Top 5 Pet Peeves

In my opinion, venting is a healthy way to release stress and/or tension. This week has been very stressful and/or tense for me. Coming back from paradise and entering into the threshold of hell (my grey cubicle world) has required much patience from me.

So here goes – things that have caused steam to spontaneously blow from my ears this week.

1. People who think it’s OK to sit in front of the speaker at a restaurant drive-thru and talk on their phone to someone else for 10 minutes! Who does that?! Take the stinkin’ order before getting in line or go inside! I would have gone inside but I was in a hurry and actually knew what I wanted to order when I entered the drive-thru line.

2. Grocery store meanderers. This is someone who swerves back and forth on the aisle trying to figure out what it is they might want to buy. Make a list before you go! Should there be a designated passing lane in all grocery store aisles? I would vote for it.

3. Drivers who are the first in line at a red light and aren’t paying attention. These people have a responsibility to the rest of the people behind them to pay attention to when the light will be turning green! Take it seriously!

4. Drivers who slow down to 0 miles per hour to turn their steering wheel in an attempt to turn their car down the next road. People it doesn’t work if your foot isn’t on the gas! There’s no such thing as a pause in between driving and turning onto another road. Get used to the movement.

5. Co-workers who totally disregard all friendly social rules. Example: If Party A wants to move Party B’s files from one cabinet to another, Party A should ask Party B first! Who cares is Party B is on vacation for week. Party A should just wait or at least send an e-mail to Party B letting him or her know where the stinkin’ files were relocated.

Ahh. I feel better. Anyone else want to add to this list?

Long Awaited Vacation…Post

Sheldon and I have decided that we’ll never wait seven years to go on a vacation like that again! Where do I start? We only spent five days in Cancun, but there’s so much to tell about those five days.

The one aspect of our visit to Mexico that I could not get enough of was the water. It was so blue! It was like a turquoisey, greenish blue. And it was so clear! We were on a trimaran (kind of like a sailboat) to Isla Mejueres, which is a small island across from Cancun Island, and we could see the bottom of the ocean. The captain said it was about 20 feet deep.

Food and drinks of course were always available. We stayed at an all-inclusive resort, the Riu Palace Las Americas. Waiters came down to the beach and started taking drink orders around 10 a.m. Did I order one that early? Of course! I was in Mexico! There were five restaurants, one of which was a 24-hour buffet of anything you could ever want. Another one was an Italian restaurant open for lunch and dinner and the other three were reservation-only, dinner-only restaurants. We were able to make reservations at three of the four restaurants.

We spent Tuesday and Wednesday lying on the beach, swimming in the pools, or eating. Thursday we decided at the last minute to sign-up for an excursion. And I mean really last minute. We had to run to the city bus stop for the bus to take us to a meeting point. We were picked up by another bus and driven 45 minutes down the Riviera Maya coast. We chose to ride ATVs and a speedboat, each for 45 minutes. Woohoo! It was so much fun.

The next day we had signed up to go on the trimaran to Isla Mujueres. This was an all day excursion, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. We were so exhausted when we got back to the hotel. We sailed to the island, Sheldon got to swim with a catfish shark, we snorkeled (the coolest thing ever invented!), and we strolled on the island for awhile before heading back to Cancun.

Saturday was our last day at the resort. We decided to order room service (which was included) and then play on the beach for awhile before having to pack it up and check out of our room. We ate one last free meal at the buffet and headed out to do some souvenir shopping.

Our last stop was Hardtails and Beaches, a bar/restaurant/motorcycle rental/tattoo parlor. The owners, believe it or not, are from around Waco! They live about 45 minutes outside of Waco (sorry, I can’t remember the name of the town).

That ended our much-needed vacation to the tropics. We can’t wait to go back!

This was the view from our room.View from the sailboat.
Sheldon and his buddy.
Jill and her buddy.
Sheldon and Jill on the sailboat.
Sheldon and Jill on the ATVs! Woohoo!
Sheldon and Jill with tequila guy. We like tequila guy.
At the resort lounge after dinner one night.

Jill at the beautiful Cancun beach!

Sheldon striking a pose.
Gettin' ready to 4-wheel!
Wait! What is that?

Back on the Bandwagon, Baby

Sometimes you just have to keep trying to get something right. I’m going back to Weight Watchers again. This is my third time to join in two years. While I’ve gained a little back from my initial 35 pound weight-loss, I’ve never returned to my original weight total.

Today, as you’ll notice on my Weight Tracker to the right, I weighed in at 1.8 pounds lighter than last week! It’s a small feat, but those numbers are what keep me going.

My weight loss partner in crime, also known as the Workout Nazi, did a good job this week too. It always helps to have the support of a friend when one is trying to make life changes. Thanks friends!

Summer

My perception of summer has changed over the years. Summer used to be freedom from school or work, days spent on the lake, sleeping-in, vacations spent with family, staying out until dark, the smell of campfire lingering on my clothes, and slumber parties every night. It used to be a season worth looking forward to.

Now I work 40 or more hours per week and I have no time to spend at the lake. Sleeping in is non-existent; even on weekends the latest I’m able to stay in bed is 9 a.m. My family lives 14 hours to the east and Sheldon’s family lives 4 hours to the west. Camping seems too overwhelming to do ourselves – it’s too much work, we’re supposed to be relaxing!

The preparation that goes into the one week of vacation I do get this summer just proves that all adults are out to look better than everyone else, not to have fun splashing in the water.

For women, it’s highlights for the hair, tanning - either by bronzer or tanning bed, special exfoliating lotions to smooth the skin, a new bathing suit, new clothes to match the new bathing suit, new flip-flips for every color shirt you bought to match all your bathing suits, a new workout schedule to tone all the flabby, a diet to accompany the gym membership, and dreading barbeques because they’re all red meat and desserts!

I still voluntarily participate in the aforementioned activities because I don’t want to be the topic of pool-side conversation. And as I sit in the salon for four hours, I think to myself, this is why I love fall and winter so much. I can go without shaving for months and no one is the wiser. I don’t have to keep up with a pedicure, brunette is in for the cold months, and tanning isn’t necessary. I can wear big, comfortable clothes because it’s cold and people are supposed to wear comfy clothes in the winter. No one even cares if you eat chocolate on a daily basis or hearty meals because that’s what you do during the holiday season. Who wants a salad for Thanksgiving? I certainly don’t.

Since summer’s on its way, and I have to live through it in order to get to fall, I figure I should enjoy it. I will make it a point to spend at least a couple weekends at the lake, plan healthy barbeques with friends, and enjoy Mexico and all it has to offer when I leave for my week vacation in mid-June.

Anyone up for pineapple chicken kabobs?