Oh, yes. Personal make-overs, projects, and fan art. Now for some quick updates.
(1) The personal makeover is still in effect, though I've gone through several different tattoo designs by now and ended up hating them all. Nothing is really wrong with them, but I can't decide where I would put them. So now the focus is just working out and losing twenty pounds. Seems feasible. Unfortunately we weren't able to move to the better apartment with gym facilities, so getting to the gym on base requires setting aside at least a three-hour chunk of time, which the little poodle doesn't appreciate. It basically burns all the crate time for the day, making errand-running hard to schedule. After about a month of putting in these gym trips, I lost five pounds, but gained four back over the Easter weekend. This resulted in a personal ban on milk chocolate. Currently down two pounds of the four, for a total of three pounds lost.
(2) Projects! There are too many of them. I find myself trying to prepare jewelry and stockings for both private commissions and craft shows, as well as using up lots of hoarded papercrafting supplies for personal projects and special requests. At some point, I also decided to experiment with a hideous old piece of furniture my family knows as "the Elliot table." Rather than chucking it in the dumpster, I decided to sand it down and see if I liked it any better naked. I had no idea how long it would take to sand down a little side table and how many freaking sanding blocks I would burn through. Fortunately I found said sanding blocks for $0.49/each at the salvage store. Now I'm that crazy person who spends hours on the patio making horrible scraping sounds.
(3) Took a time-out day yesterday to unwind and write fanfiction. I have several stories running, two in various stages of publication, but I actually managed to churn out a whole page of new text for the one my husband is collaborating on. First chapters are always hardest for me. I'd rather get on to the good stuff.
(4) Health updates. After lots of drama and phone tag and scheduling snafus, I managed to get in for a hysterosonogram ordered by my OBGYN. They didn't find anything incredibly interesting, but saw enough to determine that I do not in fact have a true bicornuate uterus, but only a partial septate uterus. The plan now is to burn (or scrape?) the septum out in the hopes that it plus a progesterone treatment will increase the odds of a successful pregnancy. I don't really have a lot of hope for it, but I'm willing to give it a try. Frankly, they could destroy my uterus, and I would probably thank them. The only thing that gives me the jeebies is their plan to put a camera through my bellybutton. Yikes.
(5) Doggie updates. Andy continues to be nervous and anti-social around other dogs, but we keep taking her to Puppy Playtime at PetCo twice a week, hoping for a different result. If the trainers just let me into the enclosure with her, we seem to see some results. Despite being only nine pounds, she has no time for little dogs, but has perked up for a Great Dane and a Rottweiler named Valkyrie.
(6) Debt report. Ever since we committed to a puppy (who is now one year old and a Big Doggie at heart), overpaying the debt has been almost impossible. The financial drain was quick and incredible. However, after six months of minimum payments, I think we've made at least the beginning of a healthy recovery, especially since the little princess doesn't have vet appointments every two weeks. We may even start overpaying again, except that now the older car is having a diva day for it's 60,000 mile check-up, and we expect at least a $1,300 bill. Maybe next month. Here's where we stand now.
This represents 61% paid, which is based on the number we started with when I started making all these silly pie charts. However, if I use the original total of this loan, not taking into account the paid-off car loan, it looks more like this.
81% paid. Booyah.
(7) Work report. Dave re-enlisted and, as of this morning, passed his weigh-in! Yay! Next time around it won't be quite so stressful, because one of his previous failures (one of which was not official and should not have even counted against him) will no longer be relevant, and his entire career won't be on the line. However, since this is the year of personal make-overs, next year won't be a problem at all.
(8) Also, I have a bra that fits!!! It has been a personal revelation. I've never paid $75 for a bra before, but Nordstrom is the only place I can find the appropriate range of sizes for purposes of trying on. I had been attempting to fit into a standard 36 or 38 C, D, or DD for YEARS. It was a daily battle of strap-slippage, cup-spilliage, and awkward manual adjustments, finally resulting in a personal routine of wearing a sports bra over the underwire one just to provide some staying power. I now have a 34F (in British sizing) and it is FABULOUS! Now I want to evangelize everyone.
