I'm feeling much better so far this week. My back isn't wigging out like it was, and my body seems to have gotten over whatever its problems were. I'm trying to make sure that I drink enough water, too, which I'm usually pretty good at, but seem to have forgotten lately.

I was so tired last night that I cancelled my plans with Anne and ran one quick errand and then headed home for the night. Had some roasted chicken and salad for dinner last night, and have been MUCH better about eating more appropriately sized meals. And I bought some healthier snacks for work - still a bit sugary, but less pure sugar and more protein and fruit sugar based. Almonds and fruit-sweetened wheat-free cookies and O-friendly granola bars. I should also bring in a stash of fruit-juice and Gerolsteiner so that I don't feel inclined to grab a Coke!

So Gordon and I had dinner last night, watched a little TV, and I went upstairs about 8pm and took a shower and relaxed. Did a little straightening up and organizing in my closet, and was in bed by 10pm, and turned out the lights about 10:30. Remarkable how awake I felt when I woke up this morning! I was out COLD, too, and never heard Gordon come to bed. I'm going to go to bed early every night that I don't have class whenever possible. It makes such a difference!

I did finally meet our company Saturday morning. The couple is terrific, and Gordon's friend has a very odd and dry sense of humor. We had a great time and went out to breakfast with them both Saturday and Sunday morning. Their baby is six months old, and I never heard him cry except for a few minutes Saturday afternoon, and both of us had a ball playing with him and entertaining him.

After breakfast on Saturday we headed to The Container Store in Pasadena to buy some shelving for our bedroom - I have TONS of books (20+ boxes) and had no place to put 18 boxes worth. This won't completely solve the problem, but at least it will empty out the garage. The rest of the books I can stash in the closet somewhere. After that, we went to the theatre in Orange County where Gordon was working on a show. He worked, and I enjoyed the performance.

On Sunday my future mother-in-law and I went to a Bridal Expo over at the Hilton in Universal City. Neither of us was very impressed with most of the expo, but we did meet one wedding planner who seemed very good, and we both liked her. I haven't given much thought to having a wedding planner, but my future MIL and I are considering it now. We also got a large stack of information about everything wedding related. We sat in the bar at the hotel and had a little something to drink and then headed over to Ann Taylor Loft, where I bought some clothes for work.

I'm so blessed to have met Gordon and that his family is as delightful as they are - his mother and sisters are all terrific, and they have embraced me with open arms. Gordon jokes that they are just thrilled that he's FINALLY getting married, but he also says that they really do like me, which always helps!

After I dropped off Gordon's mom, I went home and put together the shelving for the bedroom. Gordon got home and helped me finish it, and it looks great. I still don't have any books on it, but it looks great!

Tonight I hope to put books on the shelving, prepare some lunches and dinners for myself for the rest of the week, and get to bed early again!

I started a new job last week, and have had something going on every night and day since then. Whew! And it will be at least two more weeks before I have a bit of a break. I'm taking a singing class, and it is occupying lots of my time these days, as is continuing to settle into life with Gordon, plus acting class, time with Anne, and now this job.

To top it all off, we have company this weekend, and Gordon is gone most of the weekend working sound on a show. These are friends of his, and they arrived last night and were asleep by the time I got home. So I have had three people staying in my home for the last 24 hours and I still haven't met them. They are still out tonight, too. Kinda weird!

My body has been doing strange things - I've been eating out lots, eating more than usual, gaining weight, feeling crabby and experiencing lots of PMS symptoms. I've been having lots of headaches, too, from going non-stop for weeks on end without enough sleep. I'm being mostly compliant on the BTD, but I think my body is going through lots of changes right now. New home, new job, a still new relationship, etc. It takes some time to adjust psychologically and physically, and I suspect that my eating more (and eating way more sugar than usual) is part of what's going on.

Last Friday, Gordon sent a dozen red roses to my new office. They were beautiful! My boss joked that he was 'marking his territory', and when I told him that, he said that was exactly what he was doing! It was VERY funny.

I'm getting off the sugar and overeating slowly (now that I'm aware of it). I would go cold turkey, but I've learned that is a really easy way for me to get a migraine really quickly, so I'm being a little more patient this time.

We went to Gordon's 20th class reunion last night, and had a wonderful time. Every woman we talked with said that Gordon was always the sweetest guy. I already knew that, but it was nice to hear that they all thought he was a sweetie then, too. It was great to meet some old friends of his and for him to reconnect with several people, too.

The worst thing about the evening was the food. Roast beef, which would be great for most Os, but gives me a migraine, and then pasta with either marinara or alfredo sauce. And cheesecake for dessert. Ugh. I did eat some salad and pasta and cheesecake, and THEN someone said that there was chicken on the other side of the room, and Gordon told me to go eat some since I hadn't had any protein ALL DAY. I was full at that point, but knew he was right, too, so I went and got a few ounces of chicken and ate it. And of course, this morning I woke up feeling like the Michelin man - lots of bloating and puffiness from the dairy and wheat last night! Yuck!

Today I went shopping with Gordon's mother (my future mother-in-law!). It was the first time we'd gotten together without Gordon around, and we had a really good time. I wanted to look for suits for work, and we went to Loehman's and looked around for a while. I didn't find anything that I both loved AND that fit me correctly, but it was good to see what they had and spend some time with her. Then we went to lunch together, and chatted and talked about some wedding stuff and got to know each other a little better. I really like her, and she seems to really like me, so that helps!

Gordon's working sound on a show today, so I'm left to my own devices for the rest of the day. I plan to get to bed early so I'm well-rested for the workweek. I need to run a couple errands still, and then do laundry and get a few other things done around the house today. Gordon is working on this show for the next two weeks, and I'm in two classes this month, so we won't get to spend much time together for the next few weeks. In fact, we had to sit down with a calendar the other day to figure out when we'll next have an evening together! Guess this is what happens when two busy people combine their lives!

My new job starts Monday, so I'm trying to enjoy today to the fullest. Didn't start off too well, though. I couldn't sleep last night, and was up until almost 4am today. Lots going through my mind about the new job, anger about the situation with Mike, wedding stuff, acting stuff, family stuff, you name it. And it didn't help that I had acting class and it went an HOUR over the allotted time again. I'm going to have to leave at 11 from now on so I can get to work on time on Friday mornings.

I've eaten well this week, but have been eating too much sugar (all BTD okay stuff, technically, but still too much sugar!) and not getting enough exercise. Once I'm back at work and on a more regular schedule, I'll figure out a workout schedule and be back to my usual morning routines and dietary routines, too. I'm looking forward to it.

Today I'm off to have lunch with a studio executive friend of mine whose brain I intend to pick about how to proceed with my acting career from this point on. She's worked with some of the best, and I'm sure she'll be a wealth of information for me.

Later today I go back to the chiropractor - my back has been out for a few days, and though it keeps popping, if it's going back in, it isn't staying. I want a little tune-up before I start work on Monday.

Gotta get moving and get to lunch!

Talk about changing situations!

I've been working with some temp agencies to help me find a decent job, and I've been requesting executive assistant positions. I got sent out on my first interview through them yesterday, and as I was going I told Gordon that I was NOT excited about the position. When I got there, the men I interviewed with turned me around completely! They were VERY nice, and the company seems like a nice place to work. Then they offered me the job on the spot, at a salary that is not unheard of, but quite good for an executive assistant. I was stunned, but pleased! I told them I would think about it and get back to them today. Gordon and I talked about it over dinner last night at PF Chang's, where I pretty much always get the wok-seared lamb, and Gordon gets some variety of chicken dish. My fortune cookie said: Your dreams will come true when you least expect it, and we laughed at the appropriateness of it.

It was a difficult decision, but it will allow us to do a few important things, like plan and pay for the wedding, not to mention adding to our savings. I had to wrestle with the acting issue, though, because this position will take away from my time available for auditions, possible rehearsals, etc.

But as Gordon said, nothing is forever, and I can leave at any time. And if we are smart and save and don't have a LAVISH wedding (simple and elegant is my idea, anyway) then maybe I can work for a year and then take a year off to pursue acting full-time. And I can certainly still work on getting a commercial agent and can go on the occasional audition and probably even be able to take a few days off here and there to work on something.

We went out for lunch today, too, to talk about it some more and reconsider the pros and cons after having slept on it, and it feels like the right decision. So I called the temp agency and told them I'd take it, and then called one of the men I'll be working for, and told him I'd take the job. Tomorrow I'll go down to the office to pick up some paperwork, and then I start on Monday.

So I'm gainfully employed again, and at a much more livable salary than I've been making. This is good.