bye-bye summer

it's the end of yet another week but it's also the last one of august, and technically the last one of summer... it's so hard to believe labor day is monday - seems like yesterday eric and i were sitting on the beach and watching the porpoises play in the water... we've contemplated going to the beach this weekend because of the gorgeous weather they're forcasting but it would be hard to find a place to stay at this point... it would be fun to take the motorcycle though... ;o)

monday is my 5th anniversary - another thing that's hard to believe... i had been unemployed for 14-months prior to working here (my previous company closed and it was hard to find anything after 9/11 besides temp work) and was thrilled when i got called-in for an interview... so in honor of the big day, my boss is taking me and two of my coworkers (my choice) to lunch today - i chose this italian place around the corner... yea, it's not the healthiest choice but i'm okay with that... :o)

i've been thinking a lot about setting new goals for september and since i've talked about taking a kick-boxing class - that's exactly what i'm going to do... the same program that offers my pilates class also offers an aerobic kick-boxing classes twice a week, for 5 weeks... i've been in a workout-slump since doing the 5K and not having anything to look forward too has really hindered my progress so i feel this will help... plus with the cooler weather, maybe i'll feel like taking a jog outside more often and MAYBE i can get eric to go with me... :o)

as far as the long weekend - i'm going to spin class tomorrow morning and then eric & i are heading to philly saturday night to catch the king tut exhibit at the franklin institute... we've been talking about it all summer and since it closes at the end of the sept, we figured we'd better go soon... we may also stop by the harbor and see the gazella (a tall ship he's worked on) and grab a late dinner somewhere - anyone have a favorite spot they'd like to recommend? and as for sun/mon - we have no plans besides taking the bike out for a ride and getting some much needed R&R... :o)

this week's top 5 comes from judith beck (author of the beck diet solution weight loss workbook) and this month's health magazine... if you're having a hard time getting back on track OR just starting a new weight loss plan - maybe some of these suggestions can help...

1. make a "why i want to do this" list
   write down all the reasons you have for wanting to lose weight and place copies of it around the house and office so you can be reminded of them daily.
   
   
2. enlist a diet coach
   share your progress w/a friend, family member, or online buddy once a week so you
   can be accountable for how well you're doing (or not doing).
   
   
3. set a goal to lose 5 pounds
   even if you want to lose more - start with 5 pounds and when you hit that goal, celebrate, give yourself credit, and set another goal to lose 5 more pounds.
   
   
4. make an exercise appointment
   treat your workout(s) like any other appt and put it down your calendar each day - make it so its not an option.
   
   
5. plan what you're going to eat
   write down everything you're going to eat the night before so you're less tempted to go off-plan - tell yourself that it's not okay to eat something you didn't plan for.
   

sorry for the long post today - i just had a lot to say! i hope you all have a great, long weekend! :o)

happy friday...

weigh-in

wow, i'm not sure what brought on a loss this morning but i'll take it - another .4 pounds gone so i can't complain... i am really surprised considering i KNOW i blew my points, and then some, while in pittsburgh this past weekend - its always a struggle to stay on any plan while there... but needless to say - it's a sign that i'm still making progress in the right direction and i'm only 9.4 pounds away from my goal... :o)

i went running w/a girlfriend last night which is something we've talked about doing all summer... i haven't been on a track since june and was impressed that i could still muster 3 miles in under 35 minutes - she is more concerned about time but me, i'm just happy that i can do it period... there's a 5K this weekend that she and another friend of mine are doing - i could still register on saturday but its $30 (which i think is kind of steep) so maybe i'll do another one come fall... after running, i headed to big lots for a few things, then home to shower, and relax in front of the tv... :o)

speaking of fall - i ordered a few items from la redoute yesterday... i picked up 2 lambswool cardigans and 2 kneelength skirts for under $50 (with a 15% discount to boot!)... i'm so tired of my summer wardrobe and know i'll be getting rid of a lot of stuff at the end of the season - i'm anxious to start wearing sweaters, tights, and boots... what about you? what are YOU looking forward too wearing this fall?

happy hump day... :o)

go-cart racing, pittsburgh style

hope you guys are having a great weekend... eric & i got back from pittsburgh late this afternoon so i'm catching up on my email, doing laundry, and will soon hit the grocery store before the steelers game at 8:00... we had a great time hanging out w/his family - all his siblings were there on friday, plus a few aunts and uncles, so good times were had by all... we helped out around the house, spent time w/his dad, spent time w/the cows (of course), and had some fun w/the go-cart - i captured some of our adventures on video which was pretty funny... i keep forgetting i have that function on my camera so i may start doing some video-posts in the future too... anyway, i've only uploaded two of them for now so maybe i'll add more later, hope you enjoy! :o)


mr. brown cow was very curious...


me & gidget (who was hand-raised)...


one of norman's sisters, izzy...


norman's other sister, tess...


a shot of the passing storm clouds...


eric & i getting ready to ride the go-cart...


one of the many paths we took on the go-cart...

weigh-in

sorry for the late post, it was a crazy day and tomorrow will be even crazier... anyhoo, the scale showed a nice, big .4 pound loss this week so i'm happy it's continuing to move down (though smaller each week it seems)... i did make a point of getting 30 mins on the eliptical today and will try my best to get to the gym tomorrow too, though i'm not sure w/my current workload that will be possible... we'll see what happens...

this will have to be a short because i'm on my way out the door to meet a girlfriend for dinner - she picked doughboys and according to their website, they do have other things besides pasta... the name alone, has added 2 pounds so i'll do my best to make a good choice... :o)

happy hump day...

i think you're nice

the "nice matters award" is for those bloggers who are nice people, good blog friends and those who inspire good feelings and inspiration... this award is also for those who are a positive influence on our blogging world... once you've been awarded, please pass it on to others who you feel are deserving of this award...

since i was nominated by trixie - here are some bloggers i would like to award in return:

—great WW-supporter: anne from weight watchers eh
—always makes me think & laugh: hilly from snackiepoo
—shares great WW-friendly recipes w/photos: roni at roni's weight watchen page

my day has been busy and long, i was in here early to prep some flash stuff (which i have yet to receive) and its due by thursday... tomorrow, i have a vendor coming in to show us an online, calendar demo - i hope it goes well since there will be 12+ people there to see it (gulp)... i got my sister's website up so now she just needs to review everything and get me some more photos - i'll be so happy when this project is done... i hate working on the computer all day and then have to go home, to stare at it for another 2 hours - i need some downtime people... :-o

happy tuesday...

hail to the... bunch of losers

just wanted to post some pics from last night's football game... we had a great time and couldn't have asked for better weather... i made us both tshirts but eric ended up borrowing a steeler's jersery from a friend of mine so we didn't quite match in the end... and yea, the skins lost but it was an awesome game all the way up to the very end (what's up with brunell, man?!?!)... we had a very healthy lunch during the day so i wasn't as tempted to eat at the stadium but i did grab a hot pretzel (w/mustard) and had ONE light beer (for $8 frickin dollars!)... according to eric's scale, i lost a pound between sat & sun which i think is pretty funny - let's see how things progress for wednesday... :o)

today, we attempted to go to annapolis on the bike but rain stopped us and we turned around... then, something broke on his muffler so it was incredibly loud coming home but i didn't mind - i'm used to it and kind of like it... we did some grocery shopping and laundry and then i came home to work on my sister's website... she is the president of her local humane society and asked me to work on this a while ago - i've just been so busy and kept putting off... i made a lot of progress so i feel much better now, hopefully it will be live soon and i'll share once its done... :o)


the view from our seats (nosebleed section)...


my lovely, homemade tshirt... go skins!


men in tight pants, need i say more?


eric ruining yet another good pic... ;o)


boo... hiss... :-p

what a busy week

i'm so glad its friday, what a crazy, busy week it has been (for me anyway)... thank you for the kind comments re: the wedding photos, i just wish my arms didn't look so fat... i'm definitely wearing something with sleeves when i get married so that won't be a problem... ;o)

so work has been crazy but my boss has off today which means time to catch-up on other stuff besides work... i DO have to work on a 50th anniversary logo but that's not #1 on my list right now (i know, how terrible of me!)... my internet connnection is sill wonky at home so eric's going to try a few things tonight to see if it helps - it could be my vonage box or it could be my computer, who knows... eventually, i'll need to get a new one (comp) but not right now - i'm still trying to pay off my credit card and build-up my savings... if and when i do, i'll probably get a Mac - who would've thought... :o)

i went over to my mom's last night to drop-off a few things and see her before she leaves for iceland (she's leading a group of about 12 people)... i have no idea what iceland is known for so i couldn't really tell her what to get me - jewelry is always nice... for the rest of the night - we hung out w/some old friends of hers, in their backyard, watching this flower bloom... it only happens once a year, usually in august, and smells wonderful like a lily - you could actually see the plant moving as the petals opened... the locusts were also out and buzzing around and they seemed to like the flowers too... i took some photos w/my phone, the little guy's a bit fuzzy but you get the idea... :o)

here's my food-related top 5 for this week, enjoy! :o)

—the top-100 best packaged foods for women
—these drinks look healthy but they're packed with calories
—garden overflowing w/tomatos this year? try one of these recipes
—maybe eating between meals isn't so bad afterall
—the cutest (and smartest) cocktail plates ever!

weekend plans consist of, so far, seeing 'bourne ultimatum' and going to the skins/steerlers game tomorrow night... GO REDSKINS (sorry darlin but c'mon)... the weather looks pretty nice so i'm sure eric will want to go for a motorcycle ride - i have no problems with that at all... :o)

have a great weekend!

p.s. a big thank-you goes out to totegirl for giving me an award - i will try to post mine over the weekend... :o)

weigh-in

those 1.4 pounds that i gained last week are gone so i'm pretty happy about that... now keeping them off is another story, ha! i tried to go running last night but only managed 20-minutes on the treadmill (too hot outside) and i didn't want to force myself... i was just NOT in the mood, ever have one of those days? it was just not going to happen so i went to the store instead, made some dinner, and tried to work on my internet connection (which is still not working)... hopefully eric can figure out what's wrong because i can't stand not being able to get online... :-(

since i've been unable to get online, i haven't been able to post pictures from the wedding but for some reason - i was able to get them uploaded to my shutterfly account before things got wonky... here's the link if you'd like to see them - there's a bunch from the rehearsal, dinner, pre-wedding, and reception so enjoy! :o)

for those of you who are WW-friendly, how many of you have tried core? i know the basics but am not quite sure i understand how the non-core stuff works - do you just keep track of those points and not the other stuff? for those that have tried it - did you like/hate it? i'm just going thru the usual, "should i do something different?" phase... ;o)

happy hump day...

the wedding

i haven't uploaded any pictures yet but all i can say is, the wedding was absolutely beautiful and we couldn't have had a more perfect day, weather-wise (blue sky and mid-80s)... everything went w/out a hitch (minus the limo being late to get us to the church and eric not having my camera for the ceremony) and its hard to believe it went by so fast... i emailed the maid of honor this morning and said that i was a bit sad since we won't be seeing as much of each other... but then again, she's in pittsburgh so maybe i can work in some visits when i go home w/eric... right about now, the bride and groom are on their way to hawaii so let's just hope that hurricane misses them and they're not stuck indoors the whole time... :o(

i took exercise clothes this weekend but didn't use them (i thought about it though)... i hopped on the scale at the gym today and if i stay good for the next day or so, i MIGHT actually see a loss this week... there was a ton of food/alcohol consumed over the weekend and i don't feel an ounce of remorse - i had a great time w/eric and my friends and that's what counts... there's one thing to waste calories on crappy stuff but everything was so amazing: between the appetizers, open-bar, and the sit-down dinner, to breakfast the next morning - i can now see why it was $170/head... :o)

we got home around 2:30 and were extremely lazy for the rest of the day/night... we watched the race, feasting on asphalt, and part of the steeler's pre-season game from saturday night, and john from cincinnati (which is one f-d up show)... i'm trying to get tickets for this weekend's skins/steelers game so we'll see what happens (my friend has season tickets)... :o)

*news* crocs are coming out w/actual shoes this fall (for women) so click here to see them... i am SO digging those suede boots! :o)

happy monday...

i can't go looking like this

yesterday, the red line (metro) was shut down because of a 'suspicious' package and normally, its not a huge deal but considering i had a hair appt. at 7:00 - i didn't think i was going to make it... there's only 1 line that goes north (where i live) and yes, this was the line that was shutdown... so i hoofed it over to a different line, met up w/eric (my lifesaver), and then he dropped me off at yet another station farther up the line... things were fine by then so i got into my car and then sat in traffic for 45 minutes - getting to my appt. at 6:59, i kid you not... talk about close! i told her that my hair had to look FAB for this weekend, because of the wedding, and she did just that - it looks amazing... she even commented on my coloring-job (maybe i should go to cosmetology school) so things worked out in the end... :o)

after having an almost disastrous day - i treated myself to a light, orange, mocha frappaccino from starbucks and headed home... i made several phonecalls, assembled my mexican roll-ups for today's potluck, painted my toenails, and packed for this weekend... *whew* i can't wait for this week to be over!!! :-o

i'm leaving tomorrow and will back on sunday - not sure how soon i'll have pictures but i'll post as soon as i can (i've also been having issues w/my internet at home - i hate comcast!)... have a great weekend everyone...

happy thursday...

weigh-in

weigh-in:
i wasn't expecting the scale to be up 1.4 pounds this morning so i'm a bit disappointed - my goal to lose 5 pounds by the wedding certainly didn't happen but what can you do (perhaps its too much iced coffee?)... i felt that towards the beginning of summer, i would surely be down a few pounds since i was getting more comfortable with running, but the 3x/week is just not going to cut it anymore... my body is more than likely used to the routine and its up to me to shake things up (broken record i know, sorry!)... i feel that my priorities have really shifted lately - so i need to focus on my goals again and start making progress... i'm REALLY tired of being in the 160s... :o(

shopping:
i went to kohl's last night to find a skirt for the rehearsal dinner and ended up buying a cute summer dress, 2 wonder bras, a body slimmer, and an awesome necklace (all on sale, mind you)... so much for only needing one thing, ugh hate when that happens... i am quite impressed w/the bras though - i've never owned a wonderbra and now understand why it's called just that... for someone that's an A+/B- cup, i have wonderful cleavage now! ;o)

stuff:
work is picking up again, i am redesigning an investor awareness brochure series (7 total) so that will take up a big chunk of my time... at lunch, i'm meeting a friend to hand-off the baby shower presents for this weekend and then after work, i have to run to frederick and get my haircut (colored it last night)... and after THAT, i have to make 'mexican rollups' for the potluck tomorrow and paint my toenails - man, i will be so glad when this week is over...

happy hump day...

there's no sugar in this, right?

here we are, back to monday again, i swear these weekends are just flying by like mad... speaking of mad - eric and i were craving some iced coffee yesterday from WaWa and being the closest one to his house was in college park, we made a mad dash for it, on the motorcycle (about 25 mins)... oh yea, there was some rain coming but we went anyway and when we got there - BOTH machines were out... the poor kid working there looked at me like i had 2 heads when i said, "we came a LONG way to get these" so he grudgingly swapped out the empty carton for a full one... he also made a funny face when he sampled it and said, "i'm so not a coffee drinker"... ha! he doesn't know what he's missing! we got a bit wet on the ride home but it was pretty fun - yea, i'm crazy but who cares... :o)

on saturday, i did my spinning class but hated the instructor - talk about unmotivating... i could've done the workout myself and the music was SO loud, you couldn't hear was he was saying... funny how you get used to one instructor and everyone else seems like an amateur... after that, i helped eric clean out the gutters and then we headed to my brother's for a cookout - grilled burgers, fresh corn, and macaroni salad - mmm mmm... not the best meal but we didn't have lunch so i figured it worked out in the end anyway...

as for the rest of the weekend, since it was so hot - we watched a few episodes of the old 'feasting on asphalt' with alton brown, as well as the first show of the new season - i highly recommend it, its fun to watch plus you learn a few things along the way... we also watched the movie 'a scanner darkly', some of the nascar race, john from cincinnati, and entourage... yea, we watch a lot of tv... :o(

this week is going to be super busy starting tonight... i'm cat-sitting for my sister and even though i love having zoe around, i'm not sure about max... he seems to enjoy pile-driving her off chairs and chasing her around the apartment (maybe i'll leave him at eric's)... i also have a ton of little things to do including getting my haircut AND preparing for this little wedding i'm in on saturday - yikes, can't believe that's almost here... :-o

happy monday...

bagel friday

ah, the weekend begins in less than 7 hours (for me anyway) and i'm looking forward to hanging out w/eric and going to see my brother & his girlfriend for a cook-out tomorrow night... i haven't seen him in ages so it will be nice to catch-up on things and see what's new (plus he's dog-sitting for his daughter and that's always a good thing)... other things on my to-do list include: spinning class, oil change for the car, and baby shower shopping - fun times! it's supposed to be very hot this weekend (95+) so i'm sure we'll spend a lot of time indoors too... :o)

i went to see my mom last night - she had some extra produce she wanted to give me from her trip back from the beach... so i got some watermelon, cantaloupe, yellow squash, and cabbage... i also got a small container of fisher's caramel popcorn - if you know anything about ocean citty - you KNOW about how awesome it is (yea, it's not very healthy but once a year isn't going to kill me)... i also painted her toenails since she's going to maine w/her travel club next week and then she's off to iceland in two weeks - talk about busy - she's one, active 71-year old... i hope i can be as active as her, when i'm that age... :o)

sorry i skipped last week so here's my fall trends top 5—enjoy! :o)

—check out these fashion trends for this fall
—if you're updating your fall wardrobe, maybe you should update your shoes too
—complex and exotic are words to describe colors for this upcoming season
—looking for a new hairdo? maybe you should try the asymmemtrical bob
—bobbi brown says stonewashed nudes are the way to go with makeup this fall

have a great weekend, everyone... :o)

its just a shirt

one of my friends is having her first baby this october (a boy) and because i'll be in NJ next weekend for the wedding - i have to miss the baby shower... granted, i'm not the biggest fan of having things passed around the room with accompanying "ohhhs and ahhhs" BUT i would like to be there when she opens this up (you can find more at www.makeacreeper.com)... she has a twisted sense of humor so i know she'll appreciate it, hopefully someone will get a picture and send it to me... ... :o)

don't you hate it when the day AFTER your weigh-in, the scale goes down... *boo*hiss*

eric & i had a lovely dinner and by the time we got to the mini-golf place - they were closed... what kind of place closes at 9:00 during the summer? um hello? i was a bit pissed but at least he got to see the course, thru the fence, and commented on how nice it was... so no golf but we took a nice stroll instead and then went home to watch tv and relax... :o)

ugh, my boss just sent us performance evaluations - i hate doing those... granted, i've never gotten a bad review but still - its still a pain in the ass to list all of your past projects, explain what you did, and what obstacles you may have had to overcome (difficult coworker, vendor, etc.)... guess i know what i'll be doing tomorrow... :o(

happy thursday...

weigh-in

i must have a guardian angel because the scale read no loss/gain this morning, meaning i'm the same as last week... thank-you, jesus, that's great news (though not great for the team challenge though, sorry guys!)... i didn't count one, stinking point on fri, sat, OR sun but was back on plan monday so maybe i didn't go over my flex-points as much as i thought i did... either way, its a nice way to start the week because i know i'll do better this weekend (i'm not going out of town) and i'm going to work my ass off... :o)

workout today was hard but i managed 45 minutes (30 mins hill intervals and 15 mins flat)... eric and i also plan on playing mini-golf tonight so i can count that too - haven't played in years but my goal is to kick his ass... dinner will be meatloaf (beef from his parent's farm), baked potatoes, and steamed broccoli... :o)

as i mentioned yesterday, i found some blogs that were worth bookmarking and here's another one... the weigh we were is the largest, online collection of weight loss success stories and it has everything from message boards, videos, and a huge blog directory (which you can be a part of!)... so if you're looking for some motivation and inspiration - i suggest you start here - there are amazing people who made amazing transformations... :o)

happy hump day...