Keep on trucking

This week I flew to Philadelphia with my mom. We got a one way flight so we could help my youngest sister and her boyfriend move. They lived in a row house there with THE worst stairs.

Luckily, my sister had moved the majority of their stuff to the first floor. My mom and I mostly helped clean, put boxes in the truck, and disassembled furniture. I also helped drive my sister's car part of the way. They had a moving truck and her car, so they were also grateful to have a passenger when they were driving. It took us about 12 hours, with several stops, to get from Philly to Toledo.

I was really glad to be able to help them. It was pretty tiring though. We got back late Friday night and I am still tired!

The drive really made me think about all the times driving from Green Bay to Toledo. It was about the same distance. I do not miss that drive, especially going through Chicago. I like Chicago, but when you're just trying to drive through it sucks.

My sister has been running. She ran 3 miles before she picked us up for the airport. It makes me want to run. I just don't think I can be a runner. Maybe I should start walking more and build up to being a jogger.

New start

I changed the name of this blog to A Healthier E. I really want to focus on living a healthier lifestyle. I know how to do it, I've done it before. I just really need to commit and I think blogging can help with this.

I turned 30 on Friday. Not my favorite birthday. I decided to make a list of 30 things I want to do while I'm 30. I've seen other bloggers like A Girl and Her Mutt do this. So here's my list: 

1. Lose 40 pounds. 

2. Visit Washington D.C. 

3. Participate in a 5K

4. Try Crossfit

5. Read one book each month

6. Save $100 a month

7. Reorganize my office

8. Help raise funds for dog park

9. Make 12 recipes I've pinned 

10. Get a manicure with my mom

11. Keep up on this blog (at least one post a week)

12. Take a weekend trip with K

13. Get a face wash/beauty routine down

14. Taper down to one diet soda or less a week

15. Plant a garden

16. Refinish a piece of furniture 

17. Start practicing yoga again

18. Detail both cars

19. Take Reagan and Angel to refresher obedience training 

20. Organize our basement

21. Switch from cable to Internet only

22. Save points/gift cards/ money for a new laptop 

23. Volunteer for a charity

24. Improve credit score

25. No extra shopping for one month

26. Finish Christmas shopping by December 10

27. Update home decor in living room

28. Exercise each night while traveling for work

29. Take a hobby (art/cooking/craft) class 

30. Go to a Halloween party

So we'll see how this all goes! 

Candy crushing

So, we went to Bob Evans today (Midwestern chain restaurant). There was a woman at the table across from us playing candy crush on her phone. No big deal, except for the fact that the volume was turned up so loud the ENTIRE restaurant could hear it. I admit I occasionally play candy crush. It's great at an airport or during those boring nights at a hotel. However, I NEVER have the volume on at all. Mainly because it is the MOST annoying music EVER. Imagine sitting through that an entire meal. 

It's funny because I hear complaints all the time about young people on their phones/iPads/kindles. Surprisingly, this woman was at least 60. She also left her purse and phone unattended while her and her husband went outside to smoke in the weather that feels like -2. So, winners all around! 

Happy New Year!

I realize it's a few days into the day year. I think it's acceptable to say Happy New Year for about a week?

No crazy resolutions around here, just the same resolve to get healthier. I did get a Fitbit Flex for Christmas. It's making me realize the small amount of steps I take while working from home. It should be interesting to compare steps at home vs. when I am on a work trip. I am visiting my sister in Philadephia next weekend, so that will be a good comparison. 

We got about 10 inches of snow with another 6-10 coming tomorrow. I feel like I am back in Wisconsin again! It has made it hard to get in more steps. I was really hoping to walk to dogs more as well. My mom and I took them to the park today, but they only had one path clean(understandably).

I hope everyone (or anyone?) had a nice time over the holidays. It was very fun to see all my nieces and nephews enjoy Christmas.

Gift Ideas for Men

1. Nike+ SportWatch - This watch tracks time, distance, pace, and calories burned.

2. Under Armour Basketball Pants.

3. The Men Who Built America DVD - K seemed to be interested in this when it was on TV, but didn't catch the entire series. 

4. Dropcam - K wants this to check on the dogs and for security.

5. DeWalt drill set.

Back

I'm back!!

I don't have a real ply good reason for a two month break. Maybe just life?

K had his 4th surgery in November. So far, so good. No signs of an infection!! He just ditched his crutches this week .

We celebrate our two year wedding anniversary this weekend. I think we are going to Detroit. We will probably hit up the casino and Texas de Brazil. We had talked about going to Florida, but we weren't sure what to do with the dogs. We don't have a fenced in yard and my mom fell while she was watching them the day of K's surgery. We have a huge hill in our yard and Reagan accidentally pulled her down. I felt terrible!

We plan on moving this Spring, so we'll probably go somewhere after that. That way K is walking a little better too. A few things that are important for a new house in my mind: a fenced in yard, at least two bathrooms, and a big kitchen. K is mostly looking for a pole barn. There have been some interesting houses that meet all these criteria, both good and bad. I hate to fall in love with anything yet since we definitely are not moving till Spring.

I will be updating more and have some cute pictures of a puppy (my sister's) to post!

Shutdown blues

So, without saying too much, my job is affected by the government shutdown. As in I only get a partial paycheck and possibly no paycheck in two weeks. Coupled with the fact that K is still on crutches and has his next surgery scheduled for November 5, it's been extra fun! 

I told myself I would workout more and deep clean the house. Neither of which has happened. I'm pretty sure this shutdown is going through the weekend, so I should probably buckle down. 

I happier news, I made a delicious crock pot roast beef tonight. I decided to try cooking the potatoes (for mashed potatoes) with the beef. I peeled them and put them in the crock pot for the last hour on high. I think they needed a little bit longer, but it seemed to work fairly well. The roast beef was made from this recipe: http://www.heatherlikesfood.com/crock-pot-ranchers-roast-beef/ other than I didn't use ranch mix since I forgot to get dill weed for the DIY mix.