Takin It Back

Do any of you watch Survivor? I absolutely love that show. It's just so brilliant in so many ways. And yes, I was totally smitten with JT this season. I'm ready to move to Alabama and live on a cattle farm with him. Ha! But the real reason for the post is about Taj. (Speaking of, did anyone else realize that JT spelled her name TAG at one of the tribal councils? Hysterical).

So it said that Taj's career was "former pop star." On the finale Jeff mentioned she was a member of SWV (Sisters With Voices if I remember correctly). Do any of you remember them? Because as soon as he said it I totally started singing one of their songs. I was beyond obsessed with it back in like 6th or 7th grade. Anyway the song was called "Weak" and I just found it on YouTube. Makes me like Taj even more!



So am I the only person that remembers this song?

Beyond Randomness

I feel as though every post I've written recently has start with "I'm such a blog slacker" ... or something along the same lines. And once again, here I am claiming the same thing. It happens.

And since my favorite blog style these days has also been to get all bulleted on you, that's what's in store today!

• While neglecting this blog, I did write a fun post for my cousin's site about kale chips. WW friendly. Cheap. And you totally feel like you're eating something naughty. Check it out.
• On Wed I decided to take a super unscheduled trip home to PA this weekend. Tomorrow morning I'm hopping in the car at 5:30am, driving 8 hours, drinking lots of caffeine, making myself pretty upon arrival, going to my cousin's baby's first bday party, then going to my 10 year high school reunion. I won't lie - I'm a little bit scared about the reunion. I don't really keep in touch with people all that well and it's been about 10 years since I've seen most of these people. YIKES! Sunday I'll sleep in, hang out a bit and head back in the car for 8 hours. Whew.
• Last night at boot camp we had to kneel on the Stability Ball for 60 seconds. It was hysterical the first time I tried, but by the second time I was able to do it! My entire lower body hurts from it today though. You really use ALL of your muscles for it. I looked a little less composed than this lady
  
• While googling the last image I came across this, and I want it.
• I had a milkshake for lunch today. There I said it. It's out in the open. And you know what? It was everything I dreamed it would be and more. Now a salad for dinner and I should be ok.
• I registered for 2 classes this morning. Did I tell you guys I'm going back to school? Well if I didn't I am. To become a middle grades math teacher. Heaven help me. I'll be taking definitive math and statistics this summer. Heaven help me again.
• I'm more excited than I should be about the prospect of 'back to school' shopping. Pencils, calculators, spiral bound 5 star notebooks, and maybe even a binder!
• This day seems a bit never ending
• I went on a date with a boy on Friday night. Then I went on another date with the same boy on Saturday night and met some of his friends. There's potential... but he's been out of town all week. We shall see!
• I've been dog sitting for a friend's dog for the past 8 days. Is it wrong that I'm ready for the not so well trained dog to go home? I mean, she woke me up puking at 3am this morning because she ATE half of a softball. Who knew they were cork inside?
• I went to Orlando a few weeks ago with the fam. We had such a fun time! My mom and I swam with the dolphins. Here's me and Coral hanging out (or making out, whatever).
• The rest of the pictures from my trip are here. Note the ones of me wearing shorts (this was taken just for proof that I actually wore shorts).
  
• I've worn makeup to work 4 out of 5 days this week. That might be a record for me.

Ok, I think that sums up most of my randomness for today. Who knows, maybe I'll get my act together and write ANOTHER post before the end of May. That would just be sheer madness.

Happy Weekending!

Bullets

Not the gun kind, the punctuation kind. I've got a lot to say, so you know that means I'll do it bullet style!

• Reading Carrie's list of races coming up got me all fired up! So I've got the Charlotte SheRox Tri on Sept 14, and today signed up for the Susan G Koman Race for the Cure 5k (feel free to donate to the cause) on Oct 5. Woohoo!
• I even signed up to do the COMPETITIVE run. Which means no wimping out and walking!
  
• I sent out an email around work to see if anyone was interested in doing it as well and I think some people might actually do it! I love it when people get out there to move for a good cause.
  
• I mentioned it to one of my best friends from home and she hopped ALL OVER the chance for a good excuse to visit! So she booked a flight and signed up for the race as well. I cannot WAIT for her to visit. Yay for friends being the best.
• My mom also emailed to see if her and one of my aunts can come visit for the weekend of the Charlotte SheRox. It would be great to have them in town to cheer me on. Hopefully it works out.
• I'm going to Mexico!!! Instead of hitting up Canyon Ranch this year with the girls my mom asked how I'd feel about going to Cancun. She wanted to know if I'd be upset to not go to my "happy place" (aka Canyon Ranch). Are you KIDDING? Of course I'll go to Cancun! So my aunt, 2 cousins, mom and myself are going for a long weekend in November. The deal with my mom is that we both need to keep eating well and working out EVEN while we're on vacation. They have a super nice gym where we're staying so no excuses. I think that's a fair deal, don't you?
• I'm slowly getting out of my funk. If I can get to the gym or pool today I think I'll be 100% out of it!
  
• I'm totally hyped up from some Vanilla Chai Tea I had this morning.
• I went to Target on my lunch break and spend UNDER 100 bucks and got everything I need. Including a BRITA which I've been meaning to get forever. The water dispenser from the fridge just takes FOREVER
• It's been so cool and fall-like here. It's going down to 67 tonight. Color me turning the air off as SOON as I get home from work.
  
• I am obsessed with the 'Lympics (as I used to call them when I was little). I am so hooked on the Michael Phelps hype as well. All of the touching little filler stories they do on him just kill me. They did one on his mom and I totally teared up. It's just not ok! I can't help but love all things Olympics though. They are so fun. And synchronized diving is OUT of control.
  

Ok... I think I covered it all. Maybe not, but we'll see.

Menu for today is as follows (and totally random).

Bfast:
Faux chai tea latte - 0.5
About 1/4 of my huge bowl of oatmeal (containing steel cut oats, 1/2 banana, 1/2 oz nuts and tbsp pb) - 3
weight watchers pretzels (mindless snacking - bad!) - 2

Lunch:
leftover burger from Sunday night. So yummy. 5 oz patty (of 97% lean ground beef and some spices), 1 ww single, pickles, ketchup all on a toasted light english muffin - 6.5
yummy nectarine - 1

Snacks:
cherries - 1
yogurt - 2

Dinner (super random)
Starbucks Vivano smoothie (have a coupon for a free one) most likely pick up on the way home from the gym - 5
tomatoes from my garden on light bread with some light mayo and salt and pepper - 2

Snack:
something for 1 or 2 but ONLY if I work out.

The plan for tonight (assuming the weather agrees) is to go home and do a little yard work (weeds are taking over. I hate them!). Hit up the gym or the pool and stop to get my smoothie when I'm done. Then take the little one for a walk and enjoy my tomato sammie after that while I lounge around watching the Olympics the rest of the night. Sounds like a good idea, yes?

Errands

Ar came over this morning to pick up Fiona -- so it's officially just me and Maddie. She seems to be doing ok, but I'm sure she's curious as to where Fiona is. I wasted no time in heading out to run some errands after Ar left.

First I hit up Kohls to return a bathing suit I bought. I got in while I was home and tried it on again and realized it just wasn't worth the 40 bucks. Then I hit up Pet Smart. Got the pup a harness (so hopefully she'll stop choking herself on walks), some toys, 50 pounds of food (please let that last a while!) and a new name tag. The other one had some of Ar's info on it. So miss Maddie is set to go! Then I ventured to Target which is right next door and of course spent more money than I'd anticipated. I got new air filters (they are way overdue for a changing), a bike pump (so I can ride again!), cute new tumblers (they were 75% off and ended up being 48 cents each!!), hair stuff and treated myself to a soft pretzel while I was shopping.

Now I'm trying to get some organization to the house. I still need to unpack and do laundry, I want to get some meals made for lunches for the week, and I want to do a little de-cluttering. (the kitchen counters are full of stuff!)

I'm thinking of heading to the pool around 6:30 to swim a bit. I tried to go last night and it started thundering and lightening. Not cool. So tonight we'll do that and then when it cools off a bit Miss Maddie and I are off for a walk to see how she does with her harness!

I also have LOFTY goals to get up at 6am tomorrow. I'd like to get in a quick bike ride, then take Maddie for a walk before work. She's going to be in her crate a bit more now that I'm the only caretaker so that means more walks so she doesn't go crazy! Also because she's down a playmate since Fiona left, I want to make sure she's still a happy pup :)

Tag Time!

I've been tagged by miss Carrie over at Newlywed Girl (though now she's a newlyMOM girl!). So here it is....

What were you doing 5 years ago?

Graduating college!!! Crazy to think I've been out of school for 5 years, but I had just graduated, was desperately looking for a job, and spent the summer working at a day camp (ESF baby) and spending weekends at my aunt's shore house. Other than the fact that I needed a job once the summer was over life was pretty sweet. I think I had declared that summer the "Summer of Sun" since I worked outside all day and spent my weekends on my aunt's deck at the beach. I was gearing up for my cousins' wedding at the end of the summer and wanted to be all tan. And just to bring it all together, looking at the pictures from that wedding is what pushed me over the edge to join Weight Watchers the first time. (I just tried to find a picture, but can't booo).

What are/were 5 things on your to do list today?

1. Work out
   
2. Make dinner
3. Do laundry
4. Clean up the kitchen
5. Hand label 150 envelopes for my boss
   

I'm working on #5 (ok taking a break from it) and 1-4 will be done after work.

What 5 snacks do you enjoy?

1. Philly soft pretzels!!!
2. hard pretzels
3. almost anything chocolate
4. strawberries and bananas w/ whipped cream
5. cheese and crackers yum! Now I'm hungry

What 5 things would you do if you were a billionaire?

1. Pay off my college loans
2. Pay off my credit card
3. Pay off my brother's college loans
4. Take my family and friends on a fun vacation
5. Donate a crapload of it
6. And maybe go to a gas station for a day and pay for a bunch of people's gas! That would be SO SO fun.

What are 5 of your bad habits?

1. I'm messy
2. I don't get my oil changed on my car
3. I always get super chatty right when it's time to go to sleep
4. I oversleep almost every day
5. I'm super anal about how the dishwasher gets loaded (and pretty much everything else involving the kitchen)

What are 5 places you have lived?

1. Havertown, PA
2. Bronx, NY
3. Ocean Grove, NJ
4. West Orange, NJ
5. Charlotte, NC

What are 5 jobs you've had?

1. Manager at Rita's Waterice in Havertown (woo!)
2. Summer camp counselor
3. Program Manager at WFUV
4. Traffic Director (a bunch of places)
5. Office Manager (and what fun it is!)

I'm going to skip the last question of who I want to tag -- but if anyone wants to do this by all means!! I love reading these silly things.

The Philly in Me

I'm from Philly. Ok, I'm not really from Philly, I'm from 'just outside' of Philly. As in it takes me 10-15 minutes to get to Center City from the house I grew up in. While I don't like Philly Cheesesteaks (though I do love a chicken cheese steak... mmm) I have a small obsession with soft pretzels. And I'm not talking Super Pretzels that you buy in the frozen food section. I'm talking real, authentic Philly pretzels. The ones that are sold in 3's, and are long and skinny and connected to one another.

So living in Charlotte has been rough when my pretzel cravings kick in. Because the best pretzel I've come across here is a super pretzel... which is good, but it's not as good as the real thing. It's like having a veggie burger when you're craving a real burger. It's not horrible, but it's certainly no juicy burger.

So I'm reading this magazine...


It wasn't amazing, but it wasn't bad either. One of the girls I worked with brought in in for me because they had a whole section on training for a tri. It was helpful. But I'm 3 pages from the end of the magazine and what do I see??

This:

Oh my goodness... I drooled on the page. THOSE are real Philly pretzels. And I want one. Badly. And I cannot have one here in Charlotte. Because, well they just don't exist.

It's quite tragic. I guess I'll be popping a Super Pretzel in the oven tonight in the hopes of squelching my craving. Sigh.

It's Back

After almost 2 years of ignoring my original non-weight watchers blog... I've decided I'm ready to talk about stuff other than what I ate today. Shocking, I know.

But not to worry, I'll still be updating this site. Because I know all 4 of you (sadly I think that's a generous estimate!) were worried! Heehee

Home Sick

I'm having a rough day, maybe I should have gone to work. I cut my finger with my new sharp knife. Lesson learned: don't try to cut an English Muffin with a sharp knife while under the influence of NyQuil. WOOPS!

I'm also ravenous. I've eaten 12 points already today. And can't choke down any water but I'm working on my second mug of tea so that's gotta be something.

But I've caught up on lots of TV and am thinking about showering and cleaning the kitchen. And maybe then making some pumpkin oatmeal cookies or muffins or something. I need to be busy so I don't keep eating :)

I also have to go to the bank... hmmm.

I'm rambling. Again, I'm blaming the NyQuil.

Food!

Bfast:
pumpkin waffles - 3
TJs cheese sticks - 3

Lunch:
2 eggs, center cut bacon and light EM (and a big fat slice on my ring finger... which is now bandaged and I can't really type because of it) - 6

Snack:
choc covered edemame - 2

Trying to go light the rest of the day -- I WI first thing tomorrow. Then to the gym and then to get a haircut!!!

Sometimes being grownup stinks

I'm having a bit of a stressful morning. And I'm trying really hard not to let my frustrations come out on the BROWNIES in the kitchen!

Here's a recap of my day so far...

(I sent this email to Ar this morning so I'm just copying and pasting)

So I set up automatic payments for our mortgage. But it was really confusing as to when it would start. I didn't know if they would start on Feb 1 or March 1. I set the payments on up Jan 31. And then figured I'd wait til the 2nd to go ahead and make a payment... in case they started on Feb 1. So As of Sat no payment was made, and there's nowhere to see scheduled payments or anything. So fine, I go in and make a manual payment for this bill period.

I then get an email on the THIRD saying my first auto payment is scheduled for Feb FIRST! Which there is no record of it coming out of my bank account. So I start freaking out a little bit because now it means I'm going to make TWO payments. Ugh. So first thing yesterday I called and talked to a very nice lady who said that no no, the first auto payment is set for March 1 and the payment that was taken out overnight was the payment I had scheduled separately and that the autodraft wasn't scheduled to start until March. So fine -- all is good.

Well today I come in and my balance is NEGATIVE a lot of dollars. [A bunch of expletives removed]. I just got off the phone with the mortgage company who was like oh sorry, we can't do anything for you. So now I have to call my bank to see if they can stop payment or something.

Update -- I've called the bank and they were like we can try to stop payment but it takes 3 days and this is going to clear tonight, so it's probably not going to work. I think you should get the mortgage company to reverse the payment -- they can do that. So I call Wells Fargo back AGAIN. And it takes like 10 minutes to get through all the automated stuff and get to a person. So I get a person I tell her the story (for the 3rd time) and shes like oh my, hold on I can't help you but let me find someone who can.

So I talked to a guy who said he can get it reversed but it will take 5-7 business days. Sooo until then I can't spend a penny because I'll get charged a $35 overdraft fee for each transaction on my account. I'm also flying home this weekend -- so having money would maybe be nice.

------------------------------------------------------------

I'm trying not to flip out too much. But I've NEVER overdrawn my account. EVER! I have money in a separate savings account that could cover it - but that takes like 3 days to transfer too. So hopefully one of the transfers will get there soon :)

Onto WW stuff! I had a terrible eating day yesterday. Ate more sugar than I can even remember. Got in a good workout though so that was at least good. And I ran for 4 minutes straight! Sounds so pitiful but I was so proud!!!! Total I ran for 10 minutes which was good. Tonight I'm hoping to get there in time for STEP! Yeah APs.

Menu time...

Bfast:
Samoa girlscout cookie- 2
Pumpkin Waffles - 3

Snack:
Naner muffin - 2

Lunch:
Couscous w/ veggies - 3
leftover garden salmon cake - 3
Soup - 1

Snacks:
grapes - 1
cherries - 1

Dinner:
Campbells Super Bake -- didn't make it last night so I'll make it tonight and add veggie to it - 7

Trying not to have ANY(more) sweets today. I had a samoa that was in the kitchen. Damn the girl scouts. But NO brownies or cake or cookies... all of which are sitting in the kitchen right now. I can do this!!!!

Why Not?

1. Do you like blue cheese? No -- I don't like stinky cheeses, or moldy ones for that matter :)
2. Have you ever smoked heroin? Hugs not drugs!
3. Do you own a gun? Guns scare me
4. What flavor do you add to your drink at Sonic? Never been to one -- but there is one up the street and I've been wanting to go!
5. Do you get nervous before doctor appointments? Sometimes, depends what doc and reason for visit
6. What do you think of hot dogs? ICK! I'm a burger girl all the way. BUT if they are pigs in a blanket I'll partake
7. Favorite Christmas movie? A Christmas Story
8. What do you prefer to drink in the morning? Tea if anything, usually dont drink anything til 11ish when it's water with lemon
9. Can you do push ups? Maybe like 3
10. Why is there a missing questions here?? Who knows?
11. What's your favorite piece of jewelry? My ring
12. Favorite hobby? I don't do hobbies
13.Another missing question, whoever came up with this one can't count!
14. Do you have A.D.D.? No
15. What's one trait you hate about yourself? Hate is a strong word, but it annoys me that I'm a pushover
16. Middle name? Lee
17. Name 3 thoughts at this exact moment... 19 minutes til 5pm, I don't feel like going to the gym, why oh WHY am I so tried today.
18. Name 3 things you bought today... Sushi, that's all
19. Name 3 drinks you regularly drink? Water with lemon, water with ice, water with crushed ice... I know I'm crazy
20. Current worry? Don't really have one
21. Current hate right now? I'm a lover, not a hater
22. Favorite place to be? The beach, on a warm sunny day
23. How did you bring in the New Year? Sound asleep!
24. Where would you like to go? Somewhere tropical where its sunny and warm (not raining!)
25. Name three people who will complete this? I have no idea, but they're fun to read so do it!
26Do you own slippers? No -- I steal Ar's when I need a pair. I do wear slipper socks though!
27. What shirt are you wearing? Black Gap Sweater
28. Do you like sleeping on satin sheets? No. I prefer the touch the feel of Cotton
29. Can you whistle? Yes!
30. Favorite color? Orange or Yellow
31. Would you be a pirate? For Halloween? Yes. For real life? Heck no. I need to shower at LEAST once a day.
32. What songs do you sing in the shower? Whatever tune is in my head, could be anything
33. Favorite girl's name? dunno
34. Favorite boy's name? dunno
35. What's in your pocket right now? Nada... probably some lint if I looked reall hard, but I don't think we need to do that
36. Last person that made you laugh? Probably someone at work, but it's been a quiet afternoon around here so I don't remember
37. Best bed sheets as a child? "Happiness Is" Peanuts Sheets
38. Worst injury you've ever had? Sliced my knee open in high school
39. Do you love where you live? I do! Who would have though I'd heart the south
40. How many TVs do you have in your house? Two (bedroom and living room)
41. Who is your loudest friend? probably my mom!
42. How many dogs do you have? Cats? Two dogs, no cats
43. Does someone have a crush on you? I hope so ;)
44. OK, ANOTHER one mising - someone messed this meme I think. Hmmmmm interesting, I wonder what those questions were?
45. What is your favorite book(s)? I can't read a book more than once but I love Jodi Picoult books and Nicholas Sparks. I'm a sap what can I say?
46. What is your favorite candy? Reeeeeeses!!!!
47. Favorite Sports Team? Eh, I'm not a huge sports fan
48. What song do you want played at your funeral? I'll have to think about this one
49. What were you doing 12 AM last night? Sleeeeeping!
50. What was the first thing you thought of when you woke up? Fuck... I have a killer headache and then though about calling out sick.

Nalgene Love

I'm so sleepy today. I don't know why. I got an ok nights sleep. But I woke up to pee at 12:47am and it was one of those things where I think I was asleep, but maybe I wasn't really asleep you know? Does that ever happen to anyone else? Maybe not. Maybe it's just me. Either way, that might explain why I'm about to fall asleep at my desk!

In other news I went to Target on my lunch to get some hangers (we never seem to have enough, no matter how many I buy), and got out of there only spending $17! I rarely walk out of there with less than $50 worth of stuff... even if I only went in to get a tube of toothpaste. So that was exciting. I also picked up a box of the new Hostess 100 calorie cinnamon coffee cake muffins. They are yummy, but I think I like the chocolate cupcakes better. These were sort of dry and made me really thirsty. Which was ok because it made me drink water and I happened to have my huge Nalgene bottle filled and in my purse. Man oh man it makes my purse heavy when I throw it in there, but it's so nice to have water on hand. I don't leave home without it normally. I have a pink and a purple one and I switch them out when one is in the dish washer. It works well for me. I know there have been all sorts of studies out recently about how drinking out of reusable plastic bottles can be harmful, but I'm choosing to ignore them. I'm way too dependent on my trusty Nalgenes. If more information comes out maybe I'll look into something else, but for now I'm happy. So just let me pretend that all is well!

Off to the gym again today after work. Just going to do a quick 30 minutes of cardio. Tomorrow I'll do a big workout -- lifting and cardio.

And now for my menu!

Breakfast:
Quaker's Natural Harvest oatmeal - 3
vitamuffin - 2

Snack:
reeses 100 cal pack - 2
hostess 100 cal pack (I couldn't resist on the drive home) - 1

Lunch:
Leftover BBQ sloppy joes - 6

Dinner:
Stirfry! 3 colors of peppers, onions, asparagus, carrots, pineapple and soy sauce (not TOO much though, I don't need to be retaining water!) over cous cous - 5

Snack:
Something for 3 or 4

Off to refill my Nalgene!

Productive

I love having days where I feel like I've been somewhat productive. So today makes me happy. I slept in until about 9, then got up but was in a daze as I took some Tylenol PM last night (because I'm STILL in pain from my workout on Thursday... gotta love having a trainer ha!) I watched some TV I had DVRed from the past week, then around 11 decided it was time to really wake up and start getting stuff done.

I've done 3 loads of wash, cleaned the kitchen (it was a DISASTER), made some vitamuffins, had lunch, put said laundry away (I usually just do it... then it sits in the basket for a week or two, I'm bad like that). Organized the closet a bit, changed the sheets (also one of my LEAST favorite things in the world to do) and had a dance party or two in the bedroom. I'm just all hyped up today but know that I need a day off from the gym so I've actually resisted the urge to go... by rocking out. ha! And since all the blinds have been open, I'm sure my neighbors are slightly frightened. Too bad for them, because I had a blast!

Since I've been busting a move, thought I'd let you know what I've been rocking out to today. I've been listening to more hip/hop than usual. Which is sort of funny, because I've got zero rhythm, but whatever it gets me pumped.

Good Life - Kanye West (feat T-Pain)
Buy U a Drank - T-Pain
Apologize - Timbaland (feat. OneRepublic)
Bed - J. Holiday
The Way I Are (Timbaland)
Sweetest Girl (Dolla Bill) - Wyclef (feat Akon)
Stronger - Kanye West
Take You There - Sean Kingston
Numb/Encore - Jay-Z & Lincoln Park

A little out of the norm from my girl and guitar singer songwriter music. Just to get you pumped here's the video of Numb/Encore (and I just decided to link to YouTube videos of all the other songs). The quality isn't all that good, but the sound is great and that's really all that matters, right?



Happy Weekending!

Qucik Update

Just got home to Charlotte. Made good time again. Yippee! Also avoided any and all fast food on the way home. Packed snacks and was successful! WOOO!

Hopefully I will update more later. My plan at the moment is to unpack the car, hit up the food store, come home have some dinner and go to the gym. But those are lofty goals as I was just in the car for 7.5 hours. We shall see :)

Four quick things

1) I still can't really lift my arms above my head since Thursday's session with Trainer Boy. Damn him! Getting dressed and putting on a bra are SO painful it's almost funny :)

2) It's currently 21 degrees out. Yeah I didn't go running as I don't really have subfreezing outside gear. Hopefully my mom will get up soon (she's a late sleeper like me) and take me to her gym!!!

3) I got 11 hours of sleep last night. And it was AMAZING! Went to bed at 10:30 woke up at 9:30. After my 5 hours of sleep the night before followed by a 7.5 hour drive it was heaven :) Yippee!!

And most importantly...
4) CARRIE is going to sign up for the SheRox Tri!!!! I'm SO SO SO SO SO SO SOOOO pumped!!! So go congratulate her on this brilliant decision teehee. And keep your fingers crossed that it doesn't fill up in the next 3-4 weeks!

Best feeling

Standing in a HOT shower after a good workout.

Even though the scale refuses to show the hard work I've done this week, I know I've done it. And that's all that matters, yes? Yes.

Tomorrow is FRIDAY!

Night night.

Just felt like I should post today, though I don't have too much to day!

I have been doing my best at tracking points, but could be doing a lot better. I'm hoping to turn all of that around today! I did cave and went to lunch with some coworkers but I did good! Got grilled chicken and mashed potatoes. Could have been MUCH worse :)

Also -- tonight is trainer time at the gym! Yikes! I am also officially starting my triathlon training! (Carrie, you KNOW you want to play too!!!) Starting out easy with a revamped version of the Couch to 5k. So today I have a 25 minute walk and then lifting with my trainer. I'll probably do 30 mins walking as I'll get to the gym early enough. I know -- it's an intense start. Ha! But here's what my Jan/Feb training schedule looks like. A bit lax, so I'm hoping to get some lifting in there as well.

(click image to make larger)

(click image to make larger)

Tonight for dinner I think I'm going to have the 0 point soup that was supposed to be lunch with some crackers and maybe a little cheese. YUM!

Cast Your Vote!

My cousin is getting married in May. Being the awesome bride that she is -- we are allowed to pick our bridesmaid dresses! The stipulations are that is has to be Alfred Angelo, come in Clover and be cocktail or knee length.

So here are the ones I'm deciding between!

Style # 6476



Style #6129SN



Style #6471



Style # 6128



Style #6122



Style #6310



Style # 6556

(All pictures taken from www.alfredangelo.com)

So cast your vote! I really don't know what I'm going to pick... but at least I've (somewhat) narrowed it down, right?

Mirror Shock

I had a total case of mirror shock the other day. See at our old apartment the only actual mirror in the place was the bathroom cabinet, so it was maybe 18 inches high and 12 inches wide... IF that. It was small... and really only good for a "collar-bone up" view. When I first moved there I kept meaning to get a full length mirror for behind the door or something... but just never got around to it, and then I got used to not having one. On occasions it was still annoying, but I had learned to live with it.

Well our new bathroom is MASSIVE. I mean its heaven on earth if you ask me. Double vanity, garden tub, linen closet, separate section for the toilet... you get the gist. And the whole wall above the double vanity is a mirror. Which is awesome. But it WASNT all that awesome when I took my first shower, and opened up the shower curtain to get out and was staring at myself in this huge massive mirror. Good heavens. I hadn't seen that image in a YEAR... and lets just say its changed a bit... and not for the better.

I'm hoping this become a motivator. Because if not it will just become annoying. hahaha. But now that the initial shock of really SEEING my body has worn off, I'm back to loving everything about my incredibly huge and luxurious bathroom.

The plan is as follows... starting Monday (I know I should start today, but I haven no food in the house and might not get to the store until Monday... see previous post on the new pup) I am getting back on my bike. I am going to start packing lunches again and eating GOOD FOR ME foods. My body prefers it that way.

Other than that there's not much going on. Been unpacking, taking care of the little one, and getting things as situated as possible at the house. Other than being super tired... life is good :)

Chick-Fil-A, Houses, and a Vacation

Chick-fil-A for dinner last night. WOOPS! But I still did ok. I didnt really snack at work and didnt snack when I got home last night. And I just had a 4 piece nugget kids meal w/ their diet lemonade (so yummy). Could have been much worse. We went there after Ar and I looked at our first house!!!!!! We are both absolutely in LOVE with it (our pictures here). My mom, my aunt (whos a realtor) and our realtor (who had these funny looking suspenders on hahaha) have all encouraged us to look at a few more things just to make sure, but I have a feeling that we're going to want to make an offer on this one. Its got EVERYTHING we want, and its adorable. Not much we'd have to change at all.

So yes... thats why we had Chick-Fil-A for dinner.

Today I'm doing what I like to call Euro-Eating. When my cousin and I went to France (back in the day) we used to run to the gas station and get a baguette, some cheese and fruit and call it a meal. So today for lunch I have something kind of like that -- cheese and crackers and a HUGE fruit salad. YUM-O. So exciting. I might get some veggie soup at Panera to get in some veggies, we shall see.

In other news I didnt get up today OR yesterday to ride. Looks like Wednesday was just a freak of nature. And tomorrow Ar and I are heading up north for a while. (So if I'm MIA that would be why). So I'll be at my parents house and doing lots of friend/family visiting between Sat and Tuesday... which means probably not good eating. My old bike (Trek Hybrid) is still in my parents shed so I'm hoping to ride with my Aunt one day. We shall see! But when I get back, watch out I'm going to become a morning person. I'm determined!!! (At least I'm determined when its not the wee hours of the morning and I'm not snuggled up under the covers!)

In other exciting news while I'm home we'll be doing the great car swap where my brother gets my car (03 civic that has almost 100k miles on it -- but his is literally falling apart so hes pumped about it), I get my moms car (04 Honda Accord, fully loaded baby), and my mom is getting a new car, and donating my bros to charity to get the tax deduction for it. I'm not done paying off my car so my mom paid it off and I'm going to send my payments to her ever month. I do love my mom and dad :) And yes, I realize that I'm a bit spoiled. (I just hope I'm not too much of a spoiled brat! heehee)

Ok onto the menu...

Bfast:
vitamuffin and yogurt - 2

Lunch:
fruit salad - 2
crackers and cheese - 5

Snacks:
asian pear - 0
100 cal pack - 2
maybe something else -- not sure though

Dinner:
No idea. I have to clean out my car, pack, do laundry and get to bed EARLY so probably a pick up dinner using up the veggies in the fridge so they dont go bad!

Links!

I was flipping through this months Women's Health magazine (that Ar bought last night -- what a treat!) and came across some fun links. Thought I'd share them....

The first is:
http://us.whatsthecost.com/snowball.aspx
This is for calculating debt. Quite useful in figuring out how long it will take to pay off something with interest rates. Also a bit depressing to see that it will take me 18 months to pay off my credit card... but hey -- at least I'm being realistic! haha.

The other link I found is random, but it calculates MP$ -- so basically how much it costs in gas to drive a certain distance...
http://unfocusedbrain.com/projects/miles_per_dollar/

I costs me $2.35/day round trip to drive to and from work. Not too bad since I looked up my old commute in NJ and it was like 8 bucks haha.

Just thought they were fun to play around with if youre bored at work (or just in general).