My bad.

I'm really good at the whole disappearing and leaving my blog behind thing. Sorry.

A few things I've been working on lately:

• My credit report. Getting everything in order, that is. The ex is in escrow on a home and isn't able to close with a VA loan (0% down) unless we get this ridiculous former apartment complex crap off our credit reports. I've been writing nasty letters, poring over paperwork, making phone calls, and doing my legal research. In other news, that also means I bought a month of Experian's three-credit-bureau monitoring. And my high credit score right now is 722. Not bad for having a sizable debt in collections!

• FreeRice. Not quite as much as I'd like, but I donated over 50,000 grains last month. And speaking of FreeRice...

They're doing a contest of sorts to get more rice donated and help feed more people. I will be creating a group on February 6th and would love it if you would all join me! It takes just over 19,000 grains of rice to feed one person per day, according to their FAQ. You improve your vocabulary and spelling, learn new words, and can even improve your math skills - all while helping needy families!



• The opera! I am one of eight women chosen for the women's chorus for Ainadamar, an opera running in Phoenix from March 1st through March 4th. We have rehearsal between three and five days a week. I'm super excited for our performances! I haven't participated in an opera since Alaska Children's Choir. 

• Cooking, of course! I made spaghetti squash lasagna with my delicious ginger cookies last night. I've also been neglecting my food blog, but I hope to get more tasty concoctions up soon!

• Boot camp! This is the last in a four-week series I signed up for. Friday will be my last day for the month. I've been incredibly pleased with my progress. I'm looking forward to being weighed and taped at the end of the week, because I can definitely see a difference in my body - particularly my abs and legs. My pants are no longer tight, either, and I am *almost* back to being able to button my size 2 slacks and having them look good. (I can button them now, but it's not pretty.) 

• Even though I shouldn't admit it... Shopping! I decided I couldn't go to Florida without a new purse. The tote I use now is a huge sorority bag. Not exactly wedding material. I also have my old purse made out of Kyle's woodland blouse... Probably not what I should bring to meet the parents. And it's not wedding material either. My last purse has a big hole in it. No bueno. And that's how I ended up with this beauty. Thank you, Kate Spade, for solving my purse dilemma. 

And while we're on the topic of shopping, I've added a few things to my Amazon Wish List lately, and prioritized different things. Pinterest has been down, so I've been unable to satisfy my window shopping experience elsewhere.

• I'm starting up my 365-day photo challenge again! The photo of my purse there is the new Day One. I'm planning on sticking with it this time! We'll see how well I do. 

• Finally, I've been modeling. I'm working on a website right now that should hopefully be up within a week. I'm incredibly excited to see how this expands my opportunities! 

Obviously that's not an exhaustive list. I've been doing school stuff, preparing for the wedding / Florida trip, trying to fit back into my clothes again (I went for a 3km run yesterday!), and doing some early spring cleaning. Two of my best friends are moving to Vermont next month, so I've been trying to spend more time with them as well. 

I've been running around like a busy little bee lately! I've started a number of blog posts but never finished anything, so I have some half-completed blurbs I might try to get up in the next few days. Ciao!!