have another interview later today!  That job is one I’m REALLY excited for and I hope that I get.  Keep your fingers crossed for me!! 

Hope everything is going well for you all.  At some point I promise to take photos of the house and post them, but it’s still too much of a disaster to do that yet.

XOXOXO,
K. 

Today was my first day back at work, after moving home to the US.  It was also supposed to be the day I transitioned back to being a contractor, which I was less than thrilled about.  However, this morning, I was pulled into a meeting with HR and was told that they would be offering me full tim employment, because they felt I was “Company X material” and that they wanted to show that by extending me full time employment while I was job hunting here in the US.  Basically, they want to give me the security to know that I will have a job here, regardless.  Needless to say, I was super excited! 

So, I’m still lined up for two different job interviews over the next few weeks.  I also applied for another position today, one that I am super excited about, so hopefully something happens with that one!  Looks like things are really improving on the job front!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

XOXOXO,
K.