26; May 18; wife, cat mom; foodie, designer, blogger, knitter, yarn junkie, Wordpress guru, geek extreme; Mac connoisseur and Instagram addict.


Learn More About Esther

Get those posts!

Enter your email to get the latest posts sent directly to your inbox!

Tag Archives: moving

#projectreflect12 days seven-ten: playing catch-up

Posted on December 11, 2012 by phillynikongal • 0 Comments

I am a few days behind, thanks to some things that happened that kept me away from my computer, as well as my blog breaking thanks to a theme update! But I am back! Instead of doing each post individually, I am going to condense days 7-10 into one post, just to make it easier on me. Hope you don’t mind!

December 7: Leaving on a Jetplane

Did you take a particularly amazing vacation this year? Where did you go? What did you see? How did you get there? How did you document it? And if you didn’t travel anywhere spectacular, describe your dream vacation.

Unfortunately, Mr. Fox and I didn’t get to go on any vacations this year, other than a somewhat spontaneous trip to Indiana to visit my parents for their anniversary. We had planned on traveling to Phoenix for a few days in October, but alas, funds were not expendable enough to warrant that vacation sadly. I’ve been really looking forward to going back to Phoenix and visiting, since my last trip in March of 2011. We had also planned on going down to Orlando to visit Mr. Fox’s cousin Lou and his wife and kids, and maybe head over to St. Augustine to visit my brother and go to his restaurant Meehan’s on Matanzas. But obviously, that didn’t happen either.

As of right now, we don’t have any trips set in stone for 2013. We do have time off in March during spring break, during which I have no idea what we’re doing yet. Maybe Phoenix, maybe Williamsburg. I am also hoping to get to Portland next June for Fitbloggin’ 13, and possibly get to finally meet Lisa (who lives that way) from 110 Pounds. If I get to Fitbloggin, I might even get to see Emmie from Skinny Emmie and Ms. Fab from Diary of a Fab Girl, both of whom I haven’t seen since last October when we all walked in Indy at for the Walk from Obesity. It also helps that I’ve never been to Oregon before, and I would be able to cross it off my list of places I haven’t been to before!

projectreflect12 travel fitbloggin13 ten words happy practice perfection

Aside from that, my dream vacation won’t be happening any time soon. Mr. Fox and I are planning on doing a trip to Europe in 2014 for our 5-year anniversary. England, France and Italy (so far). Lot’s of time to plan for that one though :)

December 8: Practice Makes Perfect

Some things get better over time. Maybe you started something like Couch to 5K in the beginning of the year, and now you’ve run your first marathon. Perhaps you couldn’t boil water, and now you’re a gourmand in the kitchen. What is something you started in the beginning of 2012 that you can now do better at the end? How was the journey along the way?

There are many things that I wish I would have started this year that I continued, in order to bring them into 2013.

One thing that I did start this year that I can bring into 2013 is meal planning, specifically more for clean eating.

There was once a time that Mr. Fox and I would go to the grocery store and just throw stuff into the cart. We would shop for 2 weeks at a time, and I would very rarely buy any fresh produce, since it would likely go bad before we’d eat it. Shortly before we moved away from Indiana, we started buying on a weekly basis instead, which essentially raised our food budget a little, but things weren’t going to waste as much as they were before.

This past May, thanks to 100 Days of Real Food, I discovered The Fresh 20, which is a meal planning service of 5 meals a week, using 20 ingredients. It was really good…at first. Until Mr. Fox decided he didn’t much care for the recipes. Then I was and out of the hospital because of my asthma (which sucks because I felt so much better after being on real food), and I was just plain tired. My complaint with TF20 was that there was a lot of prep work involved that sometimes, I just didn’t feel like doing. So I set out to find another meal planning service that cut out the prep time by a lot, and came upon The Six O’Clock Scramble. It boasted recipes that took 30 minutes start to finish, and unlike TF20, you got 7 meal plans instead of 5 a week. Additionally, you had access to the entire archive, and could mix and match and change accordingly. Unfortunately for me however, this meant that I started seeking out the tastier, more unhealthy recipes. Which had obviously defeated the original purpose. I gave up The Scramble (though I still follow Aviva on Twitter because she’s super nice!) in favor of eMeals, because I came across a Groupon for a year subscription, plus the weekly lunch plan, for super cheap. Also, the great thing about eMeals is that you can switch plans once a month, so say you start on the Paleo plan, and then decide it’s not for you, so you can try out the clean eating plan (which is the one we’re currently using) the next month.

That all being said, I have become annoyed with it all. I wanted to try Paleo, but I am allergic to most seafood, so I’d pretty much be eating just beef, chicken and pork, since I don’t eat lamb or veal. So now we’re on the clean-eating plan, and there seem to be 3 seafood recipes a week. I don’t necessarily *mind* making fish for Mr. Fox and something else for me, but that incurs more expense and it’s more of a pain in the ass when I have to cook two separate meals.

projectreflect12 travel fitbloggin13 ten words happy practice perfection

I’ve decided to give Plan to Eat a try. Instead of giving you meal plans, you input your own recipes and it makes your grocery lists and everything. Plus, it’s mobile friendly, which is hugely important since I like to keep my shopping list on my phone. With P2E, you can have your list right on your phone and check it off within the site. Since I’ve missed gathering recipes from Pinterest, this screams awesome to me! Also, I have eMeals until next October and I don’t have to pay for it until then, so I can combine some eMeals recipes with ones I already have. Though I really need to clean out my cooking bookmarks. I have a folder totally devoted to mac and cheese. I think I have some issues.

projectreflect12 travel fitbloggin13 ten words happy practice perfection

So yeah, if I have to pick something that I’ve practiced and mastered in 2012, it’s meal-planning. Sure, it may be difficult when you’re constantly switching meal planning services, but I’ve got the basic gist. Now I just need to get our budget sorted, and stick to it! Maybe it’s time to start couponing…

December 9: Happy Days

Sometimes, there is just one day out of 365 that is just so amazing, that you’re just blissfully *happy*, even when things don’t go your way. Has there been a day this year that sticks out in your mind, where you’ve just been so happy that you had to shout it from the rooftops? What happened? What made that day better than any other day in 2012?

If I had to pick a day that I was blissfully happy, I think it would have to be a toss up between a couple days.

January 6, 2012

On January 6, Mr. Fox and I set off on our new adventure, moving from Indianapolis to Philadelphia. Why would this make me happy, you ask? Well, for one, by the time we left Indy, I hated it so much. Not necessarily the people in it, because I did have some great friends, but just living there in general was awful. So many bad things happening in the 3 years I was there, and I was happy to leave it all behind that cold January morning. I know I’ve talked a lot about the move on the bloggy blog, but honestly, it was the best decision I ever made, so why wouldn’t I want to scream it from the rooftops?

December 4, 2012

December 4 was Mr. Fox’s and my 3 year wedding anniversary. This is pretty significant actually, because of my past track record. You see, for those who don’t know, this is actually my third marriage since 2005. And before you say something snarky, I realize I wasn’t in the best place in my life the first two times. I was young, and made a lot of snap decisions without thinking them through, and that contributed to my marriage problems. However, the saying of “third time’s a charm” rang true this time around. Mr. Fox is truly my soulmate, and I am so glad that we met when we did, because had we met anytime before then, I don’t think we’d be together now. I know that sounds weird, but it’s true. We both needed to mature, both mentally and emotionally, and if we had met years ago, it just wouldn’t have worked. But I am glad that it worked *now*. We’ve been together since April of 2008, so April 2013 will be 5 years together, and then December 2013 will be 4 years married. We are going to renew our vows though in 2014, and have the ceremony/reception that we didn’t get to have when we got married. Then it’s off to Europe! I love you babe, forever and evers.

December 10: Ten Words

Rather than picking just one word to describe 2012, what are 10 words that you can use to describe 2012? Why did you choose these words, and how do they make you feel? If you can’t pick 10, pick as many as you can come up with. Are there any words for 2012 that you don’t want to see in 2013? Additionally, are there any words you wanted to use for 2012 but didn’t?

Hmm, even though I wrote this prompt, I always have a hard time coming up with a response for this type of prompt!

  1. Change: starting with our move in January, this year has been all about change. Change of scenery, change of job, change of diet. Apartment rent to home ownership. Our move gave us a clean slate for change, and for that I am grateful.
  2. Love: even with all the stress this year, I think that Mr. Fox and I became even closer, and that made our marriage even stronger than ever before. We may have our ups and downs, but I can safely say that we have love on our side, and that’s extremely important to me.
  3. Family: when Mr. Fox and I moved, we left my parents in Indy, which was really hard for me because I am extremely close to my mom. But we survived the 8 months apart until they got here to Philly, and now I don’t feel so alone anymore.
  4. Asthma: gah, this one is one I don’t want in 2013! My asthma really started bothering me big time this year! I have been in the hospital 6 times this year as a result, and I just want it to go away! Back in 2010, when I was a bit of a gym rat, I had no asthma issues! I just want to go back to that. As a result, I started going to the Asthma Center and found out what I’m allergic to, but I am discontinuing the allergy shots I’ve been getting because they seem to be exacerbating the problem. Go to hell, asthma!
  5. Food: for the longest time, I’ve been apprehensive about trying new foods. However, in 2012, I would like to think I branched out pretty good as a result of our diet change. I tried hummus and chick peas for the first time and loved them. I tried avocados, and extended that to guacamole and fell in love. I also tried black beans, and love them as well. And kale, don’t even get me started on sautéed kale! I am still warming up to goat cheese, but I am not too sure about that one. In addition to trying new things in the kitchen, Mr, Fox and I also tried a great many new restaurants. We live in a very food-diverse town, and try and frequent as many local flavors as possible. I think I can count on one hand, the number of chain restaurants we’ve been to since we’ve lived here. My favorite local place so far has been Lucky’s Last Chance.
  6. Health: because I’ve spent inordinate amounts of time in the ER, I’ve had pretty much every test under the sun, in addition to tests I have at my various doctor’s offices. I’ve been slowly and steadily getting my health in order, and it gives me all the feels. It’s just a jumping off point for healthy living in 2013!
  7. Faith: this is one of the words I would have liked to use for 2012 but didn’t get a chance to. When we knew we were going to move here, I researched synagogues in the area, because I really wanted to get back in touch with my faith (Judaism). But alas, we never got a chance to join one. The farthest we got was joining the Jewish Community Center, and even then we don’t even go. The closest I get is to buying a Jewish Exponent when I go to the deli every week. So this is definitely something I would like to work on in 2013. Mr. Fox and I plan to send whatever children we have to Hebrew school, and I feel like I need to learn more about the religion I was born into, for my own enrichment, and preferably before we have children.
  8. WordPress: I realize that this is a pretty weird word to pick for 2012. But I have a reason! It took me a while to realize that I had found a niche, or creative outlet if you will, for myself. Thanks to Dr. Greg for giving me the subtle push in that direction, I wouldn’t have decided to start taking other clients for WordPress design. I have so much fun creating sites for people, because I love to see their reactions when I show them the finished product, and I love to visit their site and see my signature in the footer. This also gives me all the feels, and I hope that 2013 brings me some more wonderful clients!
  9. Friendship: I would like to think that I’ve done a pretty good job of making new friends in 2012, as well as maintaining current friendships and rekindling past ones. Although, there were a couple times in which I could say that I was a pretty bad friend. But that is something I am going to work on for next year. I want to keep existing friendships, even if they’re far away, because everyone makes  an impact on my life, no matter where they are.
  10. Breathe: I need to stop and breathe sometimes. I often put a lot on my plate, and don’t leave time to do anything for myself. The only breaks I seem to get are on days after a holiday, in which I take a mini-break to do whatever I want. But then I always find a way back to the work I’ve put off. I am hoping that I can teach myself some time management skills in 2013, because I can definitely use it, without a doubt. Lord knows, my knitting has fallen by the wayside, as I haven’t completed an actual project in months. I need to finish what I start!

So, that’s my extremely long catch up for prompts 7-10. I realize I said I wanted to post this yesterday, but I got sidetracked. Look for Day 11 in it’s own post.

projectreflect12 travel fitbloggin13 ten words happy practice perfection

Filed Under: #projectreflect12

#projectreflect12 day two: it happened for a reason

Posted on December 2, 2012 by phillynikongal • 3 Comments

December 2: It Happened for a Reason

Different things happen for different reasons. Some of them happen to make us stronger, and some happen to make us better people. Describe one thing that happened this year that challenged you to be a better, stronger person, against all odds.  How did this affect you emotionally?

In the very beginning of this year, Mr. Fox and I picked up all our stuff (well, what was left after selling and giving away most of it) and moved from Indiana to Philadelphia.

projectreflect12 day two moving indiana philadelphia life starting

Backstory for those unfamiliar: Mr. Fox’s father died in April 2011, and we had the opportunity to buy the house he had resided in before he died, from the estate. Ironically, the house was previously Mr. Fox’s uncle’s house, and it was quite literally around the corner from the house he had grown up in as a child. Anyway, so we bought the house from the estate, with the inheritance, and in turn, inherited everything in the house. Since Mr. Fox and I met, he had always talked and talked about things he still had at his dad’s house, from his childhood up until he moved in 2003, and I would always say that he shouldn’t get his hopes up about it still being there if we were ever to return. Needless to say, I ate my words when we got here and started unearthing shoes that Mr. Fox had worn when he was 5 years old, as well as some pretty godawful clothes that he bought before he left town, and should never ever wear.

I digress.

Mr. Fox and I had always secretly wanted to move back to Philadelphia. I was born in Jersey, but grew up between there and Philly. And obviously this was his home before moving to Indiana. So when the opportunity presented itself, we jumped. We took the chance, and like I said, sold off most of our stuff, threw a lot away, gave a lot away, and moved. We both quit our jobs, gave up friends, and I left my parents behind (though they actually ended up moving here as well in September).

This was very hard for me to do, even though I’ve always moved around. My parents were always indecisive and got that “5 year itch” (although sometimes it became the 2-year itch), so I got used to not living in the same place for more than a couple years. I guess I don’t really know why this time around was harder for me than others. Maybe it was because I was leaving my parents behind (we have a close relationship), or maybe it was because I was leaving a bunch of friends behind (even though this hadn’t been the first time I’d done that).

On the flip side of the coin, I believe that this was one of the best decisions I’ve made to date. Not only am I a homeowner, but I am back in a place that had previously given me a new lease on life (I lived here back in 03-04, graduated HS here with honors, and generally had a wonderful life living here). I have new friends in addition to the ones I had here before. I’ve reconnected with childhood friends I had growing up in Jersey. Mr. Fox has rekindled friendships he had left behind when he moved away, and that makes him happy. Our marriage has gotten stronger and healthier.

So I suppose I would say that, had it not been for a house basically falling into our laps, we’d still be living unhappily in a place we only felt like we “existed” in, rather than “belonged”. Mr. Fox and I “belong” in Philadelphia, so we live and exist and love here. Our time in Indiana was more or less a very long, extended vacation. Granted, we did leave people behind when we moved. We haven’t forgotten about them, and they still made an important impact on our lives.

But we needed to move on. And I was and still am grateful for the opportunity we were given to do just that. I believe this challenged me emotionally because it was like a clean state. Like I was wiping the previous few years of my life and just starting over in a new place with new people. If you ever have the chance to do this, don’t think about it too much. Just do it, because if you don’t, you’ll always find yourself wondering what would’ve happened had you taken the chance and jumped.

I couldn’t imagine my life any better than it has been since getting here.

This year, I am participating in #projectreflect12, which is a new series for reflecting on the year gone by before the new year starts.

projectreflect12 day two moving indiana philadelphia life starting

Filed Under: #projectreflect12

#scintilla day nine – twenty-three

Posted on March 26, 2012 by phillynikongal • 0 Comments

I didn’t do the weekend bonus #scintilla prompts. Oops! Honestly, I was so busy over the weekend, I wasn’t even home much, so I lacked the time. Saturday I spent with Mr. Fox doing grocery shopping and other things, and yesterday was spent up in Reading visiting some relatives (with a short pitstop in Royersford to visit Shanaynay on the way home). My lesson for yesterday is, never go to Walmart on Grant and the Blvd after 9pm. However, yesterday’s bonus prompt reminds me of a hilarious story that I apparently love to tell. So I may just write about that one later…

ANYWAY.

So today’s #scintilla prompt:

Prompt B: Write a list of 23. (23 things to do, 23 people you owe apologies to, 23 books you’ve lied about reading, 23 things you can see from where you’re sitting, 23 ten-word hooks for stories you want to tell….)

[hr]

Have you ever heard of the Day Zero Project? Basically, you make a list of 101 things to do within 1001 days. I tried making one of these lists a couple years ago and then I ended up faltering and forgetting about it. After I made the list, it seemed like such a daunting task, that I just became extremely discouraged.

So in light of today’s prompt, I’ve decided to make a list of 23 things that I would like to do/accomplish/see by the end of the year. The difference is, I am only going to choose 23 feasible things, and make sure that they’re attainable/doable by December 31 (or the end of the world, whichever comes first @_@).

Here is my list!

1. Try 23 new restaurants. This is really not all that difficult honestly. Mr. Fox and I made a rule when we moved here that we would try and stay away from the typical chain restaurants and go to places that are unique to Philly or the region. And there are LOADS of restaurants here that we will never be short on places to try.

2. Read 5 books. I have a problem with books for some reason. I love to read, but I suppose I haven’t really found anything that strikes my fancy. I’ve been told that I MUST read the Hunger Games series, as well as Game of Thrones and some other ones. Instead of setting the bar at 23 books, I am going to start with 5 and go from there.

3. Make a fail-proof cheesecake. Have I ever told you about my last attempt at a cheesecake? Yeah, it ended in epic failure. Enough to make me want to throw it out the window and never attempt it again. But honestly, thanks to Pinterest, I have bookmarked so many wonderful-looking cheesecake recipes that I MUST try it again.

4. Go to New York City. I haven’t been to NYC is goodness knows how many years, and neither has Mr. Fox. We are tentatively planning on going for my birthday, but in the event we don’t get there around that time, as long as we go sometime this year, I will be happy.

5. Walk to Frankford Ave and Cottman Ave and back. This is a completely doable walk, for anyone who’s in shape. I, on the other hand, am not in shape, and therefore this walk of about 2.5 miles round trip is very daunting. I’m exhausted even thinking about it. But I know that, in time, I will be able to. And then I will just keep going.

6. Go to the beach. Since I grew up on in Jersey, I can remember many childhood vacations to the shore, specifically Wildwood. My parents and I would go every Memorial Day weekend, and sometimes also later in the summer. I haven’t been to the beach in about 15 years, and Mr. Fox has never been to Wildwood (despite growing up here) or the shore, so I plan to take him. We’re going down to Cape May in May for a friend’s vow renewal, so we’re going to make a nice little vacation out of it.

7. Get back to my roots. When we moved here, I decided that I wanted to get back to my Jewish roots and join a synagogue. Unfortunately thus far, we have been unable to get the chance to do so, but I am determined to get us there in the near future. I miss going to services (my family and I belonged to a congregation in Las Vegas when we lived there), and Mr. Fox is really interested in it.

8. Be a more healthier me. One of the things that I struggle with is emotional eating. Well, eating in general. I want to feel better, in general, and about myself. I am working very hard on the latter, but I need to master the aforementioned in order to achieve the latter. It’s a long process, but I’m working on it,

9. Pass this semester with all A’s. This won’t be difficult either. The semester is more than half over already, and I have a high A in both my classes. It would take a zombie apocalypse to make me fail either one of my classes.

10. Swim 3-4 times a week. Mr. Fox and I are members of a gym that has a gorgeous indoor swimming pool. I love to be in the water, but I have been very self-conscious about how I look in a bathing suit. Honestly though, the only way to feel good and better about it is to GET OVER IT AND DO IT. I can attribute the loss of my love-handles to water aerobics, and would like to lose some other unsavory bits and bobs on my body. Also, water therapy is wonderful for aches and pains.

11. Get my parents out of Indiana. This might be the most difficult of all my 23 things. Not because they don’t want to go, but because of the housing market between here and there. It’s a matter of being able to sell their house for the right price, and turning around about buying a wonderful house here. They’re doing everything in their power to get the house done up and sold, so it’s more just a waiting game now.

12. Build my craft room/office. Mr. Fox and I have three bedrooms upstairs. One is the master bedroom, one is the office that we’re currently sharing, and the third will be my craft room. I decided to make it also my office so that I could have my own space to do my work and so Mr. Fox could have his own space. I have a vision for it, including what IKEA shelves and furniture I will furnish it in, as well as everything I will do in there. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything with it until we get what’s in there currently, out. It’s a matter of divvying up what needs to get sold, given away, or put in the basement.

13. Finally completely organize my kitchen. This has been an ongoing project since we’ve moved in. I keep buying new tools and finding unopened boxes and I’m slowly running out of space to put things. I guess that’s the disadvantage of buying a home that doesn’t have the latest and greatest updated kitchen. We have plans to add on to it, but that won’t be for a very very long time. And in the interim, I would like to have a place for mostly everything. I started with the spices, now if I could just figure everything else out…

14. Go shopping at B&H Photo and Adorama. One of the things I’ve done as a photographer is lusted after products at B&H Photo and Adorama. Living in Indianapolis, I had Roberts, but that wasn’t really the same. I now live less than an hour and a half from both stores, and I would love to actually go there! I’ve seen photos of B&H’s huge store, and I will for sure be a kid in a candy store once I actually make it there. I suppose this could be lumped into #4 on my list, above.

15. Eat more organic. The post I recently did on pink slime in ground beef being sold in America’s grocery stores really got me thinking about the amount of chemicals that Mr. Fox and I ingest on a regular basis. So we have made an effort to start buying more organic. Now, organic may be a little more expensive than the regular stuff, but I would gladly pay more money for beef that doesn’t contain fillers, or vegetables that have not been sprayed with pesticides. Call me crazy, but the idea of that is just plain gross.

16. Start a local knitting group. If you haven’t already figured it out, I love to knit. And one thing I miss about Indy is that my best friend there also knit, so we would knit together. I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love knitting in solitude. But I would love to also meet some like-minded knitters who live near me, so I could maybe start a weekly get-together that would meet up at either the local coffee shop or maybe even a pub. We had the Indy Pub Knitters in Indy, and I think that would be cool to have here. The closest yarn shops to me are either in Chestnut Hill or Center City, so anything closer to me would be a godsend! Which brings me to #17…

17. Develop a business plan. I am not going to elaborate too much on this one. :)

18. Bust my yarn stash. This is going to be harder than it sounds, mainly because I love buying new yarns! I have an extensive collection as it is, and it doesn’t really help that I just bought a ton more. Mr. Fox and I visited the Yarn Gallery up in Reading yesterday and I bought two gorgeous skeins of Crystal Palace Chunky Mochi in this color way. Also, I just bought three skeins of hand-dyed yarn from three different sellers on Etsy, as well as a bunch of bulky weights from Knit Picks. I have plans for all of it, I just need the time to bust through everything! The good news is that I finally invested in a yarn winder and a swift, so this week I will be turning all my yarn into some neat little yarn cakes! MMMM FIBER CAKES.

19. Drop a couple dress sizes. You see what I did there? I didn’t make a specific weight loss goal. I just said I wanted to drop a couple dress sizes. I did this because, well, I don’t want to say I want to lose 50 pounds and then not do it. It’s easier for me to say that I want to drop a couple dress sizes because, even if I lost 10-15 pounds, I’d drop a size. Dress size is not necessarily related to number of pounds lost. And if I do lose 50 pounds, fantastic! However, being able to see my dress size in the teens would be even more fantastic, to me anyway. This will be related to #10.

20. Visit Colonial Williamsburg. This is completely doable. Mr. Fox went there as a child for many years, and I think I’ve only been there once, a long time ago. Living in such a central place, we have access to so many weekend vacation spots. Specifically, I would like to go in the late spring/early summer, and take lots of photos. My camera is not very happy with me at the moment, because I haven’t been using it much.

21. Start Couch to 5K. This one is going to be hard. I am not a runner, and I never have been. Even when I was 115 pounds lighter, I was just not in shape to run. One of the benefits though of getting in shape and losing the excess weight I have to lose is that I WILL be in shape to run, so I have no real excuse other than lack of drive and motivation. The good thing about Couch to 5K is that you can re-do parts of the program. Like if you need to do Week 1 for three weeks, you can. Which is why I put “start” instead of “finish” Couch to 5K.

22. Learn to spin. This kind of has a double meaning. I would like to try spinning, as in a spinning bike. Our gym doesn’t have a spinning room, but there is another location that does have a spinning room, that is close to where Mr. Fox works. So I thought that maybe, if I take him to work one day, I might go there and try it out. I used to ride my bike a lot, and I miss it. However, the last time I rode, I was 115 pounds lighter. So I have been weary about getting back on a bike. The other part of this item on my list, is that I would love to learn how to spin yarn! I have seen a lot of gorgeous hand-spun’s on Etsy, and would love to try my hand at it. One of my local yarn shops has a spinning class, so I think I am going to eventually take it. It sounds like fun!

23. Drink more water. I hate water. Isn’t that lame? But it’s true. It’s too plain for me. But, in an effort to get healthier, I have made a pledge to drink more water and less everything else (with the exception of unsweetened iced tea). I’ve come across some really cool ideas on how to make water more bearable, such as adding real fruit as flavoring, instead of those flavor packets. So as it gets warmer outside, I plan to make some flavored waters, and do away with all of the artificial stuff I’ve been drinking. Even if that means…giving up beer. Maybe 1 on occasion. Maybe.

[hr]

Well, that’s it for my TL;DR list of 23 things. Hope you enjoyed reading them!

scintilla project day nine twenty-three things list goals aspirations

Filed Under: #scintilla, Just Me

Small Hiatus

Posted on January 5, 2012 by phillynikongal • 0 Comments

Hey everyone!

I apologize for not being around much this past week. It’s moving week around here, so I have not been at my computer much. I actually meant to make this post a couple days ago but I forgot. I’m exhausted, so sue me!

Truthfully, this is the most interesting, and quite possibly the hardest, move yet, and it’s certainly not something I am used to. In the past, I’ve moved extremely long distances with my parents. We have a very close relationship, and I don’t go very long without seeing them. We’ve been together through 6 of my 10 total moves (the other 4 moves were in the same city, just with the ex, not including the couple Indianapolis moves with Mr. Fox. The longest time I was moved away from my parents was when I moved out here to Indy from Phoenix with Mr. Fox in July of ’08, and my parents didn’t get out here until November of that year. Four months, yes. Four very long and difficult months in which I questioned my motives for leaving them there while their house was on the market and even contemplated moving back until it was sold, yes. You may think that, in retrospect, four months is pretty short to complain about. But when you’re essentially an only child (I have 4 half siblings, but they’re another story for another day) and all you pretty much know are your parents (the farthest I had lived from them was about 30-45 minutes, and even then I went over to their house A LOT), four months apart is a LONG TIME.

I digress.

This move is different. Mr. Fox and I have a chance at a new beginning, and we’re taking it. We are giving up a lot of things here in Indiana to do it, also. We’re leaving friends (not many, but a fair few), jobs (I still have mine, but am hoping to branch out into something more meaningful), and most importantly, my parents. 600 miles away (although the first time we separated in ’08 it was 1600 miles) from the other two most important people in my life. All for the sake of getting out of a horrible place in order to start fresh in the place we both spent our childhoods.

To say I wasn’t depressed would be an understatement. Which is strange though, when you think about it. I should be freaking excited! I am going back to the one place I was the most successful and most happy! The place I spent many happy years, with some amazing people. Mr. Fox was born there (and, as I’ve mentioned before, I am from Jersey, but I spent a lot of time between Jersey and Philly) and has a lot of roots there that he wants to pick up. We’ve been counting down the days since October of last year (man, it’s only the 5th of January and it feels strange to say last year).

I digress again. @_@

I should be excited, and I am. You just wouldn’t know it, because moving depresses me. I believe I’ve called it the “moving blues.” After moving so much, yes, it’s become a science, but it hasn’t and will not get any easier, no matter where I’m going. Yes, we’re picking up and leaving Indianapolis. Yes, we’re going back to a happier place where we have a lot of friends and even some relatives. Yes, we’re getting a pretty fresh start. But I am still depressed.

Like the other day for instance. I realized that I only really have three major things left to remember my grandmother by. A very dated old Sony Watchman portable television, which used to reside in her kitchen in her condo, and before that in her kitchen at the house on Spring Ave in Elkins Park. It doesn’t even work, but I cannot part with it. So many summers spent sitting in the kitchen, watching that old little black and white TV. The second thing, the old wooden checker/chess board that used to reside on her game table in the family room. I can’t even begin to count the number of times she kicked my ass over the years at checkers. When I unearthed the checker board, I started bawling. Mr. Fox and I were outside, clearing out our outdoor storage closet, it was 13 degrees outside, and I was crying like a baby. My face was chapped, and I was very upset. The third thing I have is a Cuisinart food processor, circa 1970′s. It is a BEAST, and it weighs a ton. It is this exact model, and it works like a dream. I will use it until it dies, and if/when it does, I will replace it with its newer version. I had a great many other momentos, including beautiful Le Creuset cookware circa 1960′s, and a bunch of other memories, but they were lost in the Great Eviction Debacle of 2006, courtesy of my ex husband Brandon (yet another story for another time).

So right around the time of the Great Eviction Debacle of 2006, I began to lose interest in moving around. I equated moving with being depressed and losing things of importance and value, and therefore I became depressed at the thought of moving in general. Mr. Fox doesn’t quite understand it, but I’m sure in time, he will. He is extremely excited to be going back, and I really can’t blame him. He left Philly for Indy to be with his now ex (obviously) in 2003, and in doing so, lost touch with a lot of his friends from high school and grade school, as well as his own father (RIP, 4/2011). I had a chance to meet his best friends the last time we were there in October, and they are pretty awesome. So that being said, Mr. Fox can’t see why I’m not as excited as he is.

Oh hey, I digress again!

The TL;DR bottom line: I am going to be out of here in a very VERY short time. And I’m both happy and sad about it. But things will be okay. Mom and dad will follow us there if the market allows. So not all hope is lost. I can only hope that it doesn’t take a long time.

Sorry, I went on a bit of a tirade there, didn’t I?

Now back to business. All that being said, I will be gone for the next couple days. I will try and get a couple posts in if I can, but try not to miss me too much, kay?

small hiatus moving blues depression

Filed Under: Just Me

#reverb11 and #resound11 day twenty nine – let go

Posted on December 30, 2011 by phillynikongal • 0 Comments

(I had started to write this yesterday, but I didn’t get home until after 1am. In my defense, it’s still Thursday on the west coast…)

Wow, it’s hard to believe that December has gone by so fast! Two more days of #reverb11 et al, and it seems like it just started yesterday.

Today’s #reverb11/#resound11 prompt comes from Jaemie over at #resound11:

Letting go can be hard. We get comfortable in our current situation. We have a tendency to repeat the same behaviors and patterns even when we know they are not in our best interest. Sometimes we hold on to relationships, dreams, feelings, or stuff just because we can’t let go.

But letting go sometimes is what we need to do.

What did you let go of in 2011? What was the experience like? How is your life different today? Do you ever regret it?

If not, is there something that you need to let go of in 2012? What scares you about that possibility? What situation do you need to create for that to happen?

Hmm…

The majority of the last three and a half years, I would like to erase from my memory. One of my biggest mistakes in life (aside from my previous marriages) was moving back to Indiana.

Granted, there were a few good things that came out of being here. One, I wouldn’t have met and married Mr. Fox (although we’re convinced that we would have been brought together even if I didn’t come here, as we discovered we may have crossed paths before), and I wouldn’t have reconnected with an old friend from high school.

Unfortunately though, my time here in Indy has been filled with as much upset, if not more, than my time spent in Arizona. Which, previously, had been my other biggest mistake. I’ve been let down more times than I can count. I’ve been chewed up by people close to me that had no right to do so. I’ve lost friends over the stupidest things (though I suppose they were never friends to begin with). I’ve had my share of unsavory people enter and exit my life. I’ve put up with a bunch of crap.

A lot of my Indiana friends give me crap about my dislike for being here. Well, yeah, I hate it. I’m sorry if that offends people, especially those who have been there all their life. I am most definitely *not* a Hoosier. I may have lived here for a few years, but I absolutely don’t belong here.

I am Jersey born and Philly phlavored. And I can’t WAIT to let Indiana go. It shall be a painless break up.

reverb11 resound11 day twenty-nine let go indiana moving

Filed Under: #resound11, #reverb11, Just Me