Feeling the Burn (In a bad way)

Right at the end of last semester I had a week where my entire chest hurt like mad.

It was achey and sore, but internally, not muscularly.

It was insane, and terrible.

and my mother and I finally (self)diagnosed it as 

HEARTBURN

Terrible. So painful.

But i bought some TUMS, popped them like candy for a few days,

and then I was fine. 

I figured "Eh, Stress related"

Because once finals and graduation were over, it didnt come back even once during the holidays.

Well, the bitch is back and with a vengeance this time.

All week I've been having sharp, piercing heartburn right behind my sternum.

Often compounded by the fact that I'm wearing a corset for 3 hours a day in rehearsal.

Its a more concentrated heartburn this time around,

and I'm waking up with Acid Reflux symptoms...

ughh. Terrible.

Anyways. I've decided to take some steps to help it, because carrying a huge thing of Tums in my purse is obnoxious.

I researched some "Heartburn Triggers" as far as food,

Web MD's top ten list is as follows, and I've highlighted the ones that I consume the most of:

1. Citrus
2. Tomatoes
3. Garlic & Onions
4. Spicy Foods
5. Peppermint
6. Fatty foods like Cheese, Nuts & Steak
7. Alcohol
8. Coffee & Caffiene
9. Chocolate
10. Carbonation

ALL BUT TWO THINGS on the list are in my diet fairly regulaly.

annoying.

Health.com also cites Stress, ibuprofin usage, being overweight, and late night snacking as triggers.

This last week was insanely stressful

I've been popping Ibuprofin alot for my bruised tailbone

I'm not overweight, but I'm not at a healthy weight.

and I am the QUEEN of late night snackage.

So basically it should come as NO surprise that I am dealing with this issue.

First Step: 

Stop Eating after 9pm. I'm going to do everything possible to avoid eating that late from now on.

Second Step: 

Control how much of the "trigger foods" i'm consuming. This will be tricky because I LOVE

Tomatoes

 and Coffee

and Garlic 

and Onions 

and Chocolate

and alcohol 

and CHEESE (and bacon and nuts...)

but if it means no more piercing, burning pain... worth it. 

Third Step:
Be more active and work on dropping some LBs. 

Its one of my goals to lose 25 by the summer, so It's time to get to work.

Fourth Step:

BREATHE deeply and try to remember 

that unless it is a life-threatening situation, it isn't worth stressing about.

I'm also getting back on an OTC acid reflux pill that I started taking a while back.

...And carrying Tums with me EVERYWHERE

just in case.

2013: New Beginnings

Tomorrow is the last day of the year and I have some ... resolutions/goals.

• Focus on me. On being the best me. Eating well, Being active. Going to the gym, taking buster on walks. Eating fresh food, cooking my own food.
  GOAL: 25lbs gone by the summer.
• Budgeting. I need to make $100 a week at Olive Garden through January in order to pay rent and stuffs. Then once the next show at SLAC opens I'll be in rehearsal for Salesman, so My hours there will be limited, but if I can get trained to work box office I might be able to pick up a few more shifts. If i only spend $30 a week on food, $35 a week on gas, and $300 for rent/utilities a month that's less than $600/month. Everything else needs to go into savings so I can move by september.
  GOAL: $3,000 in my savings 
• Organization. I'm a disaster on this front. I need to get my life together before I move myself across the country. Sorting through clothes, papers, books, everything.
  GOAL: Get everything sorted and prioritized so that when I move I'm not a mess.
• Literacy. I think college made me forget how to enjoy reading. Seriously. So I'm going to read as much as possible, and cut back on my TV/Internet usuage if at all possible.
  GOAL: Read/Re-Read every play and book I own.

2013 is going to be about making as many steps forward as possible. I'm auditioning for everything, reading more, planning for my future. I want to find a place in Orlando, either with someone or on my own, and move out to FL and feel like a grownup.

also. I'm officially refusing to wash two sinks full of dishes EVER again. unless they are legitimately all mine. I am resolving to only wash the dishes I personally make dirty.

I'm so excited for this year I can't even begin to tell you. Nothing's going to be the same. :)

Merry Crazy Holidays

The last week of my life has been ridic:

• Thursday: Work a crazy lunch shift at OG, then the SLAC Christmas Party. So grateful for my job there.
• Friday: SHOP SHOP SHOP. Got all but one present purchased, helped PJ get his shopping done, work selling Concessions at SLAC
• Saturday: 3-show-day at SLAC. One can only take so many children and parents before wanting to pull one's hair out. In and out of City Creek in 20 mins to buy last present. 5Carols/Jingle Jacks with Mom, Lissa, and Alyn.
• Sunday: 2-Show-Day at SLAC. Hunted for a large box for wrapping. Polar Express and It's A Wonderful Life with the Fam. Wrapping presents. Phone call from Ogden PD- Our house had been broken into (more on this later). Return home to pass out around 2am after filing police report and re-securing the house.
• Monday: Cleaning, Packing, Wrapping. Worked OG Dinner shift, made less than I should've on a holiday dinner shift. Drove through the snow to SLC to cuddle up at the Radisson with Daddy & The Siblings.
• Tuesday: CHRISTMAS/BIRTHDAY. Pressies, Little America Brunch (delish), More pressies, Pitch Perfect, Les Mis (loved it), Cake, Family, Exhausted.
• Wednesday: Work a brief lunch shift. Shop for new phone case, and new nose jewelry. Meet handiman to examine shredded door frame. Bake brownies for neighbors who reported our burglary. Drive through the all day snow back to moms. Dinner. Lounging. Pushing Daisies with my dear friend Chris before getting my car stuck in the snow trying to leave Oggy.
• Today: I had planned on a leisurely afternoon before going to work tonight. But, I had to drive up to Ogden to meet the cracker-jack carpenters who seem to be just making up how to fix our door and taking forever about it. Our driveway was covered in a good 1.5ft of snow, started shovelling, gave up.

I hate snow. Always have. I'm begging those of you who prayed for snow to come shovel the driveway since you love it so damn much. 

The house did get broken into. Someone took it upon themselves to kick in our back door, shredding the frame and rendering it useless. They made off with Luke's TV, a purse of mine (luckily empty of anything valuable), and I think they might've taken my iPod (I could have very easily just misplaced it). It could've been much worse, they left Luke's computer and my jewelry which was out and easily accessible. Mostly they took our feeling of security away, and thats the worst part. It took the landlord a few days to get someone out here, because of the holiday. I'm a little concerned at the quality of work being done to fix this door, it feels a little... cheap. But we'll see how it looks when they're done. 

I'm gearing up for my whirlwind January and February. Between working lunch shifts every day and rehearsing Charm for a re-mount, and then beginning rehearsals for Death of a Salesman, traveling to LA with Charm, working two jobs, and opening Salesman at the beginning of March, it's going to be a crazy two/three months. But I'm excited. I've decided to focus on myself as much as possible for the next few months. I'm building my New Years resolutions list up, I'll probably post it within the next day or two. They're all goal-oriented things with deadlines, for the most part, which I think will help make them do-able. 

I'm overwhelmed with this sense that things can only get better. My life is pretty awesome already, but it feels like things are just starting. And I'm super excited. I just need a moment or two to breathe before it all happens... 

Where did December go?

I was once in a production of

She Loves Me!

at the end of the play it is Christmas time

and the characters who are shopping sing a song about how many days left 'til Christmas.

Right now i'm feeling like this verse (but with the word 'day' swapped for 'week'):

One day to Christmas
One day to Christmas
Not enough time to do our Christmas shopping.
We're not the shopple who peeped in time...
We're not the sheeple who popped in time...
We're not the people who shopped in time
Shopped in time,
Not enough time.
We are the people who always wait until it's much too late, OH!

One day to Christmas
One day to Christmas
How will we ever do our Christmas shopping?
Why did we ever delay so long, who can recall?
Some of the family may not get a Christmas gift at all.

...

...

but really though.

I have not bought a single gift for anyone

nor can i think of what to get them.

I have a handful of friends whom I wish to gift things to,

and then there are the people i'm related to whom i need to shop for...

and i'm working every day between now and then.

soooo

yeah.

Mostly I'm looking forward to Christmas Eve:

Looking at Temple Square Lights with Dad and the Kids

Eating out somewhere yummy.

And crashing in a lovely room at the SLC Radisson.

and then it's my BIRTHDAY

oh yeah. and Christmas. :P

All you need is....

"What the world needs now is LOVE, Sweet Love.
That's the only thing that there's just too little of."

I've spent my last two days working at SLAC crewing their children's show.

The lobby has been filled with children of all ages and their joy and excitement and little voices.

and it's incredibly refreshing and hope-filled and beautiful.

especially in light of the the recent tragedy in Newtown, CT.

Today on the interwebs I'm seeing posts of frustration and confusion and defiance and conflict.

and it makes me sad

this is the season of LOVE. 

Whether or not you believe in Christ, or Buddha, or whomever

the basis of most universal religions is

LOVE

so no matter your political/religious/personal/moral stance on whatever subject is plaguing you,

take a step back and breathe in a moment of Love for everyone around you.

Love your enemies.

Love your friends.

Love your family.

Love the guy in the car next to you.

just..

.LOVE.