Cleaning Service

When Sam started residency, I asked him if we could please hire someone to clean the house once a month.  Of all his wonderful qualities, and believe me there are many, housework is not near the top of Sam's list.  In fact, Sam's version of helping out is usually to rally the troops (aka me) and start the project before melting away into another room where I find him passed out with the dog or reading the newspaper.  

Coupled with Sam's lack of interest in cleaning, he is equally enthused by the idea of paying someone to clean for us.  And I can understand that, my family never had anyone come in to help clean - my mom did it all herself.  But she was also a stay at home mom.  

Second year of residency, the wheels really came off our haphazard cleaning routine.  Sam was on call approximately every 4th night and stayed at the hospital, we had our third roommate shedding all over the house, and I was working my butt off founding a marketing department for a small telecommunications company.  Again, I told Sam I wanted to hire someone to clean the house once a month.  Again, he refused to pay for something we could do ourselves.  

But we didn't do it.  I am mortified to admit that I can't remember the last time I cleaned our bathroom... I mean REALLY cleaned our bathroom.  One time in the last year that does stick out in my mind is when I got so overwhelmed by how bad the bathroom was that I actually started crying when Sam wouldn't help me clean it.  And I don't want you to have the wrong impression, I am a pretty tidy person.  Seriously, you could probably ask any of my former roommates and they would say I am much more of a neat freak than they are.  I am so religious when it comes to dusty and vacuuming every other weekend that I have a calendar event on iCal that goes off.  I'm sure counts for something, but I hate deep cleaning with a passion.  

I digress, anyway, for my birthday in September, I told Sam all I wanted was for someone to come in and clean the apartment.  And he finally agreed.  (Sam's motto about cleaning is that if I leave it long enough he will eventually be bothered enough to do it himself, but his threshold is just much lower than mine... I guess that means the place has gotten pretty bad!)

Sam and I started asking for recommendations from our friends who use house cleaners.  It turns out a lot of the medical students and residents we know use cleaning services, and not just the guys.  We had a couple of friends say they wouldn't recommend who they use, but one of our friends had someone she thought we should try.  Three weeks after she gave me his contact information, I finally got around to making the appointment.  

And he will be here tomorrow morning, bright and early!

I just have to resist the urge to clean the place before he gets here out of guilt!!! 

Roasted Tomato Basil Soup

This morning, Sam woke me up before he left to tell me a few things:

1. He was proud of me for getting the raise I deserve at work (I had my annual review last week and asked my boss to reconsider my merit increase and gave him four reasons I deserve the more money, and named my price.  To my surprise, he met my request yesterday!!!)
2. He wanted me to make the roasted tomato basil soup recipe he found in the crock pot cookbook
3. Our water heater wasn't working properly and he'd taken a lukewarm (at best) shower

Needless to say, it was a lot to take in at 6:00 this morning.  Hunter and I decided it was best NOT to lounge in bed, and we got up to tackle our honey-do list.  

First, I reviewed the recipe (which I included at the bottom of this post) and saw that I needed to roast the canned stewed tomatoes with brown sugar and diced onion in the oven for 30 minutes to create the base of the soup.  I was pretty confident I couldn't chop the onions small enough to make them smooth in the soup without a little help from my favorite emulsifier, so I pulled out the archaic cuisinart we got from Sam's grandpa several years ago when we helped him move out of his house.  The thing worked like a dream!  It took care of the chopping while I was spreading the tomatoes out on a baking sheet and sprinkling them with the brown sugar.  

Then, while the tomatoes, sugar and onions were in the oven, I took Hunter on his morning potty walk and tackled the pilot light on the water heater.

After everything had roasted, I popped it all back into the food processor so I could get the mixture as smooth as possible before tossing it into the crock pot with chicken broth, tomato paste, some spices and the left over juice from the canned tomatoes.  Needless to say, I did a lot better with the food processor than if it had been up to me to chop everything by hand.

Into the crockpot it all went, and then I started working on the dishes.  Unfortunately, the water coming out of the sink was still all cold, so I had to call our property manager and have her sent up a handy man to get the water heater functioning again.  Hey, at least everything was fixed before 9:30!

The final product was pretty delicious, if I do say so myself!  Sam has made a few comments to me that on the days I am working from home he would like me to get a home cooked meal put together so that it's ready when he gets home from work.  I suppose he's got a point that it would be nice if I did a little more cooking.  Even if some days it's a crockpot meal that I prep in the morning and then let simmer all day, rather than a complicated recipe I tackle at 5:00 when i get off work, it's nice to have home cooking and it's something we want to make a priority when we have our own family.

Past My Bedtime

My apologies if this post seems disjointed or disorganized- it is, as the title suggests, far past my bedtime and my brain is finally starting to slow down a bit.  I have consistently sold myself short in my dedication to hard work- which is funny because one does not become a First Team All-American water polo player without serious dedication and hard work.  But in my professional life, it was only in the last two years that I realized I was passionate about marketing and wanted to devote significant portions of my free time to learning and improving myself.  Lately, it seems that my hard work and dedication are paying off: I have interesting opportunities popping up all around me.

A girl I went through UCI's Marketing Certificate Extensions Program with reached out to me last week about doing Integrated Marketing Consulting for the company she works for.  Cue me writing my first-ever proposal for consulting services.  We'll see where that goes.  I have been more and more interested in consulting as I get to be more acquainted with self-employed professionals, but I'm not sure if I'm ready to take the leap and go to full-time consulting.  Sam and I are considering that when we start a family, but it's not something I want to explore just yet.

Another networking connection has a very interesting business opportunity that we discussed today.  I would love to be a part of his team and create content and integrated marketing plans for clients on a 12-24 month contract basis.

I am on fire today- completely reenergized and motivated to achieve all that I can.  It was one of those days where I logged nine and a half hours at the office and didn't take a single break.  Well, that's not entirely true.  I did use the restroom once and I had to get a class of water in the afternoon to ward off a dehydration/starvation headache.  I was so consumed by the projects I was working on that I completely blew off my lunch- postponing it to the point that it was ridiculous to even try to take a break to eat.  Ooops.  No biggie, I told myself, I will just leave early.  Next thing I knew, it was 4:15, and then 4:55.

I headed to the gym and met up with Sam for a short workout before we came home and walked Hunter.  By the time we had showered and eaten it was nearly 8:30 and I started work on my other projects.  I edited my consulting proposal with Dad, returned the favor and recommended a dear friend and mentor on LinkedIn and did some other work.

I literally looked up at the clock and realized it was 11:40.  Hunter was laying on the guest bed behind me, Sam had turned off the TV and gone to bed without telling me and my 10:30 bedtime had long since passed.  So I took Hunter out to go potty, piled all of Sam's dirty dishes in the sink for him to tackle tomorrow and sat down to write this post and finish my VERY productive day.  It's funny, at once point this afternoon the song that plays in the movie Rudy during his senior year when he is getting beat to shit during the practicing montage popped into my head.  It's really a very motivating soundtrack if you're looking for something to keep you going... I ended up listening to it all afternoon and evening.

Alas, it's now time to crawl into bed between my freshly washed sheets (yes I even did a load of laundry today!) next to my wonderfully supportive boyfriend and snuggle with our adorable dog.

Mental Health Days

Everyone needs a mental health day sometimes.  Today is mine.

I haven't had a day to myself since April 14.  Since then I've either been traveling and participating in wedding festivities, working, or entertaining out of town guests.  Please don't misunderstand me, those are all very exciting things that make me very happy, but they do wear me down too.

Sam went back to work today after his week of vacation so that left Hunter and I at the house.  How very relaxing!  The only bummer was that Hunter seemed to think it was time to get up when Sam left for work at 5:30 this morning.  C'est la vie.  It got me up, out of bed and started my productive day.

What have I done with my day?  I started off my cleaning out my briefcase and purse of all the miscellaneous stuff I'd been collecting during the last couple of weeks.  I was able to file my bills and paychecks away in our guest bedroom, clean out our stationary drawer and make room for the new thank you cards and greeting cards I ordered from Papyrus earlier this week, and stripped the guest bed and bathroom linens to be cleaned before my parents arrive next weekend.

Funny anecdote, twice I tried to start the washing machine with the guest bed sheets and twice I accidentally turned on the drier instead.  Boy, did I need a mental health day or what?!

I also have been catching up on my blogging (both reading and writing) and downloaded some new material on my nook.  Which I swear I am going to go and read once I'm finished with this post because I am racking up a ton of unread stuff on that little device and I'm itching to read it all.

I also met with a colleague of mine and spent a couple of hours with her hearing about her job hunt, catching up on what's going on in her love life and just enjoying not having a time-schedule that I had to follow.  When we were done I ran into Target to buy more dishwashing detergent (the kitchen is getting cleaned as soon as I get though the piles of dishes in our sink), razors (summer weather is here and I definitely can't wear shorts with the fuzzy legs I am sporting), and birthday and mother's day cards (which will all be slightly belated).  All in all, it was a good trip.  I just need to run to Petsmart and get Hunter some new chewy sticks to entertain him when we're having company over or take him somewhere for dinner.

It's odd because I would think all these errands would be stressing me out more, but having accomplished so many of my To Do items has really relaxed me and made me feel in control of my life again.  I even took some time to write cards to a few friends and family members because I believe snail mail brightens everyone's days.  It actually seems that many people like to accomplish things on their days off: How and When to Take a Mental Health Day gives you ideas of how to schedule time off as well as what you should do to help yourself recover from the stress in your life.

Spring Time in SoCal

Spring has officially sprung here in Southern California... that's evident in our blooming patio.  I am really pleased that the hydrangea came back after going dormant during the winter months.  It has been a real joy watching the leaves grow out from bare stems and the little buds open up into small pedals.  There is even the slightest hue of pink coming through in the flowers.  I clearly need to treat the soil again soon to increase the acidity and turn the flowers blue- my favorite color for hydrangeas.  I also should probably treat the whole patio with Miracle Grow, I think I'm a little behind on the weekly nutrient boost.  Oops!  We'll see how they turn out, I am really hoping for a deep blue-purple color.  Worst case scenario I'll just head back to Lowes and consult with their Garden department to see what can be done.

These beautiful pink flowers are absolutely gorgeous.  It's funny, Mom brought this Rubber Plant down to me last year at Thanksgiving and they've done remarkably well ever since.  A few months ago I repotted this bad boy in a pot with a drain hole and that has made a world of difference.  When I pulled the plant out of the last pot, I was shocked to see that the roots hadn't been able to spread out into the bottom of the pot because there was no way for the water to get down to the bottom of the pot.  Since the repotting it has been nothing but growth for the Rubber Plant.  It has grown at least an inch in all directions and the blooms have been more vibrant than ever before... that could also be due to the Miracle Grow.

Playing For Keeps

Yesterday Sam and I spent most of the day cleaning the house: Spring Cleaning 2013 is completed.  I finished the vacuuming and cleaned the kitchen on Friday night, and when Sam got home he took care of the dusting while I organized the stuff on the table.  Unfortunately Sam and Hunter decided to take a nap right about the time I took on the bathroom, but that is pretty standard.  At least I didn't have a complete cleaning breakdown like I did a few months ago.  That was NOT pretty.

We celebrated with a trip down to San Diego and hit up the Stone Brewing Co for dinner since Sam was feeling up to the trip.  I tried to be as good as possible RE: the cleanse, but it was not easy!  Somehow I feel like the next couple of weeks are going to be tough... might be a good time to start surrounding myself with my health-conscious friends.

I spent today running errands- mailing the Fictitious Business Name documents to the Contra Costa Clerk, exchanging the propane for our BBQ, planning the first 7 days of meals for Making the Cut and grocery shopping to pick up all the ingredients.  It all starts tomorrow.  Oh boy.

The good news?  All the meals look really good.

The bad news?  It is going to be a lot of work.

So how am I spending my last night before the epic weight loss boot camp begins?  I am on the couch, blogging, updating my LinkedIn profile (I have neglected it horribly since starting my job), snuggling with Hunter and watching Playing For Keeps.

Gerrard Butler plays the main character, George, a former pro-soccer player who gets wrangled into coaching his son's team.  I can't lie, it's pretty cute.  I mean, there's a whole romantic storyline that's going on, but I just love how great George is as coach and mentor to the kids on the team.  And honestly, I can't help wondering what kind of coach Sam would be... will be.

Soccer is really not my sport.  So it's not likely that I can pick up the coaching slack there.  And frankly, I don't know how great I would be at baseball either.  But as I get older it really makes me appreciate how special it was to have my Dad so involved with all my little league stuff.  I mean he coached me from T-ball to 8th grade in softball and came to almost all my games when I played in high school.  Then, after softball was over, he did such a great job following water polo- even though it was a whole new thing for him.  I mean he didn't miss a single game my senior season, and his friends even came to watch me a couple of times too.  I really hope that I can give my kids that kind of support and those experiences some day.

Washing Machine

Damn it all to hell, I think I've broken my washing machine!  I was washing the sheets and the coverlet and unfortunately during the coverlet's spin cycle the whole machine was shaking violently.  As soon as I noticed it was still full of soap, I threw it back in for another wash.  Now, the stupid thing won't drain, rinse or spin cycle!

Downton Abbey

So this weekend I am recovering from the exhaustion of last weekend in NOLA.  I am very overloaded and overwhelmed at work and at home.  But at least now I'm relaxing on the couch and mostly caught up from the craziness.

Yesterday I spent the day doing long overdue housework.  It amazes me how much nicer everything looks when the dishes are put away, the carpet vacuumed and the laundry done.  I don't blame Sam, but my goodness, I wish that he would have the decency to pick up after himself a bit more.  It's tough to come home and have a kinds of things going on for me to clean up.

I also stopped at Lowes and picked up some plant food for our budding hydrangeas and rubber plant.  I also bought some soil acidifier to help turn my hydrangeas blue.  Apparently that is what keeps the blooms blue!  I sometimes wish we had a bigger patio area so that I could put more garden in.  Of course, now that Hunter likes to eat most leaves it might not be so great to have a garden.  But I suppose I could train him to keep away from all of them.

Sam really wants to move somewhere with a yard for Hunter, nothing too big, but somewhere were he can runaround.  Obviously I think that would be ideal, but I also think that Hunter prefers to be with us as opposed to outside alone.  It would be great if I could get a doggie door and have him potty outside by himself while I'm at work, and let himself out to sit out into the sun in the afternoon.

Today I bought the first three seasons of Downton Abbey on our AppleTV.  Mom and Nonna just love it and I have lots of friends who are in love with it too.  So here I am, a bit late to the party, but catching up with the masses.  I am enjoying it so far, and I can see why ladies enjoy it.  It reminds me a lot of A Game of Thrones to be honest... all the chivalry, the royalty, the servants being treated as family.

I think I will like it quite a bit!

Walking Dead

No, this is not a reference to me being overly exhausted.  Quite the opposite, I have been feeling much more energized since I started taking the hypothyroidism medication.    The title of this post refers to the AMC Zombie series based on the comic books.

I am not much for watching TV shows the night they air because I am generally trying to spend quality time with Sam or Hunter if I'm not working in the evening.

Tonight, however, I decided I was going to give it a rest because I worked two hours extra last night expanding on some web page additions that a co-worker had started.  Sam is working late, so I have no obligation to entertain him.  Thus, with this time to myself, I am catching up on The Walking Dead season 3 premier and playing fetch with Hunter.  Good Lord, this puppy loves to play fetch.

And don't think it's all play for me tonight, I am also in the process of washing our sheets and drafting our holiday letter.  Last year we didn't send our letter out everyone, but complaints were lodged and this year the situation will be remedied.

So now, enough blogging and back to holiday letter drafting and laundry!