The Fight that just won't end

Ulgh.  So frustrated.  It looks like my battle to end my cell phone in France is going to keep waging on for the foreseeable future.  I have confirmation that they received my letter with all my new proof (enrollment letters, employment letter, proof of housing with my mother, a copy of my birth certificate showing she's my mother, proof that we live where we do via water/electric bills)... and yet, I opened up my French account to see that on August 8th, they took out 200€ from my bank account... So, now it's going to become a fight to get my money (288 USD) back.  Joy.  I really just want to put the last school year behind me and move on... and I can't.

I'm so exhausted from this whole ordeal that part of me wants to throw my hands up in the air and give up since I'm not confident that I'll ever be able to win... and then I remember that $288 is almost Jon's and my food budget for a month and I won't get my first stipend check until the end of October.  ::steps back into the ring::

Wish me luck?

On a more positive note, Jon did surprise me with a certificate for a massage up in Columbus for anytime between now and Feb 12, 2012.  What an unexpected and thoughtful surprise.

30 DC: Day 13 (A love affair) AND my 200th post!

Sorry for the delay!!!  Today's 30 day challenge post ties in with a post I was already going to write.  I also purposely decided to wait to post it since this post ALSO marks my 200th post on the blog.  Woo!  It's interesting to think about all the changes that have happened over 200 blog posts!  Anyway, today's topic is "A place you would like to move or visit."  Today I'll tell you a bit more about my love affair... with Provence.

If you read my blog regularly (or have talked to me ever), you'll know that I spent this year (and my previous study abroad experience) in Avignon, France, in the western part of what is known as Provence, or, more specifically the 'région Provence Alpes Côte d'Azur' (PACA) because it includes Provence in the west, the French Riviera (Côte d'Azur) in the east, and the beginning of the Alpes in the north.

If you're one of the people I'm friends with on Facebook or even Twitter, you'll also note that I move home from France soon. As in, I fly out Tuesday night at 10pm EST from Marseille (6am CET).  So, not only is this post a nice chance to mark the journey I've had this year and since I started the blog, but it's kind of an interesting precipice to be on as I'm closing this chapter.  I know the next 200 posts will be full of surprises too.

Anyway, on to the challenge.  I'm leaving Provence this week, but after spending so much time here it will always have a piece of my heart.  If I could bring Jon with me (and buy a car once I got here), I really could see myself being happy living here.  This region's got it all: mountains, fields, beaches, rivers, cities... You name it.  Oh and yummy food.  I'm going to talk more about this year in a few upcoming posts (and how I wrapped it up/crammed my life into three suitcases and a purse), but for now I just wanted to leave you with some of the photos I've taken this year that start to give a sense of how beautiful and varied this region is.  I am really thankful I was lucky enough to be able to spend nine months here and, in response to the challenge, I could definitely see myself moving here one day.  Retirement in the South of France, eh? eh?

Je t'aime, Provence.

A Road Block (and Getting Ready to Leave)

Just a quick post.  I'm sorry I'm failing at the challenge posts... I feel like I've been failing at everything that even remotely involves being healthy, dieting, losing weight, twitter, #7daychip, or this blog lately and I am really sorry and feel pretty bad about it.  I feel like every time I go to start something or set a goal with the first hiccup it all falls to pieces and I'm back to where I've started.  Like the first mistake or misstep turns into a road block that keeps me from getting back on track and doing what I said I would do.  I never used to feel like this, why now?

That said, I hope to get back on the horse starting tomorrow.  Not going to write any goals right now because I don't want to let myself down again, I just really want to survive the next (get ready for it) 6 days before I fly home to America!!!  I've been busily packing and getting my affairs in order... and letting my eating and exercise slag in a big way.  It's really caught up with me all of a sudden today and I've been really bummed out and feeling huge and disgusting all day.  After I post this, I'm off to bed so I can MAKE MYSELF get up and RUN tomorrow before work.  I'm going to do it.  I am. I am. I am.

This week I've also really started thinking about going back to WeightWatchers when I get home, more specifically for the summer.  I checked my loan repayment plan (I'm trying to REALLY accelerate it to be out of debt ASAP) and paying for 4 months of the monthly pass change the end date of my new plan at all.  So, I'm currently thinking I'll sign up with a goal of doing it for the summer.  If at the end of summer, I'm not taking advantage of it and I'm not at least 10lbs down... then I'll stop my subscription when we move and go back to using CalorieCount for free... What do you guys think?  I think that with this plateau and the way I've been feeling, I really need my meetings (and my AWESOME leader at home) back.  Something needs to change and I need to kick myself in gear since Jon and our friends have a packed schedule of fun races and other event we want to do.

Anyway, sorry for the rambling post, just wanted to put out how I'm feeling to the blogosphere and remind you all that I'm still here.  I'm working on a few posts right now: moving out (with photos), a new challenge post, a plan for the summer, etc.  Stay tuned!

Update: For the first time in I think all of 2011 so far, I actually DID get up at 6am and go for a run after this post.  I hope that this is the start of me being back on track, one mile at a time.  Stay tuned for the next post, I just saw it's going to be my 200TH!!!

It's the Final Countdown

Oh yes, yes, it is. Just wanted to write a quick post to announce that today marks one month until I leave to go home to America! I have lots to do with the 31 remaining days. Here are a few things to look forward to:

• My BIRTHDAY on Sunday
• 4 days in Barcelona with Rosie
• Getting off work for the Ascension and Pentecost (Secular France, what?)
• Sending in our apartment application for Columbus
• Increasing my mileage with some nice evening runs
• Enjoying the Provençal sun at beaches, parks, or even my patio :)

Just got to keep myself busy, focus on these last three weeks here with "my" kids, and make the most of this time... all while looking forward to getting home to AMERICA (aka Jon, family, friends, etc.).

Let's see what this month has in store! Ready, go!

Spring Cleaning and 'Far from Sports Illustrated'

This has been a gray week of rain in Avignon. It's one of the few weeks where at the beginning of the week, the weather here was so much worse than the weather at home (Athens, OH).

As a result, there have been mostly indoor activities on the schedule. Today: Spring Cleaning! I have so much winter clothing that's clogging up my closet here and I need to figure out how much space I'm going to my springtime visitors to leave in their suitcases so that I can send stuff home with them. I look around my apartment here and it's very easy to get overwhelmed about how much stuff I have to haul back to America in July. Plus, there's still one more round of 'les soldes' (national sales) to shop through before I leave! ;)

Here's a view of my closet/bookcase pre-cleaning. Ick!

While cleaning, I stumbled across an old frenemy... the bikini. I only have a bikini here with me in France. Originally I had it in the winter so I could wear it to the hammam (Turkish bath), but now that swimsuit season is coming, it's getting ready for more public action. Of course, I had to slip it on and, for the first time ever, I'm going to post a swimsuit picture of myself on the blog. ::wince::

So this is it. The bottoms have always been a bit small on this swimsuit. I bought it at Old Navy when I was out running to Home Depot for something for Jon this summer in Auburn, so I was in a hurry! I'm hoping by the time I go to the beach, there won't be quite as much of a bulge on the sides... Not a fan. That said, I'm kind of nervous about posting them on the blog, but I hope it'll just help me to be accountable to all of you in the coming months.

This face says it all.

My reaction to these photos? I've reached a point where I don't HATE to see myself in a swimsuit like this, but it's definitely not the toned, svelte person I want to be. I know there are abs under there (they're sore, so I know they're there!) and I just need to burn off the smushy layer surrounding them.

It's been a week and a half of tracking and I really think this is the start of a new journey. I have another blog post with my first weigh-in and some goals, so stay tuned.

Oh, and here's my newly organized closet for Spring! I forgot to pack away my winter running clothes and realized it after I'd stuffed the suitcase back up top (the carry on inside of the big one) and I'm too lazy to take it down again right now. Oh well! It's an improvement anyways!

A Beach in February

Sorry the blog updates have been so sporadic. I am alive and kicking over here, though I feel guilty about my inability to really bring myself to dedicatedly track and keep a workout schedule. If I'm quite honest, I'm feeling incredibly apathetic right now and it's hard to bring myself to do much of anything at all, which is doubly bad considering I'm currently living in one of the prettiest regions of France (evidence to follow). I've been sick for the past two weeks with a cold that won't go away and two very big parts of my personal life are doing somersaults and acrobatics they're that high up in the air, and, as a result, I'm just feeling very... apathetic about things. I feel stuck in a corner and I can't really do anything to get out, and, as someone who's usually so proactive and always has a plan, this waiting game is really playing with me mentally.

Furthermore, the half marathon has been canned as my running buddy doesn't feel up to the distance, but, if I'm completely honest with myself and you all, I hadn't been giving my training the 100% that I should be giving it, so it's my fault as well. Still, I'm disappointed in the situation and I'm disappointed most of all with myself for my half-hearted efforts at everything right now. That said, I am going to go out for at least a three-mile run this afternoon (since it'd be criminal not to with the sun shining, no wind, and a 60º day) and at least have accomplished that much. I think we're making crêpes tonight as a rain-checked celebration of the French holiday Chandeleur that happened on Feb 5th, so it'll be a caloric wash. That said, it's essentially France's Groundhog Day and there's a saying that goes: "À la Chandeleur, l'hiver cesse ou reprend vigueur" meaning, that depending on that day's weather winter either ceases or is reinvigorated. I'm pretty optimistic since we missed the holiday because we were on the beach nearby (again, see below). Bye, bye, Winter?

Anyway, now that I've whined to you all, here are some photos to prove why I feel bad about doing so and for wanting to stay in bed all day and watch crap TV. This is what you find if you leave Avignon and take an hour train ride (25€ round trip) to the French seaside town of Cassis. We went this past Saturday to celebrate a friend's birthday.

Pear, Black Currant, and Apricot

Moules-Frites for lunch

I can't believe we're eating outside like this in FEBRUARY! This Ohioan isn't used to this!

The beach. It's like a postcard.

We hiked over to the Calanques, one of the reasons this town well-known in France

Edit: Didn't run... I am, apparently, in fact, a criminal. Instead I stayed in bed, and am now doing a load of laundry before going on a walk with Amy.

All the Pretty Horses!

Saturday was again a mild (if not a bit overcast) day. My friend Rosie has only recently purchased herself a bike (or "vélo" in French) and is very keen on biking excursions. That said, Kyle new a good spot for a little picnic and we set out this afternoon for a bit of easy activity. Avignon is almost entirely flat, so biking or running isn't usually difficult elevation wise. I did finally find a good hill for training, but it's taken me a while.

Anyway, we set out with our little dessert picnic and headed for a "surprise" since Kyle was leading the way. In the end, this led us to the Tour d'Espagne (The Tower of Spain), which happens to be fenced in on someone else's property. In order to view this tower and enjoy our picnic, we set up camp in a farmer's yard... He drove by twice and seemed to be amused more than anything.




Having smelled our food, we even got visited by a herd of white horses. The Camargue, which is near Avignon, is known for their white horses.



In the end, I think the horses were by far the highlight of this trip. Sorry, tower.

First Real Run of the New Year

Now that it's the New Year, Helen and I have decided that we have to get down to business. She apparently got a lot of mocking back in the UK from her dad and boyfriend (who are both runners) and who don't believe she'll actually do it, so she's returned to Avignon full of determination and pep. I haven't heard anyone tell me they don't think I can do it, but I do want to prove this to myself and make this half marathon part of the proof that I'm spending the rest of these 6 months focusing on me and making me happy. Who knows what these next 6 months will bring based on recent conversations, but, if nothing else, I can at least make sure that I've lived this remaining time in France to the fullest, enjoyed my friends, and kept myself healthy and positive.

Since I've been back in my apartment (which feels really great, by the way), I've been tracking and eating really healthy. I actually had my first run-in with cooking bulgur wheat and, I must say, I'm a big fan. Kyle and I also attempted to make a dessert by warming up bananas with cinnamon and I must have done something different from what my friend Amber does because they were not good.

My friend Kyle playing cheap sommelier in the Casino supermarket under my apartment


I also invested in a coffee pot to brew the yummy American coffee I brought back with me and have been able to enjoy some yummy American-ized breakfast this week, since I also brought back packets of Quaker Oat's Raisin, Walnut, and Date oatmeal. YUM and with added walnuts and cranberries only ends up at 6pts! WOO!




So, as you can see, it's been a good food week. I made extra of that bulgur wheat dish and grilled all of the 8 chicken breasts, so I've been able to reheat meals all week making for a healthy time! :)

Now, onto the aforementioned run. Since I've been back, it's been "balmy" (i.e. around 50ºF with no real wind to speak of) and I've been loving it. It was kind of chilly walking to meet Helen in my sleeveless running top, but it made for a really nice temperature for the run. The first mile was at a great pace: 11:45, but it proved to be unsustainable as you can see for our remaining miles (that are a bit skewed, I suppose since we took a walk break at 1.5 miles for .1 miles and stopped for water 3 or so times). I forgot to wear my HRM, but, from the way I was feeling, I know that my HR was at least consistently into the 180s (which is where I get really really uncomfortable) if not higher.



It was a really tough run (which is embarrassing to say) and, though my legs aren't sore at all today, my back and abs really are... Have any of you ever had that happen? Anyway, I'm glad we got out there--we're still working on our plan and are going on a 4-miler tomorrow before starting "real" training next week. Here goes!

Oh and to end on an adorable note, here's a cute photo of one of the girls I babysit (Thymiane or "Tim") and me sharing some jasmine tea on Wednesday. She's the oldest and is starting to enjoy doing grown-up girly things. I love them!