Cheers to 2012

I really can't believe this year is already gone. This year was HUGE for me - I graduated college, got an amazing job that I love so much, met new people who I know are going to greatly influence my life, and grew in so many ways. It's kind of scary how fast time goes by. It really makes me stop and think about what I'm doing with my life and what I want to do in the future.

2012 will be a fun year - I can just feel it coming. Last summer was a whirlwind of 2 1/2 months. I was home a total of 3 weeks and spent the rest of the summer on the road with my church, a cruise with friends and family vacations to the beach/lake. I'm hoping for a pretty laid back summer this year with a few trips here and there.

This summer was the summer of Europe but things aren't looking too good right now. Greece is still having a lot of governmental issues that make me nervous. A friend of mine went back in November and had a few issues with transportation and being able to see some sites due to locals being on strike. I'm not sure I want to go and get in the middle of all of that. London would be a nice trip seeing as the Olympics will be hosted there in August. If London was to happen, I would want to go at the beginning of the summer to avoid all of the athletes and company coming in towards the end of the summer.

There is also the challenge of getting my family on board. I really want them to go because I know Europe is not a place they would just pick up and go see on their own. I found a good travel company that plans anything and everything for you, or lets you do your own thing - pretty nice.

I'm looking forward to completing my first year of teaching. So far, so good. My kids are really sweet (and sneaky!) but they make my job fun. I love my co-workers - our 7th grade teachers are really the greatest combination. I'm also looking forward to the return of my friend Anita, our on-team math teacher. She was diagnosed with a rare form of cancer back in November. She had surgery to remove the tumors and so far, so good! She will come back with us after Christmas Break.

So here's to the new year. Hoping 2012 will be just as good, and even a little bit better, than 2011!

Happy New Years!

6...or 7 month hiatus

I've never claimed to be the greatest with time management, but I wish I was better. I've always been a "do-it-at-the-last-minute" kind of person. I just saw that my good friend Victoria had started a blog, and I love reading blogs, so I decided maybe someone out there was enjoying reading mine.

The weight battle is still going strong. I have happily kept off the 10 pounds I wanted to lose originally but still have 15 more to go. The worst part is getting in the exercise. I try to move around at school as much as possible but once cheerleading practice is over and I finally get all the girls out of the building, I'm exhausted. And not to mention the grading and planning each night. Also the fact that it gets dark at 5pm doesn't help! If only I could figure out how to turn on the stadium lights....


Thanksgiving Break is upon us and I truly never thought it would be here. The kids at school all claimed how ready they were but I don't think they understand that a teacher's wants and needs are always 100x greater than theirs. I could not wait to get out of there on Friday - 4:01pm, outta there!! This week will be full of stuff to do but I'm definitely looking forward to just doing nothing here and there. I have a DVR on 99% because I don't watch tv much during school and I have a lot of "projects" I want to do. One week is never enough time. And not to mention I'm turning 26 this week. My sweet students all sang happy birthday to me last week and made an announcement to the school. It definitely made me feel warm and fuzzy inside. I guess being a new teacher I still enjoy those little things. So many teachers want nothing to do with the students outside of "write these notes and take this test." I can truly say that my classes run so much smoother once I establish those relationships with the kids. There are definitely days where I just want to hold up a sign that says, "Don't even blink!" but I still miss them here and there. They make me laugh and I really am happy being where I am! And somehow I went from Thanksgiving Break to missing my students. Gross.

Mom has officially made her grocery list so she and I will be headed out soon. Why is it we always wait until the CRAZY week of to shop? It's Thanksgiving, we have the same thing, every year, for the last 26 years that I can remember - why are we making lists? One year we're going to change it up and have the complete opposite of everything we've always had. Well...probably not since I am a huge fan of casseroles and we are the family of Turkey and casseroles. :)

Back in the saddle again

It's always a good day when it starts with an Aerosmith lyric. I was happy to step on the scale this morning and see 167.2. I have officially been under 170 for a week now and it feels good. It's been great motivation to keep going. I'm still working out with my trainer but the past month has been rough getting to the gym like I need to. I had a lot of work to do during my unit at school, then I was on Spring Break for a week and went to Florida, came home and got sick for a week and now I'm trying to finish my portfolio and prepare for my Exit Interview next week. It sucks putting school before "life" but when I'm this close, the gym has to wait.

I get stressed very easily and going to the gym really helps to relieve that stress so I want my absences to change. I have cut out fruit after 12pm to avoid the excess sugar. It was hard at first because I turn to fruit over sweets/chocolate. I'm more of a salty person than a sweet person. I work at the farm on the weekends and sitting in the strawberry patch is so taunting! Those sweet, yummy berries are just asking to be picked and eaten! Curse you flavorful fruit.

Don't have much else to post at the moment. I am really eager to see if I can lose more weight getting back into the gym. I'm ready for the pollen to disappear so I can get back on the ole' bike and hit the roads. I'm thinking about biking to the farm this weekend - we will see how that goes! Wish me luck!

Charlie

I signed my life over to a personal trainer today for the next 12 months. I'll meet with Charles (or Charlie as I informed him I would be addressing him) once a week for a year. The cool thing is he works every day so if I need him, he's there. I'm really excited about taking this next step but extremely nervous. Like I said from the beginning, I do better under pressure. Charlie is quite the intimidating lad - possibly 6'6, built like a door, and did I mention he's a ginger? You KNOW there's a temper under there somewhere!

Tomorrow is my "body analysis." That sounds so . . . gross!? I'm going into it with a weight of 170 and a BMI of 38%. I want to get down to 140 and my BMI needs to be between 18-21%. Here goes nothing . . .


(PS - FINALLY finished updating the blog layout. It's been a work in progress but I finally got it where I wanted!)

Progress

Due to my extreme excitement I have decided to post my weight. I woke up Saturday to find that I had reached my first goal - get under 170. I was 168.2, amen! Last week was a "salad" week and I think that helped a lot. I am no longer addicted to Ranch dressing like I was before. I still enjoy it but it doesn't make it on my weekly salads. Some of that weight loss might be contributed to all of the SWEAT I lost Friday night at 30 Seconds to Mars. I'm used to breaking a sweat in the pit but this was a whole different level. Actually, now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure I lost at least 5 pounds sweating that night.

Anywho - this week I hope to lose some more. 5 would be great but I'm not pushing it. I'm finally over the whole mucus/cough mess I was going through. Went to the doctor on Thursday to get my ribs/cartiledge checked out and ended up going to the Urgent Care Center for 6 xrays. Not fun. I'll find out the info from all of that this week.

Dance tonight, gym the rest of the week. Thursday is yoga and I'm excited. I'm ready to get some flexibility back!

Just a short little post but I was excited about the loss of weight!

XOXO

(Below - a nice little picture from the concert. World, meet Jared Leto. Yum!)

Reaching the top barre

This week has been an interesting one. I have got to start making some decisions on activities that I choose to go and do. For instance – last night we went to the basketball game in Athens. I have fun going, no doubt. But the whole time I was driving home I was thinking about what all I could have gotten done at the gym. I feel so much better when I go and workout. Having lots of "other things" to do during the week really takes away from my gym time. I don't want to focus my life around the gym, but I do want to get my money's worth and exercise.

Monday night was painful in many ways. I’ve danced since I was 3 years old. Last year was the first year that I honestly left exhausted after each lesson and felt as though, for the first time in my life, I couldn’t keep up. I’m the oldest one in the class (go figure!) by about 7 years. I have the technique but it was the endurance to keep going that I was lacking. This past Monday really hit me emotionally. I know I’ve gained about 20 lbs in the past year. That in itself is ridiculously hard for me to admit. Growing up I was always the small one who could eat whatever they wanted. Those people who said it would catch up were right. I first realized I was in real trouble during stretching. Simple barre work was killing me. I haven’t always been able to bend in half by any means but I couldn’t get my leg on the top barre and that was when I said, “Things have GOT to change.” I’m in a class with a bunch of 16-18 year olds who have enough energy to run a marathon every day and can pull their leg over their head.

I’ve done really well eating this week. Monday I had dry multi-grain cheerios for breakfast, a sandwich and fruit for lunch, more cheerios for a snack and a salad for dinner. Tuesday was the same breakfast, a lettuce and walnut-vinaigrette dressing salad (talk about branching out…) and we had CFA for dinner on the way to the game. I had a CFA sandwich. I had fries, but I ate about 3 and opted out. One thing I always allow myself is one normal meal a week and last night was it. I knew our plans for the rest of the week and figured that would be the best night to eat off menu. Today will be a soup lunch and salad dinner. I want to try to replace one meal a day with a simple salad. I can eat a lot of it to get full but I’m not tempted with other things.

On another note – I’ve become a water junkie. I drink water like I’m living in the desert! And I know water weight plays a factor and I think that’s why I constantly feel the need to move around. I could drink about a gallon of water every morning when I wake up. I definitely drink it all day at school. The kids laugh at my camelbak water bottle – they call it my sippy cup. Cute, huh?

A few people have suggested I get my thyroid levels checked. I know a few people who have gone through weight issues and have found problems with their thyroids. So I'm having blood work done to check on that. I also have had an issue with my ribs and cartilage. About 2 years ago, I noticed this "popping" on my side where my cartilage is located. It hurt when it popped but I noticed it only did it when I did ab workouts. Last year I went to the doctor about it because the pain got a little worse and the gym owner wanted me to have it checked. I had two options - deal with it and find alternative ab/back workouts or have an MRI to see what's going on and have it "glued" back together. The doc said it would be about 3 months of no activity to allow everything to "set" properly and at the time that was not an option. It's really not an option now but the pain has gotten worse and its to the point where I can't sit in one position too long without it hurting. And recently I have a pain in the middle of my back whenever I have the side pain. Who knows!!?? It might all be related to gaining weight and my body is angry at me. So I'm going back to the doctor next week to see what he says, maybe go get that MRI. Never had one before and not really looking forward to it but if I can get answers it will be worth it.

So sorry for the super long post - its been a while. As always, thanks for reading and for any input.

I blame the ice...

So this week was a complete WASH! With the weather and school being cancelled there was not much activity going on. Sunday was my weigh in day and I painfully wrote down that number. Monday was to be the beginning...I can say I got exercise in. The snow/ice made for a full day of sledding/crashing/hiking for me and my friends. We were exhausted - it is safe to say the ice kicked out butts! However the rest of the week was not as productive. Today was the first day I was able to get to the gym due to the roads being icy. I think everyone and their brother was making up missed days tonight because it was packed. I did a lot of cardio and I think the extra bursts of energy came from being cooped up all week. I hope to be able to get back tomorrow as well. I feel better, physically, when I go and workout. I'm slowly getting back into things with just doing cardio. Might do a little bit of weights tomorrow. I'm still looking for a "trainer" who can point me in the right direction.

Eating hasn't been too terribly bad - until today. Today was just a slippage with a stop at the Golden Arches. Believe me, I have never felt so guilty eating fries in my life. But like I said - no story telling here! We've been cooking a lot at home so I've been trying to watch the portion control. I went today and got some breakfast bars. My friend Mel introduced me to the Luna bars and they are yummy! My dad does Weight Watchers so I"m trying to follow the points system. Each bar is 2-3 points which isn't bad for breakfast. I usually eat a mini-bagel with low fat cream cheese but on those days that I'm running late or just tired of bagels the bars are a good change up. Lots of protein and that yummy fiber!

My friend B*Mac is doing this weight loss pledge and I do believe I'm going to join her. The Pound for Pound Challenge has been put together by the Biggest Loser tv show. For every pound you pledge to lose, they donate $0.11 to help buy groceries for those who need it. Pretty cool idea!!

Meeting my friend Whitney at the gym tomorrow. I'm hoping to get some good tips from her!

A

A new year . . .

I really want to try and keep up a steady blog, at least post once a week. I think I've come up with a great way to stay motivated in more than one way. . .

I usually don't make New Years resolutions. No one can really keep to their word because somewhere down the line, something gets in the way. This year I went along with the usual plan . . . no resolutions. However, writing seems to make me happy. I don't usually post these on facebook. I know other people who do and a few of them say they enjoy the positive/helpful feedback they get. So I'll try it and see how it goes.

Last year (oh, that sounds weird!) was an eventful one. It started off with my grandmother passing away which was really hard for me. Still is, honestly. I don't like talking about "sad situations" because they're sad and being sad is not something I enjoy. However, I definitely find peace in the things her passing has brought to our family. Denny went to Disney with us and it was an absolute blast. It's nice having another 'big kid" on trips like those. (Besides my parents, if you know them at all!) Summer was blah - I had a class to take and it was horrible. The upsides were days on the lake and helping La plan her wedding. Wedding festivities were fun of course but it really made the summer fly by! (I"m pretty sure La and Bone would agree!) School started and I was pumped for my last semester and for student teaching. I'm rambling for a reason . . . I promise.

So throughout all of this, I noticed one thing. My clothes got tighter and I started to dislike pictures of myself. I love pictures - I love taking them and being in them with other people. But it got to the point where I avoided a camera. Denny will attest to this because he knows how much I love pictures and we hardly take any. Most of this is my fault - I just don't like the "look" I have had for the past year. I'm not sure when I started to gain weight. I lost a lot of weight after a certain "event" 2 years ago but that was more stress and anger taking its affect on my appetite. But I haven't really noticed that I eat "worse" than before. Maybe I'm not as active?? I feel like I walk all the time but I don't truly know how far I walk. (I bought a pedometer to fix that!) So basically, my issues is weight...along with the other 100 million people in the world.

So I think I'm going to start to write about my attempts to "get back into shape." I have two friends who keep blogs about exercising and losing weight and I love giving them positive feedback so maybe, in a way, this can be therapeutic for me. I'm not looking for pity or for questions - just a "way to go" or something maybe somewhere along the way. And I think being vocal about my journey will help keep me motivated. I won't lie - I hate lying and liars so only truth here.

I weighed myself on January 1st. I"m not quite sure I'm ready to post that on here yet. A friend of mine is brave enough to do it . . . Super props to him, but yeah...not for me at the moment.

This week has been fairly good except for 2 trips to a drive-thru. Both were avoidable but I was STARVING and far away from home. :( The gym has been my friend but only for cardio. I'm looking for someone to work out with that can point me in the right direction with what I want to work on. I go to LA Fitness but their trainers are so $$ and its just not in the budget since my budget goes towards my trip to Europe this summer.

WHEW! If you actually took the time to read this - props! And thanks!