Beat the Heat: Wrap it up

It’s always a bit of a shock and surprise when these challenges come to an end. And I always end up more shocked then surprised when I actually stick with them through to the end. I’m a great starter but rarely am I a strong finisher. Yet here we are 10 weeks later. It’s been a crazy time here in Germany for us over the last 10 weeks. So many changes, with so many more to come over the next few months. Some are good and exciting and some I’m dreading and refusing to talk or think about.

But, here we go, I’ll wrap this up.

Goal One: Lose 10 pounds

Success!

I ended up losing 11 lbs through the course of this challenge! I’m pretty stoked. Back when this challenge started, I had no idea what I even weighed and when I found out it wasn’t pretty. I’m thrilled to be on such a great track and definitely want to keep this up. The new me is much happier with eating healthier portions and I never want that to change.

Goal Two: Try 5 new recipes

Success!

I tried 7 or 8 new recipes out of a goal of 5 for this challenge. And I have several more new ones lined up to try. I’m really pleased with how I used this goal to try cooking healthier food and also just add variety to our menus. It’s helped a lot with us actually eating at home and our grocery bill has also gone down because we’re buying fresh food instead of prepared and processed food.

Goal Three: Compile a list of 70 things I like about myself

Failure or success? You tell me.

In terms of actually writing a list of 70 things I like about myself…I failed. I stopped somewhere between 20 and 30. But, if a picture is worth a thousand words? Then I’ve collected way more than 70 things I like about myself. The point of this one was to work on building my self-esteem and my self-value. I feel like I’m in a good place with this, even if I didn’t finish my list.

Goal Four: Read 20 Books

Failed. So close though.

I read 18 of 20 books. I’m so close to being finished with number 19, but, I decided to tackle George R.R. Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series during the last few weeks of this challenge and that slowed me down majorly. Still, I’m actually really pleased with how well I did with this. I got back into the habit of picking up a book when I needed something to do as opposed to just killing time on the internet. So, even though I’m 1.25 books short, I’m counting this a success in terms of meeting the heart of the goal.

Goal Five: Play an instrument 3x a week

Success!

I’m not entirely sure that it’s been 3x a week ever week – definitely wasn’t while I was in Croatia; but again, the focus of this challenge was to use my free time more constructively and to refind my love of playing music. As far as that goes, this was a major success. I love having my piano. I can’t believe that I lived without access to a piano for so long. It’s been fun to get back into the habit of practicing.

I’m really sad to see this challenge go. I’ve had so much fun working on my goals and really want to keep up with all of them.

How did you do?

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week 9

Hey everyone! I missed you all last week. Internet was hard to come by down in Croatia and since we were paying by the minute, I never got a chance to update or read any blogs. But, here I am, ready to report in and buckle down for the last week of the challenge!

1. What have you achieved towards your goals this week?

Let’s see, I lost 1 pound on vacation bringing me to 9 lbs out of 10 gone! :)

I read 6 books (and half of two others) bringing me to a total of 16 out of 20 for the challenge.

I made shrimp scampi to take me to 7 out of 5 recipes tried. Though, I didn’t actually follow a recipe for that one. Just went with the flow.

The other two, I’ve blown off. No instruments at my beach retreat.

2. What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?

I went on a week long vacation. I rested, relaxed, and laughed my way through the entire week. It was amazing.

3. This is week 9 and the final week of the challenge! Is there anything you want to really push to achieve now?

I definitely want to lose that last pound. I can’t believe that I managed to lose weight while on vacation, so getting back into the home mindset should help even more. I don’t think I’ll make the book reading goal, even though I might get really close. But I think I’ll get 19 read instead of 20. We’ll just have to see.

4. How have you felt through the challenge? Has anything been more difficult than you thought? Anything easier?

It’s been harder to play my instruments than I thought and I bailed on writing my list shortly into the challenge. It felt too awkward.

5. Fun Question: Where do you fit in your family? Are you a middle child for example? How does that affect your “place” in the family?

I am the 3rd of 4 children. Youngest of the girls. But we’re really spread out. My oldest sister is 9 years older than me, than my next sister is 13 months older than me, then me, then 5 years to my little brother. So, I was the baby for 5 years. As to my place? I’m probably the most outgoing of my siblings, I’m not the quiet, shy, peace-keeping middle child.

Positive Picture: Me rocking a bikini on the beach!

Hope everyone has a great week!

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week Seven

It’s amazing how the time is flying now. It’s hard to believe that we don’t have that much time left in this challenge. My work on my goals was sort of set aside this last week. I had a very intensely rough week this last week. I spent most of it in tears. I’m still not sure how everything that happened will work out; but I will persevere. Besides, I have a lot to look forward to this week.

1. What have you done to help you achieve your goals?

Weight Loss 8 of 10 lbs lost. Same as last week here, but I joined myfitnesspal and am trying to be more conscious of what I eat. After last week’s loss I rebounded back up a couple of pounds, so just getting back to where I was is accomplishment enough for me.

Book reading and list making both got put on hold this last week. I started three books and finished none, I wasn’t in the mood to sit and read and be alone with my thoughts. As to the list of things I like about myself, I didn’t like myself this last week. And then, when I started recovering from that, it was my husband’s birthday and so I wrote him a list of 24 things I love about him for his 24th birthday.

I played my instruments more this week, thanks mostly to having a piano again. It’s so awesome. I also tried two “new” recipes this week to put me at 8/5. The first was a reimagining of a cheeseburger for the spinach challenge at The Intrepid Chefs and the second was taking my cheesecake brownies and adding nutella for them as B’s birthday cake request.

2. What have you done to make you feel fabulous?

I bought me some new clothes from Victoria’s Secret. I got a chance to buy their new bra before it was released, found a sale swimsuit, and bought a t-shirt dress in order to get free shipping. The clothes just got here today and I love them all. :)

3. If your house was on fire, and you could grab ONE thing (outside of people and your computer/laptop, they are all out) what would it be?

I couldn’t grab just one thing. I have so many things that mean the world to me. Of things that are irreplaceable though, I’d have to go with either:

My Blue Padre

My grandfather built the frame for this painting. Way back when, he built frames for this painter who lived near him; she paid him for the frames with this painting. When he died, he left this painting to my Mom. It’s been in our house since I was a kid, and I always told her that I wanted it. When I moved into my first big-girl apartment post college, my Mom helped me set it up, and surprised me by giving this to me. It’s moved with me constantly as a little reminder of home.

The other item I would grab is this:

my map of middle earth

Yes, that is a hand drawn, hand inked map of Middle Earth from Lord of the Rings. My Mom has been drawing them for decades. She recently declared that the one she gave my sister for her wedding was the last. I received mine during college and have had many friends threaten to steal it. It hangs in my dining room as a little reminder of my Mom and the importance of always dreaming.

4. Tell us about your blog. Treat it like a book, what’s happened so far?

It’s about a girl who starts off as all things Texas. She’s loud and she’s Texas proud. It’s a little bit chic-lit in the beginning, but follows her through grad school, and work. Then, the main antagonist enters the story and she falls in love, moves, gets married, and moves again. Now, she’s finding her footing as a military wife making her way in a world she never imagined.

5. Fun Question:  Tell an embarrassing story about yourself. No dodging.

Haha, this is an easy one for me. One Sunday in May, when I was 13 years old, my family had a big day. It was our Pastor’s last Sunday complete with short service and fellowship time afterward, followed by my little brother’s birthday party. We were rushed that morning, so I grabbed a banana on my way to the car and then ate 3 donut holes (wow do I miss those things) during Sunday School. As we’re standing in church, front pew on the left side I started to not feel well. In the Presbyterian church, you often stand for the first 10-15 minutes of service, with greetings, hymns, responses, etc. We were singing the Gloria Patri when I started to get really hot. Then I noticed that my vision was going out like a bad tv screen – it got black and fuzzy from the edges and worked it’s way in. Next thing I know, I’ve hit the pew behind me – I can’t see and I can’t respond. Then nothing. My next sensation is of being suspended between my parents and I can hear them talking to me as they move me, though I still can’t see anything. They laid me down on a bench, where I came back to full consciousness. One ER trip later, and we learned that I was hypoglycemic and had just had my blood sugars bottom out on me. Every single person from our church stopped by the ER. 3-4 years later, in highschool, it was still the first thing remembered about me by most of my peers.

I hope everyone has a great week.

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week Six

Hello everyone! How have your weeks been? I hope the answers are all good and mostly good. I’m so excited about the next couple of weeks around here that I can hardly wait for each day to happen. The first few weeks of August are full of some amazing days to celebrate for me and we’re celebrating in style this year. It’s been an up and down week for me as far as the goals go; but I’m optimistic about this next week going even better.

1. What have you done this week to help you achieve your goals?

Goals Update:

Weight Loss – 8 of 10 lbs lost! I’m down another 2 lbs this week. I’m so excited about this. I’m also cracking down even harder as I am 11 days from going on a week long beach vacation. My darling husband also let me order another clearance swimsuit from Victoria’s Secret and I want to look really cute in it. My aim for this week is to make the better choice at each meal and keep better track of my calories in and out.

Books Read – Still at 10 of 20. Something about having my husband come home from a weekend away made me read less this week.

Recipes Tried – Still at 6 of 5. Even though I’m over on this one, I’m going to hopefully keep trying new things. Our eating rotation has gotten so much more interesting since I started this challenge and it’s really helping us eat at home more; which is good for our health and our budget.

Positives about Me list – I haven’t worked on this one much. However, if you check out my post from yesterday you’ll see that I’m working on believing that I’m worth it.

Instruments Played – This one has slacked off over the last few weeks. I’ve been so stressed about finding a new place to teach, replacing our GPS unit, dealing with auto insurance after my wreck (Hooray for accident forgiveness and my rates not going up!), that I haven’t played much. This should change soon. Very soon. Read below to see why!

2. What have you done this week to make you feel fabulous?

I bought a piano yesterday. Okay, technically I just made the offer yesterday. We’re picking it up and paying for it today. It’s nothing fancy – just a Kimball upright, not my dream piano by far (that would cost more than my car did) but it’s my very own piano. I’m also going to use it to start teaching out of my home. I’m so excited to go pick this up today that I have no idea how I’m going to focus on anything else.

3. Do you feel you get everything out of your life? Would you like to change things or are you happy where you are?

I love where I am in life right now. Sure I want to shed a few pounds, sure I want to make a few friends; but overall? My life is so amazing. I have a husband who loves me, we both have flexible schedules that allow us to travel, we live in an amazing place, and have great family and friends.

4. What’s your ultimate favourite food? Is it healthy? Can you make it healthy?

Ultimate favorite for me would encompass everything about Southern comfort food. Chicken Fried Steak, Fried Catfish, Coconut Shrimp, the entree list can go on and on. And yes, I could make these healthier by subbing eggs for egg whites and baking instead of frying. What I prefer to do instead, is make it up real and eat just a small portion. I’d much rather have the real thing in tiny increments than fake it and lose the rich flavors and textures. I also only cook things like this rarely – they’re treat meals.

5. Fun Question: What do you want to be when you grow up?

Exactly who I am. I’m a music teacher and I love my job. I go and play with people’s kids in 30 minute increments and get paid for it. I truly have the best job ever. :)

my new piano!!!!

I can’t wait to start reading everyone’s posts for this week. Hope y’all all have a fabulous week!

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week Five

Before I even start this week’s update, I’ve got some confessions to make first. I feel like I lost my grounding this past week. It’s been chaotic with me quitting my studio job, our car getting broken into, B having a training camp in Atlanta, and culminating in me hitting a parked car at the Frankfurt Airport this morning. I’m okay, my car is okay, the other car is only minorly damaged (I could tell that the parking attendants and cops were surprised I reported it). The polizei were very nice, the fact that I was clearly on the verge of tears probably helped. Anyway, all that to say, it’s been a hell of a week. I didn’t pay attention to most things at all. That said, I’m blazing into this update the best that I can.

1.       What have you done this week to work towards your goals?

I was down weight earlier in this week but back at the same as last week as of this morning. I think between the stress of the week and then being lonely all weekend probably was not a good combo on my weight. Still, I think it’s just water retention and hopefully I’ll have another loss to report next week. My book reading has gone great – I read5 books this past week for a total of 10 in the challenge. I read 4 of those books on Saturday and Sunday. I’m itching to pick the next up. Didn’t work on my list or play any instruments – didn’t really have the desire to do either. I did try 2 new recipes this last week bringing me to 6 (one over my challenge goal)! I did a brown-sugar and chili powder chicken and Mary’s Baked Zucchini Chips. Both were rather delicious.

2.       What have you done to make yourself feel fabulous?

I went out and bought the new gold crackle nail polish. I’d seen it in Cosmo and decided I had to try it. So glad that I did. I also took Friday off of everything and played with two adorable little girls. Most fun I’ve had in a long while.

3.       How are you finding your goals this challenge? Do you still think you can achieve them?

I know I can achieve them. I have to work for them, but knowing that they’re accomplishable has been key to keeping me pushing through over the last few weeks.

4.       Freebie! If you want to change one goal change it. Explain your decision even if you don’t change any.

The only one I would think about changing is writing my list of things about myself that I like. Except that’s the last one I should be changing. All of my goals still represent important factors in my life right now – so I won’t change any. I still want to lose the weight (confession, I’m MOH in a wedding this fall that will feature all the catty girl’s I went to undergrad with and yes, I want to look better than all of them), I still want to play my instruments, read, cook, and learn to love myself. At least, love the self that isn’t attracting all kinds of horrible occurrences.

5.       Fun Question: If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Your funds are unlimited!

As a little girl I would have said New Zealand or Ireland. They’ve always been my two favorite countries. I’ve also always been the girl who loves moving. I love the chance to start over and build up a new home. I’ve made it to Ireland to visit now and I loved it there. But, honestly, I don’t think I’d live anywhere other than where I do right now. I’m in a great place to travel wherever I want, I have a job that I love, I get to meet new people all the time. Germany has been a great match for me. If I can just teach it what a real summer is it would be perfect. Truly though, perhaps the greatest thing I’ve learned thus far in my almost one year of marriage is that the adage “Home is where the heart is” is so true. I’ll be home and happy living wherever B is. Each place is just an undiscovered adventure waiting to happen.

My Positive Picture: Ireland's Beautiful Coastline

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week Three

Happy Monday my friends! It’s another cold and rainy day here in Germany, so I’m all bundled up on my couch and thinking that the heat is not anything I have to beat right now. This is by far the strangest summer I’ve ever experienced weather-wise, this poor Texan is feeling quite out of place. I’m like a cactus that’s been over-watered and kept in the shade too much.

1.       What have you done this week to work towards your goals?

I’ve lost another 2.5 lbs to put me at a total of 3.5 down for the challenge. I read 2 more books, the last two in the Sharing Knife series by Lois McMaster Bujold and can’t recommend those books enough, for a total of 5 out of 20 read. I’ve stalled out on Phantom of the Opera right now, it was driving me insane and I’ve jumped over to Starship Troopers by Heinlein. I tried 3 new recipes last week and now only need 1 more for the challenge. We made Pizza Rolls, Ham Rolls, and a Honey-Garlic Chicken across this last week. I’m keeping up with my list of things I like about myself and am still playing my instruments as well.

2.       What have you done this week to make you feel fabulous?

I booked our apartment in Pag, Croatia! We leave next month on the 19th and will spend a week in an apartment 300 meters off of the beach. I’m so excited. We’re taking this trip as our 1 year anniversary trip and will be traveling with some good friends. With how cold and rainy it is here, sunny and warm Croatia sounds about perfect right now.

3.       I wrote about gadgets this week (my fav one anyway), do you have any gadgets that help you to your goals or are you a low tech kinda person?

I’m a mid-tech kind of girl. I was raised by a computer programmer who was on the team that helped develop bluetooth so I’ve always been around gadgets. Back in the States, I had an iPhone that I loved to play on and use My Fitness Pal type tools, but, I don’t have any of that here in Germany. I rarely even run with music. I guess I’m more low-tech in regards to exercising, I would rather jog out doors than run on an elliptical, though the weather here doesn’t cooperate with that too much.

4.       We are half way through the year, what have you achieved so far (in all aspects of life)?

My biggest achievement for this year would be keeping up with my travel goal. When B and I first moved here, we promised each other that we would keep taking trips to see as much of Europe as we could while we got to live here. Since January we’ve visited Stuttgart, Ireland, Paris, Amsterdam, Bruges, Rome, and Bern, not to mention our big trip to the US in May and June. A lot of people told us that we’d fall into a routine and forget to travel, but we’re really working hard to make the most of our time here. In addition to the Croatia trip in August, we’re looking at visiting the French Riviera around the holidays, going to see the “fairytale” castles, and maybe hopping a cruise around the Mediterranean.

5.       Fun Question: Tell me one of your secrets to achieving goals and living a happy life?

Being happy with exactly where I am. This is a sort of hard one for me; I tend to be a planner and a dreamer, both of which lead to the tendency to live in the future rather than the now. Since I met B though, I’ve worked really hard to just live in the moment and enjoy being in the here and now. I can honestly say that I’ve achieved that and it’s made a huge impact on my life.

My Positive Picture for the Week: A plate of sushi from a lunch trip with friends!

Sushi!

Hope everyone has a great week!

~The Countess~

Not-So Wedded Bliss

I’ll be the first to tell you that there are many amazing things about being married. Having someone to cuddle with on a cold night. Being able to split washing the dishes, taking the trash, cleaning the house. The sex. Having someone to lean on without worry that anything you go through could possibly change your love for them or theirs for you.

Truly, for me, being married has been blissful. If you’ve read here long you know that our road hasn’t been the easiest, mostly due to moving across the world right after getting married. But, all in all, I know that I’ve never been happier. My soul found it’s counterpart in B and whirlwind and crazy though it’s been, it’s also been right.

I’ve heard tell though, about the less fun sides of marriage. And no, I don’t mean fights or anything like that. More, the moments of “oh wow, we’re married” turning from happy shock to the realization that you both went the whole weekend with barely a shower between you. Much less the make up, cologne, and effort that went into your dating phase. It’s in the taking out of the trash, or choosing to spend your Saturday doing chores rather than going on a date. I guess, it’s the mundane pace of life creeping in and stealing the exciting moments.

We haven’t really had those though. I like the “oh wow we’re married” moments. Like when we worked through a disagreement on the handling of our finances – it wasn’t us disagreeing with each other, so much as us working through a problem to find the solution together. I’ll be the first to admit that B is much better at this than I am.

Then there’s the other rumor that goes with marriage. The one that the weight that comes on with getting married is worse than the Freshman 15. We’ve always laughed that off too. Just like everything else. After all, even if we didn’t eat well, we made it to the gym 5-6 times a week and B works out at least twice a day. (No, you don’t get to congratulate him or be in awe, it’s his job so he’d better do it) Except that, I’d noticed that the random times I’d weigh myself at the gym…the weight was going the wrong way. I put it off to my having gained muscle weight or because I’d eaten just before, especially since my clothes still fit just fine. But, when I started the Beat the Heat Challenge, I figured I would lose 10 lbs just to start. So I went out and bought a scale.

Yikes.

I weighed in on Sunday 15 lbs heavier than when I was married. My 11 month anniversary is in 2 days. B weighed in 25-30 lbs heavier. Now, we’re both tall, and no one would dare call us fat (except that one random guy in Amsterdam, but he doesn’t count) and we’ve both put on muscle mass. But, this is not the way we’d meant to keep our promise of staying healthy together. So we cut the crap food. And wouldn’t you know three days later, we’re both seeing positive downward trends. This without any crazy crash dieting. We’re both eating til we’re full. We’re just eating better things. And at home.

It was a rude wake up call. But, it was good for us. As a couple. Because we just found the newest problem to tackle together and all of a sudden meal planning is fun as we come up with ways to have tasty food that isn’t overly fattening.

I guess it’s just another way I refuse to give in to any marital conventions. And yes, I’m still blissfully happy. Just not with the extra weight.

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week Two

I promise I’m going to do better this week about updating in-between the challenge posts. I have a recipe to post, a revelation to talk about, and I’m sure I’ll throw up some more bad lyrics/poetry since I’m currently on a creative kick.

This last week was interesting for me as I had houseguests that did their best to make me want to throttle them, I had a bad reaction to the German water (something I should really learn that my body is never going to like), but I also had some great times with my husband. Besides, I capped the week off by accidentally showing up at a strip party that our favorite pub was hosting. I only wish I was joking.

Questions of the week

1. What progress have you made on your goals this week.

Goal Recap and Update

1. Lose 10 lbs – down 1.5 lbs

2. Try 5 new recipes – 1 tried

3. List 70 things I like about me – 63 left to go

4. Read 20 books – 3 down, 17 to go

5. Play an instrument 3x a week – check, check, and check!

Let’s see, I lost 1.5 lbs from my highest weight which is awesome, only downside is that my highest weight was actually 4lbs heavier than I thought. It’s okay, I’ve bought a scale and B and I are both committed to dropping some weight. The new recipe will be up soon – I made a nutella cheesecake last Monday for our July 4th bbq. This last week I read Old Man’s War by John Scalzi and the first two volumes of Lois McMaster Bujold’s Sharing Knife series. I’m also about half-way through Phantom of the Opera right now.

2. What did you do to make yourself feel fabulous?

Great question, like I said above, I felt sick for most of the week thanks to accidentally drinking some tap water. So, I went out and bought a water cooler for the Culligan bottled water. These normally run some 200 bucks, but I found one at a yardsale for 40. Water that doesn’t make me sick and a deal? I’m sold!

3. Did you have a moment in your life where everything changed for you, an epiphany moment, or has it happened gradually?

I’m not really sure how I’m supposed to answer this, but I’m going to do my best. As far as being who I am, I have a strong personality and I’ve pretty much always been this way. I never had rebellious teen years (I got those out of the way at 2, yeah, I’m an early bloomer) but that’s really because my parents were never afraid to encourage us to just be who we were, even if that scared them. Thanks to that, even though we’re all really different, we’re all really close – because no one always had to agree with Mom and Dad or think the same things as each other. I’ve always been a musician, always wanted to be a musician.

The big epiphany moment in my life, was meeting B. When we met, I was a few months out of the 2nd relationship in a row that I was cheated on and I’d pretty much decided I was done. I had two really great jobs teaching music and I was on a good track to turn one of them into a full-time with benefits gig. I loved my work, had my friends, and didn’t need anything (or anyone) else in my life. Three weeks after meeting B I knew I wasn’t going to be happy with that status quo anymore. 2.5 months after meeting him I agreed to not renew those precious contracts of mine and to move off to ND where he lived once summer came around.

4. What made you get involved with the Beat the Heat challenge?

I completely bombed the Spring Fling challenge and I’m not used to messing up. So I’ve decided to try again. With a little bit better goals and a more relaxed attitude about it.

5. What’s your favorite TV show at the moment?

Funny question, I haven’t had cable/satellite in any apartment of mine since 2009. That said, B and I do like to buy DVDs of TV series and we’re currently working our way through HIMYM, Dexter, and Community.

Positive Picture:

new dining table that we bought and built this week!

Thanks for stopping by! Let me know you were here and I’ll come visit you too!

~The Countess~

Beat the Heat: Week One

Happy Independence Day!

I know that I was a horrible Spring Fever Challenge participant; but, I’m going to go ahead and try again. I think my biggest problem last time around was that I was way too ambitious. So my goals are modified this time around to be a bit more doable.

1.       What are your goals for the 10 week challenge?

1. Lose 10 pounds. At a rate of 1lb per week I should be able to make this goal and get back to my normal adult weight.

2. Try 5 new recipes. I’m aiming for one every two weeks now to give myself plenty of time. It’s also my goal to share these recipes this time around.

3. Compile a list of 70 things that I like about myself. It’s pretty much 1-a-day, but a little bit more flexible.

4. Read 20 books. It may seem like a lot, but I’m a fast reader so this should be very doable.

5. Play my guitar, violin, or piano at least 3x a week.

2.       Why did you pick those goals? What makes them important right now?

I picked these goals in part because I think they’re achievable in the allotted time frame of the challenge. And also because they’re representative of directions that I want my life to go. I’m working on getting healthier – losing 10 lbs is my marker for that. My list of 70 things is part of my task of refinding my self-confidence. I love to read but seldom make time for it. Same with the music. I’m making this challenge about finding the best me and reminding myself of how awesome I actually am.

3.       What’s your biggest excuse reason for not doing something and how are you going to stop it getting in the way?

I tend to be a legalist – if I set something, I’m going to follow it…at least until I realize I’m being crazy about it and then I go off the deep end the other way trying to prove that I’m not legalistic about things. So, my drive to not mess up somehow perks up my rebel tendencies and I end up in an internal tug-of-war that causes me to throw my hands up in exasperation, stick my hands over my ears and shout that I can’t hear myself. I’m seeing now if more concrete goals will help me – the things I have picked have plenty of flexibility to allow me to mess up and still accomplish my goals.

4.       Are you a planner or do you go with the flow?

Yes. I am more than capable of going with the flow and doing things on a whim, but if you ask me to do it then I’ll plan everything out to a tee.

5.       Fun thing Tell us something that will help us get to know you.

I thought about this with the Spring Fever challenge, where I told about my whirlwind relationship with my husband. I realized after that I’d have been better off explaining my blog handle – the Texan Countess. First, let me dispel rumors, I am not actually a Countess. There are no actual countesses in Texas, though there are plenty of Jr Miss ______ County’s running around. My maiden name is the name of a county in South Texas. When I went to graduate school, I lived about 30 minutes from that county. As a result some of my guy friends (who were huge nickname nerds) started calling me “County.” I was more than willing to go with the flow of that, until a girlfriend overheard them calling me thus in a bar one night, and mused that it made me sound like a stripper or hooker. Since I am neither stripper or hooker, I told the guys that it was probably inappropriate to keep calling me that. They immediately (as in that very night) started calling me the Countess – because that kept the county part but took into consideration my bossiness. It stuck with me all through my years at Rice. And, since I started this blog while living there, it only seemed fitting.

So there you have it, I am neither a Countess nor a stripper, nor a hooker. Just a girl who’s last name used to reflect a little county in a big state.

my positive image: With my darling B on a train

~The Countess~