Biggest Loser Fridays

BL Fridays is back!

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This week's verdict..

Down 1 lb! Pretty good considering I downed a piece of cheesecake and three candy bars when Lucy Lu was here. (When do you think I will have a week where I don't have to tell you I ate like crap?)

That brings my total weight loss to 5 lbs.

I'd like it to be a little higher but I'm fairly close to my goal for the month. Yes. I have monthly goals for myself through July when I will FINALLY be at my goal weight!! Eek. Hope I can stick it out that long :)

We don't have any plans this weekend and next week seems pretty clear schedule wise as well...so I am looking forward to a monster week on the scale in my near future.

Hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! And tell me, how is your weight loss coming?

What's Happening

I've been feeling a little disconnected lately with this little blog of mine. And trying to think of clever, interesting things to share is just not happening. Let's face it. I live a simple life. Yesterday I went to work, watched two episodes of Lost, went to the gym, watched another two episodes of Lost, and then went to bed. Interesting? No. I was bored just recapping that for you.

So in lieu of something new and exciting going on in my life, I thought I would give you bullets...AKA...a way to formulate a post when not one thing in your life is worth writing a whole post about. Ta da!

• I'm completely over the snow. Just when our driveway was finally cleared off...what happened? It snowed again. And there is another 4-6 inches expected through tomorrow. I can deal with the cold a little longer. But the snow. Not so much.

• I'm super jealous of my sister who leaves for her cruise next week. A week on a ship with unlimited food and fun sounds like just what I need right now!

• I'm thinking of joining the women's bible study at our church. I've always shied away from it since it was during the week and we live so far away...but my urge to get more involved and invest in my own walk just continues to tug at my heart.

• I'm one book away from finishing the entire Bible.

• I actually miss my husband the second I walk out the door in the morning.

• I haven't decorated a cake in 2 months. I've enjoyed the break.

• Still spinning. Still loving it. Butt hurts!

• Hubs leaves next month for a week for work. I despise sleeping alone and being without him...but I'm weirdly excited about my week of full reign on dinner and T.V. I pictures endless hours of Lost whilst eating cereal for dinner. Love it.
  

Bloggy Meet Up!

Hello friends! It feels like it's been forever! My week is a little screwy because I had Monday off...but this girl is not complaining. I could really get used to four day work weeks.

My weekend was pretty jam packed but it was a lot of fun. I spent Saturday morning volunteering with the Junior League at one of the local hospitals in the city. We participate in a program designed to assist young, pregnant women during and after the delivery. These women have the opportunity to participate in classes and earn points which they can then spend in the Stork's Nest. This shop is filled with all sorts of donated items such as car seats, bouncers, clothes, books, diapers...you name it. We were able to provide child care for the mothers during the lecture, assist in feeding the participants, and organize the "checking out" duties of the Stork's Nest. It's one of those projects you participate in that leaves you feeling like you really made a difference...but also that you are so, so blessed. The majority of the pregnant women were very young. Some as young as 14. I just cannot even imagine...

Sunday we headed to church and spent the remainder of the day cleaning the casa. Why were we cleaning you ask? (You know I don't just clean for the heck of it...right?)

Well....because Lindsay was coming!!!

Lindsay and her dear husband were able to stop in Cleveland on their way home from a wedding filled weekend Sunday evening for a visit. You have no idea how excited I was to meet this girl. I mean, wouldn't you be? She's just fantastic.

We hit up Houlihan's for dinner and then Cheesecake Factory for dessert. I was able to get my Red Velvet Cheesecake!! Yeah! It was heavenly.


Monday we spent the morning visiting and even played the Wii for a bit. Let's just say we need some practice...

Chick-fil-a was on the menu for lunch since my Canadian friends had never been. It was a hit! Obviously. Can't you tell how excited she was??


It was so wonderful having them and I cannot wait for our next bloggy meet up!!

*Pictures stolen from Lindsay. Ha!

Biggest Loser Fridays

Another edition of .... BL Fridays!

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This week...

Up 1 lbs. Sad face.

But do you remember the kind of week I had which included cupcakes and crab butter soup? I think that explains it. Frankly I'm excited it's only a pound! Ha! And it was completely worth it. I'll just work extra hard next week to make up for my little oops.

Last night I decided to try and squeeze in my "last chance workout" with a little spinning. I had been to one class before...but it was only 30 minutes and there was a substitute instructor that didn't know a thing about spinning. So this was essentially my first time.

Can I just tell you that it was awesome!?! And I'm in total shock that I thought so? I remember thinking during class, "I can't believe I am actually liking this!" It was a fantastic workout. The kind of workout where you're dripping sweat and you really feel like you did something positive.

There were actually two of us there that were newbies so the instructor was able to give us separate beginner instructions. But you know what? I did about 95% of the advanced moves! She even said I was athletic!?! I haven't heard that in so long. It felt great!

So next week will hopefully include more spinning classes and less eating crap.

Except on Sunday when I am having Cheesecake Factory for dessert.

But that's just one day, right?

And Red Velvet Cheesecake doesn't count, right?

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Beuller?

A V-Day Recap

Since I was returning from Chicago on Valentine's Day afternoon, Matt and I decided that it would be nice to have a relaxing evening at home instead of fight the crowds on the Day-o-Love. That was perfect for me seeing as I got up at 6 a.m. to sit on a bus for 6 hours...and was sans shower and makeup with no intention of doing either.

I walked into our house to find flowers on the counter from my dear husband. Who was cleaning. And doing laundry. Amazing. What a welcome home present!

We exchanged gifts immediately. I got Matt these:

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Yes. A Colts snuggie and cowboy boot slippers! He loved them both...however I think I will be stealing the slippers because they are simply awesome. And warm. And they make me look cool.

Oddly enough, Matt's gift to me was also along the same lines.

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It's pretty much a snuggie on steroids. You can actually zip yourself into it and the lining is so soft! It is crazy warm and I fee like I'm all wrapped up in a cocoon. The only downfall is that the sleeves are not as long as the snuggie making it a little difficult to raise my arms very high. But it's perfect for just sitting on the couch. Which is what I intend to do whilst wearing it.

So clearly my husband and I like to sit on the couch and be warm. And we both know it. Ha! It just cracks me up that our gifts were so similar!

For dinner we made crab legs and enjoyed them by the fire. And washed them down with Dr. Pepper. In wine glasses. It was lovely.

And we may or may not have tossed the scraps of remaining crab into the leftover butter and made what Matt referred to as "crab butter soup." Don't knock it til you try it people. It was delicious.

Obviously I have spent some time at the gym following this meal. Ha! But it was so worth it.

The Way He Works

Yesterday my e-mail got hacked.


I know. The horror!


I came in this morning to several e-mails and phone calls from friends informing me of the ridiculous link "I" had sent them.

So what do I do? Change my password and send out an "I'm sorry my password was entirely too easy to guess" e-mail.

Started out as a really craptastic day.



But you know what?

I have heard from no less than 4 "used to be" close friends of mine today that I have lost touch with who have responded to my "I suck" e-mail. What a blessing in disguise! Something irritating has suddenly turned into a conversation starter and a rekindling of so many lost friendships.

So today I am thankful. Thankful that God has a reason for absolutely everything. And I am amazed at what He can use to bring people into our lives.

Chi Town Bloggy Meet Up!

Good morning friends!! I hope your Monday was just fabulous! I have been a busy, busy girl the last few days and I am just now getting a chance to catch my breath! Work has been insane. I am in need of a serious vacation! Like one of those week long vacations you spend with your hubby on the beach somewhere with no cell phone reception? Yeah. One of those.

Anyway...

Oh what a weekend I had! As you may remember, I hit the streets of Chicago with Shaina, Jenn, and Lisa on Saturday. Shaina and Lisa were darling enough to pick me up from the train station in the morning and then we headed out for brunch. I had some seriously delicious french toast. Followed by a cupcake. German Chocolate to be exact. Yep. It was that kind of weekend.

We stopped over at Lisa's apartment, picked up Jenn, and headed out for more cupcakes! I had White Velvet this time...which was basically vanilla with white chocolate shavings on top...in case you didn't know....which I did not...but it looked awesome so I went with it. We wandered around different sections of the city and did some shopping. But let's be honest. We were really just wasting time until we could eat again.

We had dinner at a place called Hot Chocolate. Don't worry. They served actual food. I didn't just have chocolate for dinner. We scarfed down the garlic monkey bread for an appetizer and then I split a lamb sausage wrap and mac and cheese with Jenn. It was my first experience with lamb and it was so good! The brussel sprouts, however, were not my favorite. Ha! But I washed them down with some sort of chocolate dessert so all was right with the world.

By the way, I totally janked all of these pictures from this post by Shaina. For some reason I didn't take any pictures? Yeah. Stupid. But I think my camera was self conscious of the beauty of Shaina's pink camera so it wanted to stay hidden.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAINA!!

This was us at nearly every meal. Why did we not just get separate checks? Lesson learned.

Jenn was generous enough to drive me back to my sister's house and I took the Megabus back home Sunday morning. It was a simply fabulous weekend with some lovely, lovely ladies that I wish everyday lived across the street from me.

Up next...Valentine's Day with my hubby!

BLF and Bloggy Road Trip!

Here it is! Another edition of BL Fridays!!

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After a slight mishap last week, I rebounded this week and lost 3 pounds! Yeah!! That brings my grand total to 5 pounds in 4 weeks! I'll take it!

The week went pretty smoothly after our Super Bowl bash on Sunday where I consumed my weight in cheese. I decided to cut back a little on my points to make up for my indulgence on Sunday and it looks like that helped. I also hit the gym, did a few rounds of Taebo at home, and even dusted off my Wii Fit last night! Has anyone gotten the Wii Fit Plus yet?? What do you think? Worth the upgrade?

Today I am heading to Chicago! BUT, I am not going there to visit my sister (although I will get to see her face today!!). I am going to visit some other lovely ladies! Can you guess who?

No.

Well then I'll tell you!

I am going to be spending Saturday with Shaina, Jenn, and Lisa!! Our to do list includes such things as brunching, shopping, cupcaking, and dinnering. So pretty much shopping and eating. I could not imagine a better weekend! Well, maybe if this girl would be there. Next time for sure!

And I will be home Sunday afternoon to spend Valentine's Day with my forever Valentine!

Hope everyone has just the very best Valentine's Day weekend!! Can't wait to hear about your plans!

What I'm Loving...

In anticipation of Valentine's Day...I thought I would give you a few things that I love at this very moment:

1. God
I didn't grow up in what I would call a Christian household so the fact that God found me in the midst of it is a blessing. But because of this, my beliefs have not always come easily to me. But at this very moment, I can honestly say I feel more confident and without a doubt certain in my God and what He expects from me. And although I have no idea what He has in store for my life, I am comforted knowing He is in control.

2. Jello Mousse
Dude, this stuff is good. I just wish I could eat 5 of them at once instead of 1. Yeah. Now that would be awesome.

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3. Sleep:
I have gone to bed before 9 p.m. two nights in a row and I love it. I am feeling more rested during the mornings and could really care less that I am missing T.V. Although my DVR is about to explode.

4. Lost
I have become completely obsessed with old seasons of Lost. I'm almost done with Season 2 and I have had the DVDs less than a month. I love it! Hopefully I can catch up to watch Season 6 live soon!

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5. Friends
I could not be more stoked about the next two weekends coming up and the plans I have. I don't want to give anything away just yet...but I will say I get to spend them with some of the most amazing people I have ever known...but have yet to really meet!

6. Electric Blanket
We have an electric blanket on the couch and on the bed and they are always on. And always on High. I think I'm a freeze baby.

7. Cupcakes
I intend to consume no less than 4 cupcakes on Saturday. And they must all be delicious or they do not count as my 4 and I get another one with no penalty. Okay?

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8. Hubs
Duh. I love him every moment of every day. He rocks.

What are you loving??

Birthday Wishes!

Happy Tuesday my friends!! Did everyone have a lovely weekend!?!

Our weekend was overshadowed by an awful Sunday involving car trouble on the way to church...leaving us stranded for approximately 3 hours at a Marathon gas station which I later learned was the same exact gas station where my co-worker's son was killed a few months ago. Yeah. I know.

And after we had our car towed the 20 miles to the shop by our house, we left without getting our garage door opener...leaving us locked out of our house. Good thing we rent and have landlords that are willing to come to our rescue on a Sunday afternoon. They could not have been more generous about the whole incident. Oh what a day!

So after leaving the house at 8:45 a.m. we returned at 3 p.m. with absolutely nothing accomplished. And then the Colts lost which makes my heart sad. But we did enjoy watching the Super Bowl with good friends and yummy food...so there was a glimmer of fun on our Sunday!

On a much happier note, I would like to take this opportunity to wish one of my bestest friends a very, very happy birthday!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SHAINA!!

Shaina's one of those girls you have no choice but to love. She is undoubtedly hilarious but also incredibly kind and supportive. I am beyond lucky to call her my friend. Now head on over and wish this fabulous lady a happy birthday!!

Biggest Loser Fridays and a Bloggy Birthday!!!

Welcome to the 3rd week of BL Fridays!

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Well ladies. This week was disappointing. I gained 1.5 lbs. Insert sad face here. Bringing my total weight loss to date to 2.0 lbs.

BUT, it was totally expected. We went out to eat last weekend to Chick-fil-a, Abuelos, and Panini's and I did not make good food choices. Unless you consider pizza, a huge burrito, and a million tortilla chips a good choice. Which honestly at the time, I did. Ha!

I actually expected much worse so in a way I'm kind of excited the damage was only minimal. I don't know about anyone else, but when I screw up an entire week...I can gain a LOT of weight. So 1.5...coolio.

But I really want to work hard this week to take that weight back off. I have an upcoming trip next weekend with some lovely ladies and I'd like to eat my face off one day and not feel so bad about it :)


On another note...I just read Brittany's post yesterday about her Bloggy Birthday and it reminded me that I actually started blogging in February of last year as well. I looked it up and in fact my very fist post was a year ago...TOMORROW!

I can't believe my little blog is turning 1! It was not that long ago that I didn't even know what blogging was...and then when I found out what it was I thought it was stupid :) Why would anyone want to read my thoughts, my dreams, my disappointments? And why would I want to read anyone else's? Well, turns out I was completely and utterly wrong. I LOVE reading all of your blogs and I have "met" some of the very best people I have ever "known" through blogging. I thank you SO much for your friendships and your comments....your e-mails and encouragement. All of you mean SO much to me and I could not be more thankful that I started this blog.

So stick around! This year's going to be great! I can feel it!

Our Kind of Fort

Did you ever make a fort when you were little?

My brother, sister, and I used to make them all the time. We would drape blankets over chairs, covering them all the way so they touched the floor. We'd put pillows and blankets underneath and have the best time hiding out, giggling, and peeking out to see if anyone knew where we were.

Yesterday, I built a fort.

But it was a different kind of fort.

I didn't use chairs, just billions of pillows covered with blankets.

And I had candles.

And lotion.

And a surprised husband who walked into our living room upon returning from work who couldn't have been happier.

You see this man of mine. He loves massages. He has back problems to begin with, but pair that with sitting in a desk all day and let me tell you the man suffers.

So you think God would've blessed him with a wife who loved to give him nightly massages to rub his worries away?

He did not.

In fact, I pretty much hate it.

Okay, I don't hate it. I just get bored! I mean, how long are you supposed to rub someone? When can I stop? Plus, it's not like I know any special massage techniques!?! I have no idea what I am doing.

So this, ladies, was special.

And I really didn't have a reason. I just wanted to do something to show my husband that I was thinking about him. But you know what? It was the perfect day to do it. Unbeknownst to me, he had quite the rough day at the office and it was just the thing he needed.

Maybe God did know what he was doing.