I'm awful at this, eh?

Where to begin... I should make a new year's resolution right now to start blogging once a week. I certainly could find a 5 minute window here and there to do a quick update and fill you in on a few nutty details from a week's worth of life as the semi-new Mrs. Maloney...

Okay, that is that then. I shall hereby update my blog once-a-week(ish).

At the moment, I am in Ohio for a short but desperately needed visit home to see my lovely family and Matt's lovely family. Matt and I spent our holidays alone in Austin for the first time in 24/25 years... and to be brutally honest, it sucked. Christmas dinner just didn't taste as good, the Christmas tree just didn't twinkle as brightly, and a few tears were shed Christmas day (by me, of course) because of the longing I had to be surrounded by my family. Knowing how much it would mean to me to see them even for just a short time and unfortunately not being able to afford for both of us to fly home, Mo booked me a flight to Ohio in an effort to cure my no-place-like-home-for-the-holidays blues. And it has been a giant success to say the least :) True, it is snowy, windy, and painfully cold here in the midwest, but the feeling of spending a little time with my family has made suffering through 17 degree weather quite worth while.

2009 passed so quickly for us this year. In a span of 12 months, Mo and I moved at least 7 times, made some dreams come true, and got married among other life changing events. 2009 was very good to us and I cannot do anything but look back upon it fondly and count the many blessings that have taken us to where we are presently. I am so grateful for the experiences we have had this past year, good and bad, that have strengthened us so much as a couple and also as individuals. I have learned so much about myself this year (i.e. how much I miss working! how easy its been for me to quit tanning- yay! how stressful wedding planning can be but then how worth it it is! how to tolerate individuals far different-minded than I, how to deal with not having a home-base, etc., etc.) and I have found so many new things to appreciate about Matt. Its amazing the man that he has become after 9 years of growing in this relationship. I am so thankful that we were put into one another's lives. I trust so deeply in our love and I see how much we will be able to continue learning from each other. It makes our marriage so exciting and life so interesting! I am totally open to what could be in store for us this coming year. And I thank God each day for giving me such a good man to walk side by side with.

Onto 20-10 then, eh? This year my main focus will be on spiritual growth and a Yoga Instructor certification. I am in love with the spiritual and emotional growth that Yoga has opened my mind and body to. I would absolutely love to be able to give others this same gift. I know, I know, I go on and on about Yoga and how much I love it. So I will attempt to break it down a bit and explain just a little bit of why I am so deeply connected to Yoga:

Yoga, in Sanskrit, can be translated as "union." The task at hand in Yoga is to find union-- between mind and body, between the individual and her God, between our thoughts and the source of our thoughts, between teacher and student, and even between ourselves and our sometimes hard-to-bend neighbors. Yoga can also mean trying to find God through meditation, through the practice of silence, through devotional service or through mantra (the repetition of sacred words or phrases).

Now, if you didn't previously know this about me, I am a rather worrisome, uptight individual with a few subtle OCD tendencies. I am rather good at covering this part of my nature, but recently I have longed to say goodbye to this part of myself. So, I've deeply committed myself to the practice of meditation and Yoga and reading all I can to help me live in the exact present rather than worry about what the next moment will bring. I am absolutely loving my practices and feeling such a strong connection to the Spirit.

I have been practicing the simple mantra, Ham-sa, to help in meditation. The Yogis say that Ham-sa is the most natural mantra, the one we are all given by God before birth. In Sanskrit it means "I am That." It is the sound of our own breath. Ham (hahhm) on the inhale, sa (rhymes with "ahh") on the exhale. As long as we live, every time we breathe in or out, we are repeating this mantra. I am That. I am divine. I am with God. I am an expression of God. I am not separate. I am not alone. I am not this limited illusion of an individual.

I cannot express how much happier, self-aware, less anxious, healthier (and the list could go on...) I am becoming! My practice is helping me accept and love myself so much more and accept and love the people I meet as well. I have ALWAYS loved the human connection and I live for interaction with others but now I am finding so many more ways to appreciate what each of them has been put in my life to teach me. I am slowly and steadily becoming a better version of myself- inside and out. Its an incredible spiritual journey and I love every minute.

I have also decided to try to read one book per month in 20-10. In 2009 I fell off my reading wagon a bit and I am excited to find some good reads this year. My body and mind are already feeling so cleansed by the diligence and sincerity of my practices. My goal is to stay consistent throughout the year, trusting in a higher power, a greater force to help me along my journey. I have this ultra positive energy about me this year- I have such a good feeling that 20-10 has so many blessings in store. Out with the unhealthy thoughts! Harboring only good ones this year :)

Happiness is the consequence of personal effort. You fight for it, strive for it, insist upon it. YOU HAVE TO PARTICIPATE RELENTLESSLY IN THE MANIFESTATIONS OF YOUR OWN BLESSINGS.

UPdate.

Ok, so veeery briefly, and mostly because I feel like such an awful blogger incase anyone's reading ...

Since my last post, things have kind of gone in a bit of a different direction. And by a bit I mean a bit more southwest... Mo and I moved to Austin, TX right after our wedding and we are enjoying our off-season amidst some good music, exciting nightlife, great people, and the never-more-beautiful sunshine!

We made the decision to move to Austin in the beginning of October on the basis that we should most definitely take advantage of being able to travel and spend the winter in the WARM while we have nothing tying us down. And what a great change of plans its been for us! We also didn't want to be rushed into making a buying decision so close to our wedding with all the planning and back and forth from Louisville to northern Ohio.

Aaaanyway, so now we are in the most beautiful, free, and interesting city I've ever set foot in. Its absolutely sublime and needless to say, we are loving every minute. We are sharing a space (cute little house) with D-Ray and all is going quite well.

The wedding was a giant success and more fun than you can imagine! (see photos via my facebook page) Married life is no different for Mo and I so far... blissful and humorous would be the two terms I think we both agree describe our marriage- what fun =)

So for now, we are enjoying our adventures immensely, counting our incredible blessings, and getting hip to our new relationship status... married. Cheers!

Get a promotion, buy a house, get married...

After changing our minds a couple times about which city we wanted to buy a house in, Matt and I have finally made the concrete decision to start our house hunt in 
Louisville.  I cannot begin to tell you how relieved I will be to finally have an actual house to call HOME.  We have moved 7-8 times in the past 6 years... from apartment to apartment... and we currently have belongings in 3 different cities (Columbus, Cincinnati, Louisville)... so needless to say, it will be SO nice to have all of our stuff in one city, in our home :)

We decided on Louisville because of how much we both truly love the city.  It has so much to do, so many outdoor activities- dog parks, walking trails, wooded areas.  It also has tons of fun restaurants and bars and places for young people to congregate.  Louisville will also be an easy place for Matt to give lessons and make a little money in during the off-season.  He has a lot of connections here and will be able to have access to a great facility to workout and throw in this off-season.  It is close enough to home (Huron- 5 hours) that we can visit for long weekends and holidays and far enough away that we are not right back in our hometown surroundings.  It will also be nice next season, either way in our situation concerning baseball: If  Matt is in AAA, we will have a place- our home- to stay in and if he is in Cincy, we will be able to rent our place to a trusted L'ville Bats coach or player who we know will take care of it.

I'll be starting to look for houses hopefully in the next couple weeks... when the Reds are in town I'll be with Matt in Cincinnati and when he goes on the road, I will come back to L'ville (we still have our apartment) to house hunt and hang out here!  We are really excited to find something a little older with some character (L'ville has a lot of that!) and a fenced in backyard for Lucy and Gus :)  It'll be a whole new adventure for us this off-season.  Cheers to that!

Other notable happenings:

Matthew is really happy to be up with the Reds again- not only because its the big leagues and he's worked so hard for this dream to come true, but also because we are back living with D-Ray who we've missed very much this summer.  The house we live in is sooo incredibly cool with SO much character and this amazing view of the city.  It is semi-questionable area but we have some good neighbors that look out for us.

During Matt's last start, I got the opportunity to sit up in a suite down the 3rd base line... it was very cool watching the game from this perspective, I loved it!  We were celebrating Jennah (Masset) and Maria (Janish)'s wedding showers- it was fun to be back with some of the girls I had been with last year.  We got to chat with the owner of the Reds, Bob Castellini, who dropped by to introduce himself to the girlfriends/fiances/wives- it was fun to meet him- pretty cool older guy.  And we got to cheer on the Reds with some avid fans in the suites next to us.  It was definitely a neat experience to watch the game from a different view.

I'll be meeting Matt in Chicago this week when the Reds play the Cubbies- psyched about that!  I have cousins in Chicago so I'm hoping to get a chance to see them while we're there.  And a few of my favorite baseball girls will also be there to hang with.  It should definitely be a fun trip. I'll try to get on here and blog a bit about it...

Eat. Sleep. Play.

Our doggies are undoubtedly one of the biggest part of our lives together.  Matthew and I spend so much time loving on these two lucky pups and they, in return, give us so many fun memories and laughable moments.  

Lucy, our puggle pup, is about 2 years old and arguably one of the most unique-looking puggles.  She is also ultra-loyal and protective- of Matt and I.  We got Lucy in September of 2007 while living in Columbus during my senior year at Ohio State.  She was just a little tiny thing when we got her... and a COMPLETE daddy's girl.  At the time, Matt was home most of the time with her because it was the off-season, so, he was spending the most time with her.  And she spent her days glued to his side, just loving any little bit of attention he gave to her- and he tended to give her a lot!  She was a little hellion to potty-train but once she got it down, she became a pro.  We've now got her trained to ring a bell that hangs from our front door to let us know when she needs to go out... 

When Matt left for the season in late February of 2008, Lucy was devastated.  She spent 2 weeks under the bed, wondering where the man in her life had gone.  It was near impossible to get her to eat and every time the front door would open, Lucy would race to greet the incomer, hoping it was her daddy.  It was heartbreaking to witness.  It made Matthew being away a lot harder for me too... 

Their reunion at the end of spring training was glorious for both of them and Lucy has now become very accustomed to the baseball lifestyle with all its long car rides, goodbyes, and sweet, sweet homecomings.  

Gusgus, almost 1 year old, is our beagle puppy who we decided to get during our last off-season (2008).  I adopted Gus from the Kentucky Humane Society in November of last year while Matt was playing winter ball in Venezuela.  We decided to get a second dog because we thought it would be a good thing for Lucy to have another dog around to keep her company and help burn off some of her excess energy.  

Gus was QUITE a handful in his beginnings with our little family.  He was peeing every 20 minutes and drinking more water than you'd ever think a small beagle like him could handle.  We discovered in late February, after a visit to the animal ER in the middle of the night, that Gus had a kidney problem.  The vet told us it was the worst she'd ever seen in a young dog and that Gus probably would not live much longer.  It was absolutely awful news and even harder to break to Matt, who was already in Florida for spring training.  Matt had full faith, however, that HIS dog would be okay and somehow beat these odds.  We put Gus on a special kidney diet which totally stopped the peeing all the time and he has been kicking ever since.  He shows no signs of slowing down and we haven't had any problems with  him.  Its almost as if the problem just disappeared.  It truly was a miracle for Gusgus.

He is now, a normal, super-hyper beagle pup that keeps Lucy (and me) on her toes for sure!

Our doggies are living the good life, no doubt.  They run around the apartment all day chasing each other then plop down in a comfortable spot on the bed, couch, or cold tile whenever they desire a break.  I walk them for an hour almost everyday and they love every minute of it.  We walk down by the river here in Louisville and they LOVE to take a dip and lap some water at their special spots on the path.  

They are very social pups- they love meeting other dogs and are not shy to play around with new dogs they meet.  Its actually pretty funny how much they take after us- sounds silly but Lucy has characteristics like me and Gus has characteristics like Matt.  Lucy is the first one up in the morning ready to get going with her morning routine, licking our faces and jumping off the bed wanting to go outside.  While Gus will sleep in all morning until you tell him its time to get up and get going... pretty much the way Matt and I work :)  Lucy is also the one who is a little more uptight about things... barking at anything thats moving outside the window and always wanting to be involved with whatever is going on in our home.  Gus is more laid back and kinda just goes with the flow of things. Lucy likes to lead the way on our walks and keeps a fast pace while her brother often lags behind and has to be pulled along to walk faster... again, a lot like the way Matt and I operate.

Lucy will always be the baby, even though she is older than Gus.  She sleeps with us... nestled under the covers at the bottom of the bed while Gus sprawls in his spacious crate during the night.  

Having Lucy and Gus has totally changed my life.  It has really transformed me into a more selfless individual because of the time and love that I chose to give to my animals.  After getting a dog, you realize that you can't sleep in til you want, you can't pick up and travel at a moment's notice, you can't be out til all hours of the night because of the responsibility you have to your dog(s).  Much of your time and energy is devoted to loving your dog- as it should be.  I know Matt feels the same way and it has really strengthened our relationship (even though in moments of stress with Lucy or Gus it felt like it might be the end of us... hahaha).  

It also has helped us see that as much as we are excited about having kids someday, we do not want to have them for a while yet.  Having 2 dogs is just enough for us right now.  We really want to be able to enjoy the first couple years of our marriage together and grow in our love together, travel and try new things together.  We want to share experiences that are special just between the two of us before diving into the adventure and responsibilities of caring for another human being.

For right now, our little family is complete.  And right now, we wouldn't change a thing. 

Sunless tanner & Jobless summer

Ok, so you may or may not know that I am a former tanning bed addict.  Yes, its true.  I have been tanning for a good part of my adolescence and young adult life... BUT, I recently dedicated myself to quitting the habit for good in an effort to save myself from looking like an old football some years down the road...  I am very proud to say that I have not been in a tanning bed since the end of May- and although I will admit, it has been a bit of a challenge, I know that it will be totally worth it.

To assist my cold-turkey quit, I have taken it upon myself to test some sunless self-tanners.  This is helping me ease out of the bad habit and has been quite successful thus far.  I had to blog about it because I am pretty stoked about the products I have tried so far.  I got the recommendation from an aesthetician friend of mine and I am really loving them!  For the face, I picked up a product from Too Faced called 'Tanning Bed in a Tube- FACE' and for the body I am using Shiseido's 'Brilliant Bronze Tinted Self-Tanning Gel.'  They work really well and they don't smell bad at all.  They haven't come off too much on clothing- only when I'm really sweating or rub my skin hard.  I would definitely recommend them to anyone looking for a good tan without the skin damage.  I have included a picture of myself with the self-tanner on... not bad, eh?

On a totally unrelated note, my jobless summer has definitely been a different experience to say the least.  If you're not following my moves too closely, I'll briefly fill you in on the fact that I didn't end up taking the serving job at Lynn's Paradise Cafe because the week I was supposed to start is when Matt got called up to Cincinnati.  So, I was living there with him and then, true to our crazy life, he was optioned back to Louisville at the end of June.  In short, we decided that I would just hang tight without a job for the summer since we weren't sure how long we'd even stay in Louisville...

So, for the first time in about 9 years, I am not working.  And I am serious when I say, "for the first time."  I have been working every season, every year, every day just about since I was 14.  No breaks, no summers off, no school-years off... hence, being jobless is a very foreign thing to me.  And to be quite honest, I can't say that I am totally enjoying it.  I actually LIKE to work.  I like having my own (small) income and I like feeling like I am accomplishing something.  Most of my past jobs have given me a sense of purpose in my days and I've always enjoyed (for the most part) going to work.  It has been a real mental struggle for me to be able to accept the idea of taking a little time off and getting other things done (wedding planning, housework, travel plans) that don't require wearing a uniform or come for an exchange of money...  

Now, I am certainly not complaining because I am in no position to do that, however, I am saying that it isn't just as easy as snapping your fingers to go from a mindset of working all the time with a paycheck to not working at all and having to share one income.  Matt has helped me so much to be at ease with the situation.  I am so blessed to have such a good man by my side.   

Wedding Fever

Saturday July 25, 2009... traveled back to Columbus this past weekend for the marriage of a good friend of Matt and I- Ashley Spitler.  Mo couldn't make it so I took my very best friend instead.  We had so much fun!  We got to see a few people we hadn't seen in a while including once of Matt's groomsmen- Jay Jefferis.  It was really great to spend time with everyone.  It was definitely a nice little prelude to all the fun to be had at our wedding in November...

10 tricks to beat a sugar-hangover

So, after we returned home from the all-star break last week, my body was not happy with me.  After 2 days of careless eating and consuming far too much sugar than my body is accustomed to, I was absolutely feeling the effects of a sugar-hangover.  

You might be wondering what exactly a sugar-hangover is... and I promise you it is totally legit even though you may have never heard of it.  A sugar-hangover is the awful feeling of fatigue, moodiness, low-energy, bloatedness, and sometimes headache that comes after a day or multiple days of eating junk (especially high-sugar foods) when your body is not used to eating junk... a "sugar-binge" if you will.  For me personally, a sugar-hangover is worse than an actual alcohol-hangover.  I always have the same feelings and it takes me a couple days to bounce back depending on how severe the sugar binge was.  

Now, don't get me wrong, I had a phenomenal time on the all-star break.  We really enjoyed ourselves relaxing at the lake house and soaking up the sunshine as well as the peace that comes with having absolutely nothing to do for 2 days... however, I could have eased off the junk food and hence taken less time to recover once we returned to Louisville.  Wednesday (the day we headed home) I felt soooo tired- even though I'd gotten plenty of sleep.  I was in a foul mood and prone to be irritated by the slightest thing.  I knew instantly that I was going to have to work hard to kick my all-star break sugar-hangover- quick!  Because I hate feeling like I'm in a different body.  

So, getting onto the reason I've decided to blog this little episode in the first place... here are my 10 steps to kick a sugar-hangover- they are tried and true- they work- trust me:

1) First thing in the morning and then continuing on into the day after your sugar binge- DRINK WATER.  And I don't mean just 8 8oz. glasses- drink as much water as you can stand.  Usually I will try to drink 200 oz. (yeah! thats a lot!) to flush my body.  H2O really is the secret remedy to most ailments...

2) Do NOT rehash the previous details of your binge.  In other words, whats done is done, so don't fuss about what and how much crap you've eaten.  Erase it from your mind so you can stay positive about the present and what you are going to put into your body now.

3) Try your best to stay away from high-sugar foods for the week after your binge.  Its a daunting task because your body will be used to consuming sugar, but resist the urge of anything ultra-sugary.

4) Up your fiber intake.  Fiber is my go-to not only after a sugar-binge but also in my regular diet.  Have yourself a high fiber breakfast and keep in coming throughout the day... just make sure you're following through with step 1 or you run the risk of getting a little stopped up.

5) Do NOT not eat- that will confuse your body and likely put it into starvation mode causing it to store any fat/sugar that you've consumed.  Eat!  Eating every 2-3 hours will help boost your metabolism so that you are able to burn calories and it will also help curb the foul mood you might be in from all the sugar in the first place.

6) Get active!  Be as active as you physically can.  Your energy will seem low, even if you've gotten enough rest (its a side-effect of too much sugar) but get out and do something.  Go for a walk, get to the gym, take a hike- anything that will have you moving and releasing endorphins.  Park further away at the grocery, take the stairs instead of the elevator...  sitting and sleeping will make the sugar-hangover worse.  

7) Take your multi-vitamin- twice.  Chances are, you didn't get enough of the nutrients your body requires during your sugar-binge.  So, make sure you are diligent about taking a quality multi-vitamin twice-a-day to ensure you're getting the "good stuff."

8) Get some rest.  Make sure you're getting 7-8 hours of sleep at night- period.  And don't oversleep (don't get too much sleep) because sometimes it that can have a reverse effect.

9) Have yourself some caffeine.  1-2 cups of coffee/tea will give you a little jolt of energy and help ease you back into the daily grind.  Be careful not to have too much, however, because you run the risk of crashing hard.

10) Love your body.  Love yourself.  Put the sugar-binge behind you and appreciate the fact that your body CAN bounce back.  The body can do some amazing things... recognize that, and be thankful for your ability to move and grow and recover.  Thinking positively about yourself and your body will encourage you to put only good things into it and make your recovery a whole lot more pleasant.