tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673Thu, 10 Apr 2008 14:28:29 +0000http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/index.phpGinaBlogger216125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-6730071896175695124Sun, 30 Mar 2008 14:45:00 +00002008-03-30T09:55:21.242-05:00I arrived back in Florida yesterday with dry chapped hands, a cold and 4 duffel bags of belongings. But the weather was a gorgeous sunny 76 degrees. Glorious! Got picked up at the airport and whisked off to Rosie's Bar & Grill for lunch. I was still feeling all Greek, so I had the Trojan Wrap. YUM. Then came back home to see my roomie and the pups. Butchie was sooooo excited to see me, sohttp://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2008/03/wii-derby-grrls.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-7748451581127477551Tue, 25 Mar 2008 03:51:00 +00002008-03-24T22:58:07.655-05:00vacationsgreeceholidaysWhile, I will have fond memories of the incredible heritage, architecture and history of the tour, it was often painful to sit through deceit, crankiness and downright meanness. On the bright side, I took some amazing pictures which I will hopefully be posting soon. I am back in NH now and packing my stuff up. It will remain in storage for the next 2 1/2 years. Anyone need a couch, TV or http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2008/03/greece.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-6663056490067932856Mon, 04 Feb 2008 23:39:00 +00002008-02-04T18:42:18.794-05:00peace corpWell, I got the last of the required medical docs finished for the Peace Corps, so now all I need to wait for is my country invitation. In the mean time, I'm going on a little road trip to Florida for a month or so. I'm planning to get in some SCUBA Diving, get some R&R, and focus on some photography. I'll keep you all posted.http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2008/02/documentation-done.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-266367271829675956Mon, 19 Nov 2007 20:48:00 +00002007-11-19T15:56:27.893-05:00volunteerpeace corpIt's official. I'm going somewhere in Eastern Europe in June! Woo-hoo. I couldn't be happier. I've still got to pass the medical and dental portion and then sometime in the spring I'll get the official country invitation. That's when they'll tell me exactly where I'll be going. So lots of excitement, but the good news is I have some time before I ship off! http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/11/eastern-europe-in-june-2008.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-3531704183899698742Thu, 15 Nov 2007 20:27:00 +00002007-11-15T15:41:56.084-05:00volunteerpeace corpJust wanted to give everyone a quick update on my Peace Corps Application Process. I had my interview last week and it went extremely well. The person interviewing me just finished his service with his wife last year. He of course said, it was such a rewarding and amazing experience. He and his wife worked in Belize. Anyhow, he sent my packet off to the regional office in Boston and I have http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/11/peace-corps-interview.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-5436263577139267781Thu, 25 Oct 2007 02:05:00 +00002007-10-24T21:20:13.881-05:00volunteerpeace corpYup, the rumor is correct. I've applied to be in the Peace Corps. As long as my asthma doesn't keep me out, I think I have a pretty good shot at getting in. While, my initial thought was that I'd be gone before the New Year. It looks like the process is going to take a bit longer (6-9 months). And truly, given the amount of paperwork I have to fill out, it would be easier running for the http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/10/peace-corps.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-9160958926976989804Thu, 18 Oct 2007 13:54:00 +00002007-10-18T09:00:32.896-05:00boot campexercisefitnessI never thought I would be so happy about being labeled "overweight". That is what my BMI now indicates. But spending the last 3 months labeled "obese" was so much worse. I'll take overweight over obese any day of the week. We had our weigh ins this morning for boot camp and I am now down over 9 inches since July. My bra size is down a full 2 inches and all of my pants are fitting better, ifhttp://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/10/just-overweight.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-7111284722271056990Wed, 12 Sep 2007 00:57:00 +00002007-09-11T20:10:38.427-05:00ballaerobicsexerciseTonight was my first night at my "Ball Aerobics Class". Yup, I'm officially a work-out junkie. 5 days every morning, walking the dogs (most nights), and now two additional nights at Ball Class. With the exception of being sore from the morning workout, everything was going pretty well at Ball Class. After getting a feel for the ball and doing a couple of exercises, I was just sitting there http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/09/who-popped-ball.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-6385468399866856009Fri, 10 Aug 2007 14:34:00 +00002007-08-10T09:46:30.460-05:00weight lossexercisefitness Woo-hoo!!! Boot Camp #1 is now complete. The stats are in and I couldn't be happier. I have lost 4.5 inches of fat and gained .25 inches of muscle. I've lost 7lbs (although that was by my scale and not the official scale). And, to top it all off, I shaved exactly 1 minute off my mile and doubled the amount of pushups. My mile time: 11 minutes and 22 seconds! My next goal is to do it underhttp://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/08/boot-camp-complete.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-9204691381087083563Fri, 27 Jul 2007 14:26:00 +00002007-07-27T09:41:12.693-05:00weight lossexercisefitnessWell, week two of fitness boot camp is complete and I'm ready for a nice relaxing weekend! At the end of week one, I ran my first mile (I think ever), last Friday. My official time: 12minutes and 22seconds. I now know what it feels like to be nauseous from exercising. This second week has been noticiably easier. The crunches are flying by, leg lifts are semi easier, and, god help me, the http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/07/week-two-complete.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-8778820887178698492Mon, 16 Jul 2007 16:02:00 +00002007-07-16T11:18:14.539-05:00dietingweight lossfitnessOkay, so I'm not in the Army's boot camp, but the NH Adventure Boot Camp for Women is already kicking my (fat) ass in gear. Did I mention, it just started this morning! Amanda and I are attending boot camp at 7:30AM, 5 days a week, for an hour of hell. I really didn't know that I had muscles in some places. I know it will show by the end of it all. All fun aside, I'm very excited. I tried http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/07/im-in-boot-camp-hell.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-5282648769661242739Fri, 25 May 2007 04:40:00 +00002007-05-24T23:44:35.808-05:00summer campadult campsI have found myself not able to sleep tonight, as I have been suffering from a bad case of bronchitis and a cough that has me banned from the bedroom. Anyhow, after watching Nazi 101 on the History Channel, I flipped around and came across a special on the Travel Channel called: Cool Summer Camps for Adults. I have been racking my brain to figure out what I want to do now that I hit the big 30 http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/05/cool-summer-camps-for-adults.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-5068706440671367908Thu, 10 May 2007 22:13:00 +00002007-05-11T08:49:39.569-05:00birthdayginaloveover the hillWhile, I've been celebrating my 30th birthday all week, today I turned 30. I used to laugh at all of those straight girls who feared turning 30, but I succumbed to that panic earlier in the week. I took a picture of myself last night (at 29) and was hoping that I would miraculously lose 25lbs overnight. It didn't happen so I figured the best way to celebrate was to go to my favorite diner for http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/05/happy-30th-birthday-to-me.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-5516395155920640480Fri, 04 May 2007 16:05:00 +00002007-05-04T11:46:20.607-05:00pet sittingdog sitterWell, I just got back from dropping our three little furry friends at a new dog sitter. It's heart breaking when they don't even pay much attention to you when you leave. We found a new dog sitter in the local Penny Saver and came highly recommended from our vet. We are very excited to have found someone that is willing to take the dogs anytime! We have been planning a trip to Boston for a http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/05/mini-vacation.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-1757088942564218629Fri, 27 Apr 2007 19:26:00 +00002007-04-27T14:30:07.477-05:00brooklineanna's taqueriaburritoI had the lovely privilege of spending the night with Joe & Julia at their new digs in Brookline Wednesday night. As wonderful as it was to see them, the best part is that you can simply walk across the street to Anna's Taqueria. Oh, how I craved their Super Carnitas Burrito. Craving has since been satisfied!http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/04/super-burrito.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-3065394844748225714Thu, 15 Feb 2007 01:34:00 +00002007-02-14T20:49:36.383-05:00valentine's dayvdayHappy Valentine's Day my loyal blog readers (all 4 of you). Here is how my day went: 6:30am - open the dog door for the pups (it's snowing outside) 7:00am - take my thyroid pill 7:30 am - baked chocolate chip cookies 7:51am - made blueberry muffins (in a cute teddy bear baking tin) with a gooey chocolate middle and served them to Amanda in bed. 8:30 am - built a fire (took two matches... argh)http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/02/valentines-day-2007.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-2744763876425552717Sun, 14 Jan 2007 18:24:00 +00002007-01-14T13:29:25.190-05:00snow fallingfireWell, we finally have some snow in NH. It has been lightly snowing all day. Amanda got the fire started early this morning and it has been roaring all day. These are the days that one just feels so content. It's the warm and fuzzy feeling when you have everything that is important to you right in your lap - My beautiful wife, three dogs and nothing but the sound of a crackling fire. Happyhttp://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/01/its-snowing-finally.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-1808797543467104031Sun, 07 Jan 2007 02:54:00 +00002007-01-06T22:15:11.162-05:00conjunctivitiscommon coldbronchitis Well, no better way to start off the New Year than with a nasty cold complete with conjunctivitis. I've been fighting this off since Christmas and it worsened this past week. I knew it was only a matter of time before I got hit with my yearly month-long bought of bronchitis. Friday I spent the day at the doctor's office and then tracking down the obscure medicine that she prescribed - 0.63http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2007/01/happy-freakin-new-year.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-7219860222932062314Thu, 28 Dec 2006 15:15:00 +00002006-12-28T10:18:16.316-05:00whiskeychristmasnew yearsHappy Holidays everyone. Just wanted to quickly wish everyone a happy and safe holiday season. We had a great Christmas and are looking forward to a fun New Year's Eve with Joe & Julia and 4 fabulous lobsters! We have finally had a wee bit of snow up here so that has helped us all get in the mood. Oh, and on my next post, I'll fill you in on our little outing with Tiffany & Linda. We may http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/12/happy-holidays.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-8893061945836130545Tue, 12 Dec 2006 13:30:00 +00002006-12-12T08:52:06.294-05:00dietingweight lossAfter spending the last week (okay last month) complaining about gaining back weight, Amanda cracked the whip this morning. The alarm sounded at 6:51 am, I rolled over, dogs flanked on each side and watched Amanda ride the bike while trying to come up with every excuse I could think of to get out of my turn. Instead, I kept my mouth shut, rolled onto my back, and started doing some stretches.http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/12/after-spending-last-week-okay-last.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-4993792644319151313Thu, 07 Dec 2006 18:32:00 +00002006-12-07T15:18:17.407-05:00blog frustrationOkay, the new BETA blogger is driving me nuts. It works fine for my new business blog which you should all check out - Small Business Musings, but everytime I go to update my personal blog it gives me an error and says I have no username and password and clearly I do! ARGH, so frustrating. Hopefully this one will go through. Okay this is my third time trying to publish this one post.http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/12/okay-new-beta-blogger-is-driving-me.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-1444347572262376753Tue, 28 Nov 2006 23:36:00 +00002006-12-04T19:38:04.618-05:00Silly me... I've been blogging about information (last post) that only a web geek would care about. I should have blogged about bottling of our first batch of wine! Here are the pics to start off with: http://www.sstrixie.com/pics/index.php?&f=hobbies/winemaking Running out of time this morning so will try to blog more tonight and tell you all about our Blou Bear Wine making!!! Let's just sayhttp://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/11/silly-me.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-5002116350507406298Tue, 28 Nov 2006 01:23:00 +00002006-11-27T20:30:52.253-05:00OOOPS! So a few weeks back, I made some pretty hefty behind the scenes changes to my website and lo and behold people are actually viewing my site! yes, I got a few complaints that old links didn't work. I then checked Google and there were 307 pages that were now a 404 (Page Not Found). Now, being a web person, I'm usually the first one to think of that. When I worked at Constant Contact, http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/11/ooops-so-few-weeks-back-i-made-some.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-116277692841745038Mon, 06 Nov 2006 01:28:00 +00002006-11-05T20:35:28.433-05:00We spent today (okay, Amanda spent today), reorganizing the house. Me, I sketched out shelving plans for the mudroom. My initial plans went out the window, rather to the dump, when we decided to build on the opposite wall. In the meantime, while trying to find woodworking plans for building "floating shelves", I came across ANOTHER software company that Google bought - Sketchup. It offers a http://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/11/we-spent-today-okay-amanda-spent-today.phpGinatag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6323673.post-116049977069705308Tue, 10 Oct 2006 16:50:00 +00002006-10-10T12:02:50.720-05:00Amanda and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary yesterday! We started off the day at the Sandwich Fair eating some french fries, snow cone, and fried dough. We then took our chances on one of the rides and that was enough excitement for the morning. We went home and took a nap in the sun puddle on the porch. We then hit a few golf balls at the driving range and then went to dinner for the "allhttp://www.sstrixie.com/blog/2006/10/amanda-and-i-celebrated-our-1-year.phpGina