Putting Words Into Action

It is very strange how when you write about things they seem to come true. There is something powerful behind transferring your thoughts into words. I think writing helps you lunch things into action.

In my last post I discussed how I need to start filling up my bucket. The day after I wrote the post, I left work at a decent time! (I am trying to come to the realization that the to-do list will never be complete). I enjoyed an afternoon siesta (really I was just catching up from the lack of sleep from the trip to St. Louis). After dinner, Joe and I watched the movie Taken. (Why did it take me so long to discover On-Demand? It is fabulous. You can rent movies for the same price as Blockbuster without the hassle of finding a Blockbuster to rent from and trying to remember to return the movie on time.)

On Friday night, Joe and I had a date night. I spend a lot of time with the guy, but we have not been out together just the two of us in a really long time. We had a divine dinner at a steakhouse in downtown (I'm not the right person to judge the quality of the steakhouse. The salad, shrimp and wine were fantastic!). After dinner Joe and I wandered into a few watering holes in downtown. We found our way into a lounge at the Westin, but only stayed for one round. Just like you would expect, the hotel bar was kind of lame. We ventured to one of our favorite spots 7Grand. The dj was playing great house and techno music, so Joe and I were in heaven. If you received a text message on Friday night from my fiance, I'm sorry. He really should have a breathalyzer attached to his phone. Nothing good even comes from mixing technology and cocktails.

Joe and I got married (in my dream) on Friday night. The ceremony was going on without a hitch until it came time to exchange the rings. Neither one of us brought the rings. It is no surprise that I dreamed about our wedding. I have been working on the dreaded save-the-dates, and we have reached the 6-month mark. I am, however, extremely concerned about my dream. According to my dream interpretation book, (I know it's a little weird, but my mom got me hooked on the meaning behind dreams, plus I had a coupon to get the book from Borders.) if a person dreams of a wedding in which the ring is missing it is a sign that before he gets married he will go through a series of problems and misunderstandings with his intended partner. Awesome! Just the kind of interpretation I was hoping for!

The good news is that Joe and I continued to have a great weekend (no problems yet). On Saturday morning, I worked on more save-the-dates (woo hoo!) and then I went to the gym. After way too long, I got to ride the spin bike (I am still patiently waiting to get my own class at the downtown 24-hour fitness. Teaching spinning will definitely fill my bucket). Joe and I went and saw the movie The Hangover (hilarious!) and then went to a party for one of my colleagues. It was so nice relaxing in my boss' backyard and enjoying cocktails with my colleagues. It was even better knowing that it was in the 90s and humid in St. Louis (nope don't miss the hot humid weather one bit). It was a very low-key Saturday night and I was in bed by 9:00pm (I promise I am not always super lame and boring!).

Joe and I met up with some of my other colleagues for our Sunday breakfast club (really, we have only had breakfast twice, but it sounds neater to call us a club). You may have noticed a theme throughout my posts, I hang out with my colleagues a lot. Thank goodness for my work family. I am fortunate to get to work with some fabulous people. After breakfast, Joe and I went to the beach (always a good reminder of why I love living in LA). We stopped by a pet adoption, but didn't find any pugs. If you know of any pugs for adoption, please contact us. We are ready for our Tiesto to come home. I had lunch at the Pita Pit (one of my favorite spots. It is like heaven!). Joe and I drove around and explored the beach areas and ended up in Santa Monica. We decide to walk around the downtown area and Joe decides it would be a good idea to go into a few stores (Bad idea! I was trying not to shop for a month and I failed. Why did Pac Sun have to carry an adorable bight crazy print dress and why did I leave the store with this dress? The shopping in St. Louis was never this good. Making a great purchase definitely fills up my bucket).

Why is it that when walking around the beach I always crave ice cream? Joe and I tried to find a more exciting place to fulfill our cravings, but did not had much luck. Thank goodness for the golden arches and the McFlurry. When did McDonald's start carrying a Snickers McFlurry? Have I been living under a rock? I highly encourage you to indulge in the Snickers McFlurry. There is just something so right about soft serve ice cream and the satisfying taste of a Snickers.

This weekend I definitely filled my bucket by spending time with great people. I also looked into a couple of fall half marathons (Disneyland and Long Beach). I need to get signed up for a long race, so I have a personal goal to work towards achieving. Now that I have discovered the glorious Snickers McFlurry I better get myself involved in a half marathon so my wedding dress still fits in December.

Filling Up My Bucket

I apologize for being MIA lately. Two factors have contributed to my lack of posting: 1).I have been in an inspirational dry spell lately. 2). I have been putting in double digit hours at work trying to master my position and keep all of the projects and training classes running smoothly. As a result, I am exhausted when I get home. I am also not leading a balanced life, which I feel contributes to the above mentioned dry spell.

I didn't realize how out of whack my life was until I went back to St. Louis this past weekend. On the plane ride from LA to St. Louis I read the book How Full Is Your Bucket. The book helped me uncover that I continuously help fill other people's buckets, but I am not doing much to fill my own bucket. At work, I help coach other people to success and spend a ton of time filling up my colleagues buckets. Even though I enjoy my job, I feel like people are dipping into my bucket more than I can fill my bucket. I tend to bring home work stress which negatively impacts my relationship with Joe. By the time I get home after 6pm or 7pm, I am exhausted. I make dinner and before I know it, I am back in bed getting ready for another work focused day. I have been neglecting my own interests and passions (writing).

This past weekend in addition to reading a very insightful book, I spent a lot of time with my dad. My dad fills my bucket. I can talk to my dad about anything and everything. He is a great sounding board. Now that I live in LA, I no longer get my weekly date night dinners and weekend workouts with my dad. I miss him terribly! After only a few hours together and a several glasses of wine, my dad pointed out that I was extremely negative. Another sign that my life was out of whack. I pride myself on being a positive person (sometimes I might come across as too positive).

After some great talks with my dad, I realized that I am missing some crucial elements in my life. I am not focusing on any kind of athletic goal. This time last year, I had already ran one half marathon and I was training and fundraising for the Chicago Marathon. I am the kind of person that needs a goal. I don't have workout motivation issues, but I do prefer to be striving to cross the finish line of an event. My dad and I ran in the Race for the Cure over the weekend and even though it was only a 5K, I still felt the runner's high. I need to get signed up for a half marathon and stat!

I also need to dedicate myself to something other than work. I need to get focused on volunteering. Life is all about timing. When I got back to the office on Monday I had an email in my inbox for someone at the Arthritis Foundation. It was almost as if her ears were ringing over the weekend. We are having lunch on Friday.

Instead of investing everything in work, I need to invest more in relationships that mean a lot to me. I was fortunate enough to spend Saturday night with my girlfriends. I definitely woke up on Sunday with a full bucket. It is amazing what a lot of estrogen and a few cocktails can do. Spending time with my girlfriends made me realize how lucky I am. A great group of girls gave up their Saturday nights with their kids, husbands, families and significant others to meet me for a night out in St. Louis. Often times I miss phone calls from these girls because I am still in the office past 6pm or because I am busy running to other meetings during the day. I need to be more available to my friends! I have a phone date scheduled for tomorrow night.

I am only 2 days into achieving a more balanced life and things are going pretty well. I have already worked 21 hours, but I have mailed a huge chunk of my wedding save the dates (YAY!!), wrote this post (finally!), convinced Joe to run a 5K (not quite a half, but I am so excited to run a race with Joe) and made dinner for Joe twice. It is a start! Of all people, I know that a truly balanced life does not exist (I wrote my graduate thesis on the topic of women and work family balance). I need to do something to fill up my bucket. I don't like the feeling of my life being out of whack or of being negative.