In Memory of Russell Kaspar

Russell Kaspar

August 24, 1965- December 31,2008

You are missed.

Bootcamp

A couple of weeks ago I found an all woman's boot camp in Plano. The class is for three weeks, four times a week, at 5:30a.m. Now, if anyone reading this has met me, you should know that I do NOT do mornings. I enjoy my warm, comfortable, cozy bed at 5:30 in the morning. Nevertheless, I signed up for it a couple of weeks ago and began camp this past Monday.

Today was my fourth morning to go and can I just say how much I love it! The ladies in the camp range from young 'skinny minis' to the hip 'red hat ladies'. We do everything! Push ups, sit ups, carido...you name it, I've probably done it in the past 4 days! We even did boxing today! How fun is that?!? I never feel left behind,which was a fear of mine considering I haven't done a boot camp since my sophomore year in HS as a "Ladycat". It's an encouraging, motivating, competitive, and uplifting experience to accomplish the camp. I highly recommend it to anyone looking for a great jump start to the New Year!

Now don't get me wrong it has been a challenge. I have been sore the entire week, Tuesday being the worst but I feel so much more energized than I did not even a week ago. AND I am very proud to say that I have yet to throw the alarm clock screaming in my ear at 5:00 a.m. across the room. I've actually been looking forward to getting up and seeing what's in store for the day's camp.

I'm running another half marathon in March with some girlfriends so my intentions of signing up with this program was to get my butt back in the training mode. I'm definitely thinking about sticking with the 5:30 morning workouts until race day. So if you see some crazy blond chick out in 30 degree weather trying to run make sure you turn your heater up and give her a honk!

The Future Mr. & Mrs.

I am sure by now anyone and everyone who reads this knows that Saturday night Matt proposed to me!!! It was such a great night and again a HUGE 'thank you' to all the family and friends who celebrated with us in any way they could! It's such a blessing to have so much love and support! We can't wait to share the special day with everyone!

Also, being the nerd that I am signed up for TheKnot.com and already created our website (the day after he proposed actually...I got a TAD bit excited! haha). We also have a Facebook page so make sure to join that one as well if you haven't already!

http://www.theknot.com/ourwedding/MatthewDees&CrystalFitzgerald

I'll try to keep everyone updated through the wedding planning process but at the same time I will try not to be annoying about it (I have already given permission to my cubemate, Marissa, to throw something at me if I get too annoying about it all! Haha!) or become Dallas' Bridezilla!

Time FLIES!

Holy moly what a crazy summer it has been! I feel like the past few months were just a blurr of memories! Almost 'dream like'. I can't believe it's almost October and I've been living here in Dallas for a little over a year now! It seems like yesterday that I was unpacking into my one bedroom apartment in the 'big city' of Lewisville. From my air mattress 'couch' to the 28" TV sitting on top a milk crate, I was so smitten with finally being in 'the big d'. And somewhere between buying a real couch and creating a budget for myself, I grew up.

September 8th marked my one year anniversary with Affirmative. I became interested in HR my senior year of college. I took a Law of HR class and became so fascinated by the course's content. I knew HR was a path I wanted to get on very quickly. When I moved to Lewisville I had moved to work for a mortgage company, all the time I kept my eyes open for a better opportunity to present itself. Then by some miracle I caught a break in my job hunt for an HR Assistant position and now a year later, after a promotion and a half, I am finding my niche in HR.

I have a couple more markers coming up in my life pretty soon. I turn 25 in November, which is insane to me and in December, Matt and I will be together for a year. Who would have thought it would have taken me 25 years to find my 'match'?! I have always been the person to keep looking for love but I have a feeling that the next 25+ years of my life will involve a different type of searching that will expand from houses to paint colors to baby names.

Here's hoping for 'Father Time' to slow down long enough for me to savor each of these memories as they happen...

Labor Day Weekend Highlights

This past Labor Day weekend, I went with Matt to visit his best friends' family in Minnesota. This was only my second time to visit them but I already feel like "Auntie Crissy". Here are a few pictorial highlights of the weekend...

1. Saturday night we had a 3 1/2 hour eating and drinking frenzy at Manny's in downtown Minneapolis. To say the least....we did not walk away hungry or sober!

2. Took the girls (Olivia and Isabella) to the Mall of America and rode some rides with them. They had a blast....for the most part!

3. Watching Matt interact with those girls makes my heart melt. They absolutely adore him!

4. We went to Afton State park for lunch before I had to fly back to Texas.

5. By far, the highlight of my weekend was when we were at the MOA and Iz was trying to tell me something. I leaned down to hear what she was saying and she said "Um, Um, Um, Crystal...I love you."

My Sister's Keeper

I just finished 'The Shack' and was quite surprised that I liked it. After years and years of religious books being shoved down my throat, I was not typically thrilled about beginning this book. BUT I pushed through it and I will say, the last half of the book is much better than the first. It gave a very different take on God's view and love for us. It didn't get too 'sunday school' for my taste and asked "Papa" some tough questions, which I appreciated.

So last weekend Matt and I made our typical Target shopping trip where he ventures to the electronics section and I take a look at the book section to see what's new/popular/etc. On the top shelf were several books written by Jody Picoult, including 'My Sister's Keeper'. I've heard various friends mention her and obviously MSK the movie came out this past June which tanked in theaters but that usually means the book is so fantastic they can't make a movie to depict it well enough (i.e.: Twilight). So I decided to give this author a try.

I am only 50 pages in and can I just say WOW! I'm not sure if it's the writing, the content, or the fact that the family's name is "Fitzgerald" that make me want to gobble this book up but is so good! The way she writes each character is just brilliant and I can't help but be consumed by this book. I'm sure she, and many of her other works, will become apart of my blogs to come!

I trust that you will treat her well...

Since I really don't have anything to write about this week I wanted to share something that I heard on the radio the other day for the first day of 'back to school week'. Though I will still probably yell and curse at the lines of yellow buses and minivans blocking my way to work, this essay took me out of the 'Corporate America' mentality for a brief second and put the frustrations of 'back to school week' in perspective. Hope you enjoy!

Dear World:

I bequeath to you today one little girl ... in a crispy dress ... with two blue eyes ... and a happy laugh that ripples all day long and a flash of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs. I trust you'll treat her well.

She's slipping out of the backyard of my heart this morning ... and skipping off down the street to her first day of school. And never again will she be completely mine. Prim and proud she'll wave her young and independent hand this morning and say "Good Bye"... and walk with little lady steps to the schoolhouse.

Now she'll learn to stand in line ... and wait by the alphabet for her name to be called. She'll learn to tune her ears to the sounds of school-bells ... and deadlines ... and she'll learn to giggle ... and gossip ... and look at the ceiling in a disinterested way when the little boy across the aisle sticks out his tongue at her.

And now she'll learn to be jealous. And now she'll learn how it is to feel hurt inside. And now she'll learn how not to cry.

No longer will she have time to sit on the front porch steps on a summer day and watch an ant scurry across the crack in a sidewalk. Nor will she have time to pop out of bed with the dawn to kiss lilac blossoms in the morning dew.

No, now she'll worry about important things.

Like grades ... and which dress to wear ... and who's best friend is whose. And the magic of books and learning will replace the magic of her blocks and dolls.

And now she'll find new heroes.

For five full years now I've been her sage and Santa Claus and pal and playmate and father and friend. Now she'll learn to share her worship with her teachers ... which is only right. But, no longer will I be the smartest man in the whole world.

Today when that school bell rings for the first time ... she'll learn what it means to be a member of a group. With all it's privileges. And it's disadvantages too.

She'll learn in time that proper young ladies do not laugh out loud. Or kiss dogs. Or keep frogs in pickle jars in bedrooms. Or even watch ants scurry across cracks in the summer sidewalk.

Today she'll learn for the first time that all who smile at her are not her friends. And I'll stand on the front porch and watch her start out on the long, lonely journey to become a woman.

So, World. I bequeath to you today one little girl ... in a crispy dress ... with two blue eyes and a happy laugh that ripples all day long ... and a flash of light blonde hair that bounces in the sunlight when she runs.

I trust you'll treat her well.

Best times with best friends!

I can't even begin to describe how much fun last week was! As many of you may know, I flew to the Philly last Wednesday night to spend a few days with my best friend Jen. We conquered New York City, fought the Jersey traffic, watched the Orioles lose after 14 innings, and had dinner in Delaware. It was the ultimate girls weekend and it could not have come at a better time! I have a handful of people who are such joys to spend my time with and Jen is defiantly one of them.

It's a humbling feeling to have genuine relationships that can withstand the time, distance, stress, and chaos our lives can create. From sharing a bottle of wine with old high school friends, to 'dining with divas' in Dallas, to exploring the streets of NYC with my best friend, I'm grateful for such humbling experiences and look forward to many, many more!

The band wagon...

I've jumped on the social band wagon and created a blog. What this blog will be about....who knows! I have no kids, no house, no husband or even crazy pet stories to laugh about. I do however have a horrible lease on a town home with a messy boyfriend living inside it who I can't help but fall in love with more and more everyday. I have some pretty 'dope' friends who are the encouragement that I need in my life. My family, as discombobulated as we may be, is my family and I couldn't have learned what I've learned without them. All of these people make my whole heart smile (minus the people who sold us our lease).

I like to think I have come a long from where I was not even just a few months ago. Things are changing, progressing and I'm beginning to find my place in this massive world. Juggling the everyday things of being an 'adult' can be somewhat amusing, entertaining, and hopefully worth your time reading. I will try to keep the rants to simmering raves, the cliches to one blog at a time, and sob stories short and sweet. I want to focus on the people, stories, and experiences that make my heart smile every single day.

With that said, let's blog!
-C