A Taste to tie you over

Hi Everyone, Ok I know that I promised great blogging about my trip. However bear with me I have been off for 10 days and I just had my first day back to work in my new office with a door!! Anyway Im quite tired and I know that it will take me some time to explain the whole trip in the best way possible. So Im just giving you a taste with this picture of me and my better half. This was taken on an island off of a beach called half moon beach. We went the day to snorkle, however I was the only one who ended up making it out in the water (more on that later). Anyway it was great we had fun and a much needed rest. So have no fear give me a few days to get my act together and I will have more tales for you.

On an unrelated matter I have a thought for those of you out there (feel free to comment) How do you feel about public showers at the gym? Im trying out a new gym nearer to my work, I bought a 1 month membership to try and see if I like it. So I went on my lunch for a work out and all went well until I hit the change room. I got in there to go shower and much to my distress there were no shower stalls but rather one big open room, it was like a ballroom for showering. Just this big open echoing tiled room with shower heads coming out of the wall side by side. So you can imagine that being that Im not one for public nudity I was in rather a jam needing to not be sweaty and needing to not be nude. The other horror was that all the naked people that were wondering around were well old flat jack breasts down to there knees. EEK! So I thought well I cant look much worse then that (perhaps better gravity still likes me for the most part) So I thought what the hell. So I wrapped my towel and walked to the shower head in the ball room. I quickly whipped off my towel jump under the shower and did a speed shower. However I had this old lady talking to me, she asked if I knew how to adjust the water. I did not and thought that would be the end, but not she proceeded to talk to me now I dont know abotu you but her being naked and my being naked really broke my social boundaries of comfort. I managed to hurry away saying I needed to go to work. This night mare is only going to get more real so I pose this question: My boss and I enjoy working out on our lunch together, how close is too close is it rather uncomfortable for my boss and I to see each other naked.. my thought is yes, and tomorrow we go to the gym I have no idea what I will do, can I shower in my clothes? Anythoughts to help would be appreicated!!!

Back From Cuba

Hi all

we are back from Cuba! Had a great time! Lots of sun shine white sand and blue water. Anyway I just wanted to say stay tuned I will update my blog more in the next day or so! I hope all is well with my loyal fans.

Upcoming topics of interest:

Plane rides and panic attacks
nicknames for people at our resort
Cuba: is the food bad or is it really bad?
Turning 29 and its effect on alcohol consumption
Scuba its not for everyone
Pictures of the trip

Look Out Cuba Here we come!

Hey Everyone well today is the day! We leave for the airport in a few short hours!! Im nervous but excited!! I cant wait to get away and enjoy the sunshine!! As you know my honeymoon was not so sucessful for weather, but the weather network says its hot and sunny in Cuba!!

Anyway I will be sure to come back and post lots of our pics! I hope everyone has a great week. Buno noches!

Things I have never actually had my eyes open for

Just taking documentation of the plane, it looks ok.. eveything is working (note I have no piolet skills or training Im jut guessing here)

That is Mexico! very pretty, I like it from the ground!!!

I have never actually seen these in real life but Barry says it quite nice!

Facing my fear: flying

I have to say that I have always been a bit of scardy cat, Im afraid of bugs, mice, scarey movies, robbers, being alone at night. However for the most part these things dont get the best of me. There is however one thing that I am afraid of that I have never been able to get over: flying. Ok before anyone out there starts telling me stats and how its safer then driving etc etc- hear me out. If I bang up my car it is likely in most cases I will be ok, if something happens on a plane likely (unless I am the star of lost the tv show) I will not wash up on a tropical island awaiting resuce while werid and wacky things happen (for you fans out there what the heck are those darn numbers anyway??) Anyway Im getting off topic, the point is Im afraid to fly, I always have been probably always will be. The one good thing that I can say is that I dont let it stop me from doing things as I do enjoy travel. I figured that maybe by writing this blog and talking about it I might get it out there and not internally worry till this weekend. Let me tell you what is the hardest about facing an upcoming flight: the week before I go away I will lie in bed and just at that point when your about to fall asleep I will be thinking about the plane and then I have this jolt of fear and Im wide awake trying not to think about what I just imagined happened. For those of you who dont know I had my first (and hopefully only) panic atttack on the plane on the way to Mexico. I have never had one before and to be honest used to make light of people who said they have them. However I now have new respect as I have never felt such a sense of not being able to breathe and feeling so anxious. It was not good, and as my husband can tell you rather a bit embaressing. I do recall he tried to read a book and pretend it was not happening.

So I did something the other day to face my fear: Barry and I were home on sunday just hanging out, I got season one of Lost so we decided to watch the first episode. For those of you who dont watch lost its about a plane that crashes on an island and the lives of these survivors. Anyway the first episode is where the miracle of speical effects takes over and they show you in graphic detail the plane crumbling apart piece by piece. Anyway I know that you are all expecting this story to end with a moral about how I faced my fear and felt better after I watched it. I felt worse and wanted to vomit. Note to self: perhaps its better not to face fear but live in denial and medicate one self for flight. Yes I think my drugs and I will have a happy sleepy flight. Anyway I just thought I would share you my chicken soup for the fear of flying soul. I hope if you are afraid of flying that I have helped- helped you live in denial that is! Ha ha just a little flight humour!

Update on my New Years Resolutions

well here were are half way through the month. I thought I should take a minute to update on how my new years resolutions are going. I have been doing really well in some areas and not so well in others. I have yet to really get into the financial planning (when we get back from Cuba I will look at it). Im finding it easy to stay around postive people cause there just arnt any negative ones around. Im doing well with my gym time I went five days last week, aiming for the same this week. THe weight loss is finally starting to take off, the first week I gained a pound for some werid reason, then last week I lost 3 pounds!! I was really excited about that, Im hoping for some continued sucess this week. Of couse going to Cuba may mean a bit of a set back with lying on the beach for a week, but its definaltly worth it! I might even get up and walk around you can get a tan walking on the beach just as easily as you can lying on it. I know that 3 pounds is not anything great yet but Im on the right path, Im eating healthy, exercising, getting my sleep and man do I ever drink a lot of water!!!

Anyway thats just a quick update on my New year! Stay tuned for the next blog very soon, infact now.

My Poor watch

Well today I am a bit sad, I have lost something that was very precious to me. I went to the gym on my lunch hour and I thought I dont want my watch to get sweaty so I took it off and put it on the ledge on my tread mill. I left it there, it was not for 2 hours that I realized that it was missing. Sadly when I went back to see if it was there it was gone. I am still holding out hope that it got turned in- I have to check with the person tomorrow. Anyway this watch was my cherished wedding gift from Barry, he gave it to me picked out the perfect watch for me all on hi own and I have been silly enough to lose it. I feel awful about it. I hope that maybe it turns up. If it does I will never again take it off unless it goes in its spot in my jewlery box.

Another thing I would like to share with you all is I have come to the conclusion that I dont like to pump my own gas. I go to the gas station and go to the full serve. Its freezing cold and the guy just stands inside and stares at me. I stare at him we stare from through the glass. Im like hello here to buy gas come and pump it. Well after waiting for what I felt was long enough I started my car went over to the other side and tried to pump my own gas. I thought it will be quicker if I just use the pay at the pump. Well I punched all the keys and it kept cancelling my transaction. I was getting annoyed. so I went in and told the guy so he fiddled with it and then said it should work now. So I tried again only to finally get mad and go in and pay inside. However not before I told him what I thought of his pumps, I think though my words were wasted as he looked like perhaps he had limited use of the english language. Anyway I had the coldest feet and hands ever! I will avoid getting gas on cold days... oh wait maybe I can just make Barry do it!! ha that would be much better!

Not to rub it in to all you who are suffering through this cold winter but I have to share its now only 4 days till we leave for Cuba!! How excited am I!! Im very excited- and you my loyal readers will have to listen to this excitment for the next four days!!! Till then good night!

The rice

As some of you may have seen my counter part has posted a rather interesting picture of a very chared bowl of rice. Now dont be milead by his take on the situation. I over cooked the rice due to the fact that as we all know brown rice takes much longer to cook then white. So while our home was filled with smoke and while it might be true that I almost started a rice fire.. I did however learn from this experience and I doubt that I will attempt to do this in the microwave again.

Also some of the blame can lie on the fact that our new microwave has super human stregth! It cooks things at the speed of light. I put something in for a few seconds and the next thing you know its boiling hot! It is gonna take some getting used to!! That is all I have to say on the matter for now. I am going to work but stay tuned loyal fans I will be back and tonight I will give you some blog extravagenza!!!

Random Thoughts from my mind

Well I know that its been a few days since I last made an entry, and I certainly don't want my loyal fans to be let down so here I go. I have a lot of random thoughts that I have decided to share with you:

The gym is a great place to work out and meet your fitness goals, except when you are faced with many New Years goal setters.

cougars at my gym are taking over, there's a new breed in town dark tanned, over exercised and certainly not friendly. Do I wipe the seats of the equipment extra well for fear that I will get a disease from a cougar?? I cant get to the mirror for all the 40 + crowd trying to apply their lip gloss before they go to work out- um whose looking at your sweaty lips anyway?

Trainers appear to like cougars and are therefore disgraceful also.

Should gym bunnies give medical advice? Like say your aerobics instructor is telling people how many milligrams of certain vitamins and supplements to take? " oh yes you should defiantly take at least 3000mg a day" . Can I please see your medical certificate? Last time I checked I don't even have one, and I don't believe 3 day aerobic instructors have them either.

I have learned in my new job that it is much like working in my old job with new moms who need help breastfeeding, except in my job IM the mom and IM now breast feeding my employees. Employees call me to complain about other employees, and I say well maybe you want to talk to them yourself and work it out before you come to me. Four phone calls later they managed to realize they are adults and can think for themselves- amazing, but boy are my nipples sore!

I love my husband, more and more each day. I loved him a lot on our wedding day, but now I am learning new levels of our love. I know someone who right now is watching her husband die of cancer, they infact were supposed to go today to pick out where he will lay in rest, but he is so sick that he cant even stay awake to go out. He is slipping away. My heart goes out to her and I hope to be support for her. It just reminds me how lucky I am to have Barry, and for both of us to be healthy and happy. So even though we have days were we are not happy with circumstatances it is wise to remember that I have him and that we have our love even if things around us are not always perfect.

Finally to end on a happy note I am so very very excited about our upcoming vacation! Cuba here we come! White sand, hot sun, blue ocean Im so ready for that! So ready to go wasting away in margarita vile. cheers everyone!

New Years in Review

For those of you who follow my blog you know that I had the most exciting New years of sleeping and trying to keep my bodily fluids inside. Here is New Years 2005 in review:




New Years drink of champions: Gingerale! But only sips!

This dinner is simply the best! Jello and ginger ale. Party it up! I barely made it to 12!

This picture is worth a thousand words.... I will let you figure out what is on my jeans. King Kong anyone?

Here is Mr. Columbo in my night shirt. This just proves that my night shirt is a "family heirloom". So cute!


This hole not only serves the purpose of ventilation but it can also be used as a spie hole. Note that I"m also wearing a striped night shirt from my trailer park collection. Shame shame this folks is my one true guilty pleasure - ugly pajamas! Oprah help me!

My Pajamas With Pride!

Stand up and be proud of your pajamas!

This is Scooby with the bears hes quite a fan of my "holy" night ware.

Night shirts there not just for humans anymore.

Here is my shirt. I am very proud of it. You will notice the "gang" of bears and that around them is many *#&$@ symbols, we can all use our imaginations on the meaning.

What its art at its finest

Its only a small hole... do you think I can fix it?

My favorite PJ's- Busted!

Have you ever had a favorite pair of pajamas? You know the ones I'm talking about, they have been worn thin, they have holes everywhere and are perhaps the most god awful tackiest things that you can ever been seen in (but are not as you wear them in secret shame). Well I have a confession to make: I am one of these pj owners.

Tonight while out with friends my lovely husband outted my misfit pajamas and let all know of there shame. So I have decided instead of slinking in silent fear and shame that I will share with the world my shame: I have this night shirt its grey, its cotton and not at all attractive to anyone. The best or should I say one of its best features is the bears. There is a picture of bears on the front. No not just ordinary bears but rapping bears, bears that have baseball hats t-shirts and have blanked out swear words over top of them. Its other desirable quality is the number of holes in it. There are holes in most places (although can get away with decentness if wearing a blanket to cover in moments of unexpected pop in visits from friends!!) It is a strange arrangement I will admit but you must understand they are soooo comfortable! How can something that feels so good be so wrong. Now I do realize that this blog is called "newlyweds" therefore its almost sinful to think of a newlywed in her nasty old night shirt circa 1990. However I think that if you see that its merely a statement of art- you will see that the night shirt is a thing of rare and unique beauty perhaps even splendor!!

Anyway if you stay tuned I will be posting a picture of the night shirt. I will no longer hide in the dark, in shame I want to shout from the roof tops: I love my rapper bears night shirt! I'm not ashamed world! Watch out!! its coming to a blog near you!!!!!!!!!!! Good night the bears and I are tired.

New Years Resolution updates and other stuff

Well its day three of the New Years Resolutions and so far so good, Im sticking to my good eating habits, I have been to the gym (although I should have gone more i have at least gone). I started paying off a bill, and I have been in a very positive state of mind.

On the down side My gym membership has gone up and Im rather annoyed with the whole process (see previous blog). Im thinking of looking for a new gym as I feel for the money IM spending I can get much better service else where. Anyway thats it for now see ya later!!

Dear New Gym Members:

Everyone knows that the only reason you are now at the gym in your new shiny white runners, with your brand new ipods and water is because you "decided" for the New year to get in shape. While I would like to say good for you lets be honest your attempts will fail and in a month or so you will be back on the couch at home. So this is what I propose: quit now, save all of us who have been going to the gym the trouble of waiting for your tread mill. We who have been at the gym for a long time hate the way you walk around with your buddies (also on your New year band wagon) like you own the gym. You chat with the trainers and pretend like you have all this fitness stuff wrapped up. Meanwhile you have done nothing to prove that you have gym staying power. Come talk to me in Aug when I'm sweating my butt off in a core stregth class with the A/C busted then I will take you seriously. I find it frustrating to come from work ready to get a quick power work out in before heading home and I find that the only piece of equipment left is a broken bike (and I hate the bike by the way). You hog the mirror in the change room and take all the good lockers. I try and greet my teeth and be friendly but secretly I hope you trip in your new shoes so that I can have your cross training machine. This is my solution if you want to join a gym you should be interviewed by regular members so that we can determine your loyalty factor and there should be no new memberships allowed in January.

That is all I have to say, so go run today for tomorrow you will be sitting on your couch eating a twinkie and I will be back in peaceful bliss on at my gym.

Thankyou

Cherie Bates

Favorite Picture of the Week

Im going to strive to out some more pics on this site so that people can see a little bit more of my world in living colour!!


Barry and I on our happiest day thus far!!! I think we both looked smashing!!

The 2 day honeymoon it was great while it lasted!! We leave in 20 days for Honeymoon #2. Hope its a little bit longer!!

If you could see the hats close up you would note that they say Just Married! I thought they were cute (this is one of the rare shots Bar would let me take of him in the hat haha)

New Years Resolutions in a Nut Shell

Ok so I never have in as long as I can remember made any new years resolutions simply because it would seem that its so easy to break them. However this year Im making a twist on them, Im not gonna call them New Years resolutions Im gonna call them Life Resolutions! I am very happy in my life i have a great husband who I love, wonderful family and great friends. So there are just a few areas that I want to work on to improve myself:

1. Money: We going to attempt to pay off the wedding this year (Im sure many can relate to this as its a major expense). Save a little more spend a little less.

2. Health: The gym and I have a love hate relationship therefore Im going to start to make it more of a fun thing that I do for myself. So Im gonna start learning to enjoy it and find activites that are fun! I also would like to aim to go 3-4 days per week.

3. Weight: Yikes this is a hard one, I lost a good amount of weight before and I have kept most of it off, but some has crept back on and I never did reach my goal. So as of today me and my friend the salad became friends again. I actually have to say that I feel better when I eat healthy felt like crap eatting junk over the holidays. I dont want to post number goal as I dont really have a number in mind just I want to feel good in my clothes and like my body so when I reach that comfort zone I wil call it a day and maintain there.

4. Allow only positive things to influence my life: There in the past have been some negative people in my life that have cause alot of issues and hurt for myself and those I care about. This year I vow to not allow them to ruin my happy place. They can be negative and lie to themselves all they want. They can pretend to be something they are not but it will not affect me or my family anymore. I am done with that kind of thing. If people want to be part of my life then they will add to it not take from it or they just wont be included. Nuff said on that!

5. Have fun and enjoy being married! Im gonna take the next year to really enjoy being married and it just being young fun and in love. I want to travel not necessarily far but just like a weekend trip or a night out. I want to dance (even if Im getting old) and sing at the top of my lungs. I want to take my husband camping and laugh as he battles the outdoors. The list of fun is endless.

Anyway that my list it may not be very original and I certainly know Rome was not built in a day but Im gonna make my best effort to see my goals through. I hope you all do the same! Now im off to enjoy a hot bath in the middle of the day cause Im off and I can! Cheers everyone!

Happy New Year Why cant I make waffles?

Happy New year to everyone! I hope you all had fun. I myself lay on the couch in a half coma like state while trying to watch an movie and stay awake for Dick Clark to drop the ball. Yes poor Dick did anyone else see the obvious affects of the stroke, Barry and I were quite sad. It was quite a romantic moment at the stroke of 12 when I turned my sick face to Barrys to kiss him and he informed me that my breath smelled like a dying animal. Yes I think that the sickness had made me forget about the importance of teeth brushing. Ouch! not very romantic. Anyway I managed to stay awake til about 1215 then off to bed we went.

So today I got up feeling quite a bit better and for the first time in a couple days like I could eat! So I thought lets make New Years Waffles!!! Well three batches later I found that I did not have the ability. The first batch there was not enough batter in it so it did not cook, the second batch I opened it too soon and it stuck everywhere. The third back too much batter and it did not cook all the way threw. So we took the left over batter and made a modified pancake. It was alright. I can honestly say Im done with the waffle, its such a pain in the ass to clean it and I got no reward for all my hard efforts. Anyway Im off to lounge for the day Im gonna do nothing with a capital N!!! Im going to sit and stare at the walls and lie there like a vegtable. I think that will help me appreciate the busyness of life if I just sit still for a while. Happy New Year everyone hope your waffles were better then mine- next time we will just got to Dennys. Stay tuned next blog I speak to my New Years resolutions!!