10 pounds

It is official, since moving to Oregon almost a year ago, I have indeed gained some weight. 10 pounds to be exact...beautiful. Granted I was a work-out/diet aficionado then and a good 16% body fat so a little but of a change was expected. But 10 pounds? YIKES! It would help the cause if I had time to work-out on a weekly schedule, and if I could afford a personal chef that would be great too. I purchased a high-tech scale that may or may not help the cause...but one thing is true, I am a lethargic beast with severe muffin-top. Help :(

I am {not} naturally skinny

Aha! I figured it out, for some odd reason every word I typed came out in Hindu...hence, my previous post. I guess the secret is out that I am in fact not bilingual. The main reason I was posting today is well, of course to prove that I am still alive and I have not quite left the blog universe and also for a good ol' fashion rant!
As those close to me know, I go to the gym 3-5 times a week...no surprise there! I like to go because I am an active person and breaking a sweat makes it easier for me to forgive myself for indulging. Chocolate is my weakness! Anyway, in one of my cardio classes we are always designated partners for certain exercises. Today, my usual partner was gone and I instead paired up with the woman nearest to me. The person I usually pair with is active and has the same drive as myself, we are there to break a sweat and burn some calories, we wont let each other half-ass. My partner today may have just gotten on the band wagon, as most people do this time of year, and was noticeably shocked at the level of cardio we were working at. When we were partnered up, I was patient and encouraging, and all was dandy. After class I told her good job, she did do a good job, tried hard, and broke a sweat. She scoffed and said "well, thanks, but trust me it is a lot harder for someone like me to work at that level then someone who is naturally skinny like you". I sort of chuckled as she walked away, I am sure if was hard for her on her first time in class, but it definitely wasn't easy for me!?
What I should have said to her was that actually, I am not naturally skinny- in fact I am extremely curvy, even in-shape. While I can't just burn away wide child-bearing hips and a larger bust, I can try to keep all surrounding areas slender and firm. My body type is considered petite, I am short and have short legs but that doesn't make my body omit fat from it's system. In fact, nothing can emphasize fat like short legs, especially if you are a woman. Like every woman in my family, I carry fat in my butt and thighs. Even when I was 16% body fat last year, I still had a larger booty and thick legs...it is just how it is.
Growing up I was very active, I played basketball, ran distance in track, danced, cheerleaded and did some gymnastics. I also enjoyed 12 years of gym class 5 days a week. When I graduated high school and started college,I gained 20 lbs. I realized all those years of physical activity and conscious eating parents kept me slender, and now that my time in college consisted of drinking, eating whatever I wanted, and studying-my body was reflecting my new lifestyle. After a year in college, I found I couldn't wear my jeans anymore because they couldn't button, so I resorted to wearing sweats and loose clothing. I refused to acknowledge my weight gain by buying a bigger pair of pants. Finally, I just bit the bullet and decided to lose the extra 20 pounds. I worked out all the time, cut my calorie intake and got back to my high school size in 2 months (over the holiday break I might add!). It was very hard and I found that after returning to school, the only way for me to maintain my weight was to workout and eat right, because REMEMBER, I am not a naturally skinny person. A five pound gain on my frame is very obvious, whereas on someone else, it may just look like a slight water-induced bloat. It is not easy for me to maintain my weight, so hard work is needed.
It is somewhat offensive to me for someone to blame my physique on something as easy as genetics, when in reality it takes work, it takes time away from my relationship, it takes money for a gym membership, it takes a lot of sweat to be where I am. Working out isn't easy either, it shouldn't get easier, there is always a new limit to push. So look Miss "trust me it is harder for someone like me to work out then someone who is naturally skinny": working out is SUPPOSED to be hard, it is SUPPOSED to suck, and FYI I look this way because I get my ass out of bed 4 days a week to go sweat it off!
Whew, I am done now...do I smell bacon?

इन्तेरेस्तिंग

नो आईडिया वहत तो से हियर, सींचे एवेरी वर्ड इ टाइप एंड्स उप इन इन सम फॉर्म ऑफ़ हिन्दू...इ विल तरी तो ब्लॉग अगेन लाटर?
पास, अम्बर

Officially an Aunt!

Dean Jay

Born February 4th, 2011

9 lbs, 2 oz

22 inches

3:31 p.m.

Dear Dean,

Welcome to the world! I know it may seem scary right now but trust me, you'll get along just fine. You don't know how long my family and I have waited for your arrival and I have to give you, my first nephew, props for choosing the right parents to bless. I cannot think of anyone more deserving or loving to raise you. You will never know how much praying and time it took them to finally have you in their arms. As family, we will always be there for you, even when you feel the most alone could ever imagine...we will be there.

Love your aunt,

Amber

I am not cut out for this "Sister stuff"

The other day, I logged on to facebook like I usually do when I am trying to avoid laundry, exercise and basically anything that requires doing something other than sitting on the couch.  I quickly scrolled through the news feed of my fellow facebook acquaintances, one of them being my 16 year old brother.  His status update screamed teenage angst, you know, the kind that says 'even though I am in high school, I know the entire world is at a stand still while my social life is embedded the drama you would only find on Beverly Hills 90210'...pretty serious stuff. 

After inquiring with my little brother about what happened, it was just as expected- a game of  'He Said, She Said' knotted with high school hormones had put a fragile 3 week teenage romance to the test.  While I tried to offer my brother my best sisterly condolences and advice, I knew the only thing that would solve his problems was the truth that in high school, issues like his will eventually disappear with good ol' fashion time and the fact that something else potentially more dramatic may happen that will take his attention away from it. 
The thing I should have told my brother was that although this may seem like a BIG problem now, it wont be next month, next year, next decade.  When I think back on my high school days, I know I enjoyed myself, I was involved in school activities, I received good grades, and had a lot of friendships, some I still cherish today.  I don't think of the heartbreak, the academic pressure, the rumors, and the drama that happened.  That's not to say those things didn't happen...they did, it just doesn't seem as such a big deal anymore.  I remember there was a day that I stayed home from school because I was so upset over a breakup the night before, I remember feeling so betrayed by a close friend that I wanted nothing but to get revenge...those things happened but I don't reflect on them when I reminisce on my teenage days because they just don't matter.  
Of course if I would have said this to my brother, he would have rolled his eyes and complained that I just don't understand, but I do. Stuff like that happened all the time in high school. Gossip and backstabbing have been around since Gutenberg's time, and while facebook and myspace wasn't as prevalent as it is now, there was still cyberbullying.  He can handle his issues, I am not saying he can't.  I just hope that he doesn't choose to reflect on his high school years and only remember the drama that surfaced in the 4 years he attended.  He should choose to remember the friends, the activities, the dances, the good relationships etc.  But what I AM saying is that I know in the back of my mind, I shouldn't worried-  He is a smart kid and he was raised by the same two people as I was and basically, us Dobsons keep our crap together :)

Just another update in a pretty boring life...

    I am sitting here in my living room, the BCS National Championship blaring on the TV, my dog is resting against my foot, I am eating left over Christmas candy while googling things for work. Things like table overlays, cyclone towers, satin sashes to tie over linen chair covers...you know normal stuff.  But I love it, at least this far...my new change for 2011 is off to a beautiful start!  I love going to work knowing that I am about to learn something new, that my opinion is valued, and my passion for decor and organization is being fed.  It is a far cry from my time processing freight, folding camis and dealing with petty co-worker drama.  Ahhh bliss!

    We had a 48 hour trip to Montana to visit my family and had a small belated Christmas, granted it was in a hotel lobby but it was beautiful.  It was wonderful seeing my family.  My little brother is taller than me now and more sarcastic than me (he learned from the best).  My Mom looked amazing and was beaming over her personal training, but still became slightly teary-eyed when I got into Kory's truck to leave, I pretended I didn't notice.  My older brother, Zack, and his wife, Sabrina, were absolutely thrilled for the arrival of their first child, a son, in 3-4 weeks.  My Dad was his usual silly and animated self, some things never change. 

    It is hard to think that I don't know when I will be able to go back.  I hope and pray that it will be in a month or two as I would like to meet my nephew while he is still small, red, and sleepy.  Because after April, wedding season begins, all the chaos will begin and trips to Montana will be just a phantom dream until the end of October. 

   My little Virginia friend, I call her that because she is in fact short and skinny as well as from Virginia, will be venturing her way into eastern Oregon...brave, brave girl.  Good thing she'll have me to show her the ropes for a few days and introduce her two what life in small town Oregon is like, which basically means we will be sitting in my house watching smut-television and eating junk, epic.  I hope Kory doesn't mind Lady Gaga and Britney Spears!

   Taco meat is ready, the pup and the boy want attention and the blog is updated. AMEN!

Reflecting on 2010

I hate to be 'Negative Nancy' or 'Downer Debbie', but I am so ecstatic to see 2010 pass.  I worked a lot, cried a lot, exercised a lot and moved my life.  Life in Oregon wasn't easy to adjust to, in fact, the last 6 months here has been some of the hardest for me.  Well I am happy to report that I have made a change for 2011!  I quit the job that I wasn't happy at, I am starting a job that I am actually excited for and Kory and I seem more passionately in love than ever.   Even though I am not exactly where I want to be, I love the fact that I am finally content.  Here is to 2011!