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People, I’m tired of making decisions. I was never very good at in the first place, but now with a wedding and a new house on the horizon, I am being forced into making big and small decisions of immense quantities. MAKE IT STOP!!!!

On Friday I went for my final dress fitting with the alterations lady. The dress was a bit too big in parts, so she was pinning it and what not. She kept asking “Is that tight enough?” Well, I could breathe, and it didn’t look funny, so I said yes. Then my mom and sister chimed in and said “Are you sure? You don’t want to be pulling on it all night.” So I reconsidered and we re-pinned. Then we stood around talking for awhile. Then it came up again “Is it tight enough?” Haven’t I already answered this question??? So I was re-pinned and when I tried it on later that day, I declared it was fine because I really didn’t want to make another dress decision. I’m sure it will be perfect the day of the wedding.

On Saturday, my mom and I ventured down to Stacy’s office to have a brainstorming session regarding centerpieces. I have to say, this is really not one of the wedding related details that I am very interested in. I understand the point of having a centerpiece on the table, but I also realized it would require me making even more decisions. Sigh. So we sat and chatted and talked about materials for awhile. But when it came down to it, Stacy offered to just spend the budget and surprise me the day of the wedding. I know she will make beautiful arrangements and I am not at all concerned about what they will look like. I am very grateful that she has saved me from making more decisions. Thank you, Stacy. You are my Centerpiece Angel.

Then of course there is the neverending list of things to decide on for the house. When you buy a pre-owned house, the actual purchase is more complicated with inspectors and what not. But, what you see is what you get. End of story. With a new construction, you have to decide colors and fixtures and floors and God only knows what else. We have so many options for upgrades that I want to crawl under the blanket and hide. Because options means decisions, and I no longer want to make any decisions.

So that is why I’m searching for my Magic 8 Ball from elementary school. I really feel like it could make this whole process of getting married and buying a home much easier. Anyone out there have one they can loan me?

All in one week!  What the heck am I talking about?  Well let me review and catch you up on what has been happening in my world.

On Monday I took my butt back to the treadmill to repeat Week 6, Day 2 again.  Oh the torture.  I just couldn’t handle another run while listening to the same freaking podcast.  That is when I had my Running Revelation.  You can’t run to crappy music!!!  Since I loaded this podcast on my iPod weeks ago, I have loathed the music on it.  It’s techno and although not my fav, usually I can stand it in order to get the running intervals told to me instead of figuring it out on my own.  But I just couldn’t do it anymore.  And since the intervals are easy this week - I went out on my own and queued up some Green Day for my running pleasure.  It freaking worked people!  The run was a breeze!  I had no trouble making it through the run and actually enjoyed the experience because I was able to jam out to some fantastic songs from the American Idiot album.  In short, I heart Green Day.  So after my revolutionary run on Monday, I was set to run the full 25 minute routine on Thursday.  I knew it would be hard, but I was ready to try.  Then disaster struck, in the form of the Sneeze Incident.

Last Saturday I decided to stop procrastinating and go get my car inspection taken care of, as well as an oil change.  I know Saturday is the worst day to do this, but it seems that was the only time I had.  So I sat in the lobby of the oil change place for about an hour and a half.  During that time a man brought in his two children while they waited for an oil change.  The kids were cute, and the littlest one came over to sit in the chair next to mine.  He was probably 3 and had a sweet little face.  Then the Incident.  The sweet-faced kid let out a big snotty sneeze all over me.  Followed by a couple of coughs.  I realized quickly this was not an allergy sneeze, but an “I have a cold and now you do too” sneeze.  I discreetly went into the bathroom and washed off my arm and hands and found a new place to sit when I returned.  Meanwhile, sweet-faced snotty kid continued sneezing all over all the magazines in the lobby.

So Monday night, I noticed my head was bothering me.  Usually a sign of congestion, I took some Sudafed and went to bed.  Tuesday morning I woke at 2:00.  I rolled over and heard all the funk in my head move around and my ears start popping.  And that began the last 3 days of me lying in bed feeling especially disgusting.  Thanks kid.  Your Sneeze Incident left me unable to get much of anything done these last few days.  Normally I would not care, but I didn’t even get to enjoy a Valentine’s Day dinner because of your funkiness.  Next time, sneeze on your own dad.  Or even your brother.  Just leave me out of it.

So the Sneeze Incident left me unable to sleep through the night, much less run the full 25 minutes I had planned to on Thursday.  I’m feeling better today, but it will probably be Monday before I’m ready to even attempt a run again.  And even then, it probably won’t be very long.  The whole breathing thing is really a requirement for running.

However, even though the Sneeze Incident put a damper on my Running Revelation, I still managed to have some fabulous news on Wednesday.  Just over a week ago I joined Weight Watchers in an attempt to, as my friend puts it, get control of my eating.  You see, I have no restraint when it comes to food.  I like all of it, and I like to eat a lot of it all the time.  Not a good thing when you are trying to lose weight.  So armed with the Weight Watchers point system and some groceries that are lower calorie, I embarked on an adventure to lose 14 pounds (although I’ll be ecstatic with 10).  On Wednesday I had my first weigh in - and I lost 4.4 pounds!  That’s a child size bowling ball people!  I realize the amount I lose each week will decrease, but I’m so happy that the first week went so well.  When the points are consuming your life, seeing results like this really helps to keep you from running to the closest McDonalds and downing a Big Mac.  Now, when’s lunch?

Yesterday brought around another day of running. And yet again, I’m stuck on Week 6, Day 2. Honestly, I think I’m going to need another 2 days of this routine before I’m ready for the full 25 minute run. By minute 8 I’m usually very out of breath and losing focus. I haven’t had to cut any of the runs short yet, but 25 minutes of running is seriously sounding similar to torture.

In other news, my weight has not changed since my initial 4 pounds of weight loss. I can’t say I’m surprised - I haven’t exactly been munching on the rabbit food lately. But in an effort to step up the calorie burning, my Sunday “rest” day is now an elliptical day. I only do about 20 minutes, then I stretch and do some ab work. It’s enough to warm up my muscles so I can stretch them out, but not so much that I’m worn down when its time to run again the next day. I will probably do the same on my other rest day, Wednesday, but haven’t quite made the commitment yet.

As far as the eating, well, I just have no self control when it comes to food. I love food. I love all kinds of yummy food, although chocolate and Mexican food are the favorites. I have been better about eating out, but my portion sizes have not changed. I think I’m going to have to start actually measuring amounts out when I eat at home. And then have Blake hide whatever is left so I don’t go back for more. Seriously. He has to hide the chocolate when its in the house.

Today it was announced that Al Gore had been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his work in bringing attention to the global warming issue.

Last week Blake and I watched Gore’s “documentary” on global warming, “An Inconvenient Truth”. I have to say I don’t think documentary is the right word to describe this video - its more like a recorded presentation that includes video and pictures of Gore’s travels around the world to research the issue further. It’s only about an hour and half long and gets a bit slow at times, but this is something everyone should add to their Netflix queue. Although some of the scientific data they present is over simplified (which makes me want to see the actual studies more), Gore does an excellent job of presenting the information in a way that is understandable, but still dramatic enough that you get the point that global warming is something we should all be paying attention to.

I want everyone to see this video for themselves and make their own decisions, but I have to say the basic message is that we need to do more to reduce our carbon dioxide production. Normally something like this seems overwhelming to a single person, but the end of the video lists numerous ways you can help by making simple changes in your life. Whether you believe global warming is an actual problem or not, reducing pollution should be a goal we all work toward. For those of us moving to new homes this year, we can be sure to buy Energy Star appliances. No matter where you live, you can be sure to change the filters in your furnance and air conditioners on a regular basis (some apartment complexes do this automatically for you, but others have to be reminded). Buy fresh food instead of frozen, be sure your tires are properly inflated, carpool. You can find these tips and lots more at http://www.climatecrisis.net/

In summary, of all the political and social issues we have to debate about and try to solve, this is one I really feel everyone should educate themselves on and do their best to make a change in their personal lives.  We’ve already passed on a crappy healthcare system and a depleted social security fund to our children, let’s try to help eliminate this disaster.

Well, Day 2 is my current running nemesis.  The first time I did this was on Monday, and I gotta say it sucked.  My motivation for the day was already lacking, so it was a tough run.  I figured I’d better repeat the day to be sure I was ready for Day 3 - a full 25 minute run.

So today I repeated.  And it still sucked!  I have to say it was slightly better than the first time, but something about that second 10 minute stretch does not work for me.  By minute 4 I’m trying to talk myself out of taking a quick walking break.  I did survive, but I will be repeating Day 2 yet again.  9 week program my ass!