One year from today (2009 recap)

If all goes as planned... one year from today I will be on the beach in Jamaica getting MARRIED! WooHoo!

2009 was a very good year, one of the best yet! We bought our first house, got our first dog, gutted our entire kitchen, got our second puppy, and grew closer as a couple. :)

To say I'm excited for 2010 is an understatement. However, 2009 was an amazing year and one I will remember for the rest of my life.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 is over. (And I am GLAD!) I was feeling like a major grinch this year and just couldn't get into the holiday spirit! I was stressed out, depressed, blah blah. I'm glad everything can get back to normal now.

On our way to my mom's house we stopped for some fancy taco bell. When we were leaving, Tom told me to grab my present out of his pocket....I found this.

Yeah, a hot sauce packet that said, "Will you marry me?" HAHAHA! I told him that it's official now because I have proof! ;) He says it's not official until he gives me my ring...Boo! But he did tell his entire family we are getting married next year! That even opened a bottle of champagne and gave us a toast! WTF?! He's taking away some of the excitement from when we "officially" get engaged by telling his family already! UGH. So we're planning a wedding, he told his whole family we're getting married, but we're not "engaged." It's frustrating! JUST HURRY UP ALREADY! :P He did grab his ex fiance's wedding ring set to trade in though. I knew the proposal wouldn't come until he grabbed her set out of storage at his dad's house because he's using whatever $$ he gets from her set to put towards mine. So now he has it and I just wait...and wait...and wait!

Here's a picture of our little family, Christmas 2009

Christmas Angel & 2 feet of snow

I have my very own Christmas angel this year... There is a blizzard coming to Minnesota, starting this afternoon. Between this afternoon and Friday night, we are going to get TWO FEET of snow! Did I mention this blizzard is starting TODAY and I am scheduled to work tomorrow? Meaning, we can't make the three hour trip home until tomorrow night? When we could have a foot of snow already?! Awesome.

Insert my very own Christmas angel, Mary. She is a lady I work with and she went behind my back and told our boss she would work for me tomorrow so we could head home tonight, and miss most of the storm. This lady gave up xmas eve with her own family so I could go home. Really?! That is just the sweetest thing! I am so touched! What an amazing thing to do for someone! I love her. :)

P.S. I DON'T love 2 feet of snow. How in the hell will we even get back into our driveway on Sunday after 2 feet of snow and nobody home to shovel?! UGH!

Wasting time at work...

FOODOLOGY

What is your salad dressing of choice? Ceasar
What is your favorite sit-down restaurant? Red Lobster or Olive Garden
What food could you eat every day for two weeks and not get sick of? Pizza
What are your pizza toppings of choice? Pepperoni & green olive
What do you like to put on your toast? peanut butter

TECHNOLOGY

How many televisions are in your house? 3
What color cell phone do you have? Black, but I have a zebra striped case on it.

BIOLOGY

Are you right-handed or left-handed? Right Handed
Have you ever had anything removed from your body? Nope!
What is the last heavy item you lifted? My brother's xmas present
Have you ever been knocked unconscious? Nope

BULLCRAPOLOGY

If it were possible, would you want to know the day you were going to die? NO way! I am scared of the thought of death.
If you could change your name, what would you change it to? Isabelle
Would you drink an entire bottle of hot sauce for $1000? Totally! That's a lot of money!

DUMBOLOGY

How many pairs of flip flops do you own? No clue. 5?
Last time you had a run-in with the cops? Um never?
Last person you talked to? Co-worker
Last person you hugged? My grandma

FAVORITOLOGY

Season? Fall
Holiday? Halloween or 4th of July
Day of the week? SATURDAY
Month? October

CURRENTOLOGY

Missing someone? Yes.
Mood? Tired, sad, excited, nervous, happy, bored (Yup, all at the same time! I've got a lot going on inside my pretty little head right now!)
What are you listening to? Co-workers
Watching? Nothing
Worry? Money & family health issues

RANDOMOLOGY

First place you went this morning? Let the dogs outside
What's the last movie you saw? Christmas Vacation! LOVE IT!
Do you smile often? No. My normal, resting face is kind of a "bitch face" even if I don't mean to be! Haha!
Sleeping Alone Tonight? No way! 3 cats, 2 dogs, and one boyfriend=I am never alone! :)

OTHER-OLOGY

Do you always answer your phone? Hardly ever is more like it
Its four in the morning and you get a text message, who is it? My sister
If you could change your eye color what would it be? Green
What flavor do you add to your sonic drink? Never been
Do you own a digital camera? Yes, two of them.
Have you ever had a pet fish? Yes. My cat ate him. lol
Favorite Christmas song(s)? The grinch song! It's my ringtone right now! :)
What's on your wish list for your birthday? No clue! I still have 5 months to think about it...
Can you do push ups? Girl push-ups? or regular ones? I can do both, but not very many regular ones!
Can you do a chin up? Not unless hell froze over...
Does the future make you more nervous or excited? SO excited!!!!!!!!
Do you have any saved texts? Nope. I might have some saved on my old phone from 3 years ago when Tom & I started dating? but nothing recent.
Ever been in a car wreck? Nothing major.
Do you have an accent? Yes/No. I have a slight "Minnesota" accent. We're awesome like that!!
What is the last song to make you cry? More like her by: Miranda Lambert
Plans tonight? a little shopping after work. $10 sweaters at Old Navy?! YES PLEASE! Then some treadmill action, and sleep! :)
Have you ever felt like you hit rock bottom? Yes. It was the darkest, most horrible time in my life. It makes me SO thankful for my life right now!
Name 3 things you bought yesterday? Energy drink, gift card for my boss, & the tip at dinner.
Have you ever been given roses? Yes
Current worry? The huge blizzard coming tomorrow... 2 FEET of snow. wtf mother nature?!!?
Current hate right now? Lack of money, my stupid job, waiting for my ring!
Met someone who changed your life? Absolutely!
How will you bring in the New Year? I think we are going out to dinner & then having some friends over to our house. Oh yeah, and lots of champagne! :)
What song represents you? Crazy Ex-girlfriend ;) by Miranda Lambert
Name three people who might complete this? I dont know.
Would you go back in time if you were given the chance? I go back and forth on this one. I'm glad I went through everything that I did because otherwise I wouldn't be where I am today. But at the same time, I want to tell the younger me a few things that would have saved me LOTS of heartache!
Have you ever dated someone longer than a year? Yes. I've been with Tom for 3.5yrs right now. I've always been a long term relationship girl.
Do you have any tattoos/piercings? 3 piercings in my ears and one tattoo.
Will you be in a relationship 4 months from now? I will 98% be ENGAGED 4 months from now!!! :)
Does anyone love you? Yes!
Would you be a pirate? Sure! I like adventure!
What songs do you sing in the shower? None
Ever had someone sing to you? Yes.
When did you last cry? Friday? I was a PMSing fool! hahaha
Do you like to cuddle? Yes, but not when I'm trying to sleep! I need my space!
Have you held hands with anyone today? Nope. I'm at work. That would be weird :P
Who was the last person you took a picture of? Last picture was of my pups, Emma & Rex. But last "person" was Tom.
What kind of music did you listen to in elementary school? I have no clue! That was a long time ago! Haha.
Do you believe in staying close with your ex's/prospects? BIG FAT NO! They are ex's for a reason!
Are most of the friends in your life new or old? a mix
Do you like pulpy orange juice? YUCK! No pulp for me please!

Happy 101 Award!

Nicole over at You Had Me At Hello gave me an award! Thanks!

RULES FOR HAPPY 101 AWARD:
List 10 things that make you happy, try to do at least one of them today, and tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day. For those bloggers who get the award, you then link back to my blog and create your makes you happy list.

1- My zoo of pets

2-My boyfriend

3-Caffeine

4-Wine

5-diamonds :)

6-high heels

7-the feeling after a good workout

8-family & friends

9-A good pizza

10-YOU!

I tag all my newer followers!

Sparkly things...

We're going ring shopping again tonight!!!! I can't really think about anything else right now. My brain is total mush. My days are full of daydreaming about rings, dresses, etc. I've wanted this for awhile now. And now it's almost here! I *almost* can't believe it!

Ahhhhhhh! I can't wait!!!!

He went to Jared!!!!!!

Actually, WE went to Jared. Haha.

*I am NOT engaged...yet*

We were heading back home from visiting my sister when a commercial came on and I told him we should go to Jared to look at rings (I literally say this every single time a commercial comes on!) Except this time, he said "okay!"

OMG!!!

I have never looked at rings before (only online) and I almost puked/said "let's go home" on our way there I was so nervous!! But the lady we worked with was very nice. They helped us pick out a few rings in our (very limited) budget, and got my finger sized!

P.S. The lady laughed when I told her I need a smaller, delicate ring because I have such small fingers. (I said, "lucky for Tom a big ring would look stupid on my small hand!") Until she sized my ring finger at 4.5! Then she said, "you really do have teeny-tiny fingers!" hahaha.

We didn't have a lot of time to look because we had a holiday party to get to, so we will head back there sometime this week when we have more time to look.

OMG!

I am in shock that I will be engaged very soon!!!!!!!

:)

Winter Blues

I've been in a slump lately. It's freezing outside (as in, literally -5 below zero out right now!) I always get kinda sad around this time of the year. I like Christmas time, but I still get depressed every year, no fail! Plus, I have a cold so I've been feeling like crap all week. UGH!

Last Friday Tom & I went and got our new iPhones. :) Yay! I like it a lot so far. The higher phone bill, not-so-much...

Tomorrow Tom & I are heading up to Duluth to see my sister. It's her 17th birthday on Monday so we will take her out for dinner and spend some time with her. Then we have to drive the 3 hours back early Sunday morning because we have the 1st holiday party for Tom's work. (There is always two.) This one is smaller, and casual. The fancy formal one is in January. So we have to head back and get ready for that. I still have lots of Christmas shopping to do and Christmas is only two weeks away! I just can't seem to shake this "blah" mood!

I'm a grandma

Because I would LOVE to get this dinnerware set from the Pfaltzgraff catalog!

Tom HATES the pattern. I believe his words were, "damn roosters!" Haha. I have never been into the country style. But for some reason I love this pattern and want to collect everything! (Too bad it's kinda spendy!) :(

We are thinking about switching cell carriers. Right now we are with Tmobile. So we have to go to the mall and check out all the major carriers, plans, cost, phones, etc. I'm excited! I want an iphone, or something similar I can download apps onto. We'll see. I also want to start Christmas shopping and run to Whole Foods to see if they have any new goodies. YAY FOR PAYDAY! I can't wait to start Christmas shopping!!!

Get Crackin in December!

It's December already! Holy cow! (And we still don't have any snow! Weird!)

This past weekend was okay. Even though from Weds-Sunday I had 5 "Thanksgivings." I did pretty good, considering...But I still took a minor hit to the scale. Also, running around to this house and that house to fit in a few hours with all the family is exhausting! I told Tom that next year we should host Thanksgiving. Have ONE meal. Invite everyone, if they come-great. If not, well sorry but this will be our ONE Thanksgiving. (That will be easier on my waist AND my sanity!) I mean, when you have two people and both have divorced parents, it gets really hard to see everyone in only 2 days!

My weight loss sucked in November. I would do great during the week and then the weekends would be busy with such and such event and I would ruin all the work I did during the week. I HAVE to stop that.

November Starting Weight: 147

Week One: -2 (145)

Week Two: +1 (146)

Week Three: -0.5 (145.5)

Week Four: -0.0 (145.5)

***Goal: -10 (137)***

So, for December, my goal is to be 140 before Christmas. I have plenty of time to lose 5 pounds! All I have to do is STOP ruining my progress by eating junk on the weekends! (And not having 5 Thanksgiving dinners in one week will help! Ha!) I am doing my 30-day-shred DVD starting tonight. I hope to do it at least 4 times a week. I also want to continue with my treadmill running. I did do great with my exercising in November. I exercised, on average, 5 days a week. It was my eating that held me back. Well, no more! I KNOW I can get to 140 before Christmas. And I'm going to try to be at my goal (137) before 2010.

In 31 days, I can be at my GOAL WEIGHT. No, scratch that. In 31 days I WILL be at my goal weight. On Jan 1st, 2010 I can finally move onto maintenance! WooHoo!!!!! (I am also scheduling my giveaway for Jan 1st, 2010! Unless I make it sooner of course!) :)

Black Friday

So I'm at work. Blah. At least it's really slow... I did hit up Old Navy before work today and scored some good deals! :) That made me happy! I spent $60.45 and saved $84.75!!! Can't beat that!

I weighed-in today, -0. I stayed the same as last week. And I'm 100% okay with that considering it's the day after Thanksgiving! Haha. We're heading home after I get off work tonight. I still have 2 more "thanksgivings" to have this weekend--wish me luck!

I also ordered my xmas cards today (got a good deal on them too!! 75% off!) Here's the digital preview of them... I can't wait to get them! I think they are going to look AWESOME! :)

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving! Even though I have to work tomorrow and I've been crabby and oh-so not in the holiday spirit this week, I still have a lot to be thankful for this year!!

1- Tom
2- My family (Even my one sister who shut us out of her life...)
3- I have a job. I may be miserable there, but it pays the bills and buys us food. We don't have to really struggle like some people are right now.
4- Buying our first house this summer!!!!!!!!
5- Our new puppies! I've wanted a puppy for a long time and now I have TWO!
6- My body. I'm finally learning to respect it and everything it can do for me!

Wordless Wednesday

Emma

My Weekend Plans in Pictures

This weekend we will be going to Duluth (Only for Sat & Sun since my work sucks!)

I will take my younger sister to see this with me

I will drink lots of this

And eat lots and lots of this

Before we head back to Minneapolis to start another "wonderful" work week!

P.S. I will still do my weigh-in on Friday as scheduled. I've been in such a funk this week I really need to see a good number!

I've got nothing

My weekend was fine. I found the BEST wine in the whole word--Rebel Red. It was SO good! I had a glass of it at a bowling alley of all places, and searched all over to find a bottle for myself and I CAN'T find it! I am super mad because it was the best glass of wine I've ever had and I can't find it now!! And I NEED it because I'm pretty depressed right now and some good wine would totally make me feel better. I guess I'll just have to go back to the bowling alley and buy some... :(

I'm bummed because I love holidays and I have to work the day after Thanksgiving and it's totally ruined my mood and I'm being a total GRINCH right now and I don't care.

I put up all my Christmas decorations yesterday, including the tree. I was hoping it would lift my spirits some...It didn't. I woke up this morning with a sore back from putting everything up and NONE-ZIP-ZERO Holiday spirit.

P.S.- It feels weird to have a Christmas tree in my house. How can it be that time of year already?!

P.S.S- It's even more weird that we have NO SNOW and it's 50 degrees in Minnesota right now?! I'm pretty sure October was much colder than November has been this year!

That's all I have for now... :(

Livin' for the weekend

It's Friday! I feel like I am always going through the motions and just trying to get through the week to get to the weekend. I feel like I'm a robot during the week. Doing the same thing day after day, not really enjoying anything. I guess that's what happens when you dislike your job. It's so boring and I don't feel important or get to use my brain hardly at all. I dread coming to work. Can someone just tell me what I am meant to do with my life?? That would be so much easier!

My weigh-in wasn't as great as I wanted this morning. Oh well, a loss is a loss I guess...

Nov 6: -2
Nov 13: +1
Nov 20: -0.5

Total: -1.5

I have noticed my clothes fit better and my fitness has improved a ton since I got my treadmill a month ago. I've been working out about 4-5 days a week ever since and I can tell a difference! At any rate, I have no choice but to keep plugging along. (And I'm a little scared my weigh-in next week is the day after Thanksgiving! Yikes!)

One week left...

until Thanksgiving! Holy crap! Time is flying! I'm a little bummed that I have to work the day after Thanksgiving. Boo! :( I LOVE shopping on black Friday! The crowds, the excitement, the Christmas songs--It totally gets me in the Christmas spirit! But this year I will be at work and Tom will be at home in our cozy bed. I think my place of employment should be closed. It would be a huge boost of moral to everyone who works here! Hell, that will never happen. We are even open on Christmas Eve! (And yes, I have to work!) Which really sucks when you live 3 hours away from all of your family so it's not like I can meet them right after work... Ugh! Now I'm just getting crabby thinking about it!

Moving on... I read this quote today, "I’ve learned that most people won’t change until the pain of staying the same becomes greater than the pain of changing." Bingo. I have tried and failed at losing weight so many times. But finally, it clicked. And I knew I had to change. Because no matter what I had to do to lose the weight, it was worth it to no longer be the fat, depressed person I was.

But I also look at it from another angle...I am no longer "in pain" with who I am. I am a "normal" weight and my weight doesn't hold me back (as much) anymore. So, I'm having a hard time kicking myself in the ass because I don't have to lose weight. I want to. That's the difference now. (When I was 185+lbs I HAD to lose weight...I had no choice.)

Makes perfect sense! It doesn't mean it will get any easier to lose the last 10 pounds...but I still like that awesome quote!

Weigh-in day is tomorrow. I'm not sure what the scale will say, but since I've started jogging again, I am noticing a slight difference in my clothes fitting better, even if the scale hasn't caught up yet. We will see what happens tomorrow...

P.S. Emma did great at the vet! And she weighed in at a WHOPPING 1.7pounds! :)

Dear Face,

We are, in fact, not 13 years old anymore. It seems you lost this memo? You are dry in some places, and extra oily in others. I also have more zits right now than my teenage siblings. WTF?! Not cool! I haven't used any new products, I'm still getting my sleep, and tons of water. So please stop blessing me with the skin of a 13 year old since I also have a few small wrinkles already! UGH!

***

Emma has her first vet appt tonight. We'll see how she behaves...It shouldn't be anything major. Weigh her, take her temp, and give her some shots. I'm praying they don't find anything major wrong with her. *crosses fingers*

After the vet appt Tom wants to go to Old Chicago because they are having food and drink specials tonight since it's the kick-off of their winter beer tour. I don't know if we will have time, depending on how long the vet takes. So I'll have to find some way to stick to my calories so I can have a good weigh-in on Friday!

P.S. go to missymaintains.com for a yummy soup giveaway!

Selective Hearing

I made home made chili for dinner last night. It was delicious. Just the right amount of kick to it. After dinner I packed it up into lunch containers and left it on the counter to cool. I told Tom to put them in the fridge when he was done with the dishes.

They were still sitting on the counter when I let the dogs outside this morning...Grrr men and their damn selective hearing! He "says" he didn't hear me...whatever! All the good chili, wasted! (Tom insisted on bringing them to work today. There is cooked meat & cheese in there. It's been sitting out all night. I told him no-obviously- But he says it's "fine." When he comes home puking, I will laugh.)

P.S I think I decided what I will do for my giveaway. I will give the winner their choice of either A) Trader Joe's gift card or B) Starbucks gift card. I will also include a postcard or something from Minnesota. What do you think?!?

Puts it into perspective

I'll be honest, I love me some McDonalds. Obviously since I've been trying to lose weight I know fast food is a "no-no." There is too much salt, fat, calories, etc. But I will tell you when I hear "34 grams of fat in a Big Mac" it didn't really mean anything to me. Obviously I knew it had to be bad...but not how bad it really is for ONE burger.

I keep track of my food intake every day on sparkpeople. I plan out my meals in advance. My TOTAL fat grams for the whole day today is 44 grams. That's only 10 more grams in my total day then in one Big Mac. (It said my range is 32-56 grams a day to be a "healthy" amount) Wow! That finally hit home and put it into perspective how bad fast food is for me! (Will I still eat it on occasion? OF COURSE! I could never cut it out totally) And I will say I didn't have to eat "rabbit" food to stick to my fat gram range, either!

(My real food journal from today)

Breakfast:
regular coffee, 2 cups
pumpkin creamer, 2 TBSP
Kashi Granola bar

Snack: Sugar cookie

Lunch:
chicken tortilla soup
Light yogurt
orange

Snack: raisins & light string cheese

Dinner:
Chili, 2 cups w/
shredded cheddar cheese on top

****

My whole DAY of food:
1,341 calories
44 grams of fat
71 protein
25 fiber

ONE Big Mac sandwich & Medium fries:
970 calories
53 grams of fat
28 protein
8 fiber

Proof is in the numbers...

***

I am also hitting it hard this week. I will NOT go over 1500 calories and I will work out EVERY.SINGLE.DAY. I want to lose as much weight as I can before Thanksgiving and damnit I need to host my giveaway ASAP! :)

Why NOT to go to the grocery store buzzed...

The bf and I decided to grab some margaritas at Chilis while we were out running errands this afternoon. We only had the grocery shopping left, so why not?

It was buy one, get one free so I enjoyed myself a couple margaritas. Then we headed off to the grocery store. Usually the margaritas aren't that strong...but I guess these ones were! I had a pretty rocking buzz going on! (Don't worry, Tom was driving! :P)

And this is why you shouldn't go to the grocery store with a buzz...
1- I circled the egg nog sample area three times like a crazy lady so I could have 3 samples of egg nog!
2- I dug thru all the packages of paper towels trying to find the ones with the "cool" pattern. Then I cussed about the "shitty paper towels" when none of the patterns met my standards.
3- I have a lot of new lean cuisines flavors I never would have gotten normally because I tend to avoid some of their meats because they taste fake. But with a buzz? Rubber meat apparently looks delicious.

At least we had fun?! Haha!

FRIDAY the 13th

Happy Friday the 13th! I don't believe today is "unlucky" but it does seem like the patients at work get a tad bit crazy(er?) on this day...(I just noticed this is my 100th post!! Woohoo! 100 posts on Friday the 13th?! I think that is actually LUCKY.) :)

Anyway, I am feeling much better than I was on Wednesday & Thursday. Yay! Plus it's Friday, so what's not to love?! After work tonight we are going to a 30th birthday party/housewarming for one of our friends. A ton of our friends all bought their first houses this year so it's exciting to finally check out their place! And P.S. I still find it weird that a few of my friends are already in their 30's...that just seemed so old?! I can't believe in 2 years I will be dating (married?) to a guy who is in his 30's! I guess what that really means is 1- 30 isn't as old as it seemed when I was 18 and 2- I must be getting older myself. I choose to forget the latter...

Moving on, today is the official weigh-in day. Thankfully, the scale was a little nicer to me today. Still a gain, but considering it's TOM, I'm not worried. I've been doing this long enough to know a 1lb gain this week of the month isn't anything I need to worry about.

Nov 6: -2

Nov 13: +1

Overall Total: -1

Remember, I need to lose 10 pounds to hit my goal weight and to host my giveaway. (9 more to go!) I have a feeling next week will show an awesome number. I can feel it! :)

TMI Thursday

I've never written a TMI Thursday post before. But today is PERFECT timing!

Let me start by saying I hate being a woman sometimes. Don't get me wrong, I love high heels, lipstick, and mascara. But periods, cramps, & bloating? I can live without those! My cycle is not regular at all. It never has been. I'm even on birth control (even tried different types!) and it STILL comes whenever it flipping wants. It's kind of annoying because I can never know when aunt Flow will come to town.

She came a week early, showing up yesterday. I had the worst cramps I've had in a LONG time. I haven't had cramps this bad since I was 14 or so? I was doubled over at my desk in pain. It hurt so much it took my breath away at times! I took 4 advil in order to dull the pain somewhat. It has also been about 5x heavier than normal. I feel like I'm back in 8th grade and I have to run to the bathroom every hour to keep things under control! This is NOT normal and I have no idea why it's so heavy and so painful! It was so bad this morning I thought I might have to go to the doctor because I was bleeding so much so fast! It's a little better now...but my gosh! I thought this is why I went on birth control (other than the obvious reason!) why does my body still think it can do whatever the hell it wants all the time?! It also worries me about my fertility. I know I've said I'm nervous it will be hard for me to get pregnant because when I'm not on birth control, I can go months without a period and then when I do get one, it will be hell like this month. And now I'm even on birth control and it's STILL irregular! I've tried different types and nothing totally works, the one I'm on now seems to be the best I've tried...

Anyway, I wish my bf would feel the cramps I was having yesterday. They just have no clue how bad they can get! :(

Also, I know I wasn't supposed to weigh-in until tomorrow, but I cheated and looked today. It showed I gained those 2 pounds back that I lost last week. I KNOW that's not "real." considering what my body is dealing with right now...but it still sucked to see that number back. I wasn't as strict with my calories this week as I could have been, but I still counted calories and worked out 4 days this week. There is no way the scale should have showed a 2lb gain! (other than stupid, flipping, Aunt F!) Sigh. I better have a great number next week!

Wordless Wednesday

Puppy Kisses

Honest Scrap

Nicole left me this great award! Thanks!!! :)

10 Random things about me:

1- I love anything peppermint. Lotion, candy, candles, anything! It's my favorite smell in the world!

2- I don't do dishes. Period. This is the bf's job.

3- I love trying new recipes and "experiment" in the kitchen!

4- I order all sandwiches/salads with the sauce/dressing on the side.

5- I don't believe in soul mates

6- I am very stubborn

7- I am 24 and still don't know what I want to be when I grow up.

8- I would love to be a stay-at-home-mom but I like having my own money. So I'm hoping to drop down to part time work when I have children.

9- My dogs are flipping spoiled. Sickly spoiled. I always HATED the girls who had their stupid little dogs and treated them like children. I am now one of these girls! Sigh...

10- Sometimes I think I spoil my animals because my hormones have kicked into high gear and I'm substituting them for the real babies I don't have yet. Ha!

Emma

I was up early on Saturday morning because I was so excited to go pick up our little puppy!! It was a long drive (2 hours) But so worth it! (I couldn't find any yorkie-poodles close to home under $500...And she was only $350 but we had to drive to pick her up. )

Anyway, she is about 1.6lbs at 9 weeks old-- and such a little lover! You can tell she was spoiled already because she loves to be held! I'm in love! We think we will name her Emma. :)

Rex is excited to have another dog in the house, but he is too big/rough to play with her yet. He is such a small dog himself (7lbs) that he's never had another dog he had to be gentle with! He doesn't understand that he hurts her. He's also slightly jealous and never left my side all weekend. But all on all everyone is adjusting very well! She is starting to get braver and wants to roam around the house instead of just being held all day.

I feel slightly guilty that I think I will give Emma more attention than Rex. He is more of an active dog who loves to play, chew, and chase around. Emma (so far) loves nothing more than to be a total lap dog and cuddle with me. Who knows, she's still so young that once she's bigger and can keep up with Rex she might be a little wild thing too. Ha!

I can't wait to get home to this face...

TGIF!

So I didn't make it very long on the no-scale thing. I cheated this morning. but good news, since Monday I've lost 2 of the 5 lbs I gained last week. I'm back on the right track! :) I will plan to weigh-in again next Friday.

My dog also loves other dogs. It's crazy. He can't get enough of them! Sometimes he gets himself in trouble when he's on walks because not every dog in the world is as friendly as he is... Haha. We have also been having some separation anxiety issues with him when we are at work. So.....

We decided to get another dog! (Only for Rex, of course!) :)

We have been looking all week. Going to the shelter, checking the paper, etc. Every time we saw a dog at the shelter we liked, they were gone before we got there. I also e-mailed about a rescue dog, and never heard anything back. Finally I found the perfect little girl puppy in the paper. I called this morning and she was still available! I said we would take her for sure. And we now have a meeting to get her tomorrow at 1pm! The only bad thing is, we have to drive 2 hours to pick her up... And I have to take Tom out to dinner tonight because of it. (I had to bribe him to drive, Haha.) But we will have the sweet little puppy tomorrow afternoon! (Again, she's to keep Rex company all day...Also maybe because I have always wanted a little girl yorkie-poodle!)

here is the picture of her they had in the online version of the paper!
(She doesn't have a name yet...)

When will I learn?

Confession time. The week before Halloween I was able to button & zip every pair of my goal pants except one. Granted, they were tight. But I still got them on and zipped up and I was 5lbs away from my (final) goal weight.

Then I don't know what happened. Ok, I do know. I ate. A LOT. I know there is a reason. I feel "off." I struggle with this. I don't know what is wrong or why I feel sad, but once again I used food to comfort me and make me feel better. And Halloween is my favorite "holiday" so I figured why the hell not, I might as well drink it up and enjoy myself. Did I stick to lower calorie drinks like rum & diet? Or white wine? Of course not! I had the sweet nectar of Malibu with pineapple juice! I haven't had one of those in seriously like 2 years! It was GOOD. :)

Oh, I also gained five freaking pounds in one week. FIVE. Do you know how long it took me to lose that 5 pounds?!?!

It's my fault. I'm not making excuses. But I wish I knew why I still feel the need to reach for food when the little black cloud gets over my head. I know better!

But I also know I have to move on and I have no choice but to keep plugging along. On Monday I started logging everything that went in my mouth. I'm staying between 1300-1400 calories and working out for 45mins each day. I used to weigh myself every day. Some people don't like weighing themselves every day, but it worked for me. I decided to try something different. I'm going to try and NOT weigh myself for as long as possible. I don't know how long I will make it...I'm hoping I can wait for at least 2 weeks...maybe 3? All I know is I don't want to step back on that scale until I fix the damage I did to myself last week.

I've been in the 140's for 6 months now. My goal is the mid 130's. Six months in the 140's is PATHETIC. For crying out loud I just need to suck it up and finish this part of my weight loss journey already! Part of it was I was busy buying the house. I also lost the gym at the apartment when we moved. The main reason why I've only lost 5 pounds the past 6 months (only to put it all back on in a week!) Is because I got lazy. I'm not overweight anymore. My BMI is normal. I started accepting my weight. I wasn't 50lbs overweight anymore, so why bother?

BECAUSE IT'S NOT GOOD ENOUGH. "Motivation is what gets you started. Habit is what keeps you going." Motivation is what got my started 40lbs ago. Habit is what kept me going. Then somewhere along the line, eating healthy every day wasn't a "habit" anymore. I gave in to pressure. Everyone would say. "You look so great! You don't need to lose anymore weight!" My bf would start bringing home baked goods and yummy wine because I wasn't "fat" anymore. These foods were banished when I was 185lbs and he understood why. Now? He doesn't think I need to be so strict... But obviously I do...

I'm officially "back on the wagon." I will get to my goal weight and I will zip up those goal jeans and have them fit with NO MORE muffin top.

And when I get there, I'll host a giveaway!!!

Any ideas on thing you guys would like to see in my giveaway? I would like it to be something fitness/health related. But I am also a normal woman and I think a good bottle of red wine and dark chocolate improves my health, so don't worry it won't be anything only rabbits or marathon runners can appreciate. I don't have a date for this giveaway yet, obviously the sooner I get to my goal weight, the sooner I will host it. And now I HAVE to stick with it and be done once and for all, of you will all be mad at me and not get free stuff! :)

Phew! That was long...sorry!

Halloween 2009!

I'll let the pictures do the talking...


First of all, here is Rex, the cutest puppy shark EVER! :)

A full body shot

We went out to a local bar where a costume contest was going on.The "sausage chef" won 2nd place and I WON FIRST PLACE & $50! (I was going to be a pirate and changed my mind at the last minute because I was feeling too fat to wear the pirate costume! And who cares because the guys in the bar seemed to like the leopard!)

The boy & I

Cheers!

A cool girl I met that night. They were soooo fun to party with!

All in all, it was a really fun night! I love Halloween!