Hodgepodge Wednesday!

Happy Hump Day Everyone!  I hope you enjoy this week's Hodgepodge.  Head on over and visit Joyce to find out how you can participate too!

1. In an effort to combat obesity, the mayor of NYC has plans to ban the sale of large sugary drinks (anything over 16 oz.), initially in restaurants, movie theatres, and street carts. Corner stores would also be affected if they are defined as food service establishments. You can read more here . Your thoughts?

------ The part of me that is saddened by how severe our obesity problem is in this country thinks this is a great idea.  However, a bigger part of me thinks that it's not the mayor's business to be telling people how much sugar they consume.  I may not agree with people's destructive habits, but that doesn't mean it's my (or anyone else's) place to interfere and tell them how to live their lives.

2. Art festival, music festival, food festival...which would you most like to attend?

------ Oh jeez, that's a tough one.  Ideally I'd love to attend a music and food festival combined!

3. What are you irrational about?

------ I think in general, I'm an overly rational person.  I don't think there's really one specific thing that I'm always irrational about.  My mom may be a better person to ask about this.

4. Do you feel confident you'll have a comfortable retirement?

------ Not at the moment, but I'm still young.  I have plans for a great career, and I'm sure my feelings on this will likely change a lot in the coming years.

5. What's been your favorite Olympic moment so far?

(Not ever, just in the 2012 Summer games)

------ I think it's got to be watching Michael Phelps finish out his career in an epic way.  Watching him race and blow away the existing medal records has been a great thing.  I also loved watching Gabby Douglas win her gold in the women's all-around gymnastics competition.  She's just so precious and talented.  I also just watched one of the best comebacks ever.  Misty and Kerri just made an insane comeback against the Chinese to make it to the gold medal match where they'll play our other American team.  Crazy.  I just love sports...and the Olympics....

6. What would you label as the messiest room in your house?

------ As to not throw my parents under the bus, I'll go with my bedroom.  I've lived here about a year and I just can't seem to get it organized enough to my liking, so it just gets messy.  It's much smaller than I'm used to living in, and I haven't dealt with that very well!

7. Do you follow your heart or your head?

------ Oh jeez.  I would have to say more my head.  Like I said before, I'm a really rational person.  Being spontaneous and taking leaps of faith scare me.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

------ I don't want to go to the dentist tomorrow.  I love my dentist, but I'm not too fond of his hygienist.  She's better than his last one...but not by much.

July Was Awesome...

July was a ton of fun, so I thought I'd share some of my favorite moments...

It started out with the Clem Family getting a new addition.  Meet Tiger...

We adopted Tiger from one of my co-workers who was recently relocated to Chicago

Tiger is a sweet cat, but she might also be the oddest cat we've ever had.  She doesn't like to be held very much (which drives my dad bonkers), she's very talkative and she's terrified of ceiling fans (I'm not joking).  It's been a while since there's been a pet in this house, so we're all pretty glad to have her around.

Then came 4th of July!  I love this holiday.  I get to celebrate how awesome it is to live in America, plus it includes fireworks.  Fireworks are one of my favorite things in the world.  This year, I spent the day with my family at Chase Field taking in some baseball.  Did I mention we got to watch batting practice from the field?  No?  Well, we did...and it was one of the coolest things I've ever done!

Our view of batting practice from the field

Diamondbacks Catcher Miguel Montero signing autographs right next to me.  Dad got his autograph, and he stopped and talked to us for a couple of minutes.  He's super nice!

Diamondbacks 1st Baseman Paul Goldschmidt.  I love him.  I love that he's a great player, and I love how hot he is.

Family photo during batting practice

Fireworks after the game

This was how the month started.  There were a few more baseball games in the middle of the month, and the month ended with a mini-vacation to San Diego!  However, I love San Diego so much that you'll see that in a whole other post on Friday.

PCOS Update

Happy Weekend Everyone!

Back in February I talked about how after 4 useless doctors, 1 semi-helpful doctor and nearly 10 years I finally found a miracle doctor that actually knows what PCOS is and how to effectively treat it.  A couple of weeks ago I had my three month follow up with Miracle Doctor.

In three months time I have lost a total of 21 lbs.  From my heaviest weight about 2 years ago, I was down 31 lbs.  Personally, I was amazed by this as it has actually been super easy, and prior to seeing this doctor it would have taken me well over a year to lose that first 20 lbs.  I felt as though I'd been doing really well with the program.  I take my meds every day when I'm supposed to, and I follow my diet very strictly except when I'm on vacation (doctor's orders...he doesn't believe in trying to diet on vacation...one reason on a long list of reasons why I love him!).  That being said, I was still nervous to find out what he thought about my progress with our program.

To my great relief, he was just as thrilled with my progress as I was, if not more so.  He says I'm right on track for where he thinks I should be.  I've actually lost more weight than he had estimated I would in the first three months.  He's very impressed with my will power and ability to stick with the diet (I guess most of his patients aren't as ridiculously stubborn as I am!).  In fact, I'm doing well enough that he wants to change our follow ups to every six months rather than every three.  I'll see him again in January, and I fully intend on impressing him once again.

I'm still shocked that I've finally found a doctor who knows how to treat me.  I'm blessed to have found him when I did, because mentally I was in pretty dire straights by that time.  I'd spent years fighting my body's chemistry.  Doing everything I could think of to try and lose the weight that I shouldn't have gained in the first place.  My body image was the most negative it's ever been, and I was so close to just giving up and giving in to it.  I felt like I was never going to find anyone that could help.  It's miserable feeling like you're trapped in your own skin.  When most of the time the way you see yourself in your minds eye is nothing like the way you look in the mirror.  You start avoiding mirrors...especially full length ones...because you're still shocked every time you see that gross heavy person looking back at you.

Things are different now.  I was telling a friend just today that I am finally starting to see the difference in the mirror.  For weeks now I've noticed the difference in my clothes (I had to stop wearing all of my work slacks because they are ridiculously large and look super stupid on me), but it's really just been in the last week or so that I really see the difference when I look in the mirror.  This is the best I've felt about myself in years, and I can't even fathom at this point how I feel when this process is finally done.

For anyone out there that might be in a similar situation, DON'T GIVE UP!  I've always believed that everything happens for a reason.  It took this long, and I had to go through what I went through in order to get to this point and finally find Miracle Doctor.  Keep at it.  It will all work out the way it should in the end.  Hopefully for the better.  If nothing else, take comfort in knowing you aren't alone, and that others have gone through what you're going through right now.

Thanks for listening, and have a fabulous weekend everyone!

Wednesday Hodgepodge

Happy Hump Day Ladies & Gents!  I hope you enjoy this week's Hodgepodge.  Don't forget to visit our wonderful Hodgepodge Host, Joyce!


1. I'm joining my daughter1 in the 101 in 1001 challenge. Essentially you create a list of 101 things you hope to do or accomplish in the next 1001 days. What's one thing you'd put on your list?

• Start culinary school.  I'm shooting for more like the next 400 days on this one, but it would be near the top of the list just the same.  It's something I'm dying to do.  I think about it every day, but the practical adult in me won't let myself do it until the credit card debt is gone and I've gotten my life a little more stabilized than it is now.

2. How many remote controls do you have in your house? What's one item in your home you wish could be operated by remote control?

• I personally have 3.  One for the TV, one for the DVD player and one for my AppleTV.  Now...if I were to count all of the remotes that the rest of my family has throughout the house..there's probably at least 12-15.  I wish I had the remote control ceiling fan/light and blinds in my windows.  Mostly because I can be lazy sometimes and I'd like to be able to control those things from the comfort of my bed.  :)

3. What does having it all mean to you? Is it attainable?

• For me, having it all just means being completely happy with where I'm at in life.  I'm not there yet, but I know I can get there.  It's definitely attainable, but it's not easy.  Then again, nothing in life ever is.

4. What's your favorite movie soundtrack?

• August Rush...hands down.  Seriously musical genius.  If you've never seen the movie, I highly recommend it.  It satisfied every bone in my musically geeky body, and I just get lost in the amazing compositions every time.

5. Describe the best view you've seen from a rooftop.

• A couple of my friends in DC had amazing roof top decks.  If you're lucky enough to have one of those in a great part of the city, you can see all of the monuments and historical landmarks.  It's really amazing, especially at night.

6. What's your least favorite thing about summer?

• I'm pretty sure we've had this discussion before.  THE HEAT!!  Let me tell you, moving away from Phoenix for 3 years and moving back did not change my abhorrence towards our summer months.  I cannot stand it.  I try really hard to not complain about it, because there's nothing I can do about it, but I really, really hate it.  Really.

7. Our weekly Hodgepodge falls on the first day of August. In ten words or less sum up your July.

• Lots of baseball.  Amazing Friends.  Cousin time in San Diego.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

• I love watching the Olympics.  I love both summer and winter versions.  In the summer I get to watch gymnastics and swimming and volley ball and water polo (all which include amazingly hot men wearing next to nothing!).  In the winter I get the best sport of all...hockey!  Along with ice skating (don't get me started on ice dancing and how I hate it), skiing, speed skating and bobsledding!  I just love it, and wish I could watch them every year.

Coming Soon to a Blog Near You...

I'm back!  I know I say that a lot, but you should be used to it by now!  July has been a busy month, so I think August is the perfect time to get you all caught up with my life.  I got myself all caught up on reading your blogs today.  I'm going to make more of an effort to comment on everyone's blogs, and not just be a blog stalker.  


Here are some posts I'm working on for you:

• My link up to Wednesday Hodgepodge will be back tomorrow.  It's only my second one, but it will be come a more consistent part of the blog from now on.
• I had a check-up with my doctor, so there's a PCOS update coming your way.
• Like I said, July was busy, so I'm putting together a photo filled post to recap.
• I just got back from a mini vacation in San Diego.  That gets its own photo filled post.
• I'm also thinking of changing the look of my blog.  We'll see how that goes.

We'll start from there and see how it goes.  My lovely friend Ashley has a great blog that I stalk pretty regularly.  She does a couple of weekly link ups, and I'm thinking I may join her in that.  It would be a good way to make sure I get at least two posts up a week.  Maybe it will curb my slacker tendencies a bit!  Until I decide, you can go visit Ashley over at Oh Wells Instead of What Ifs and see how fabulous she is!

I'll leave you with this for now, but stay tuned for more later this week!

My First Wednesday Hodgepodge

Okay, so I've decided it's time to end my blogging hiatus.  I've taken a long enough break since the A to Z Challenge.  I got myself through busy season at work, and now that we're starting a renovation project at work, I'm going to have boat loads of free time to bore you all with my ramblings.


To work my way back into the scene, I decided to join the Wednesday Hodgepodge.  My mom started participating a few weeks ago, and it just sounds like fun!  So, thank you in advance to Joyce over at From This Side of the Pond for giving me something to write about on Wednesdays!  Without further ado....

1. Summer officially rolls in with the Hodgepodge, for those of us in the Northern hemisphere anyway. What song says summer 2012 to you?

I now live in Phoenix.  It's hotter than the surface of the sun here in the summer.  People think I'm crazy when I say that I prefer the humid summers of Washington, DC to summers here, but believe me, I'm not lying.  The heat is gross and I hate it more than I could actually put into words.  So, this is an oldie but a goodie.  I think Nelly's got it right by pointing out that it's so hot all you want to do is strip.

2. What is the quintessential summer food?

Great White Shark Popsicles!  I used to eat these all the time in the summer during my brother's little league games.

Photo Courtesy of: ebay.com 

3. I've spent a lot of time traipsing up and down the NJ turnpike in recent weeks. Did you know the rest stops on the turnpike are named after people who lived or worked in NJ? Clara Barton, Walt Whitman, James Fenimore Cooper, Molly Pitcher, Joyce Kilmer, Thomas Edison, and Grover Cleveland just to name a few. Of those I listed who would you most like to have known and why?

Even though Walt Whitman's rest stop is one of my favorites, I'm going to have to go with Clara Barton.  She did such amazing things, not only for women and feminism, but for society as a whole by founding the American Red Cross.  I think knowing her would have been amazing.

4. At what age did you move out of your parent's house and what prompted the move?

I was 18, and I was moving north to Flagstaff to attend Northern Arizona University.  I've spent most of my time since then away from home.  For the four years I was in college I only came home for short visits and when they made us leave the dorms during extended vacations at school.  I moved home for a year right after college before I embarked on my 3 year adventure in Washington, DC, and now I'm back again.  I've been back almost a year, though it doesn't seem like that long.

5. What's more satisfying to you-saving time or saving money?

Right now?  Money.  I do anything to be able to save some money.

6. Name something you think brings out the good in people.

Like most things in life, I think this varies by person.  I really don't think there's one thing more than any other that brings out the best in everyone.  Some things that I think are up there?  Laughter, good music, puppies and faith in something bigger than us.

7. This last question comes to you courtesy of Kathy at Reflections...are you taking a vacation or staycation this summer? If so where are will you go? If a staycation is on the calendar have you made any special plans to fill the time?

Due to a renovation project going on at work this summer, I'll be taking a lot of time away from my job.  Unfortunately most of it will be unpaid, so I'll be doing a lot of staycationing and working on my tan (I'm blessed with the ability to tan while wearing a very high SPF sun block.  Please be safe in the sun this summer everyone!  Skin cancer is nothing to brush off.)!  However, my sister and I are headed to glorious San Diego for two days at the end of July, and I'm hoping to make some day trips up to Flagstaff to get out of the heat.

8. Insert your own random thought here.

I'm really tired, and should probably go to sleep (it's 10:20 PM as I'm writing this, and past my bed time!), but I'm sucked in to the baseball game that I already thought might never end, but is now, of course, in extra innings.  The D-Backs need to lock it up and finish this game!

Thanks for reading!  And don't forget to head over to This Side of the Pond and visit Joyce!

A to Z Challenge Wrap Up

Is anyone shocked that I'm two days late writing this?  You shouldn't be!  The great organizers of the challenge asked us to post our A to Z wrap up on Monday.  This is really the first time I've had time to sit down and write since writing my "Z" post.  So, without further ado, my reflections.

First, in case you missed my intro to the challenge, my mom made me do it!  I'm just kidding, I'm an adult, I make my own choices.  I jumped on board when she brought it up.  I thought it sounded like a wonderful idea!  We made the decision back at the beginning of the year.  I figured that was plenty of time to plan ahead and pre-write some things.  As per usual, I forgot about my talent for procrastinating, so none of that planning or pre-writing ever happened.  Before I knew it, it was March 31st, and I was scrambling to figure out what I was going to do about this challenge.

I think the best thing I did was to have a theme for my challenge.  I used the challenge to create my bucket list.  Some of the things on my list were already part of my bucket list.  Others were things I thought of when I got stuck on a letter.  I think without having a theme I would have had an even harder time than I ended up having.

The timing was the worst part for me.  April is my busiest month at work.  I came home most nights with a headache and zero desire to be on a computer any longer, let alone try to be creative and write a blog post.  Then there's post-season hockey.  I have tickets to all post-season home games for the Coyotes, so I've been attending those.  Then when they aren't home we're watching the games on TV, plus being the hockey loving family that we are, we're following all of the other teams that are still in the running and watching a lot of those games on TV.  Needless to say, April was a bit hectic.

Through the first part of the month I was able to write on Sundays and get most of the next week written. It was the end of the alphabet that got tricky.  I mean really, do we really need any of the letters after "T"??!!  I couldn't think of anything good enough to pre-write it, so I was writing everything last minute.  Sometimes it worked out okay, and then there's the letter "X", which I skipped, and I still don't feel bad about it!

Overall, I think the Challenge is a great thing, and I mostly enjoyed participating.  Will I do it again?  Probably.  Mostly to prove to myself that I can manage my time well and not be stressed about it!

Last, but not least, I just want to say thank you to the A to Z team for putting this all together.  Also, thank you to all of my new followers and everyone who left great comments throughout the challenge.  I didn't get around to visiting everyone as much as I would have liked to, but with work slowing down now, I'm hoping to finally make the rounds and visit all of you now.

Have a great rest of the week everyone!