On: Valentines Day

We don't really celebrate Valentine's Day in our house. Instead, we focus on showing love each and every day. We're not big into the heart shaped boxes of chocolate, or the bouquet of roses. We are into spending as much quality time together as we can.

Guess that explains my lack of writing recently.

So, what are your plans for today?  Roses, chocolate, bottles of bubbly?  I'd love to know.

R.S

On Continual Improvement

Every day is a new day.

A day where I get to decide what's going to happen.

Some days I wake up, and the only thing I want to do is curl in a ball with a good book or two, and an endless supply of chocolate.

Granted, neither of those fit into my current plans.

I hop a plane to Maui in about 37 days, give or take a few hours on either side.

*Squee!*

Okay, I'm calm now, and I've got goals, people!

37 days may seem like a long time, or a short time depending on my current frame of mind. It's long because I haven't seen my best friend in far too long, but it's short because I've got a lot to do before I leave to bask (and quite probably burn) in the sand and sun of Hawaii.

Since the first day of 2012 I've had my eye focused on the prize.

What prize is that you ask?

No, no, it's not a lifetime supply of chocolate that my husband will feed me as I laze by the pool. Though, if you'd like you could send me a lifetime supply of the smooth, sweet goodness. Any chocolate shop owners out there?

*Sigh*

I don't even have a pool, but I've got a whole lot of sand if anyone is interested. If you squint just right it might even look like a beach.

Anyway, the prize is physical and mental fitness. I'm tired of the continual feeling of exhaustion that has plagued me for the last year and a half. I'm tired of not being the healthiest me I can be. Which actually means I haven't really been eating chocolate.

I know, I know, hard to believe, right?

I read everything I can get my hands onto about how to lose that last inch around my waist I want gone. I've done amazing things for my body in the last few years. I dropped over 30 pounds all before the calling in of 2012.

It wasn't enough.

So I gave myself a personal challenge to do 90 days of yoga. Which I mentioned here. I'm still doing amazing with that. Sometimes I even do yoga twice a day. Because of this new routine I feel happier than I have been in a long time, and my core is so much stronger than it's ever been. Plus I can finally do correct push ups.

How awesome is that?

This morning, however, at the beginning of the new day, when the sky was barely pink and the power was still shut off (grrr to the power people and their more and more frequent 'scheduled outages') I decided I needed to do something more to bring my body to the best place it can be, both mentally and physically.

I decided to start running.

*Eeeeek!*

I hate running.

In fact I'd rather do just about anything instead of running.

Oh, you need me to clean your septic tank using nothing more than a mop and bucket? I'm on it!

I'm going to love running.

I want to be able to do things without gasping for breath. I want to firm up my glutes and tighten up the last little bit of skin on my stomach.

I want to shock the running shoes off the Marine.

Today was the first day of my 'couch to 5k' running program.

Not that I'm actually planning to run a 5k, but I'd like to be able to run three miles with the Marine. I'd like to enjoy running like so many other people seem to.

I want to be the best me I can be.

I want to continually improve my mind and body.

Yes, I want a lot of things, I admit that.

The big thing is, I'm willing to work for them and not expect them to just happen.

Hard work never hurt anyone.

In fact, the harder I work for something the better I feel when it all comes together.

I've got about three months until the Marine returns to me again. I think 90 days is a decent amount of time, right?

Wish me luck.

And maybe if I run I can start eating chocolate again. :)

Do you have fitness goals, or any goals you'd like to share? Is there something you hated to do, but you forced yourself to do it? I'd love to hear from you.

R.S.

On Touch Base Tuesday

It's that day again. 

Tuesday.

The Munchkin is at school, the Niece is at work, and the Marine is doing whatever it is he does during the week. 

Me, I'm doing my thing.

The last week was spent working on school work. 

Due this week: 

• Two essays
• One research paper
• Four reply essays to peers
• 300 pages of American Literature reading
• Final Exam

Oh, is that all? 

Pff, nothing to it. 

Who needs to sleep, eat, or shower? 

Interaction with my family? 

What's that?

Like always though, I'll manage. The family will eat, the Munchkin will know without a doubt, I love her, and the work will get done.

I'll mainline water, take chocolate breaks to maintain my sanity, and workout at 5 AM with the Niece to keep my body running.

The Marine will just have to wait for any other attention until I'm not a walking zombie.

What's a few more day, right?

On the writing front:

Have I written anything at all other than school related words?

Not really, no.

I'm going to try to write a few flash fiction pieces, but any real work on my YAWIP or revising of the Contemporary Short will have to wait until after this week.

Not the colors I'd go for...

Such is the life of a college student, mother, wife, aunt, and all around awesome person such as myself.

Maybe I should get a costume...one with a really inspiring cape that will flap when I leap tall buildings in a single bound... I'm thinking black and hussy pink, with knee high stiletto pirate boots. They'll be awesome with my red hair.  

What are your goals and updates?

R.S. 

On Weekend Fun with Family

This weekend was spent hanging out with my family.

The Marine was home, the Niece worked shorter hours, and the Munchkin was surrounded by love.

Friday night, after a quickly prepared meal, we got the Munchkin ready for bed, did the story thing, and sent the menfolk out to get fixings for smores.

Since we live in an area with an almost continual burn ban, and we don't own a fire pit on legs (though I've thought on more than one occasion to acquire one) we made our melty, marshmallow and chocolaty goodness in the microwave.

It's a rarely known science.

An art, if you will.

We sat around the kitchen table, chatted, laughed, and relaxed while inhaling our weight in sugar.

It was the most fun I've had in a long time, and I'm so glad I got to share it with people who are important to not only myself, but to my daughter.

Here is to many more nights of sugary bonding, and to family--not only of blood, but of the heart as well.


How has your weekend been? Did you do anything fun and exciting--like sky diving, or did you sit home and relax with loved ones?

R.S.

On A Day of Relaxation

Yesterday, my BFF was here visiting from the Pacific Northwest, and for the first time in what seems like ages we spent a day relaxing...sort of.

We didn't sit around in our pajamas or anything. In fact, we were out of the house by 0845 and on our way in Palm Springs.

Our day was spent watching movies, eating chocolate and drinking beer. What had originally been slated as a day of wine tasting changed into a day of beer tasting.

We're flexible.

It was an exciting and fun day all around.

Can I just say, Collin Farrell made a gorgeous vampire...up until he grew shark teeth...

Yes, this is sexy...until he unhinges his jaw...

...and Sam Adams Cherry Wheat beer is mighty tasty...

Hope you've had a wonderful and relaxing weekend.

Did you do anything exciting?


R.S.

On a Guest Post From Melanie Macek

First, I want to thank RS Emeline for the opportunity to guest blog. Thanks! I’ve only been blogging for approximately three months, so this is still new for me.

Left to choose my own topic, I was lost. So many things I wanted to talk about with you all. What tipped the scales was a Facebook conversation with my cousin’s husband, who is also an aspiring writing. He sent me a quote about internal editors. And since I’m working on an extensive edit of my manuscript, the topic seemed fitting.

I didn’t even know I had an internal editor until I participated in NaNoWriMo for the first time last year. A motivational video from the great people that run the organization told us to tie up our editors, put them in a corner and kick them if we must; but whatever you do, don’t listen to them and just write.

HA! I said to myself. Just write. Easy for them. There was no possible way anything decent was going to come out of my brain, pass through my fingertips and onto the screen. Once I finally let go of my self-doubts and reservations (somewhere around day 9), magic happened.

I just wrote. I wrote furiously. I wrote until my eyes crossed, my head pounded and there was no possible way to get a decent 5 hours of sleep before work the next day. 

My husband now dreads the month of November because he knows I will be glued to my computer, furiously pounding away on the keys and spending, as he says, his hard earned money on enough caffeine to get me through the month. 

Chocolate or coffee work equally well. Hot chocolate, even better.

So why, do you ask, is this important? Because all of us face some sort of detractor, an editor of sorts trying to conform our dream to their mold. Whether it be ourselves, a family member, co-workers or even some random person; we can’t let them “edit” us away from our desire.

If your desire is to write, then write. Even if you write on a napkin during your lunch break. Tuck it into your pocket or purse and save that idea for later. Just don’t forget to take it out of your pocket before the clothes hit the washer, though.

Over the last nine months, I’ve found it easier to let go and write. One thing that helped was I owned the tag, writer.

When someone asks if I’m published (as if not being published doesn’t make you a writer), I answer “not yet”. Because I will be. Maybe not as soon as I would like or how I anticipate, but it's a goal.

 Is that the only reason I write? Nope. Once I let go and took myself seriously as a writer, it has become my passion. There’s really no stopping it now.

To all of you aspiring toward your dreams; turn off the internal and external editors. You might be amazed at the results.

Thanks again, RS Emeline for letting me sit in on your blog today. I’ve enjoyed it.

Melanie

Melanie Macek is an active member of Romance Writers of America. She recently completed her creative writing degree and is actively pursuing being published, though love of writing is the driving force to write. Secretary by day; at night, she can be found at the keyboard when not spending time with her husband planning their next vacation (great book ideas everywhere!) 

You can contact her on her blog at www.featherpenstartandreams.wordpress.com and on Twitter @MelDFMac