Day Four of NaBloPoMo

Yesterday after posting, I decided to work out for a little while. Nothing too crazy, just jumping jacks, sit ups, lunges and planks. I ate about three quarters of a pizza to myself just before, as well as over ate at the casino buffet the day prior, and I didn't want my pants getting any tighter. I used to work out everyday, and then I started working at The Beer Store, and I just don't do it anymore. I need to get back into that habit. I think I have enough daily "challenges" going on this month to add working out to the list. I will try to do at least a little something everyday so that I can ease myself back into it come December.

I decided one of the "features" (if you want to call it that) for NaBloPoMo will be 100 things about me. I won't do it all in one day, because that would just be overwhelming, so I am going to split it into 10 things a day for the next 10 days. I might decide to do less things per dar, if I end up with a lot of words. Part of the reason for this is to boost my word count, haha. I'm probably going to fly by the seat of my pants for this, and not over plan. I'm also going to try to choose things that not a lot of people know about me, or things that aren't obvious. It's going to have things I like, things I do, and possibly a few things I dislike. Here goes!

1. I love my little family. Rick and I have been together for a little over three years. We've had our ups and downs (lots of them, to be quite honest) but we always seem to make it through. I've never been in a relationship that's as wonderful as this one. We have a lot of plans and hopes and dreams together. I've never been in a relationship this strong before, so it scared me a little at first, but now, talking about "our future" is a common thing, and not so intimidating.
We've had Winston for almost two and a half years, and I don't think I could ever love another dog as much as I love him. We talk pretty regularly about adding another dog to our family, but I'm not sure if/when that will happen. Winston is a strange little man, and I think that another dog might upset him more than benefit him.

2. I love my job. I work at The Beer Store not far from home, and it's one of the best jobs I've ever had. There are 10 of us that work at my store, and I get along fairly well with everyone, which doesn't always happen in groups of that size. I was working around 40 hours a week, every week, during the summer, and I was incredibly happy. I'm not working as much now, but I still love my job!

3. I like living in the county (most of the time). Rick and I moved here back in March, and I really wasn't a fan of it for a while. I missed being a twenty minute walk from nearly everything I needed. I missed my friends. I missed our apartment, which, despite its flaws, I'd grown to really like. I missed the privacy living on our own gave us. I was still working on the whole "being self employed" thing when we moved here (which was one of the reasons we moved) so I rarely, if ever, left the house. Now that I get out and work and what not, I don't mind it nearly as much. We don't go into Windsor that often, but when we do, we try to do as much as we can.

4. I love reading blogs. I follow several hundred blogs that I read while knitting. I spend large chunks of most days on the computer reading the newest updates from my favourites. This and knitting are my two hobbies that I could never ever give up. In addition to reading blogs, I also love writing my own. I have this blog, as well as three Tumblrs that I update regularly, plus another couple Tumblrs that I only update every now and then.

5. I really like eating food. This sounds gluttonous, but it's true. I love going to restaurants with Rick and trying new things. I also love the food he makes for us. I'm not much of a cook, but he's pretty darn good, and we end up with some pretty delicious stuff. He has also introduced me to a lot of new foods and restaurants, with my favourite being Vietnamese. Together, we also annihilate all you can eat sushi, gobble down delicious authentic Mexican food at the local taqueria, and occasionally treat ourselves to Arby's.

6. I really, really like beer. I started drinking beer only a couple years ago, but I've grown to really appreciate it. Before then, I would never even think of trying it, because the few kinds I had tried were terrible. I have 14 different types of beer in my fridge currently, and that number might go up over the next couple months, considering the holidays are coming. My preferred types are traditional pilsners, and Belgian wheat, with the former being what I usually drink in social settings, and the latter something I often enjoy at home. The entire vegetable crisper is our fridge is completely full of my beer. And yes, it is MY beer; Rick doesn't like beer at all. I do buy variety packs of beer on occasion, so that is part of the reason I have so many. Most of what I get is from smaller breweries.

7. Another hobby of mine, if you want to call it that, is listening to music. When we lived in Windsor, I would head to my favourite bar, Phog, and check out indie bands from across the country on tour several times a month. I've made some great friends through independent bands that came through our city. I've expanded my music library greatly with these bands, and discovered many styles of music that I otherwise would not have really thought about. The last show I went to was an all day festival in the middle of September. I saw a couple bands that I really love, and found some new ones to appreciate, too.

8. I love the changing of the seasons. Going from summer to fall and then fall to winter is something I look forward to every year. I'm not a fan of hot weather, so coming into the cooler days and nights is something I really enjoy. My favourite outfit involves jeans and a sweater of some sort, and wearing that in the summer just isn't that comfortable. Also, when September rolls around, that means craft show season is coming, and I am always excited for that!

9. I am a huge supporter of local businesses. I try to do as much of my shopping at independent stores as I possibly can. It obviously isn't always an option, but I do my best. There are so many hidden gems in every city and neighbourhood, that you can find nearly everything you need and never have to set foot in a chain store. I think part of this is that I am a small (very small) business owner, and I appreciate when people support me. I also want to eventually open my own brick and mortar store and I will need people to support me.

10. I suffer from depression and anxiety. I don't think I've ever said this on a public forum, so I am saying it now. I've been on anti-depressants since May 2011, and anti-anxiety medication since almost exactly a year ago. The latter is what causes me to sleep so much. I mentioned yesterday that most days I am in bed until 10:30, and this is the reason. They have helped me tremendously, despite the side effects, and I am incredibly thankful for that. I should have started on them quite a few years ago, but it took a lot of courage admitting that I was having problems. I definitely don't want to have to be on these forever, but for now, they're doing what they need to be doing. There are only two things I would change: I wish I didn't sleep as much, and I wish they didn't make me hungry CONSTANTLY. Seriously, I can power back a lot of food. I think I've gained 30 lbs in the past year.

Hopefully these ten things have helped you get to know me a little better! If you have anything you want to learn about me, please let me know!

In knitting news, I'm still working away on the two shawls I shared over the last couple days. There hasn't been a whole ton of progress, but they are definitely moving forward. I'm thinking of starting to work on some dish cloths, because my stock for my craft shows is pretty low. I don't have a whole lot of dish cloth cotton left, but there is probably still enough to make at least 20 more cloths. We'll see if I get motivated enough to do those. They're a little monotonous, and the cotton ends up hurting my hands after I knit a couple of them, but they sell! I'm trying to figure out what yarns to use to make some more shawls, also. I love making them, and I think they will sell quite well. I only have a few made so far, but they have been getting a lot of views in my shop, and people seem to like them at my shows, too. I want to try and do different things than everyone else knits. Most knitters are craft shows have scarves and hats. I want to keep doing those, but also have my cowls, neck warmers and shawls be the bulk of what I do.

Today's 365 photo is what I've been eating a lot of today. I figured that I've over eaten the last two days, and my body could use some healthy fruit in it. I love melons and pineapple. The only reason I don't eat them as much as I could or should is because I am lazy and I hate cutting them up, and I am also cheap (or frugal if you really want to be polite) and I can't imagine paying for a pre-made fruit tray. These yummy bite sized pieces were from a wedding Rick's parents went to last night. They also brought home grapes and strawberries, both of which I am really particular about eating. I don't like my fruit really cold, or tart. They have to be near room temperature, and pretty sweet. I find most strawberries too bland for my liking, and I will only eat red grapes. I swear I'm not a picky eater! Just particular about fruit.

Don't forget, if you've been eyeing something in my Etsy shop, now is the time to buy! You can get 25% off your entire purchase with the code Blog25. I'll be keeping this sale up for at least a couple weeks, and let you all know a few days before I am going to end it so you can make any last minute purchases.

This post has 1892 words.

I am at 6578 total words for this month.