Tempting Fate at 28

Tomorrow I turn 28. Like other years when I've been either super excited for or even somewhat dreaded my birthday (or looked for hidden meaning/had an existential crisis), this year is different. I feel very calm with my life and where I am. In fact, I've never felt more sure that I'm doing this dang thing my way, and it's the right way. Shit, have I grown up? Or am I just delusional? OR am I just tempting fate? At 28? (Catchy, eh? Well, it's better than "Oh God, I'm 27.")

This year, I've decided to go with "Tempting Fate at 28" for a number of reasons. First, I feel like for the last 10 months or so, my life has changed dramatically and even though I work really, really hard, it's all totally worth it. FBG is kinda my baby, and Erin is the other parent. Not to mention that I recently landed a new, more rewarding day job where I'm respected, complimented when I do a good job and just generally valued. It rocks.

In addition, Miss Siena has been a joy to have in the house and watch her grow and change. It's really hard to imagine that at this time last year, she was just a fur ball. And while the Nut renovations are by no means complete (failed to meet a lot of these resolutions, whoops, lol), I love our house, and we've made great strides.

I also have the best family and friends possible. From a hot, loving husband to super supportive parents to friends I can't thank the universe enough for, I'm a lucky, lucky gal. Throw Obama in the mix and it's almost too much! [Head exploding with hope and happiness!]

However, I feel like things are only going to get better in 2009. FBG is gonna be bigger and better this year (read: profitable!), Siena might actually stop destroying things and the atrocious daisy wallpaper in the bedroom could get removed. I'm seriously so thankful for every moment and for every person in my life. And at 28, I'm only tempting fate to continue the mad love and grow it.

Since I never did an obligatory New Year's resolution post here, I thought I would do a combo resolutions/new-year-of-life goals to coincide with my birfday. Here goes:

1. You've probably already heard, but I'm vowing to run a 1/2 marathon this year. Running has always been my workout nemesis, and it's going down Saturday, March 28 in Olathe.

2. Eat more local fruits and veggies. The garden will continue and be expanded, as well as Ryan and I's consumption of produce from the KC area. I'm planning to join a CSA and hit up the farmer's market often.

3. Drink less. I love wine, so this one will be challenging. lol.

4. Play more. The computer must be off 30 minutes before bed. No exceptions!

5. Read more novels. I read an ishton on the computer and in the news, but there's nothing better than a good novel. A secondary goal to this is finishing Gone with the Wind. Only 100 more pages to go...

6. Replenish my soul/build creativity. These kind of go hand in hand, but this year I'm gonna love myself up by taking more breaks, doing less, buying less, taking more long baths and watching bad TV when I need to. Life isn't a to-do list. 

So, with that, I embark on 28, renewed, happy and very excited. Bring it fate. Bring it.

(My next post will look at my dream board...how darn near everything I put up there last year happened and what new things I've added to the board for this year. Stay tuned.)

Long Overdue

I effing hate squirrels:
Well, now that I have that off my chest, let's address my inability to blog. Well, in all fairness, things have been a tad nutso lately. I spent months complaining about my crappy work situation, then spent time soul searching, then Erin and I created FBG. Next, I lost my mind working with the Small Business Association, started interviewing for jobs, finally landed a job that was created for me (both figuratively and literally), had a bizarro hush-hush-quit-my-job experience, went to Chicago, and now I start my new job on Monday. Phew. And to think that I once thought that my 26th year of life would be the most exciting. 27 ain't too shabby all in all, and God knows what 28 holds.

This weekend also marks two exciting things: 1) Ryan and I's one-year anniversary is on Sunday, and I'm so excited for it. We really picked a beautiful time of year to get married, and it's so nice that each year I can look back on that beautiful day. Awesome. 2) Siena's estimated birthday is on Monday! The booger turns 1, and I plan to spoil her rotten with doggie ice cream, a new collar and a new leash. No cake though, I'm not that nutters.

The only other thing that I should mention is that I recently made and decorated the ugliest cake imaginable. And I really tried to make it pretty (I swear!), but apparently my cake skills are in need of some serious sharpening. As is my recipe for icing. See?

Why did I, a Mizzou grad, bake and decorate a cake that says Texas on it, you ask? I lost a bet. Damn Longhorns.

Silver Ain't Too Shabby

Every year, I put myself through sports-related hell. Maybe you've heard of it? It's called Kansas City Corporate Challenge? For some reason, year after year, I sign up for a multitude of events, many of which I am not talented in (swimming, track, tug of war, to name a few).

However, I am talented in tennis, so each year I get really pumped to play doubles tennis. My partner and I, who eerily look related, have similar styles of play and make for a great team. The first year we played we took bronze; the second year we took silver (only because I was in Disney World at the time -- for work, people. I was WORKING HARD). This year, J Squared, as we like to call ourselves, was hoping for the gold. But no. I, my friends, was a headcase. But I'm getting ahead of myself...

We were supposed to play Saturday, and I was psyched for it. Then I spazzed out, forgetting what time we were meeting to warm-up or play and arrived at the courts more than an hour early. Then, once it was time to play, our competitor didn't show, and we won by forfeit. This was good, but bad because we only spent 30 minutes playing with another team who was in the same situation, but, like us, refused to go home without doing anything. (Seriously, I don't wear a skirt for nuthin.)

Then on Monday, during our semifinals match, I came with no game face. I kept over thinking, over hitting, under hitting and doing anything else besides getting the ball in the court. It sucked. I can't believe the other "J" in J Squared didn't smack me. The team we played was good, no doubt, but we ended up playing a grueling three set match that lasted darn near three hours. It should have lasted one hour, but we pulled it out. Barely. Sheesh.

Then, after 20 minutes of rest and six baby carrots (we didn't intend on the marathon tennis), we hit the court again...for....another...three setter (another 2+ hours of tennis). Dear Lord, help. We ended up losing, but I swear it was only due to muscle fatigue and brain failure. And for our state, we really did make some hella good shots. (I finally pulled my ish together for this one; I was too exhausted to continue being a headcase.)

Here's a pic of us before the match:



Thank GOD we didn't take one after.

Back from Sabbatical, for the Moment

Today marks a special day. First, it's my mom's birthday, which is awesome cause she's a pretty wonderful chick. I think I did a good job of spoiling her today with Pei Wei, cupcakes and a mosaic-coaster-making kit, too.

Here are the cupcakes:



In addition, today also marks the first day of this really cool blog "I found." You might want to check it out, nudge nudge. Sorry that I've been busy lately. But, I think it's been worth it, don't you?

p.s. Siena is still growing. Big surprise, right? Here she is, sacked out in the back of the car after spending a night at my parents and playing non-stop. She loved her little puppy vacation. (Thanks again, Mom!)

Happy 100th post to me!

Today is a historic day for PH Balanced. This is its 100th post! Woohoo! That's a lot of blogging about random stuff. In honor of this joyous occasion, I'm posting about two of my favorite things: sheep and sugar-free gum.

One of my friends recently sent me this article, which features the below insanely cute photo. All together now, aww.


Now that our cute quota has been filled for the day, on to the gum. Orbit is probably my favorite brand of sugar-free gum because they're always coming up with new fun flavors. For example, about a year ago they released Mint Mojito, which I adore:


Recently, I stumbled upon two new flavors of Orbit Gum: Fabulous Fruitini and Strawberry Mint. Fabulous Fruitini wasn't exactly fabulous, but it was pretty tasty and tasted very similar to old-school FruitStripes gum, so it had that nostalgia thing going for it. Strawberry Mint was also pretty good, although both didn't keep their flavor long. (If anyone from Orbit stumbles upon this, work on that, OK?)

The new flavors got me curious though...what other flavors are out there or about to be released? The Orbit site wasn't very informative in that department, but wiki, as usual, came to the rescue. According to this, Sangria Fresca should be out and about. I MUST find it. If you see it, buy it for me, please. I'm good for the $1.33.

And, if you happen to be traveling in Russia, Germany, Israel, the Czech Republic or Bulgaria, keep your eyes peeled for even more fruitier flavors. Grapefruit Mint...Orange Berries...Fruit for Kids (really interested to know what that is...I'm guessing fruit punch)...it's an exciting sugar-free gum world out there, and I must sample it!

Running, Running and Running, Running

My plan was to wait to blog about the Trolley Run until after I had received my official race photo, but apparently that’s going to take until Friday, and I don’t feel like waiting that long. (I’ll post it later if I can, but just imagine an awkward me running, red-faced with a less than flattering expression. No matter how good I feel or how hard I try to look normal and healthy, I always look like hell in the end of the race photo.) So…drum roll please…my official time was… 39:12! Not too shabby considering I drank my weight in sangria and got little sleep the night before. Before the race, I had set my goal at a very attainable 40 minutes. So, go me!

Next year, Ryan wants to run it in 30, but he’s crazy. I’m going to shoot for under 36 (under 9 minute miles), which puts me just barely in the next fastest wave. I can do it.

On another fitness-related note, my boss and friend Darryl just competed in a natural body building competition. He totally rocked it! The KC Star's magazine Ink recently profiled his journey from fit man to uber fit man. Be sure to check out the photos -- Neo ain't got nothin on him!

Not to brag but...

I'm on fi-ya!!! With KU's amazing win last night, I cinched the NCAA Tourney bracket pool title from the guys, and today I randomly won four tickets to a Royal's Game of my choice and the special up-close parking spot at work for the month of May just for wearing Royals' gear on opening day.

Some may think I'm "unqualified" for certain things. But, I beg to differ. This is proof that I'm a winner, gosh darn it!

Belated Easter Post; Securing Good Karma

First off, happy belated Easter to all. Here's a cartoon that cracks me up every freaking year:


I had an awesomely productive and heathen weekend. Ryan and I spent Friday night with friends, watching basketball and eating pizza. Saturday we spent the entire afternoon in the yard, puppy-proofing it and cleaning up leaves and such (oh the joys of owning of a home and a dog), and that evening we had dinner in the Power and Light District and stayed out late drinking with friends. Sunday morning, I convinced Ryan that we shouldn't go to church (honestly, we'd be one of those people who only go twice a year, and I hate being such a hypocrite), and instead I painted the office (more on that later this week when I finish up the "Mizzou Room") and Ryan played video games. (Holy, I know.) Sunday afternoon, Ryan and I did make an appearance at his parent's house to gorge ourselves on a ridiculous amount of food that his mom had prepared. It was one big tasty feast.

Siena had quite the weekend as well. She discovered a love for the water hose (I must get video of it and share; it's hilarious) and that paint really isn't very tasty.

This weekend, I also secured my good karma for at least a few weeks. While in Chicago two weeks ago, I lost a $20 bill, and Tish helped me feel better about it (it was the last cash I had left for the trip, and while I was away, Ryan had forgotten our ATM pin number and locked us out of our account for the remaining 24 hours of my trip, so I literally had no cash to get) by rationalizing that someone who needed it more than me would find it and be happy. Then, before we went over to Ryan's parent's house yesterday, we stopped for a very old dog that was obviously someone's pet and obviously very lost. Nimmer, as we came to learn after calling and then meeting her owner, was 13 years old, deaf and mostly blind. Thankfully, we found her before she went out into any of the busier streets in our neighborhood, and she had tags, and her owner was at home.

Now, according to good ole Wiki:

Through the law of karma, the effects of all deeds actively create past, present and future experiences, thus making one responsible for one's own life, and the pain and joy it brings to them and others.

Soooo...I figure my "giving" of the $20 bill and the saving of the dog is enough to make up for my flippant nature regarding church and weekend sinning...right???

Coming clean

I know the blog has been Siena heavy lately, and I don't want to become one of those annoying dog people, but I think it's too late. In fact, I read this and found it not only cute but also tempting to do. So, to hell with it, I'm coming clean. Here's my official statement:

"When it comes to dogs, Jennipher is no longer an objective member of society. She has stepped down to better serve the needs of herself. Let it be known that, in her mind, Siena is a dog unmatched in intelligence, agility and cuteness. Instead of pretending to be objective and not obsessed with her dog for the rest of her life, she's decided to come clean. She is, in fact, hopeless. She hopes you understand."

Phew. I feel better. Now I can stop apologizing for posting things like this:

Here's a shot of us making dinner. Siena patiently waits for me to drop something. She's figured out pretty quickly that I'm the clumsy one in the house and that I drop things on a somewhat regular basis.




Like most puppies, Siena is rough on her toys. Lately though it's become a bit worrisome. Earlier this week, I found this:


Which I reassembled to be Truman.


Just for reference, here's what Truman looked like earlier this month. The signs were all there; I blame myself for what happened.

Success!

Two people came to my core training class tonight. Yay!!!

And, not to brag, but, um, they totally loved it. Oh yea.

Oh God, I'm hungover.

I seriously had the best birthday yesterday. Friday evening, my parents came over to drop off my birthday gifts and go out to dinner. They got me the latest Biggest Loser workout DVD and Guitar Hero for the Wii. So awesome:




Saturday morning, I opened my package from Tish. It's this awesome photo album along with stickers with words like hyperbole, food for thought, bad as I wanna be, and my personal favorite, beans and toast. The idea is that I take a photo to represent each title in my own creative way. How cool is that?!


I spent the afternoon at KCFitnessLink, celebrating Yoga Day and the studio's open house. After enjoying an hour of yoga, I spent a couple hours chatting with new clients and promoting my core class (Mondays, 6-7 pm, btw. hehe.). I also had a delicious lunch of sushi and this ginormous cupcake that Darryl got for my bday.

Note how its size dwarfs my hand:


That afternoon, I came home to a clean house (yay Ryan!). I took a leisurely 40-minute nap, talked to some friends and family on the phone, and played some Guitar Hero. (I'm still on the easy level, but I'm getting better.)





Then we went out to Lulu's for a tasty din-din. That's when the drinking began. lol. The circumstances that lead to the above title are as follows:

• Mojito at Lulu's
• Sangria-tini at Swizzel
• 2 K Ciders, upside-down pineapple cake shot, lemon drop shot and 2 irish car bombs at Hoopers

Here's some of the gang after a couple shots:

And here's Ryan and I towards the end of the evening. Ryan is in pensive mode, I'm in feelin-it "happy cow," as Ryan calls it.

It was a late night, but seriously so much fun. Granted I have a massive headache today, but it was worth it. It's not a good b-day unless you feel it the next day, right? ;)

Also, I'd be a bad puppy mommy if I didn't mention that my b-day marks Siena's 3-month b-day. Here's a few pics of how much she's grown and what she's been up to.

Siena has taken over the papasan, which is awesome because it's really not safe for people to sit in anyways because it's falling apart. Also, we can tell Siena to, "go to papa." And she does!

Siena has two poses, crazy and sad Orphane Annie. Here's two of Annie:

And one of crazy:

In conclusion, here's a Ryan and Siena moment of Zen. Ryan's probably mad at me for putting this on You Tube, but whatever. It was my birthday, and I can post video of him dancing if I want to.

Oh God, I’m 27.

When I turned 16, it was awesome. I can drive!
When I turned 18, it was awesome. I can vote! I can gamble!
When I turned 21, it was awesome. I can drink!
When I turned 25, it was awesome. I can rent a car without extra fees!
When I turned 26, it was extra awesome. Golden birthday year!

But, now I’m 27, and there’s not much of a bonus this go-round. I thought I’d be all clever and try to create a motto for 27. Here’s what I came up with:

Pure heaven at 27. Lame.
Hittin Up 7-Eleven at 27. More lame.
Flying like a raven at 27. That doesn’t even rhyme.

So, screw it. I’m going with the creative, “Oh God, I’m 27.” Now, don’t mistake my tone. I’m not upset at being 27. In fact, I’m quite comfortable with it, but I’m still amazed that I’m actually 27...and married…with a house…and a dog. There’s no going back; I’m an adult.

Although it may not be my “golden” year, I have high hopes for 27. I’m looking to change some things up this year, and spend more time doing the things I love. Out with the gold and into the new!

Ice Storm: 1, Jenn: 0 (participants)

Tonight, I went to teach my first class (To the Core!) at KCFITNESSLINK. I've already posted about how fantastic the place is, and I was quite excited (and a tad nervous) for my first time teaching in the studio. Turns out, that excitement and nervousness will last for another week.

Due to the ice storm, no one had the balls to get out (frankly though, neither do I as I never would have gotten out unless I had to...shhh don't tell), and Darryl and I were left just chatting it up from 5:45-6:15 pm. Although I didn't get to teach, the place has good flow, and I always feel great being there.

Next week, when all of this winter nastiness is past (and it's like 70 degrees cause KC weather is whack like that), come check it out! For now though, pray that our power stays on during the expected inch of ice that we're supposed to receive and that the powers that be close the OP office. If they do, prepare yourself for the obligatory snow day post. :) I may even get out and take some pics of Big Winter himself.

Stay warm!

Shameless self promotion: Get your workout on

I've got a new gig, kids. Come Monday, I'll be teaching a core-training class from 6-7 pm at KC FITNESSLINK at 39th and Main in KCMO. The beautiful mainly mind-body studio is run by my old pal and fitness mentor Darryl from Mizzou. He's talented guys, so you should totally come check the place out (and my class, of course -- hehe).

Here's a shot of the studio that was taken a few weeks ago. He's given the place a little more pizazz with art, but this gives you the gist of the space -- peaceful!


If you want more info, go to: http://www.kcfitnesslink.com/schedule.html. All classes are free next week, so it's the perfect time to check it out!