Office, please.

Oh the office.

Okay, so I have an office, but it's just not living up to it's potential. Of course, that's entirely on me, and sometimes I wish that I had that innate interior decorating talent and could just whip up an amazing space in no time. But I'm no Jane-of-all-trades, so I digress.

I found some of these pretty office spaces and I'm just dreaming about what I could turn my space into. The thing is that I don't have a whole bedroom to work with. Instead, it's more of a small space that's like a large walk in closet. I'm not really sure what it used to be...I believe the previous owners of our house remodeled, which included my office being created.

So I've been looking for examples of great small office spaces. I really want to get a cubby-bookshelf, the Expedit from Ikea, and just finish painting the walls. Yes, I've been complacent with half painted walls.

Source: bhg.com via Catie on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Catie on Pinterest

Source: flickr.com via Catie on Pinterest

Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via Catie on Pinterest

What does your ideal office look like?

Weight Watchers: Week 3

I signed up for Weight Watchers the day before their "Sign up for $1" promo ended. This is what I told myself, "If Jennifer Hudson can do it, so can I." Granted she also has access to personal trainers and probably a nutritionist, but still I thought I would give Weight Watchers a shot. I joined the online only program and have been tracking my points for the last three weeks.

Well, I'm ecstatic to report that I've lost 4.5 pounds so far! All without depriving myself and eating foods I like. This is the most weight I've lost on a program, in a slow and steady manner, which is great. I know that it's not much different from just counting calories, but there's something about paying for a program that makes you stick to it.

I'm a member of SparkPeople.com which is a great website for tracking your nutrition and workouts and it has so many amazing resources and articles for losing weight. Every which way you browse there's a great success story. And it's FREE! That's probably the best incentive. However, for me, I think because it is free and I know that it'll always be there, I took it for granted. Actually, the when I first joined SparkPeople, I followed the meal and calorie plans and tracked all my food. I think I lost about 10lbs. Awesome, right?! Then I became complacent and lazy...

Now I'm at a point where changes must happen. We're starting to think about having kids and I don't want to have any complications due to my weight. So I'm taking the steps to change it. And since I've paid for three months up front, I know that I'll stick with it for at least that long. Longer, really. If I'm being totally honest, I have about 60lbs to lose to get to my first goal weight. This is just the beginning.

Someday. A Dog.

Oh, I have totally been thinking about dogs lately. I really want to get one. But there's a partial commito-phobe in me that is worried about getting a dog! But Having grown up with two dachshunds, I know that it would be awesome. I'd love to have a little companion to hang out with all day!

I'm thinking about a dachshund or a corgi or a maltese. I've only ever had dachshunds, so they are definitely the front runner. I've been looking into rescuing a dachshund from one of the Dachshund Rescue Organizations in Dallas. There are tons!

And there are so many dogs that need good forever homes. I'm hoping that sometime next year we can get a dog. I found a few adorable photos of cute pooches on Pinterest. My heart melts.

Source: andmiscellaneousthings.tumblr.com via Catie on Pinterest

Source: fuckyeahcorgis.tumblr.com via Catie on Pinterest

Source: etsy.com via Catie on Pinterest

Source: weheartit.com via Catie on Pinterest

All Good Cowboys

I'm so excited for my cousin who just released her first album, All Good Cowboys.

You can listen online and purchase from the same website.

Happy Monday!

Prayer please...

On Tuesday, while I was getting my tire repaired and another replaced (I so hate car troubles!), I received some devastating news. I learned that a former co-worker and friend of mine was just diagnosed with lymphoma. Cancer. That's all I know for right now, I don't know what type, what stage, or what the prognosis is. It really came out of nowhere.

She's 27.
She exercises and eats healthy.
She has her life ahead of her.

And probably most challenging of all, she's been unemployed for about a year and has no health insurance. I can't even imagine the stress she could be going through on top of finding out that she is sick.

If you're the praying type, please pray. If you're the well wishes type, please send those.

I'm so heartbroken for my friend. I hope that they found it early...

Done with Lemons

When life hands you lemons, make lemonade, right? Well, this girl is totally over squeezing.

I know that this post could be really angry, but I don't want to go in that direction. I think I believe in karma too much. So, I don't want to wish ill things on others, but I am upset. I didn't get that job. But I think that the worse thing is that I know who did. It's like getting punched in the gut and then kicked in the face for good measure. And to top things off, an important potential client meeting was cancelled. That was supposed to be tomorrow.

I know I should learn from this and move on. But it all happened today. I feel like I got rained on. And then hailed on. I feel like I should run and take cover for fear of being struck by lightning next. I know that my not getting that job is nothing personal. But it totally is. That job was (at least it seemed to be) a great fit. A ten minute commute! A small office! And income to supplement things.

I guess it wasn't meant to be. Maybe God is saying, "There's something even better coming." I sure hope so, because I think I've become so accustomed to disappointments at this point that anything good would be welcome relief. And the thing is that I can't really talk about this anywhere else. Because while I'm sad that I didn't get that job, I am happy for the person who did (at least I will be in the future). But this isn't something I can talk about on my professional blog or on Facebook or Twitter. So I'm thankful I have this space. Even if no one reads it.

I'm just so discouraged. I know that tomorrow is another day and I will get through this, but I was so hopeful. I was feeling really encouraged. And now. Well crap. Darn it, I need to catch a break when it comes to these life altering moments. I need a "sign" of some sort that will let me see that, YES, I am moving in the right direction. It's moments like these that my faith is tested.

I'm thankful to have encouraging friends and family who support me and try to make me feel better. I'm thankful to be in good health. I'm thankful to have a roof over my head and food to eat. I'm so thankful. I'm looking for that silver lining while I spend the next couple of days wallowing. Don't mind me. 

101 in 1001 Coming Soon

I started a 101 in 1001 list a few years ago. And after a while I kind of just lost track. I think it might have been listed on an old blog that I don't write on anymore. I really want this blog to be the home of all the things that I don't blog about on my photography blog. While I do share bits of personal aspects of my life over there, I needed an outlet that would allow me complete freedom to write whatever I want.

With my twenties starting to come to a close (it's true I can no longer say "mid-twenties"), I thought it would be a perfect time to start a new 101 list. Stay tuned. I plan to keep to it. I think I'm also going to see if I can find my old 101 in 1001 list. Hmmm. I wonder where it is.