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A present for myself!

Today I picked out my SPHR-graduation-promotion present for myself, which is...

a poppy!

 Specifically, it is a handcrafted poppy sculpture that is part of an amazing art installation in London that commemorates World War I called "Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red."  There are 888,246 individual poppies, one for each British fatality during the war.  The installation is amazing--below is a picture of the poppies pouring out of the Tower of London.

Here's an Arial shot:

 The poppies are then sold and the proceeds (all 25 Million Dollars) benefit charities that assist veterans and their families:
  • Help for Heroes – provides assistance to those who have been wounded in battle
  • Confederation of Service Charities (COBSEO) – is a single point of contact for organizations interacting with the Government, Royal Household, Private Sector & other members of the Armed Forces Community
  • Combat Stress – founded after the First World War, it is “the veterans’ mental health charity”
  • Coming Home – is the fundraising arm of Haig Housing Trust, it provides “specially adapted and appropriate housing for the hundreds of Service personnel rebuilding their lives following traumatic life changing injuries.”
  • Royal British Legion aids the “serving & ex-Service community and their families”
  • SSAFA (formerly the Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association) – “provide(s) practical, emotional and financial support to anyone who is serving or has ever served and their families”
Not all of the poppies have been "planted" yet--they will continue to be placed until November 11th, Armistice Day.  And you KNOW my homegirl was there to open the exhibit, right?


Anyway, on to the hilarious tales of what I ate/general buffoonery today:

Breakfast - Met my Sales VP counterpart for breakfast since we're like ships passing in the night, and have a ton of stuff to catch up on.  Realized when I arrived at Cracker Barrel that I forgot my purse.  He nicely paid for my breakfast.  Then I found out it was his birthday.

The good news it that shockingly enough, Cracker Barrel has some healthy options for breakfast!  I had a 380 totally worth it platter that included scrambled egg beaters, turkey bacon, tomatoes, fruit, and hash brown casserole.  And a glass of water.

Lunch - In addition to forgetting my purse, I forgot my lunch.  But!  I left my Target credit card in my desk, so I grabbed a cobb salad (400) there for lunch.  I keep my own healthy dressing in the fridge, so I was able to make a healthy swap there.  Plus 2 more glasses of water.

And I picked up some ice cream pops for my coworker's birthday, grabbing Nutty Buddies, Strawberry Eclairs, Orange Dreamsicles, etc., since we're around the same age and I thought he might like the nostalgia.  AND THEN WE WENT TO SURPRISE HIM AND HE'D LEFT FOR OUR OTHER OFFICE.  So we ate ice cream and sent him a group selfie.  HR Lady can only do so much.  (And I had a 140 calorie ice cream.)

I also had a cup of coffee with unsweetened vanilla almond milk (40).

For dinner, we met Amy & Chris, because I still had the key to their mailbox from when I was plant-sitting during their vacation.  And I forgot to bring it to them yesterday, and then it was in my purse (at home) today, and I figured eventually they'd want to check their mail.  ANYWAY, I had a taco, and half of my rice and beans, and water (510, according to their nutrition calculator).

For exercise, I walk/jogged a mile, and did not die from asthma or bursitis or being dragged away by a large dog!  I did 14:45 as my time, and my goal is to be at 13 minutes per mile.
Like my new tattoo?
Calories: 1470/1400
Water: Yes, lots
Exercise: Yes

So overall, it was a valiant effort, despite repeated stupidity and processed food.  So I think we'll give it some York Princesses, tryin' their best (God bless 'em).

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