Smoothies

Today, I'm heading to Norman to celebrate my middle-little brother's 21st birthday!

Middle-little brother; aka, he's 3rd in the O'Donnell child order.

Second to come to down the stairs Christmas morning, since we descend in reverse age order.

Um, anyway!

I'm really looking forward to it. We're going to The Mont, a popular college hang-out in Norman.

My outfit will say, "I'm not trying to look like a college girl. But I'm still hot. You would never know I'm 28! Maybe just a grad student or an OU Law student!"

My alcohol tolerance will say, "I'm 28. One swirl for me and it's bed time!"

Oh well. I'm just glad I'm actually going to make it! This week I was slammed with allergies that morphed into a sore throat and grating couch.

The worst thing about being sick is when you convince yourself that there is something wrong with you. Since I've already had a cold and the flu this year, I think to myself, "Why are you so sick this year? Why is your immune system so low?"

*Side Note: Reading this blog post, I see that I do a lot of talking to myself. Sorry.

So, what I've decided is that my immune system is low this year- and it's due to long and stressful hours at work and an exercise regime that keeps me going non-stop with little rest.

I am trying to balance out my work life- but my job will always have a little stress. (Who's job doesn't?) And I love exercising; it not only serves as my triathlon training, but it's a stress reliever.

So how do I pump up my immune system in spite of it all?

I've decided I need to start taking a daily vitamin. And I've also decided I'm going to add more nutrients into my daily eating routine.

My current routine is this:

*Applesauce for breakfast

*Healthy Choice for lunch

*Afternoon snack (almonds; sometimes M&M's. I know.)

*Dinner (ground turkey, chicken, tuna, pasta, etc.)

I try to avoid sodas, but I do drink a daily cup of coffee. So I'm thinking I would like to incorporate a healthy smoothie into the mix. Something I can make the night before and grab on the go in the morning.

This week, I'm trying these two recipes via Joy The Baker.

Strawberry Cucumber Smoothie

Kale, Spinach & Pear Smoothie

What are some other good smoothie recipes out there? Anyone take a multi-vitamin that they love?

Here's to a healthy Spring & Summer!

Professionally Personal

Well, we made it to Thursday! As predicted, my insanely busy, long week has been just that- and to boot, I acquired a sore throat somewhere between 12am and 5am Tuesday morning, so that has been a joy as well.

But! It's Thursday; and this weekend, I get to celebrate my brother's 21st birthday in Norman!

As I put in longer and longer hours at work, I've been doing some contemplating about my blog. For a long time- really, until now- I have looked at my blog as a place to share "personal" things. Emotions (duh), travel stories, soirees and showers, pictures of my cat. You know, the usual.

But I've realized in an effort to keep my blog so "personal," I have left out a huge element of my life: my professional life.

We always shy away from oversharing in this department. Fears of your boss reading your Facebook and Twitter account keep things... PG, so to speak.

But that's only if you use social media to complain about your life. (It's OK, we all do it occasionally.)

As time wears on, my personal life and professional life are quickly blending into one. Especially this year; my professional life is more time-consuming than ever. Some may say that's not healthy; but I disagree.

I have a job that I happen to be very passionate about. I work with people that I also happen to be very close to. (Our impending camping trip may prove otherwise!) My professional life is very personal to me. (My personal life is anything but professional- ha!)

Sometimes there's nothing to say in the "personal" category- and so, there's no blog post. Usually that's because I've been working non-stop and there's nothing "personal," per se, to share. No time for fun trips, exciting stories or party-planning tips.

But there's plenty to share professionally! And no, I'm not talking complaints. I'm talking lessons learned, experiences had, and those times you feel like you really are being filmed in some weird, secret reality TV show that people in Japan are tuning in to watch week after week.

So in an effort to blog more- and to be more open about my life, which at this stage consists of a lot of work- I'm going to blog more about my work experiences.

My final reason in doing this is because like anything in life, pursuing a career is an ever-changing process of constant growth- and I want to look back in a year or two and see what my struggles and triumphs were. I have big plans for my professional life- including creating my own company- and what better platform to document that tedious process, step by step?

My life as a media producer includes lots of coffee, little sleep, passionate & fiery emotions and rewarding relationships. From my overnight editor to my days as a producer at KTUL to my current team at Auction Network- I am forging relationships for life, and learning a lot along the way.

Maybe it will interest you, and maybe it won't! If "mommy blogs" have a place in this world (which I love, for the record) then "single-girls-conquering-career blogs" have a place, too.

But don't worry; the cat pictures and occasional "emo" posts will continue.

Professionally personal; it's catchy, right?

Fun Times Ahead

Long week on tap!

We start our monthly "Live from the Lawn" broadcast tomorrow- producing auctions 12 hours a day.

Well, that's a bit dramatic. I won't be producing 12 hours. Just 8 or 10!

Then, Saturday night in Norman to celebrate my brother's 21st.

We're staying at our favorite hotel, where tiny beds and glorious breakfasts reign!

In two weeks I'll be camping with friends! Real tent camping! A bucket list item!

And in no time, I'll be here:

My other other home sweet home. Water, trees, sky & boat. What more do you need?

Fun times ahead!

Have a great week!



On Guard

Lazy Saturdays are amazing. Lazy Saturdays spent waiting for impending doom? A teeny bit unnerving... but still amazing.

We are expected to have a "catastrophic weather event" tonight, ripe with tornadic activity. In Oklahoma, these warnings should be taken seriously.

In Oklahoma, these warning should be taken with a grain of salt; in fact, the only way to handle Oklahoma weather in my opinion is with a lot of salt- along the edge of a cold margarita! The show is usually spectacular and full of drama; most of the time all you can do is sit back and hold on for the ride.

I spent most of my morning laying on the couch with my cat snuggled up next to me. Catching up with the DVR, indulging in not one but two cups of coffee. Bliss!

But now as the day wears on, and the storm warnings continue, and the final shreds of sunlight start to disappear, it's time to get into storm prep mode.

For me, that means lining up my "go-to" items next to my most interior guest room closet: tennis shoes, water, flashlight, Maizy's carrier. We're "storm ready," or as much as you can be.

It's good to be prepared. Guard your safety, guard your career, guard your heart. A storm is always somewhere out west; whether it will impact you or miss you entirely? That's the big question.

My house has withstood Oklahoma weather since 1946. It's battled a storm or two and today stands strong to tell the tale. Isn't that the best part of a storm? Standing strong at the end, no matter the battering and beating that may occur.

Better get back to storm prep mode! Or maybe I'll just shake up that margarita now...

Square One

In a couple of months- wow, wait! 5 weeks? 6 weeks?- I'll compete in an outdoor Sprint Triathlon. I did this same course last fall- and now I'm tackling it again full force, training way in advance. I will not be last in my age group! If I say that enough times it will be true.... right?

When I was sick back to back in March with a cold and then the flu, I lost a lot of my stamina. Crazy how just a few weeks can completely alter you physically! When I finally got back into my routine, I realized it wasn't a matter of just picking back up where I left off; it was starting over.

Maybe not completely; my legs still remembered how to run, my arms how to slice through water, my feet how to pedal. But my lung capacity changed. Weeks of a runny nose, constant cough and aches had taken it's toll. Running one mile become a major feat. Swimming 50 meters without sputtering to the surface, an accomplishment.

For me, a Type A, competitive, obsessive sort of gal, this was torture. I had worked so hard to reach a goal, and then just like that, I was back at square one.

I'm sure you all can draw the big parallel here: set-backs are a part of life. We're steadily climbing towards the top, towards a goal- in a relationship, at work, financially, spiritually. Then the rocks start to tumble downhill, sweeping you up with them. And you're back at base camp, starting over.

Last week, I went for a swim. I swam 500 meters straight through. I'm learning a new breathing technique, using my arms in different ways. My lungs are expanding again.

On Sunday, I went for a run. 2.5 miles, in the warm & muggy heat. I needed water a few times, but my legs are strong again.

I'm at a new place in my training. A different place than I was pre-cold/flu. Isn't that the point?

Set-backs are part of life. They allow us to change and grow. And if you have to start over at square one to become stronger and better than you were before- it's OK! Take a deep breath and wade in the shallow waters for a while. Soon enough, you'll be back in the deep end.