~Dear Self~

Self~

Happy 2011! Remember the 2 things you wanted to do in 2010?  You wanted to get pregnant or compete in a half marathon right?  I know you are so proud of how things turned out!!!  You never thought you would be able to do it once the rubber hit the road, but look at yourself now!  No seriously…go look in the mirror, I’ll wait.

You started out last year not sure if you were going to be able to start a family and look where God has led you.  I know deep in my heart, that whatever the results would have been you would have been ok with them, because you know the big man wouldn’t give you more than you could handle.  But this is where you are supposed to be, and I hope you realize this is how it was always supposed to be.

You are starting out the year on the right foot this time, and that is thanks to all the hardwork that you put in last year.  You stuck with your exercising and eating healthy thru the whole year….do you know how hard that is?  Of course you do, because this is the first time you have done it!  You are stronger, leaner and healthier then you have ever been.  You worked hard and you deserve to be proud when you look in the mirror.  Your body has done amazing things this year, some things you can can see, the others you can feel and will be thankful for in years to come.

I know you never would have thought that your blog would have brought so much joy and enlightenment into your life.  You are so much more in tune with how you feel and even better, why you feel. You were so lucky to be able to meet up with so many of your new friends, including some of the Shrinking Jeans ladies (who are freakin hilarious btw!). I hope you continue to blog for many years to come.  Seems like there are more and more people who are interested in what you have to say, you never know you might write that one post that will touch someone like so many of your new friends posts have affected you over the last year.

You have had an amazing year at work! You went above and beyond what they thought you were capable of. You rocked it girl!  Sure there were some scary times, but the economy has finally started rebounding and continues to climb back upwards.  Who knows what the future holds, maybe a transfer, maybe a promotion…but please know that the groundwork you laid and impressions that you made on management will keep you in the forefront for many years to come.

The biggest thing you should be proud of is your marriage.  Sure you had some arguments and thought you were going to lose your mind at times, but you are more in love with your husband then you have ever been.  You learned to really listen and appreciate all the idiosyncrasies of each other that make you who you are.  I think bringing back “date night” was a huge thing, so props to you for thinking of that.  You are still best friends and have been together almost 10 years….without each other you would not be complete.

Basically, you rocked this last year!  High Five!  I am so proud of you and hope that 2011 is an even better year!  What do you want to accomplish this year…think big!  You can do it!!!

~This was written as my submission for The Monday Project at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.
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Saturday Cell Phone Mosiac-Jan30th, 2010

Click on the photo above to go to Picasa where you can flip thru the pictures!

Busy Saturday, but it was good.  Apologies, I can’t figure out how to get the image bigger, I’ll look at it tomorrow.  Now I’m off to watch a movie with the hubs.
Come join in Saturday Cell Phone Mosiac fun with Ace and friends at  If You Think Round is Funny!
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You Capture-Color

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I am totally cheating this week on you capture-just sayin’-please don’t be angry. I didn’t take any colorful pictures this week, its been a dark drab week in Ohio and nothing really caught my eye.  But the pictures I chose to share are colorful pictures from the past that make me happy.  Thinking of these bright landscapes when its so gray and cold outside lifts my spirits.  Spring is just around the corner people!
*Note: My husband actually took both of these, so I give all credit to him.  He has a great eye.


This picture was taken in my husband hometown in Ohio last summer.  It just looks so peaceful…makes me wanna grab a blanket, throw it down, take a nap and daydream.

This picture was taken in Richmond, Virginia last year….I believe the place is called Belles Island. Look at that sky!  I love this one!

Come share some color with Beth at I Should be Folding Laundry.
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Weigh-in Wednesday

Rethink Your Shrink!

It’s time to weigh-in with Re-Think your Shrink over at Shrinking Jeans! Let’s see what my scale told me this morning:

Last week: 156.4
Today: 154.8
Loss: -1.6
Challenge Total: -3.8

I had my weigh-in at WeightWatchers last night…and I was down 4 lbs from my initial weigh-in last week!  I was esctatic!  Thinking the big difference was not eating a heavy lunch yesterday like I did last week, and the fact I ate a heavier dinner last night.  Next week I’d think my two should losses (positive thinking) line up a little better…but I’ll take it this week!  Great start to my WW experience.  And I did mention The Sisterhood in front of the whole meeting when they asked how I won….spread a little love for my Sista’s!!
I did get 2 hour long workouts in this week, where I burned about 450 calories….and I really think that’s what made the difference this week, because if you remember I did use all my extra points on Friday’s fiasco of a dinner. So that’s what I’m going to try to do this week…get at least 3 hourlong workouts in this week if I can.
How was your week?  Did you have a great loss…or reach a milestone?  Come share with the Sisters…we’d love to congratulate you!
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True Confessions Tuesday

The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans True Confessions

Time to fess up to things we are proud of….and not so proud of with the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

*WW weigh-in tonight…hope to see a loss from my initial weigh-in…fingers crossed! It’s not until 6:30…so need to be diligent today!

*Planned on only eating half my flex points, ended up eating all of them and a few extra…did you know ¼ of a lg Donatos pizza is 17 pts!!! Well…I do now! Yikes!

*Tracked everything, even the super high day on Friday. Finding it much easier to plan the next days menus ahead of time, seeing the points sometimes changes my mind.

*Worked out 4 days….2 of those days were 60 minute workouts where I burned around 450 calories each day! Woot!

*Started opening myself up to some of the sisters, still not sure how I that will go but all I can do is be myself…as dorky and over-thinking as I am, you either like me or you don’t. Considering joining them for a gathering this year…we’ll see how that works out. I mean BeDazzler Night….who wouldn’t want to be there!!! LOL!

*I have found the support of the sisters and my other regular readers to be such an amazing thing….so thank you for all the comments, tweets and emails. I really appreciate all of my bloggy friends!!!

*I am really craving white chili again….OMG it was soo good!!!

What’s on your mind this chilly Tuesday morning?  Come link up at the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

Monday morning ramblings

Some random thoughts and comments that are taking up space in my sleepy brain this morning.

~Tried on bridesmaid dress Friday night for the wedding in May that I am in. I fit into a smaller size then the one I wore in July, but still need alterations because of certain body parts that wouldn’t fit into the size dress that the rest of my body would fit into. Irritating.

~Went to the library on Saturday to surprisely find a video I have been waitlisted on since summer…just sitting in the shelves. WTF? Bride Wars…you and I have a date this week!

~Slept in on Saturday, did a small workout in the afternoon, watched a movie that night and literally fell asleep on the couch at 10PM. Got up, worked out yesterday did lots of housework and took a nap about 6. Why I am so tired this weekend??? Got a little sore throat and the sniffles this morning, maybe my body was telling me I needed rest.

~Contemplating going back to spreadsheet tracking versus journal for my points/calories and weight/workouts. Just seems easier to sort thru a food list and past favorites when its in excel, plus that’s what I work in most of the time, so it would be less obvious.

~Cell Phone contract is up next month, and I can’t decide if I want to get a new phone or keep the one I have. Need to look at new phones and see if any strike my fancy.

~Wish I knew how to make good stir-fry at home. I make it and it normally ends up just tasting like chicken and vegetables with soy sauce….not impressive at all.

~I am serious need of a color and trim and eyebrow wax….its been too long.

Anything on your mind this Monday that isn’t really that important but is taking up space in that mind of yours?

I TOTALLY Rock- The Monday Project

Rethink Your Shrink, The Monday Project

Did you know that I ROCK?

I do…sometimes I may not feel like it, but others times I’m thining to myself….I TOTALLY ROCK!
Well here’s how I see it….

I ROCK because I am taking control of my health and not letting it re-take control of me.

I ROCK because last night I did 2 workouts instead of 1…and burnt almost 450 calories!

I ROCK because I tend to be the happy smiley girl, glass half full right?  You’d be surprised how it can make someone else happy by just sharing a smile.

I ROCK because I have managed to marry a good man who would never hurt me and gives me backrubs before bed several times a week, even though sometimes I can be pissy and stubborn.

I ROCK because I  provide the income for our family, and am thankful to have been born a smartie.

I ROCK because I haven’t had a breakdown because of the above….sometimes feels like a lot to carry.

I ROCK because I talk to my Grandma every single day…we have a great relationship and I am blessed to have her in my life.

I ROCK because I am part of a wonderful group of women that I am so thankful to call my friends…the Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans!

How do you ROCK?  Because I know you do…so go share your reasons with the Sisterhood!

You Capture – Love around my home

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 Of course Emma is one of the main things that screams love around our house.  She is always waiting for me to get home to jump up and give me puppy kisses…kinda asking how my day was and if it was bad, she was ready to make it better.

But she seems to have hurt her hip again this week.  She is still feeling pretty low, and has hung out on her pillow in front of the heater vent most of the week recouping.  If you do puppy prayers, please send them her way.

Here is something else that makes me feel love everytime I pass by it.

It’s a magnet that my Grandma and Grandpa got for me when I first moved away from home. You see I lived with my grandparents until I was 23.  My mom lived with us off and on, but I stayed with them since I was young, they were my roots.  It traveled to college with me and even made the trip to San Diego when we lived there for a short time. I have had this magnet on the door to everyplace I have ever lived, and will do so for the rest of my life.  Its a little reminder of them and the fact that even though I moved out, I kept a big piece of them with me and I know I was still in their thoughts everyday.

Come share your love with us-we would love to see it!

Weigh-in Wednesday

Rethink Your Shrink!

It’s time for the 3nd weigh-in of Re-Think your Shrink over at Shrinking Jeans!  The scale is down just a touch this morning, but I’m not upset. I’ve been exercising and drinking my water and taking my vitamins, I know that’s just how this whole thing works…ebbs and tides right?

Last week: 156.6
Today: 156.4
Loss: -0.2
Challenge Total: -2.2 

I officially started my Weight Watchers meetings last night, and I really like the leader and the group. If you recall, I had some hesitations about how the meeting would go.There are probably about 20 people there, and there were 4 new members last night…so its nice not to be the only one getting used to the program.  And I even contributed!  They were talking about exercise and I mentioned ExerciseTV and how awesome I thought it was for trying out new programs.  A member came up after class and asked me more about how to find it!  Felt good to help someone, even if it was in a small way!

I did weigh myself at home fully dressed before going over there and their scales were only .4 higher than mine at home- so that’s good. Now the question is do I track with the Sisterhood using my fully dressed Tuesday evening WW weigh-in number or do I continue with my Wed morning in the buff weigh-in? What do any of you who attend meetings do?  Thinking I’ll continue with my Wed numbers but report when I reach any milestones with Weight Watchers.

How was your week…was the scale kind to you or did it shake it’s little finger in your face?  Come share with us!