A NEW APPROACH...

This month, instead of waiting until the end of May to grouse and complain about how I didn't meet my goals, I've decided to declare defeat early...

Here it is, 11 days to go, and I'm just going to have to say it: my resolutions are in the toilet. Flush. Zip up the fly. Walk out of the stall.

For all of my great intentions, I have just not been cutting it with the diet. In fact, my focus has pretty much waned to nothing. I ate like I was on death row all weekend, then blew it out at Ruth's Chris last night... ridiculous, copious amounts of delicious food. I really didn't even feel guilty about it, which is a sign that I'm in really bad shape, mentally. Once I stop caring, it's hard to resurrect the willpower.

So I've decided to try another tactic to meet my resolutions. I'm envisioning positive changes and hoping they'll take root in my life. It's that whole cheesy "if you can see it, you can be it" thing. Maybe I should paper my refrigerator doors with photos of rock-solid abs. Heck, I don't even mind being a little doughy through the middle... I just don't want to look like Mrs. Butterworth anymore.

Mark has been a positive influence lately; he's doing NutriSystem again. I have to admire that... It's not pleasant in any way. It's ironic that my decline has come at the precise moment he's getting his nutritional act together. So that's one more reason to try harder. I'm stating my June goals early and giving myself plenty of time to meet them:

"I will lose 6 lbs before June 30 and I will shave off another $1,000 in debt".
(And I'm clicking my heels together and saying it aloud three times, just for good measure.)

The financial part I'm not so worried about. I've given up spending any money, with hardly a thought. Every month is getting me closer to that little red C350. And when the credit cards reach zero, it's on. I had nurtured the fantasy that our annual pay raises would be fantastic this year, and that I would somehow carve off all the debt in one fell swoop and run straight to the Mercedes dealership-- but then I woke up to reality! One can only build their car online so many times until the thrill wears off, though. Which leads me to wonder if a website exists, where I could build my own virtual waistline and watch the pounds melt away? That might be an interesting "if you can see it, you can be it" exercise... well, for my fingers, anyway. I know the real effort of weight loss takes place between your ears.

Ok, so let's recap. I was a stinker in May. And now I'm telling the negative thoughts that they are no longer welcomed in my head, rent-free. It's time to get the heck out. No more "if you can see it, you can eat it" mindset!

Look out, June 30... I'm heading your way! I may be traveling by foot instead of my '08 Mercedes-- but I'm enroute!

WEIGHING IN ON WEIGHING IN

I've been stalling on the monthly blog entry regarding the progress of my '08 weight-loss goals-- especially in light of all this class reunion business. So this time, there are no cutesy song lyrics and no overtly optimistic declarations in typical Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm fashion. Nope, I'm cutting right to the chase. I'm going to take my medicine. I made this bed and it's my big, wide size-14 butt that will have to lie in it.

I didn't lose a single pound in the month of April.

In fact, I came back from vacation ten pounds heavier than when I left. I basically went on a two-week bender and ate like I was on death row. Desserts. Pizza. Sushi. Hamburgers. Desserts. Pasta. Candy. French fries. Desserts. Potato chips. Cookies. Fast food. Ice cream. And did I mention desserts? All the carbs I have denied myself since January were consumed tenfold. Tastes great but definitely not less filling!

So for the past two weeks, I've been really diligent (well, except for a slight fall off the proverbial wagon, when I ate copious amounts of oatmeal cookie dough on Sunday). The vacation weight is back off, though, and I'm basically in the same place I was on April 1. Would I change anything, if I could do it over again? No. I have a fundamental belief that vacations are about freedom and enjoying oneself, so it's no use lamenting the fact that I've squandered a month's progress. I do wish I had exercised a little more self-control, and also that I had just exercised. But I'm not going to beat myself up over it. Instead, I'm going to barf out all the details here, then pull up my big girl pants and do better in May! I rode my mountain bike for the first time in a long time on Monday, and although it was difficult, it felt good. I decided it was time to show the bike some love... it and the treadmill, I believe, are lonely and contemplating a sleazy affair. And I just hate being cheated on.

Now, onto part deux of my '08 resolutions: the finances. I actually had a remarkably good month in this area. Fortunately, you can't eat dollar bills, so they were safe from my voracious appetite and actually went where they should last month... to the creditors! I paid out a total of $1,400 in April, so I actually exceed goal. As vacations go, I spent surprisingly little. We did enjoy a day at my favorite mall in the world-- but it really wasn't that tempting, since I'm not keen on buying clothes in my current size. A new Coach bag was the only splurge.

Also, my credit score has increased 25 points since December, which I didn't even realize was possible. Although it wasn't part of my '08 resolutions, I have an unofficial goal to hit 800, and I feel like it's finally well within reach. The 401k also made a few strides last month. Increasing my 401k contributions will be the next item on the list. Wow, I really sound like a grown-up when I talk about retirement! How very strange and unfamiliar.

Along the lines of the unfamiliar, I keep realizing how nice it is not having a car payment... Admittedly, I have to state it out loud at times, because that convertible BMW is still on the lot. It beckons me to visit it still, but my visits are less frequent. In fact, I'm not even stopping by to look at it once a week now. The "car lust" is starting to wane a bit, and that's a good thing. Now, if we could just do something about the "carb lust".

I'll be working on that in May. And you'll be the first to know.

Oh, by the way, Mikey G... I threw in the foot/scale photo for you. I know you've voiced suspicions of my reputed foot fetish and are probably going to call me out on it!

STILL OBSESSING ABOUT MY REUNION

44 DAYS TO GO... BUT WHO'S COUNTING?


The day the letter about the reunion arrived, I was so excited. I’d been expecting it, so I couldn’t tear open the envelope quickly enough! I read the letter three times, along with the questionnaire on the second page. Over the past couple of weeks, I've read it dozens of times. I'm 100% certain I'll attend the reunion— I mean, my insatiable curiosity will never allow me to stay home on June 21. I’m dying to know what everyone has been up to the past two decades! There’s just one hold-up:

“What have you been doing for the past 20 years?”

Gulp. Those ten little words paralyze me. It’s the first question on the page, and as much as I hate to admit it, that one little sentence has stopped me dead in my tracks for days. I've finally realized I can’t put it off any longer. It’s time to “man up” and answer all the questions (including dreaded question #1). I need to check the “Yes, I will attend” box, enclose my reunion dues, and plop my envelope in the mailbox. But how do you sum up 20 whole years in a mere line-and-a-half ?

I simply can’t do it! Too many hours spent a-blogging have rendered me incapable of writing out so much as a grocery list… I can’t form a cohesive thought unless my fingers have contact with a keyboard. And this particular writing-exercise is compounded by the acute anxiety I feel about answering these questions. I know my responses will be the basis for the many snap-judgments my former classmates could (and probably will) form about my life and accomplishments. Maybe I’m over-thinking this… Maybe everyone else just whipped out a pen, without giving it a second thought, and hastily scribbled down a few milestones, the names/ages of their kids, and their exciting hobbies… Maybe I need professional help. Does anyone know a capable bio writer who could help me with this pantagruelian task?

Ok... Sit up straight, like a big girl... Take a few deep breaths... Ready. Set. Answer the questionnaire.


What have you been doing for the past 20 years?
I graduated from the U of A with a BA in Communication in 1993 and went to work for J.B. Hunt Transport, where for the past 15 years I’ve had a job that I love (most days, anyway). Being a late bloomer, I finally bought my first home a couple of years ago and share it with two snarky Siamese cats, which are my sole proof of responsible adulthood. Hiding out at the office occupies most of my waking hours. My second great passion is planning what to do with my vacation-time; it seems there’s never enough of it, so I try to make it count.

Are you married?
Happily single since 2001.

How many children do you have?
I’m the only kid I’m trying to raise.

Have you stayed close to home or been all over?
I’ve stayed in NWA and currently live in north Springdale (Bethel Heights).

Where else have you lived?
The furthest I've strayed was Bella Vista for two or three years in the late ‘90s.

What kind of work do you do?
I head up the Advertising department— buying media, writing ads, developing campaigns and executing driver-oriented promotions. I like the work and I love my co-workers, who keep me in stitches.

Who would you most like to see at the reunion?
I’m most excited to see the girlfriends I haven’t stayed in contact with the past several years: Pam (Bell) Phillips and Kathy (Watkins) Williams.

What is your best high school memory?
My most vivid classroom memory is from Home Ec, when Mrs. Dennis told us: “My, you girls are wound up today! Am I going to have to put you in a closet?” Looking back, I’m sure we deserved to be locked up. Most of my memories seem to revolve around breaks, lunches, pep rallies or assemblies— and the nonsense we were always talking and passing notes about!

Who have you thought of over the years and wondered “What ever happened to __?”
I think of John Gloria when the Pur commercials come on. If that’s not him, he has a doppelganger in the water filter business.

What are your current interests?
I love to travel, read, blog and spend time outdoors.

What do you do for fun?
I enjoy getting outside— hiking, floating and exploring Arkansas.

If you could change anything about high school, what would it be?
If I could go back and change anything, it would be having more of a social circle outside of school hours… I wish I’d had more experiences, just hanging out with friends.

Is there anything you would like to say to the class of ’88?
I hope we all have better hair than we did twenty years ago!


Wow. That wasn’t as hard as I thought. And typing it out helped. I hope this version will do— until that professional bio writer comes through with my “real” responses. In the meantime, I’m off to sign myself up for “Extreme Makeover – Julie Edition”. Who knows what that biographer might have me doing? Undoubtedly, it will be glamorous, so I’d better look the part!


And a little PS to the Reunion Committee— I’m not enclosing a current photo, as requested. The way I see it, I’ve got 44 days until the big reveal... and I’m long overdue for a miracle!

20 YEARS... HOLY CLASS REUNIONS, BATMAN!

I just recently found out my first big class reunion is coming up... What?? How can I be attending a 20-year reunion, when I'm only 27 myself?

Ok, so I'm 27 only in my head... my face has 37 written all over it. But despite that fact, I continually forget my real age... it's weird. I think it's because I'm one of the few thirty-somethings still living like I'm in my 20's. While thinking about all this, I've come to the conclusion that I'm a habitual late-bloomer. Single. No kids. And heck, I only recently started thinking about grown-up things like mortgages, 401k, cars that aren't fun to drive and sensible footwear. I like the first two ok, but that last one really sticks in my craw.

A 20-year reunion of the class of '88... This is quite a milestone, and one I can't quit thinking about. I've been trying to come up with a clever answer for my little "what I've been doing the past two decades" bio. Chronologically, it goes something like this:

1988 - High School Graduation

1993 - College Graduation

1993 - Started getting up and going to work every day

1994 - Got married

2001 - Got divorced and started living happily-ever-after

2006 - Bought my first home (which I consider my biggest accomplishment, since I'm doing it on my own)


Ok, so that pretty much timelines my big milestones, but what about all the little moments in between? Those are the real essence of a life... the good stuff, like the sweet filling in the middle of an Oreo (which I would love to have, if I were starving myself for this crazy reunion). So how do you sum up the good stuff for people you don't know anymore and haven't seen since President Reagan denounced Libyan terrorists for blowing up that Pan Am flight over Lockerbie and Rick Astley sang "Never Gonna Give You Up"? Heck, I work in advertising so I should be able to come up with a few eloquent words to put it into a tidy little package so my erstwhile classmates can make snap judgments about me... right?

Let me get back to you on that.

POVERTY SUCKS... SO DO POMPOUS JERKS

Dude, you own a fantastic boat, docked in the Keys. Why rub it in like that? Do you really need to make us working stiffs feel that much worse? Really??

OUT CATTING AROUND IN THE WOODS... AGAIN

Say hello to my little friend from Natural Bridge, Alabama.

I know I really should be posting pictures of the beautiful scenery in that area-- but this shot was my favorite one of the bunch, for some reason. I'm sure my ridiculous soft spot for felines has nothing to do with it.

Natural Bridge is the longest natural-rock bridge east of the Rockies and was formed by water eleventy-gazillion years ago... It's basically a big, rock arch that you can't walk across, but can look up and admire. If you're ever passing through this area, north of Birmingham, be sure to drive in and hike up to the bridge. It only costs, like, two bucks to get in and is more than worth the price. You'll see some gorgeous scapes and rock formations, including one in the shape of an "indian face" and a cave dwelling that's really spectacular.

Well, about the time I got under the ledge and inside the dwelling, I saw a little tortie-shell kitty in the cave. At first, I thought I must be having some kind of mystical native american experience... I mean, I was long overdue for some cattitude, afterall. But as it turns out it wasn't a crazy peyote-induced cat spirit, afterall. She let me pick her up and I carried her as I proceeded around the inner path of the cave, back outside and down the trail. She was content to ride in my arms a good, long way-- which seemed odd, since hiking through the woods isn't exactly a pleasure cruise. Anyway, I guess we both needed what the other one had to give that day.

Once we completed the entire trail and crossed back up toward the visitor's center, I saw this little grey sweetie (in the photo above). He was very friendly... I think he would've jumped in the car and ridden back to Arkansas with me-- which I wouldn't have minded so much, except that Spencer and Sydney would not have been pleased.

So here's the inevitable line... I'm sure you all knew it was coming:

CATS ROCK!

ACTING ALL CRABBY...

I took this photo, so I'm just going to do a little bragging... I'm not much of a photog, as a rule, but I think this one turned out pretty good.

But then I did have a white sand beach, a cute little hermit crab, a nice guy and a wide expanse of bright, blue sky to work with-- so maybe I don't need to take too much credit here, afterall.