who IS that?!

i just got back to the gym - first time since before the holidays and it felt great (minus my aching foot)... i know this may be hard to believe, but i saw myself in the mirror before showering and was shocked to see how i've let myself go... yes, i "look" in the mirror on a daily basis but honestly - i've been ignoring what i saw and how i was feeling... how sad is that?!?!

i could blame the weight gain on a lot of things: planning a wedding, thanksgiving, getting sick, vacation, christmas, lack of motivation, boredom, but none of those are the real reason... I AM THE REASON for gaining weight (again) and I AM THE ONLY ONE who can fix it... end of story...

i've also been in a semi-funk since the wedding - could it be that i'm sad that all the planning is over and now i have nothing to do? hahaha, that sounds horrible but you know what i mean... i loved looking online for deals, reading wedding blogs, shopping, and planning - it was a challenge and i was good at it (so much so that i thought about starting my own design business)... we all know that funks can put a damper on things but again, i can't blame it exclusively because that would be lame...

/sigh/

so where to start, that is the question... we have a fridge full of leftovers and a counter full of cookies, cake, peanut brittle, caramel corn, and chocolate... besides the ham (which will be made into soup), all of it will be going bye-bye and yes, i hate throwing stuff out but if it's there - i'm going to continue to eat it...

exercise will become a priority again and i'm anxious to start using the Wii... perhaps i will look into taking some sort of class again...

and lastly, i will need to start tracking food again and since i never canceled my WW etools - i'll probably go back (and there's an iPhone app as well)... i haven't done the plan 100% since moving-in with eric and will need to stick to my guns if i want to succeed... yes, it was easier when it was just me and i could control what i ate, but that doesn't mean i can't do it now... i just have to WANT too...

/sigh/

here's to planning and to a healthier and happier 2010...

happy hump day!



maybe i'll call-in sick


ugh, i have to go back to work tomorrow and i'm not looking forward to it... wish i had taken this week off as well, but since my boss is out and other coworkers - there wasn't much choice... let's just hope it's quiet and not too busy... at least it won't be a long day - i have a foot doctor appt. in the morning so i'll be going in late... yay! :-)

we had a nice, quiet christmas here at home - unfortunately, both of my big presents are still "in-route" so i only had a few things to open... one of which was this redskins ski-cap (too bad they lost horrendously last night to the cowboys)... i also got a book and some chocolate, no complaints! on saturday, we had 11 family members here for dinner - it was crowded but food and drink were flowing and everyone had a good time... the fridge is FULL of leftovers so we'll be eating well for days! just wish there wasn't so many sweets still around - i seem to go to those first! :-(

i had my endocrinologist appt. today - he did a quick exam and then decided to do a full blood workup so he can see exactly what type of blood-clotting dissorder i have (there are many strains, including a few new ones)... i go back in two weeks and he'll go through everything in detail... my ob/gyn recommended i go see this doctor since there could be many health risks once i become pregnant... i will have to give myself daily shots of a "thinner" so clots don't form and the embryo stays attached to the uterus - scary stuff...

speaking of scary - the nurse made me step on the scale and it was a number i haven't seen in years! seriously! this "who cares" attitude has to stop so i'll be back at the gym tomorrow and restarting WW once i get reorganized and resettled after the holidays...

hope you all had a wonderful holiday! :)

happy monday....



T'was the night before Christmas


Merry Christmas, everyone... :-)

Eric and I will be heading out to church with mom later this evening, and then we'll be home all day tomorrow with the kitties... We are hosting dinner on Saturday and I have much to do (though we are getting help from honeybaked ham and turkey)... Presents are wrapped but there's cookies to bake and cleaning to do - maybe I'll start on those tomorrow...

I've had a few good days off, though the news from my sonogram was not good... The tumor has come back in my right foot, but times two - so it's back to the foot doctor on Tuesday to see what the next step will be... The radiologist said one of the "spots" could be a mass of scar tissue so we'll see what happens...

As for eating and exercise, both have been crap and I can really feel it... I know that one of my presents from Eric is a Ninendo Wii, so I'm really looking forward to using it... For those that have one - what games/activities do you like?

I hope you all have a wonderful holiday, be safe, and remember to be thankful... I know I am! :)



i can't find my car

it has been snowing here since last night - almost 24 hours straight... as of about an hour ago, the ruler in our backyard said 18" which is crazy - DC hasn't had snow like this in years! it's broken records, left and right, and will continue to do so until tomorrow when it finally stops... we have decided to not start shoveling until then so for now, we'll be staying indoors and letting nature take its course... :)

yesterday was my last day at work until the 29th... i hit the MVA, bright and early, and got my new driver's license which took less than 40 minutes! wow! after that - i hit target, kohl's, the grocery store, baja fresh, the mall, and target one more time (but a different one)... i was able to finish most of my shopping, but still have a few small things to pick-up this week - so glad i was home before rush hour and before the snow started... last night - i disassembled my centerpieces and washed the mason jars,  next will be going thru the lanterns and linens to see what i can resell... :)

eric and i watched the movie "9" today - very interesting... might watch 'the davinci code" and "angels and demons" later - tomorrow, it's football... yay! can't wait to make chicken noodle soup... :)

hope everyone is having a great weekend... :)

happy saturday...








why can't it be thursday?

happy hump day!

i'm so glad i only have 1 more day and then it's vacation time til after christmas... i still won't have used-up all my time, but the majority of it will be taken at least (i think)... so far the only plans i have made are: 2 doctors appointments, getting a new driver's license, opening a joint-checking account, and lunch with some old coworkers... i also plan on getting my christmas cards done, baking some cookies, finishing my shopping, and getting some R&R sans being sick... am feeling much better, thankfully, and hope to stay cold-free for the rest of the winter! :-)

i found two more really cute blogs today:

yesterday was our company holiday party - it was in-house this year when in the past, we generally go to a local hotel... to save money, they had decorated outside one our large conference rooms and had tables upon tables of sweet things like cookies, brownies, cheesecake, pudding, etc... there was only ONE bowl of fruit and a few pieces of cheese with some crackers... seriously?! that's all your giving us?! makes me so mad that they chose unhealthy over healthy when it comes to things like this... after the party, we went to grab a drink around the corner then went to another bar to celebrate someone's bday... it was fun but then it got late and i had to get home (which is a nightmare w/metro after 9:00)... my design-coworker found out that someone stole a bunch of cash from her wallet at the bar - we had thrown all our crap down on some couches and never went back until it was time to leave... so stupid! i had a bunch of cash and a blank check in mine, but luckily - nothing was taken... lesson learned! :-p

i went to the gym on monday, but not yesterday and plan on going today as well... it's been incredibly hard to get back into the swing of things esp. after the wedding, thanksgiving, and being sick... i have lost all my mojo - must be that time of year! ;-)

on a good note: the photographer has been sending me batches of wedding photos and i have to say, i think i look pretty good... yea, i hate the way my arms look but considering i didn't lose any weight beforehand, they came out really well... as soon as i go thru them all, i'll share some on here... :-)

happy wednesday...



drugs are good

the antibiotics are working, i think anyway - am feeling MUCH better and more like myself (doctor gave me levaquin)... so much so, that i had the energy to write our wedding thank-you's last night (while listening to christmas music, via pandora, on my iphone)... and speaking of christmas - those cards will get done this weekend, as well as some shopping and football-watching since last sunday i was busy with mom... it's always good to have at least ONE day to do nothing... :)

so how incredible was the 'biggest loser' on tuesday? i knew danny was going to win and thought he looked amazing (and about 20-years younger)... and am i the only one that thought rebecca looked a tad creepy with the shorter, blonde hair? that's what eric said anyway, but she looked incredible and totally deserved the $100k... wonder how next season will be, it's back to the couple-thing again...

eric and i have been catching-up with some movies lately - we watched 'district 9' and 'terminator salvation'... i have to say 'district 9' was pretty cool, though nothing like i was expecting, and i really liked the news-focused storyline...

food/exercise have been okay (food) and nonexistent (exercise) since i've been sick... watching the total-gym demo, on qvc, made me wish i had a house that was big enough to have my own gym... then i would never have an excuse to skip a workout... :)

happy thursday...



Just me and the kitties

So I called the doctor and was told he was booked for the day, then was asked a bunch of questions, and told they would call-in an RX for me... Let's just hope the antibiotics help because I'm really tired of feeling like crap...

Question: How annoying is Kathy Lee Gifford? Time for the food network...

Happy Tuesday



And she's out

This cold has been kicking my ass for almost two weeks and after emailing a friend about some of my symptoms, she goes "maybe you have a sinus infection"... That might explain the pain I've been having and lack of energy... I keep pretending that I'm okay but the cough is still here too, so its Time to call the doctor... :-(

On a good note, we got our tree on Saturday (as it was snowing) and got that up yesterday along with lights on the house... Inside was done as well so at least I feel like I acomplished something this weekend... And so far, only one cat has attempted to drink out of the tree stand and climb the tree (before being decorated)... Ugh...

Been ordering some things for Eric and after buying some new kitchen curtains on Sat, I didn't like them when I put them up... I hate when that happens... So I found some nicer ones at jcpenny.com and will return the ones from target... *sigh*

Have I mentioned that our basement is full of wedding stuff? I need to take apart all the centerpieces and go thru the linens and lanterns to resell... What a job that will be... :-(

Well, I should go and get some rest... Will see what the doc says tomorrow...

Happy Monday

Sent from my iPhone (please forgive typos!)

Happy Holidays!



TGIF

i'm SO glad it's friday... besides being my first week back, this cold is taking F O R E V E R to go away and it's not made me a happy camper... hopefully by the time monday rolls around though, i'll be feeling more like myself so i'm going to try and be optimistic... :)

speaking of optimistic - i REALLY wish my right foot would stop hurting! the cortisone shot that i got right before the wedding didn't help, so i've made another appt. and will ask to have an MRI so we can figure out what's wrong... it's been very painful and the shoes that used to be okay to wear, aren't so much these days and that's not good... hard to believe that it's been almost 10 years since i've had a normal, pain-free foot... :(

i am determined to start decorating for christmas this weekend - eric isn't so into the whole thing and could care less about getting a tree... last night he said, "don't you have a skinny, fake one we can use?" and i replied, "yea, but i want a real one, don't you?" his family, from what i've seen, isn't very big on holidays or decorating, but my mom was and still is... i just think it's nice to make the house look pretty and smell good too, plus - it's only for a month so why not?! so, either tomorrow or sunday i'll be dragging him out of the house so we can buy a tree... just not sure where it's going to go just yet... ;)

i started to do some shopping online, but for the life of me - can't figure out what i want this year... i told eric that i already got what i wanted this year (a ring AND a wedding) so i'm not sure what to ask for... for those of you that have been dating a while and/or are married - any suggestions? i have an ipod and an iphone... hmm...

well, that's all i have for today... hope everyone has a great weekend - stay warm! might snow here tomorrow... :(

happy friday...



giveaways

i'd like to start sharing blogs/products again, so here are some that i found last night (thank you, real simple)... please check'em out and who knows, maybe you'll win something... :)

enjoy!



facelift

thought it was time to make this blog a bit more festive... not like i don't have better things to do, but hey - it's that time of year! yee haa! i'm SO excited to have an actual house to decorate this year (instead of my old apartment), so the possibilities are endless! i wanted to get a tree this past weekend, but since i was sick and we had other things going on - looks like it will be this weekend instead... of course i have no idea where we're going to put it, but don't worry - i can find a place for anything... :)

i went to the gym today - first time in like 2 weeks! crazy! since i can't breathe that well, i was still able to get 40 minutes-in on the treadmill (incline) and then did some sit-ups... eric keeps talking about joining the gym so once he's back on his feet (i gave him the cold that i'm still trying to get over), we'll go and see how it works... i haven't stepped on the scale in over a month so who knows what i'm going to see... :(

while on 'vacation', i took the time to upgrade my iphone and get some new apps... i can see how people spend hours and hours (and money) on apps because they are endless! i've only bought one so far (scrabble) and seem to have good luck with the free ones... these are some of the new ones i downloaded, but feel free to suggest ones that you might have too... :)

  • doodle buddy -> can draw and add frames around pictures
  • ps mobile -> similiar to photoshop with different filters and color options
  • scramble -> a word game (like boggle)
  • short covers -> book program (free and purchased)
  • crop for free -> allows you to crop images on your phone
  • ringtones lite -> lots of free ones and easy to download
well, i need to run and pick-up some nyquil on the way home... yea, yea - i'm such the good wife... ;)

happy tuesday...



already?

s it was back to work today, even though i didn't feel like going... i've been sick since last tuesday - started with a sore throat and gradually moved into a bad head-cold with lots of coughing... thank GOD we didn't go on a honeymoon right away because i would've been miserable the whole time (bad enough i wasn't 100% over thanksgiving!)... as for when that will be - probably after my company's annual meeting, which is may 5-7, 2010... and where will we go? france and germany for sure, but we need to sit down and figure out how much time we have and where we'd like to go... :)

hard to believe that the wedding was only a week ago - seems much longer for some reason... people are still baffled at how we managed to pull something off, in about 3 months - i can't take ALL the credit though i should probably take 99.9%... if it wasn't for my mom, matron-of-honor, and coordinator at the Inn - it wouldn't have been possible (but being super organized AND a designer helped tremendously)... in all honesty - i can't tell you one thing that went wrong the whole day... my last-minute manicure was perfect, the weather was gorgeous, the flowers were beautiful, no one got into an argument, the photographer arrived early, i cried during the ceremony but not enough to mess-up my makeup, no one knew that i was in severe foot pain (cortizone shot didn't help), reception was awesome, food was very tasty, music was fun, booze was over-flowing, and all our friends & family had a great time... we couldn't have asked for anything better and am SO happy to be married to eric... :)

still can't believe i'm married though, seems so weird... i've officially changed my name to jodi megan weakland, and will soon be getting all my new credit cards and SS card in the mail... i've ordered new checks and labels, just need to get cracking on the passport... and magazine subscriptions... ;)

i won't have the real photos for another few days, but have collected a few from friends and family and thought i'd share... enjoy! :)

happy monday...










not used to being called "mrs."

after 4 years, 10 months, and 7 days - eric and i finally tied the knot this weekend... it was THE most wonderful day of my life and would do it all over again if i could (and maybe beat my 4-month planning record!)... we are incredibly happy, but exhausted and i promise to post more pics as i get them (will have official ones next week)... thank you for all the well-wishes and i promise to get back to blogging again soon... :)




good excuse

yea, so i'm getting married next week and i haven't had time to do anything BUT that... geesh! between ordering supplies for the reception, calling/emailing/texting the coordinator at the Inn, dealing with what/how much alcohol we need, finalizing the estimate, designing programs, menus, and favor jar-labels, putting together centerpieces, getting the rings, figuring out music, and ordering more beef (organice, grass-fed)... i'm sure i'm missing more, but that's the bulk of what i've been dealing with this week... more details can be found here... :-)

i've been going to the gym everyday, so that's been good - just trying to maintain at this point... i haven't lost my appetite either so maybe that will happen next week (one can hope, right)... i'll be at work until wednesday and then i'll be off until after thanksgiving... we're looking forward to going to state college this year too because a lot of eric's family, that can't make it to the wedding, will be there... i wouldn't be surprised if they top 100 people this year - crazy! :-)

let's see, what else... i'm getting my hair cut, colored, and highlighted tomorrow - will try and remember to take before/after shots... i'm also having a make-up test, to see how it will look for next week - i haven't had my make-up done since HS so this should be fun... again, i'll try and take before/after shots... also have a ton of wedding stuff to do... :-)

in between all the wedding stuff - eric and i managed to go to pittsburgh for a nice, long weekend... the weather was great (sunny and in the 70s) and i can only hope it will be like that next week (though i checked the weather and it says showers! no!)... we had to pick-up the beef for the reception, but also got to hang-out w/his parents and nephews... even went to see 'where the wild things are' and it was excellent (never read the book!)... everyone is excited about the wedding too, so it was nice to hang with the future in-laws...

well, that's all i got... i have some more lists i need to make and sort, but will do my best to update at least one more time before the wedding...

have a great weekend! :-)



you don't scare me

happy halloween eve! anyone have big plans? eric and i will be staying in and handing out candy to trick-o-treaters tomorrow night... this will be my first year at the house so i'm pretty excited... no one seems to be having a party, which i'm totally fine with because it's one less thing i have to worry about... and with the wedding less than 21 days away - i didn't need to be worrying about finding a costume to wear... there's always next year! :)

i have to say, i'm not digging this new blogger layout/template - one used to be able to upload more than one pic at a time and now, it's back to the old-fashioned way? WTF! or maybe it's just me (but i doubt it)...

eric and i watched 'slumdog millionaire' last night - what an awesome movie! i highly recommend it and the music was excellent... we may try and go see 'paranormal activity' tonight but will see how crowded the theaters will be after work (i'm in the mood for something terrifying)... :)

let's see, what else... my boss has been out sick all week, leaving me in charge and helping the other two designers... i just hope and pray that the "sick" bug stays away from me and if not, that i get it before the wedding...

the wedding plans are coming along as best as they can... we are meeting w/the coordinator tomorrow to figure out which option is going to work with our final count (136) - we can either go w/the tent and expect to pay $5-6k extra OR see if we can squeeze everyone into the Inn and on the 3-sided porch... each has it's plusses/minuses (esp. money) so that's what we need to figure out... more wedding updates can be found here... :)

food/exercise - not great but not terrible... totally slacked on the workouts this week but HAVE to make it priority starting today... i'm not worried about fitting into my dress or anything, but i'm just feeling lazy and know that's not good for me... eric is interested in trying out bally's for a week, so if he likes it - then we can do the morning thing together... sweet! :)

guess that's all for now - will try and catch-up with everyone this weekend...

happy friday!



31 more days... is that right?

busy, busy, busy - that's all i have to say... i have a feeling it will be like this until november 22, so please bear with me... i DID get in a great 45-minute walk in today - perfect weather here in DC so i took advantage and hit the streets! yay me! :)

anyway, there's much to do but feel free to check-out pics from my bachelorette party and bridal shower... had an awesome weekend! :)

happy monday...



how many apples does it take to make a pie? one!

boy, the weather sure has turned here in maryland - it was so chilly last night when i got home, i had to turn-on the heat! course it's in the 70s right now, but i know yesterday's trend is just the beginning... need to make a point and get outside for my workout today... :)

had a busy weekend - went to an arts/craft show with my mom on saturday... baskets and beaded jewelry seems to the most popular thing this year, and at one stand - i found THE most perfect bracelet for the wedding... i spoke with the woman who made it and was like, "can you customize a bracelet for me?" and she said, "of course! what would you like?"... after i told her the colors i wanted (choc brown, light blue, ivory, and champagne) - she took my info, measured my wrist, and said she'd send me a photo of when she starts beading to make sure i approve... i was so happy and can't wait to see the real thing in person! :)



after the show, we headed to jo-ann fabrics to search for something to cover my favor-jars... someone at the craft show used a fabric that was almost identical to my invitations, but we searched high and low and couldn't find it in the store... i opted for a blue pattern and a brown pattern and will use both... i also got a nice fall wreath for the house, some flowers for the dining room, and a cute, felt "happy harvest" hanging for our front door... the house has officially been decorated (wish i could do more but the cats would destroy everything)...



on sunday, eric and i did a bunch of stuff around the house - put-up new blinds in the LR and finally put-together the shelves for above our tv stand... it's slowly looking like a real room now - especially since i framed a bunch of photos yesterday and put them up... there are still a few things that i'd like to tackle before this weekend, but won't kill myself they don't happen... two of my girlfriends from college are coming in for my bachelorette party and bridal shower, so i'm just feeling the need to stuff that we've been putting off... always the case, right?

i had off yesterday (columbus day) and did a few errands, as well as paid a visit to the chiropractor... i made an appointment for right before the wedding too, including a massage, and i can't wait... i also had lunch w/a girlfriend at panera bread and ran back up to my mom's to help her with a few things around the house... i was back home by 5:30, did a few things around the house, and then called it a day! wish all weekends could be 3-days long!

here's a pic of the giant apple i saw on sunday at a local market - i'm not kidding when i said it was bigger than a cantaloupe... i would love to see how they grow on a tree! wow! :)



happy monday... :)



TGIF



happy friday, everyone! :-)



would you want to be 12 again?

how many of you remember making these barrettes in elementary school? i must've had 20 pairs, plus made them for my friends - never used flowers though, always had beads at the end... funny how both good AND bad things get recycled thru the years... ;)

i started using my WW app yesterday, it's pretty easy-to-use though i had to go online to log-in my weight (not pretty!)... i also skipped the gym yesterday because my allergies were horrible and i felt like crap, but today is a new day! eric was asking me about bally's and how long their guest-pass is good for - i would SO love for him to join so we could go together... and being it's less than 5 mins away from our house, going in the morning would be great... :)

my shoulder is still hurting... bah!

just another wedding has been updated - we went for tuxes last night, how exciting! :)

we watched a tad of 'glee' last night - thought it was really funny... eric then goes, "what channel is this on? fox? i can't watch anything on fox"... not sure what that meant...

i'm wearing a new pair of black boots today - always hate the beginning since they're not broken-in yet... ouch!

that's all for now - time to get caught-up with what you guys have been up too... :)

happy thursday...



get out of my bag!

i have the worst luck with bags! i was so excited to get my new vera bag but when i opened the box sunday night, it was the wrong size! i'm such an idiot... but thankfully, i was able to exchange it last night, at a store near my house, and changed my mind on the pattern... i now have the one i initially liked, so all is well in bag-land again... it's nice to have something that's roomier and can fit all my daily to/from work stuff (i.e. shoes, lunch, purse, personal ogranizer, etc.)... norman seemed to enjoy the bag too... :-)

my shoulder is still bugging me so i may call the doctor and see if i can get an appointment for next week - i have off on monday (columbus day) and already have a chiropractor appt.... might as well make it a 'health' day... i should probably run some other errands and take advantage of the free day - this wedding stuff is really time-consuming! ;-)

my weekend out with my sister was good, minus the argument that my mom and i got into at the florist... not even worth discussing and it was silly - perhaps i'm just as stubborn as she is, but unwilling to admit it... ha... the weather was great and leaves have already started to turn (because of the high elevation) so it was very pretty... ate like crap too, nothing new there... :-(

i downloaded the WW app on my iphone - haven't really used it yet, but maybe soon...

haven't been keeping up with the new shows but am DVRing 'how i met your mother' and 'the bing bang theory' because they are very funny shows... always good for a good laugh...

eric's been gone at a conference so we haven't seen each other since friday - it's always weird to be in the house without him so i'm happy he'll be back later today... :-)

happy tuesday...



need a nap

i'm ready to go home - been up since 5:30, here since 7:15, and have a long night ahead of me since my mom and i are heading to my sister's for the weekend... it was annual report photography day and even though i'm not working on it this year, i was offer my help and assistance to the other designer (since this is her first)... things went well but there's always a lot of waiting around and/or trying to find someone when they're late... maybe our boss will be nice and say, "go home early" but i doubt it... :-(

it will be nice to get away and possibly do some wedding stuff w/the family - my nieces are uber-excited about everything... i will also be meeting the newest member of the family - calvin, the long-haired tabby... we may do some shopping or craft shows but mainly, i'm just looking for some R&R... this week has worn me out for sure!

my knee is healing okay - i've been loading it up with neosporin and keeping it covered as best i can... can't wait to see how this baby scabs-up... my hands/chin are fine and you can barely tell anything happened so at least that's good... as for my other issue - my right shoulder has been bugging the crap out of me - i didn't pull anything and can move it around w/no problem, but when i told my mom she said, "it's probably tendinitis since you carry your bag on that arm, i have the same thing"... great, just what i need! :(

speaking of bags, i treated myself to a new vera bag this week (last big purchase as a single woman!)... i can't wait to get it because i'm not happy with the one i have now plus cream isn't really a fall/winter color... isn't she pretty? ;)



well, that's all i have for today... need to go update the wedding blog now (hard work having two)... have a great weekend! :)

happy friday...



Clutz

So on my walk home from the metro yesterday, I managed to fall on the sidewalk not even a block from the house... I scraped both knees, both palms, and my chin - what am I? Six? I hobbled home and didn't let the tears fall til I walked thru the door - Eric didn't know what was going on... He took care of me though - cut off my pantyhose, washed the wound, slathered it with neosporin, and bandaged it up... I feel like an idiot and am thankful this didn't happen the week of my wedding... I'd be hobbling down the aisle!

Needless to say, I hurt everywhere and managed to last until 1:00 at work... Am headed home to take some pain pills, have some soup, and park my ass on the couch...

Happy tuesday - not! :-(

Sent from my iPhone



hoping at least ONE of our teams wins today

what a busy and productive weekend, gotta love those! just had homemade white, chicken chili for dinner (thank you, mr. crockpot) and some multi-grain bread (thank you, mr. bread machine)... this soup will definitely be a staple this fall/winter - so easy to make! also did the usual grocery shopping, laundry, and cleaning today - AND watched 2 football games... i just love sundays at home, can't beat it... :)

yesterday was very busy - had an appt. with the florist in the morning to discuss wedding ideas... since i'm trying to keep things as simple as possible - i'm hoping that will work in my favor and since my matron of honor's hubby delivers for them, i'm also hoping they will give me a better estimate... from there, it was home to clean and then eric and i took a load of stuff to the dump - love getting rid of things esp. when it involves a huge, lazy boy chair that took-up room in the basement... eric has also been busy working on his office - it's been in dissarray since i moved in really and now it's finally taking shape (still needs painted though)... :)

last night, we went over to a friend's house for drinks/dinner - had a blast and even got to try-out the new beatles rockband... it was really cool and have to admit - i was kicking a** on the drums... this was our first time playing and loved it so much, it's been added to our target regsitry - why not! ;)

well, that's it for me - hope you had a great weekend!

happy sunday...



fall = pumpkin spice latte

sorry.

as you can imagine, things in jodi-land are not like they used to be and why i decided to plan a wedding in less than 3 months is beyond me... it's not even that it's stressful, it's just busy between appointments, meetings and finally getting the invitations out (on monday)... so far, people love them so that makes me happy and considering i spent 10+ hours printing, cutting, and stuffing on sunday - they better! ha! anyway, i'll keep the wedding-talk here to a minimum but check out my other blog if you want to hear more... ;)

in other news - eric was asked to speak and/or attend a security conference in ireland THIS NOVEMBER... he said they'll be paying for the whole thing and if i wanted to go along, the only thing needed would be airfare... i've never been to ireland and am really torn because one part of me would love to go, but is that being totally stupid 3-weeks before the wedding? i don't know all the details (how long, etc.) so that's the newest thing on my mind these days... guess i could look at it as a pre-honeymoon... ;)

i've been going to the gym again pretty regularly, so that's good news... i really should start pilates/yoga again because it would help me stay less-stressed, but haven't researched any local classes... i know i'd be more apt to go if i was paying for something, over doing a dvd in my basement but then again - i really need to be saving money right now so...

we've started to watch a few shows this season - got eric into biggest loser last week but this week, not so much... curb your enthusiasm was pretty funny though i've never watched it before and am anxious to see what they do with the whole seinfeld thing... i'm also interested in flash forward, which starts tonight - anything that is similar to lost peaks my interest... are there any shows that you are watching and/or excited about this season?

guess that's all for now - hope everyone is doing well... :)

happy thursday...



hello, i'm jodi

yes, i'm alive - i just can't seem to find the time anymore to keep this blog updated... sorry about that but between vacation, coming back to work and being slammed, AND this whole wedding thing - there just aren't enough minutes in the day... i guess many of you feel the same way - i can't imagine what it must be like to have children because time would be even more valuable... either way, i will try my best to update as often as i can but forgive me if i disappear for days at a time... ;)

vacation at the beach was good - though the weather was less than desirable on a few days, we were still able to relax and enjoy ourselves... by mid-week, the campground was empty so it was like we had the whole park to ourselves... most days, it was so windy on the beach that i laid in this hole that someone had kindly dug before we arrived - it worked out really well... the meals were good, the s'mores were good, the drinking was good, and sleeping in the back of the bigger truck was good too - no, make that awesome! compared to eric's previous truck, this one was like sleeping in a cadillac! i've posted some pics below... :)

once we got back, it was back to wedding stuff... i found a dress on the saturday we got back and all i can say is that it has everything i've been looking for AND at an incredible price... i had narrowed it down to two so when i put them on again and walked around - the one that i ended up picking brought tears to my eyes... so i knew then and there it was THE one and yes, even my mom liked it (she tended to like every dress that i didn't, and vice versa)... so the dress is now living at my mom's since i need to get some alterations done plus, i don't want eric trying to take a peak (though i doubt he would)... now it's onto details about the reception and about a hundred other things - like getting the invitations out! jesus! :-o

so that's it for me - work has been really busy and we're one designer down this week so it's been rather hectic... i have two meeting later this morning BUT will be going to the gym - i have to get serious about working out or i'll never looked 'toned' for the wedding... i decided that i'm not going to try and lose 20 pounds, in 2-months, because just working on my upper body is all i need really... since my dress is strapless, that is my biggest concern right now... everything else can be handle via spanx... ;)

happy thursday!

view of our campsite - pretty spacious...



hello, mr. crab...



me in the hole i was talking about...



eric making breakfast one morning...



my favorite hat right now --> out of coffee - life is crap!



Ahhhh

We've had a mix of good and bad weather so far - it poured the night we got here so I'm thankful that our bed is in the back of the truck. Beach was great yesterday - saw porpoises jumping out of the water! :) Today, it's been cool and cloudy so we ran a few errands (beer and food) and Eric's in the process of making a fire so we'll enjoy reading for a while. :) Happy Monday...



Sent from my iPhone



Cereal? Please!

We've had rain every day so far... Let's hope the weather improves! At least we have lots of food and drink! ;-)



Sent from my iPhone



so anyway

ugh, so sorry i haven't updated in a while... between work and the wedding, my life has just been crazy... AND eric and i leave for our annual camping trip tomorrow and are PRAYING that the hurricane doesn't cause too much rain/damage (at least i'll have some books, magazines, and my iphone)... i'm looking forward to getting away but am kind of stressed since we haven't picked a reception site yet and will need too rather quickly after we get home next weekend... once that happens, then it will be time to do the invites and get those in the mail as soon as possible - not giving people much time but the day was only confirmed this week... either way, i know everything will work out, it's just rather hectic right now... you can check out my other blog for more details... :)

we've set a date >> saturday, november 21, 2009

so i should be able to blog from the beach next week, if i feel the need too... i find myself using the iphone for lots of stuff and have been enjoying all the free apps - we've tried scrabble and love it! it's been most helpful when responding to emails, etc. and still can't believe i waited this long to get one... what was i thinking?!?!

well, i have a few things to wrap-up here then it's off to dress appt. #3...

have a great weekend and i'll talk to you soon, promise! :)



testing

just seeing if this works... cool! :)

Sent from my iPhone



well hello there



oh, how i LOVE my iphone... not sure why i waited so long but considered AT&T gets NO service in the metro, that's one problem i have to deal with... i used to have verizon but luckily sometime this fall - they will be working on having more carriers in the tunnels so i opted to go ahead and buy one now... yea, it's the most i've paid for a phone but i've been really good lately (no more weekly target visits) and thought it was time to treat myself... anyway, i haven't downloaded any apps yet but will sit down this weekend and see what's out there - anyone have apps they really love? :)

things have been crazy at work - my boss is on vacation and i had to work on some rather important web stuff today... it wasn't going well at one point and i felt so helpless (i believe a few tears were shed) - not knowing and understanding something really gets me down, but i did my best... hopefully things will still be functioning when i get into work tomorrow...

wedding stuff is going, as good as can be expected... i made another dress appt. for sunday, and will try to get one more in before we go on vacation next week... we spoke to the pastor on monday night so that part is in the works - reception sites are still being considered but there's not much i can do until we nail down a date... we did call two of eric's brothers to request his nephews to be in the wedding, the 13-year old will be with my 2 nieces and the 4-year old twins will be the ring bearers... how cute! :)

exercise could be better, i won't lie... i went to the gym monday but not tuesday or today (because of work) and was happy eric suggested we go play frisbee after work tonight... he also grabbed dinner, since he knew i had a horrible day - what else could a girl ask for? :)

anyone fans of that show 'californication'? we've been watching it (via the xbox and netflix) and love it... that david duchovany plays ones, twisted f*ck...

anyway, time to unwind a bit then hit the hay...

happy hump day...



huh

so i hopped on the scale yesterday and was pleasantly surprised to see that i lost a few pounds (instead of gaining)... i was down almost another pound this morning so i'm saying 161 for right now... i lost track of the last challenge i was doing and yes, i stuck to the green monster every morning (even while on vacay) but don't think i did my part re: exercise... but no worries... i was back at the gym yesterday and will be creating a new workout plan esp. for the arms since those are what i'm most concerned about for the wedding... i'm also planning NOT to go hog-wild and try to lose 20 pounds because you know what - i will gain probably half of it back when it's over... and because of the time-frame, i don't have the option of having several fittings either so i may just have to buy something off-the-rack, have it altered once and be done with it! :)

speaking of wedding, my weekend is filling up fast... i won't bore you with the details since you can click on the new link in the sidebar and read to your heart's content... my mom and i are meeting my sister and two nieces in frederick tomorrow and i'll be having my first wedding dress try-on session at 1:00... it happened so fast so i haven't had time to really think about it but yes, i'm excited... i've already sent the owner some ideas, so she knows what i'm going towards, as well as my size/shape... i have no idea what their prices are so this just may turn out to be something where i just see what looks good on me and what doesn't... wish me luck!

sunday seems to be my only free day this weekend, and even that isn't so "free" since we have some good friends coming over with their kids for dinner... i hope the weather is nice so we can grill outside... my friend will also be dropping off his tix for the steelers/skins pre-season game that eric & i will be going too next weekend... as usual, his team won last night and mine didn't... maybe i need to become a steelers fan 100%... ;)

well, it's off to get something to eat (leftover homemade, tomato and basil soup) and then to the gym... have a lovely weekend...

TGIF!



my new blog

check it out --> just another wedding

:)



finding my way back

hello everyone... i can't believe it's been almost two weeks since i posted - between my vacation and coming back to an extremely busy office, i haven't had a chance to sit down... i also haven't caught-up on any blogs so i apologize for that, and hoped i haven't missed anything too exciting... since i don't want to bore you guys with too many details, i'll just give you a brief recap of what i've been up too and share some pics... :)

  • we haven't made any progress on the wedding besides i bought 2 books (the green bride and planning a green wedding), bought 2 magazines at the store this morning, and signed up for a new blog... when it's set-up and running - i'll share it with you, of course... i also need to get my ring re-sized and have to call a few places this week - i just don't want to part with it! :(

  • the depeche mode concert was awesome! it was my first time having lawn seats and we could see and hear perfectly... the best part of the night was buying 2 soft pretzels and 2 beers for $35... awesome...

  • my vacation to NC (with mom) was good - it was really hot and i got a bit too much sun on the first day so i tried to lay low for the rest of the trip... at one point, we were standing in the ocean and my mom said, "you aren't wearing your ring, are you?"... i just had to laugh... the best part of the trip - besides playing w/her dog that was half great dane and basset hound - was going to the shrimp man and buying fresh seafood off the boat for $4/pound... these things were massive!
  • work has been extremely busy - my coworker took her vacation this past week and all the stuff that she didn't finish, fell into my lap... i don't think i got to what i was suppsed to be working on until thursday afternoon and there's more to do tomorrow - i just hope it calms down soon...
  • this weekend has been VERY busy - friday night i went to happy hour with some old coworkers... saturday, we did a lot of yard work, got my haircut, did some cleaning, laundry, and then we took the bike up to see my brother... today, we went to the nats game and had a great time! we drank, we ate, and it was VERY hot - just glad to be home in the a/c finally...
  • sadly, i've exercised once since coming back from vacation and as for eating, well - let's just say it hasn't been perfect... i don't think i've gained much but i've certainly haven't lost anything either... on a good note - the fridge is full of healthy stuff and i'm happy to be going back to the green monster tomorrow...:)
guess that's all i have for now - hope you're all doing well and i promise to get caught-up soon... enjoy the pics! :)

depeche mode still rocks...



me on a giant sand-turtle...



my first soft-shell crab samich...



our first nats game and they won!



and my first half-smoke from ben's chili bowl...



the national cathedral - so beautiful...



yup, it's still there

thanks for all the well-wishes and congratulations... i'm still in a daze (having some issues with sleeping too, wonder why) but am extremely happy, and honestly - quite giddy... i keep looking down to make sure i'm not dreaming and yup, it's still there - pretty breathtaking... :)

3 months after meeting eric (back in april 2005), we were going to pittsburgh for the weekend (which also happened to be around my bday)... on the way, the snow began to fall and then for some stupid reason i said, "my sister doesn't live far from here, we should stop by and surprise them"... the snow was piling up pretty fast and yet there we were - in his little chevy S10 pickup, charging up hills, sliding all over the place, and having trouble seeing the road... we stayed at my sister's for like 15-minutes tops and then hit the road again, only to be faced with 1 open lane on the highway and snow coming straight at us... cars were spinning-out in the median, traffic was crawling, and i was a mess - but he was steady as a rock and said everything would be okay... i sat there crying at times, with my eyes closed, and he just keep talking to me and trying to make me laugh... by the time we got to morgantown, wv - the snow had finally stopped... when we got out of the car to get something to eat, i think i bent down and faked kissed the ground - i couldn't have been more happy to see concrete... by the time we made it to pittsburgh - it was pretty late so we didn't get to meet rigel and austin until morning... his brother had his hands full, to say the least, so eric and i took turns holding and feeding them... at one point, eric had them and he began singing to them - that was the moment that i knew he was the man i was going to marry... i have always wanted to get married and have children and seeing this, well - it was like icing on the cake for me... it was sort of like seeing into the future, if that makes any sense... :)

fast-forward to sunday night (4.5 years later)... we went out to dinner for eric's birthday - he had mentioned that he could go for some seafood, so i suggested this place mccormick and schmick's... it wasn't that crowded so the service was good and we had a nice, corner booth - i had salmon stuffed with crab, shrimp, and brie (yes, it was yummy) and some wine... i gave him his smoochy-noise birthday card and one from the cats (signed, of course), and as i was putting them into my purse - i turned and noticed the ring, in the box, on the table... he goes, "how did i do?" and i think i said, "are you kidding me?!" and just stared at it... sort of like - is this really happening, is that really sitting on the table, did he really just do that? and then he goes, "well, are you going to put it on?" and i said, "aren't YOU going to put it on me?" so he did and i was crying because it was so beautiful... then he asked me to marry him, so i jumped up and said yes, and we kissed, and then lived happily-ever-after... okay, we're still working on the last part but everything else is accurate... :)

after things settled down - we had some champagne and dessert (on behalf of the manager), and then headed straight to my mom's house... she was thrilled, of course, and was anxious to start calling my relatives... we also stopped by my oldest friend's mike's house (on the notion that i needed to get our depeche mode tickets) and ended up staying for a few hours, drinking, and talking... they were thrilled too since every time i saw them, i got a lecture on why 'it' hadn't happened yet... anyway, it was a totally unexpected evening but one that i will never forget... I LOVE YOU DARLIN! :)

needless to say, yesterday was a blur - between the lack of sleep, a terrible headache (which i still have remnants of) - i can't tell you how many people emailed and called... i haven't had this much attention EVER, so it's weird and cool at the same time... my other close friend stopped by last night to get a glimpse of the ring in person (which she approved) and told eric, "it's about damn time"... :)

tonight is the depeche mode concert (can i get a HELL YEA) and then my mom and i are leaving for NC bright & early tomorrow morning... i'm not sure what kind of internet service my cousin will have but i will post, if i can, and if not - i'll talk to you when i get back next week... thanks again for all the well-wishes... so does this mean i'll have to start a new blog? oh, how exciting! i can't wait! :)

happy tuesday...



speechless

so i wasn't expecting THIS yesterday (eric's birthday)... not that i'm complaining by ANY means...

i love you, darlin... i am THE luckiest girl in the world... xoxoxo





what kind of juice

so my coworker just finished a 10-day fast (juice, tea, etc.) and says she feels amazing... she had spoken to her doctor about not feeling very energetic, bloated, and tired so they gave her some recommendations... granted, she's 23 and not overweight by any means, but still managed to lose 7 pounds (she thinks more since she didn't get weighed til 3 days after the fast ended)... it makes me wonder though what exactly is lost during those 10-days besides water - how many toxins, etc.... are they safe? have YOU tried one? are there really good benefits to fasting? thoughts/comments appreciated...

diet/exercise have been okay - nothing stellar by any means... it's time for a new weight workout but i haven't done enough research and w/vacation looming next week - i see no point in starting something til i get back... i WILL be taking exercise clothes for sure because i know my mom goes walking every day and my cousin, at one time, was running so that shouldn't be an issue... i will bring my blender/ingredients to make green monsters, but as for everything else - i have no idea... since my cousins live in/near a shrimping village - i'm hoping to have seafood a few times at least... there's nothing better than getting fresh shrimp straight from boat, my friends... :)

weekend plans: eric's bday is on sunday and (1) i have no idea what he wants and (2) have no idea where he wants to go for dinner... guess he'll be making his choice at the last minute so stay-tuned... other than that - the usual chores, grocery shopping, and cleaning... our beans and tomatoes will need picking, so i'll have to spend some quality time in the garden... i'll also need to start gathering things for my trip, paint the toenails, and help eric put together the stuff we got at IKEA last weekend (it's still in the box and driving me nuts!)... :)

i'm ready for this day to be over - only 4 more hours to go...

have a great weekend and happy friday... :)



i'm alive

ugh, so sorry that i haven't posted since last week! between work and a very busy weekend - i just haven't had the time to sit down and write (or catch-up with everyone either)... i was finally able to take a breather today, but have to leave early for my 3-month dermatology appt. so the work day will be short... and what could be better than meeting mom later at kohl's to do some shopping... :)

so work has been extremely busy - since i'm out-of-the-office starting next tuesday - i have two big projects that have to get into review mode while i'm gone... one being an annual pub that is 300+ pages (and boring as hell)... i've gotten that pretty much in the bag and then will start working on the other project tomorrow - fun fun...

this past weekend was quite a blur - saturday we ran a bunch of errands and then one of eric's friends had a party saturday night... eric ordered a cap for the back of his truck so now we'll be able to sleep in style while at the beach (we stick a futon in the back so it's nice and comfy)... then we checked out this architectural restoration/recycle place that had all sorts of stuff dirt cheap... like sinks, doors, windows, tiles - you name it, they had it! we'll probably go back once we have a handle on what our 1st big project will be (bathroom or kitchen)... IKEA was next on the list and even though the items i wanted had been sold-out since 10:30 - we still managed to find a nice, walnut-colored tv stand and matching shelf for above it... i'm very excited since right now we sort of have a mish-mosh of stands and this way - everything can be in one unit and organized! yay! as for the party - not much to say besides it was a lot of fun and i played my first game of beer pong (not too shabby either)... i was the DD so it was fun people-watching... ;)

on sunday - my mom invited me to go w/her to the charlestown races... one of her friends was in the hospital and wasn't able to go, so i said, "what the hell" since i had never been... we had a nice lunch (buffet) where i tried to take small portions but ended-up overeating anyway... it was a beautiful day regardless though the most i won, at one time, was $2.80! i also didn't win anything on the slots but those things are fixed anyway... ;)

so that's what i've been up too... i'm still doing the green monter thing in the morning and have to say my newest combo is the best so far:

- handful of spinach
- 1/2 c. soy milk
- 1/2 c. coconut water
- 1/2 c. blueberries
- 1/2 c. pineapple
- 1/2 banana
- 1 tbsp. salba

happy hump day...



calories in, calories out

green monster (day 2) > today's smoothie consisted of the following ingredients and it was mucho-tasty... i also included the calories for each item (as listed on myfitnesspal.com) in case you're curious...

  • 1/2 c. light orange juice (50)
  • 1 1/2 c. spinach (10)
  • 1/4 c. blueberries (20)
  • 1/2 banana (53)
  • 5 frozen strawberries (20)
  • 1 tbsp salba (32)
  • ice
total calories > 185

bodybugg > eric sent me this link yesterday and i have to say i'm very intrigued... if it wasn't so expensive, i really think i'd buy one just so i could see how many calories are being burned during a workout... it also keeps track of how many calories your're taking in, which could be a huge help if you're the type of person who doesn't like tracking or using an online service... so my question is - would you use a tool like this? just curious...

exercise > i didn't go to the gym today (stupid work) and am thinking about finding another workout for my non-cardio days... i've thought about going thru my current workout routines and creating new ones, but i'm feeling bored for some reason... i was on prevention's site earlier and saw a few that looked pretty interesting - guess i need to sit down and start planning...

food > has been good so far... we grilled some chicken breasts on sunday so for dinner last night - i made enchiladas... i used the whole wheat mission brand tortillas and you couldn't even tell the difference between those and the regular white flour kind (eric agreed)... we also made brown rice and these great refried pinto beans from trader joe's - talk about yummy! i could just those by themselves! and the best part - leftovers tonight! :)

happy tuesday...



not quite THAT green

today i started another 30-day challenge, but it won't be as elaborate as the one last month... i'm trying to keep things simple since i don't want to feel overwhelmed or really bummed if i can't do something on my list (is that bad?)... i'm also going on vacation at the end of the month, so that will throw a wrench into things anyway... here's what i'm going to do:

  • start each day with a green monster
  • do at least 45-minutes cardio 5x week
  • do at least 2 belly-off workouts a week
  • do a better job at tracking my food
  • lose 5 pounds
this morning was my first attempt (see pics below) at making a green monster - i bought nonfat, vanilla soymilk but am not sure how much i liked it... tomorrow i will try low-calorie orange juice and see if that makes a difference and if not, i'll go back to using skim milk... overall, i really liked it but can't say that it kept me fuller, longer - i was hungry around 10:00 and had my usual snack which was a piece of fruit... eric even participated and agreed that it was rather tasty... i'm excited about trying different fruit combos and using peanut butter since that and bananas is my top smoothie flavor... yummy! :)





i read an interesting article in women's health about why people fall-off the workout wagon... i can definitely say that i've been there, done that more than once and thought i'd share what they had to say... what are your thoughts/comment?
  1. take charge of your fitness decisions
    find an exercise that you enjoy because if you force yourself to do something you hate (running, spinning, aerobics, etc.) you probably won't last very long... the more your invested in the exercise, the more you performance will improve and the more you'll want to keep going... and don't let someone else (family/spouse) talk you into doing something you don't want to do...

  2. give yourself props for progress
    the longer you stay w/an exercise because you're comfortable, the longer it will take to see improvement... mixing things up (intensity and/or type) trains the muscles differently and results will show quicker... and keep a work out log so you have a record of how far you've come and what you've achieved...

  3. make it social
    a study has found that working out in a congenial atmosphere helps people stay motivated, and provides a source of encouragement... sign-up for a kickboxing class, join a running group, or start walking with a neighbor - they'll provide support and you can push each other to reach certain goals... plus if you're having a bad day, exercising w/a friend might be just the thing you need!
well, i'm off to finish dinner - we're having chicken enchiladas with brown rice and refried pinto beans... i can't wait - me love mexican food... :)

happy monday...



lazy sunday

it's been a great sunday, considering it's our first one w/out having to go anywhere, in over two weeks... the yard needed mowing, the laundry needed to be done, groceries had to be bought, and the house needed to be cleaned - sounds fun, eh? we managed to get the majority of things done by 1:00 so the rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy - i read some of my woman's health and watched some triple-D on the food network... for dinner - we'll be grilling shrimp (and chicken for later this week) and having a complete salad from our garden, as well as some green beans that are coming-in like gang busters... we'll have plenty to eat in the next few weeks, as well as freeze... :)

our quick trip to pittsburgh was nice - we stopped to see a friend of eric's from college on friday night, who recently bought a bowling alley from his parents... he's in the process of fixing it up and though there's much to do, i can see a lot of potential (remember that show 'ed')... from there, we headed to eric's brother's house and then stayed there for the night, before heading to the anniversary party on saturday... his parents were under the impression that this party was for eric's sister so when we yelled "surprise" for them instead, they were quite shocked! all of the kids and grandkids were there, so it was a nice afternoon... we hit the road after it was over and made it home in about 4 hours (i even got to drive the mini for a good portion)... :)

here's a good deal > amazon.com has a 1-year subscription to real simple for only $5!

anyway, here are some pics from today's harvest... enjoy the rest of your sunday! :)







turnpike, here we come

it's been quiet here all day and i'm glad because my boss is on vacation next week and i have yet another big project coming my way... this one isn't as exciting, unfortunately, but it's an annual publication and it must be done (300+ pages)... :(

since my boss left early and my in-box is empty - i'm hoping to scoot out a bit early... eric & i are heading back to pittsburgh tonight and we'd like to get ahead of the traffic (which is really impossible on a friday afternoon, in DC)... his sister is throwing his parents a surprise party for their 50th wedding anniversary tomorrow, so we're staying at one of his brother's house tonight, then will come home tomorrow after the luncheon... i know eric will want to come straight back, but a tiny part of me wishes we could stop by the fair again so i give all those horses one more hug & kiss... :)

as for the rest of the weekend - sunday will be packed with the usual stuff: yard work, grocery store, laundry, and cleaning... i'll need to map-out my green monster recipes and think eric will be joining me as well... i picked more blueberries the other night so they're in the freezer and ready to go - how exciting! :)

did i mention we finally watched 'the wrestler' last week while on vacation? i was pleasantly surprised and think mickey rourke did an amazing job - you sort of couldn't help feeling sorry for the guy... and let me just say - for a 45-year old, marisa tomei is SMOKING HOT... if you haven't seen it - i highly recommend it... :)

have a great weekend, everyone... :)



grow baby, grow

i have to be honest with you guys, esp. since kathleen over at pink bunny foo foo mentioned me in her post today... i haven't been following WW or any other plan, as of late - perhaps i would've lost more on my 30-day challenge if i HAD... and i know this will sound lame, but a part of me was like "i can only do so much at a time", so i chose exercise over food... granted - i didn't go hog-wild the whole time, but i didn't track anything either and i know it makes a difference (how long have i been at this again?)... once i get my next challenge firmed up - i'll sit down and figure out what my next step will be - count calories, go back to WW, who knows...

i also wanted to comment on something kathleen said...

"i honestly believe that the best thing for me is non processed foods and moderation. i just simply can't follow a specific program. i don't want to be on a program for maintenance, i just want to continue to read blogs, magazine and books that teach me about nutrition and what healthy eating means and looks like - i am a visual person."

seriously - this could be me... it's not that i hate following a plan - it works when you follow it perfectly and we all know what happens after a few weeks/months/years... you get bored, or tired, or maybe you've lost the weight and now you're ready for something else... a plan, to me, is a guideline/tool - it shows you what to do, how much to eat, how much to exercise, how much to drink, what you should avoid or cut-back on, how much to exercise, etc.... it's not rocket science, but for some people - they need structure/order... i have to wonder though - maybe i'm not that type... after all the years that i've been struggling to lose weight, i can definitely see a trend/cycle - i do really well and then i stop... i know we all have cycles but have you ever stopped and asked yourself, "why?"...

ugh, sorry to get heavy there - just thinking outloud again...

now onto some fun stuff! hilly posted some funky hairdos on her blog today, so of course i had to try this nifty tool myself... i'm not sure why i chose the styles that i did, but everytime i have a dream and can see myself - my hair is much longer... weird... don't get any ideas, eric - i like my hair short (though the first one is quite nice!)... ;)





happy thursday...



more recipes

thanks to all that shared some of their green monster ideas yesterday... if you check-out angela's website - she has posted a ton of recipes from other bloggers... i also read about salba and ordered two bottles last night so i can use that in my smoothies (amazon had the best deal)... here are just a few of the healthy benefits it offers:

  • nature's highest source of omega-3s and fiber
  • controls food cravings
  • supports digestive health & detoxification
  • source of natural energy & stamina
i promised to post the results of my 1st 30-day challenge - here are the results:
  1. 30-min cardio (min) daily - 29/30 days
  2. do the "belly-off" program 3x/week - check!
  3. take a class at the gym 1x/week - check! most weeks i took 2 spin classes
  4. do better at tracking points (esp. sat/sun) - didn't track anything :(
  5. cut-back on sugar - check!
  6. lose 5 pounds - lost 3.8
  7. not feel guilty about putting myself first - work-in-progress
starting weight: 164
ending weight: 161.2
loss: 3.8 pounds

starting measurement (total): 160.5"
ending measurement (total): 157.5"
loss: 3"

i believe my next 30-day challenge will involve a different smoothie, every morning - there are endless possibilities as far as ingredients go, so that should be an easy one... then again - i'm going on vacation at the end of the month, so that may pose a problem, but we'll see... i also may sign-up for a kick-boxing class - i just need to look at the gym calendar (as well as my own) and see if it will work... :)

happy hump day...



the green what?

so i keep reading about these 'green monster' drinks and finally found the website where it all began (see below)... i know a lot of you have already tried them and i'm curious to know what you think... did you follow her recipes or have you come up with your own? do you use the wheat grass powder too? just curious - i printed off a few recipes and am anxious to try one... anything that is healthy AND tasty can't be a bad thing! ;)

so anyway, i found a few new websites/blogs and thought i'd share... enjoy! :)

happy tuesday...



proof of vacation

as promised, here are some pics from my vacation...

seneca rocks, wv... people actually rock climb down the side of this thing...



this is the road to the top of dolly sods, it went on forever and ever and ever...



top of dolly sods, notice how flat it is... this plateau used to be covered with trees as large as redwoods but then it was deforested and all was lost...



i spotted this guy in my sister's driveway...



we can't go to the farm w/out taking the go cart for a spin (rain & mud included)...



the cows just LOVE to eat apples...



meet mr. bunny (there were 5 of these little guys)...



meet mr. belgian, isn't he beautiful? i'm 5'7" so you can see how large he was...



his nose was so soft, i just wanted to nuzzle him forever... :)