So I haven't posted a blog in... 7? 8 months? I haven't truly been away from the site, in so much as I haven't been taking a very active role in it... Or in much of anything, truth be told! LOL!

To all of you who have added me as a SparkBuddy, thank you and welcome! Sorry if I haven't added you back, things have been crazy! I hope you've had lots of awesome milestones and little successes and that I can get to know you better!

What's been going on with me? Well, late last year I entered a pretty big depression, truth be told. Things were not going well, and it took a bit of a toll on me. I stopped exercising and watching (as closely!) what I was eating, though thankfully I haven't gained any weight. My husband and I both started new jobs, which is the first time I've been employed out of the house in 4 years, and we moved from one city to another. Between the moving and me still trying to work on my comic (plus other artistic endeavors), and the job, things have just been crazy. Oh, the cold COLD weather wasn't helping either.

Thankfully, things are slowing down some at work, the comic is finding its rhythm again, the weather is getting nicer, and we're getting more settled in to the new place. Six months of insanity seems to be finding its order.

And I've started running again. :D

Getting used to running in a city setting is definitely odd, though I do like that I can pretty much vary my route indefinitely so I won't get bored. At the old place I only had two choices of which way to go: Clockwise or counter-clockwise. Unfortunately I have to run at about 5 in the morning to be done in time to shower, eat, and work on some of my comic before I head off to work, so it's still pretty dark out when I'm running! And I had to start C25K over, again, since I hadn't run in a good 6 months due to depression, stress, and needing new shoes. (Yes, I know, the exercise would have helped with the stress and depression. Try telling me that when I'm depressed and stressed though and it seems FAR less logical!) But I just started Week 4 and I seem to be getting in to the swing of things quickly again. Finding the runner's high is sometimes hard, especially the last two weeks, but I'm hoping that I'll get it back sooner rather than later.

(WARNING! PMS Talk below! If you're sensitive about female problems, do not read!)

I've also been trying to get a handle on the mood swings I have during PMS, which range from "Silly and Giggly" to "Mr. Hyde" on the scale of moodiness. I know I could just take Midol and it would help some, but I've been preferring lately to try to get natural remedies rather than using drugs. I've done some research and trial and error, and am finding that calcium supplements, as well as cutting out processed sugars is doing a world of good. Last month I had a great day, came home and ate a serving of ice cream, and turned in to the Medusa for the rest of the night.

This sort of sucks, because I LOVE sweets. I ate (in moderation) cookies and ice cream and cakes all through my weight loss journey, so now I'm having to find alternative sweet snacks to eat when I really want something sugary. So far I've found that a square of nice dark chocolate, or some frozen fruit have hit the spot. I react badly to the sugar substitute stuff so I can't have much Sugar Free stuff (gives me a headache), so fruit is the way to go for now. Any suggestions out there for recipes of things I could try for snacks?

Anyway, I need to get ready for work but just wanted to check in finally. I've been meaning to do this for weeks but just haven't gotten around to it. Hope that all my SparkBuddies are doing well!