Break on Thru

Soooooo, you know how I said I knew I was full of it when I was trying to convince myself to work out for health and not weight loss? Yeah, I was right cuz the 4-week plateu was just BUSTED THRU this week, and I'm on cloud 9. Goal #1 is FINALLY reached, and by my bday, too, which was a little personal mini-goal. Now that food is (kinda) sorted out, I've been figuring out my gym schedule. I think alternating weights and cardio and occasionally throwing in some yoga will work. I just don't want to spend hours per week in the gym (especially when other ppl from the apt complex come in). Get in, sweat, get out. That's my jam. Home for stretches and confusing the kitty cat.

Laying on the floor with feet on back of couch... Ace decided to take the high ground. He sat with me JUUUUUUST out of reach for a bit. The floor was lovely and COLD.

I tried not to disturb him when I sat on the couch post-shower, but he ran off shortly after i got this pic.

I've officially decided to extend my vacation next week by a day, so the blog post next week may be later than Sunday but will be up by Tuesday, I promise. And who knows, maybe I'll get it up on Sunday like usual! You never know with me. 😁

So Friday I baked for the fun on Saturday, and Ace was adorable. Hubbs had things to do and then relaxed with us in the evening.

Saturday we planned a LOTR marathon with neice and nephew. S (neice) and I decided that we should make it as hobbit like as possible. Now, since we had NO intention of convening until the sun was well in the sky, we had to skip breakfast and second breakfast. However, we did have Elevensies, luncheon, afternoon tea, dinner and supper. The cookies were for afternoon tea. 

Elevensies 

Luncheon

Dinner 😁

It was nice to basically do the same thing hubbs and I do at home, just with other people. We are thinking we should do it again sometime. Hehe on the way home we saw MANY people in the drive thru at taco casa and Jack in the box, so I'm guessing we missed a bit of a party in burleson. That's OK. We had a good time at our LOTR party. 

Sunday is shaping up to be the same old but with a twist. It's finally time to start packing for vacation!! Sooooo looking forward to being away for a bit. So I'm gonna get all the stuff that would normally be done next week done this week so when we come home all the things are already finished and we can relax. Not much food to prep, either, since I'm not working all week. GAH! I NEED THE TIME AWAY FROM WORK!! PTO is the BEST thing EVER.

M.C. Escher

Another week of schtuff and tings. Not much to report. Work is work, I'm trying to convince myself that I'm working out for health not weight loss... but I don't think I'm buying it. I secretly know that I'm full of crap. Still, I go. I'm focusing on veggies and fiber this week, and my veggie chili is REALLY good. 😁

I have been feeling justified in one of my theories of marriage. I told my hubbs when we were going thru the stuff to get married that I was wondering if a marriage is 2 wounded people who somehow manage to heal each other. Well, the book I'm reading pretty much says "yes, that's the point/purpose of a good marriage." Basically we are attracted to and choose to marry people who (unconsciously) remind us of our caregivers when we were small. Because of this, they trigger unhealed parts of ourselves. Wounds we got when we were tiny are poked and prodded, and conflicts arise between the couple. According to the author, we need to be aware of those wounds, how we react to them with our spouse, and how the spouse can help us to overcome and heal those wounds through managing the conflict that arises. It takes both spouses working together and having uncomfortable conversations about how they show each other love, how they feel loved in the relationship, and how they can love each other better to heal these wounds and live their married life. It makes sense, tho it made me have to face some buried issues and want to scream/cry. Life seems to be a constant attempt to heal wounds we received when we were young. Yet another reason not to have kids... these days kids are suing their parents for having them! Seems extreme, and I think not much came of it, but DAMN. Parents have children, try to give them a good life, and then are sued?!? Sigh... sick, sad world. I digress.

There have been instances of feelings of insecurity in my marriage that mirror some of my insecurities as a child, so there must be something behind this theory. The thing is, healing each other doesnt happen spontaneously and it doesnt happen by magic. It takes work, uncomfortable conversations, a deep self-awareness on the part of both parties, and a comittment to continuing to choose each other, even as more wounds are uncovered and secrets revealed. Ive always loved "nothing else matters" by metallica, but until now i didnt really understand the lyric "never opened myself this way." There's no hiding anymore. Hubbs sees every side of me. And im trusting that he still will choose me, even as the less attractive parts are revealed. Its thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. As ever, I have work to do. Keep my hubby in your prayers 😉 

This is one of my very favorite pictures. We have a cozy home.

Anyway, thurs was a margarita day, so I met A in weatherford at chuys. We stopped going to Rio mambo because they no longer do all day happy hour on Thursdays, so it no longer makes financial sense. Chuys is better, imo. Better margs, better food, better salsa. It's nice that we can meet in the middle.

Friday hubbs and I met up with SIL to see the exhibit of MC Escher at the Arlington Museum of Art and... holy crapballs, people! I never knew that a lot of his stuff was made using woodcuts and copper and such! I thought it was all drawings! Nope, some drawings, yes, but many just WOOD CUTS!!!  Incredible.

The print and the woodcut

Beautiful 

Drawing

Print 

Such depth! He actually made 3D models for his 2D art.

So here's how he did the one below...

ARE YOU KIDDING ME!?!?!

I like this

The original...

Then the hippies came. Lol, so he didn't give permission for his prints to become blacklist posters, saying "a certain species of child" may find them appealing. Guess he never sued for breach of copyright.

The wood cut...

The background

.... I don't remember which part this was, but the finished product...

I mean... just wow... apparently all of this is a part of a private collection that was loaned to the museum for this exhibit. Not a bad $20 and 2 hrs spent, tbh. 

I really like how detailed he got... carving. On wood. Then inked and pressed on paper. Just 🤯

After we went for dinner at rodeo goat. Such great burgers! Saturday hubbs and I were fairly lazy and then went on a date night to the burleson farmers market Christmas in July. I got some earrings that match the ones he made me, and tried my luck with a blind bag from one of my favorite vendors.

Seashells, pumpkin, and mushrooms! $10 well spent, methinks.

Sunday is as usual. Groceries, meal prep, cleaning, laundry, and getting ready for the work week. Both of us are SO ready for vacation just a week and a half to go. Seems SO far away 😳 I've put a book in time out because I'm not a fan of what it's dredging up about me. The subconscious is a JERK, thats all I'm saying. 

Hugs and love to my readers. I miss you. I've got the blahs again today. Partly cuz hubbs is going to work and partly cuz... I dunno. Just got the blahs. Maybe cuz vaycay isn't here yet? Maybe cuz I'm being impatient with things that MUST take some time? Maybe I'm just in need of something different than work, workout, sleep, repeat. Especially since the workouts don't seem to be doing JACK SQUAT! Not that I'm bitter... so, so bitter. 🤬 WHY do I only lose weight if I don't eat at all for 2 days a week?? Its not like that's sustainable! Thing is, I saw a pic of me when I was close to my goal and you know what? There's NOT A DISCERNABLE DIFFERENCE!!! 🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬🤬 OK, rant over. I'm doing this so that I can live independently well into my 100s... or so that I can age as well as my grandparents have. For REALS. Hugs and love again, thank you for letting me vent. 

The Usual

Nothing earth-shattering this week. We went to work, came home, slept, hubbs wakes me up when he gets home, and I wake him up when I leave for work, and repeat. I went to the gym, and did a yoga class on Friday morning. 

Tue

Wed

Thurs. Not pictured: incline. 😁 I also did a bit of weights each day, nothing big but enough that my muscles are complaining. Scale didn't move at all... the jerk. But ultimately it's about being healthy above all else, so screw it. Im doing great, no matter what the scale does. 

Friday I went to the energy yoga class. I hadn't done that before, so I wanted to know how brutal it was going to be. Also I needed some stretching as my back is being mean again. It felt SO good, I'm so happy I have a good yoga studio near me. After that hubbs and I went to soul fire brewery in Cleburne. It has beers, food, and arcade games. 

Hubbs had a flight, I had their Irish red. So good. Mister G.

Hehe, fun pic.

Flatbread and queso!

Bacon cheeseburger pizza.

View from the top floor that had the arcade.

Arcade. We will be back!

I am a chair for a cat.. That is all.

Saturday we went out to the farmers market. We got sourdough, cinnamon roll, earrings, bracelet, mushroom elixir, and homemade soaps!

So pretty!!

A different kind of tigers eye.

Ace is soooo cute when he's all sleepy.

Then we went to breakfast at black bear diner, swung by specs, and went to Kroger for groceries. Then home and relaxing. It was a good, lazy day. See above pic of Ace for a good idea of how lazy we were.

Hubbs and I did our meal prep for the week, and then Sunday was the usual. Prep for the week, relaxing, hubbs had to work, I got sad. This week I'm doing roasted sweet potatoes smothered in 3 bean vegetarian chili and cheese. Also probably Mango, blueberries, and cherries, with mixed nuts and the ever-present protien coffee made with fairlife milk. I'll be sure to hit El gymo at least 3x this week, and might just make Fridays yoga days. Stretch out all the crap from the week. Lol. 

I hope all of you are doing well, staying hydrated, and being safe. Sending tons of love from a humid TX ❤️❤️❤️😘😜

The Morbs

Sunday last week I got the blues. It's becoming a pattern, I'm afraid. Every Sunday I get moody and a little bitchy and sad. I was trying to figure out why... I think I figured it out. Hubbs goes back to work on Sundays, our weekends together are never long enough. I end up going grocery shopping, doing my cooking, cleaning things up, getting ready for the week, and missing my hubbs. Last weekend was even worse cuz bestie AND hubby went away. Just mean! So rude. I need my bestie to live closer to us. We need to be able to meet up for margaritas whenever we want!!! Sigh... at least we have another planned visit already. River birthday weekend! It's gonna be so nice. 

Lunch #1 and 3 was a Mediterranean chickpea salad. SO good!

Lunch #2 and 4 were Greek Chickpea salad, also AMAZING. I also went back to the gym this week. Just cardio for now. My shoulder is still all messed up... I think I pinched a nerve. Sigh.

Burning those Calories!

On thurs, I met up with A for our margarita night. We went to chuys this time because Rio no longer does all day happy hr on thurs (boo). Chuys was delicious as always, and we headed to our respective homes.

Friday was a designated lazy day for hubbs and me. We didn't want to fight any traffic or crowds, so we stayed home, ordered torchys tacos (delicious but they got our order wrong), and watched independence day. It was a nice day.

Lazy kitty

Saturday hubbs wasn't feeling well so I took myself to Jason's deli and then came home and washed the towels and cleaned the cat fountain. 

Yummies.

Happy kitty. He was super cuddly cat.

Sunday, now let me just tell you about Sunday. Sunday it was raining a bit, but we needed groceries and I was planning to see a friend in the afternoon. So I go get groceries. When I'm leaving Kroger, the heavens have opened and it's way past ark building time! I took off my sandals and put them in my bag when I went to the car. Got home and just sat. For a while. Watching and listening to the rain. During a "lull" (re: when I decided it was time) I got out, grabbed the groceries, and headed up to the apt. When I got in, I was soaked and looked like a drowned rat.

Nice rain

Drowned rat.

I started my meal prep and noticed something moving on the floor. A lot of somethings moving on the floor. We had been invaded by ants! So I paused my meal prep to sweep attack 1 against the ants. When hubbs got up, he took over the ant offensive and I finished my prep (potato hash with hard boiled eggs). Many any sprays, sweeps, and a mop later, we seem to have won. Hubbs got up and went to work, and I took off for grapevine to meet a friend for Christmas in July.

The harvest hall

July in TX and im NOT melting??

Pop up bar: the holly jolly

They ain't joking

J korea would love this

It's like Christmas and summer had a love child

Insane.

Chicken shwarma and a watermelon tajin margarita. It was quite good. You had to get food elsewhere and then bring it in. Of course they were having a Harry Potter movie night, so maybe if we had stayed there would have been more drinks in the actual bar. However, we were responsible and only had one drink. After this I headed home, sprayed some more ant killer, and prepared for the work week. It was an eventful Sunday, let me tell you. It's been a long time since I got caught in that kind of a gully buster rain storm!

I hope you are all doing well and haven't gotten washed away. Prayers for those affected by the flooding is appreciated. Hugs and love to all (and J, I REALLY wish you were here for the bar).