Sunday, January 24, 2010
Hide my scale, please
This time last year my friends and I were competing in a "Biggest Loser" competition. It was a very healthy time for James and me. We were eating really well and working out almost everyday. During the 12 weeks of competition, I lost 15 lbs (11% of my body weight). I was very happy with my weight and my body when we finished the competition and I told myself I would continue to live healthily, even after it was all over.
We managed to do this for quite a while. The "Biggest Loser" ended February 8th and come April, I was still at my finishing weight. During the summer I actually lost a couple more lbs due to wedding stress. In July 09 I was exactly 20 lbs less than I was in July 08. Things were good.
Now, however...the weight is starting to creep back. The holidays, as always, were difficult and I ended up gaining a few lbs. I had a certain number that I told myself I would never see again on my scale (until I was pregnant). Today...I saw that number and it devastated me. Granted, it's not the best time of the month to be stepping on the scale....but I'm not going to allow myself to use that as an excuse. I'm really disappointed in myself and I've decided I need to REALLY kick things into gear.
So James and I went to the gym this afternoon. We usually go to the Gold's in Olathe, but we decided today to go to the bigger one in Merriam. It's actually further away, but takes less time to get to because you can take the highway. Typically at the gym, I just hop on the elliptical or treadmill and do cardio the whole time. Today James made me do a leg workout with him. By the time I was done, I could hardly walk. My legs shook the whole ride home. But, I'm feeling good. Nothing like a good workout!
I kind of think seeing "that number" on the scale gave me a reality check. I've decided I'm going to quit making excuses when it comes to going to the gym. I'm going to start documenting my weight every Sunday like we did when we were doing the Biggest Loser. I need to start eating better. These are all things I know I can do. I've done it before....and it's time to do it all again.
I'll keep you updated, Internet.
We managed to do this for quite a while. The "Biggest Loser" ended February 8th and come April, I was still at my finishing weight. During the summer I actually lost a couple more lbs due to wedding stress. In July 09 I was exactly 20 lbs less than I was in July 08. Things were good.
Now, however...the weight is starting to creep back. The holidays, as always, were difficult and I ended up gaining a few lbs. I had a certain number that I told myself I would never see again on my scale (until I was pregnant). Today...I saw that number and it devastated me. Granted, it's not the best time of the month to be stepping on the scale....but I'm not going to allow myself to use that as an excuse. I'm really disappointed in myself and I've decided I need to REALLY kick things into gear.
So James and I went to the gym this afternoon. We usually go to the Gold's in Olathe, but we decided today to go to the bigger one in Merriam. It's actually further away, but takes less time to get to because you can take the highway. Typically at the gym, I just hop on the elliptical or treadmill and do cardio the whole time. Today James made me do a leg workout with him. By the time I was done, I could hardly walk. My legs shook the whole ride home. But, I'm feeling good. Nothing like a good workout!
I kind of think seeing "that number" on the scale gave me a reality check. I've decided I'm going to quit making excuses when it comes to going to the gym. I'm going to start documenting my weight every Sunday like we did when we were doing the Biggest Loser. I need to start eating better. These are all things I know I can do. I've done it before....and it's time to do it all again.
I'll keep you updated, Internet.
Wednesday, January 20, 2010
Top 4 Reasons Why Today Has Sucked
1. I decided to make homemade broccoli cheese soup tonight. The recipe called for the soup to be pureed in the blender. During this process, my blender button decided to get stuck which resulted in an explosion. Not only did I get broccoli cheese soup all over my kitchen and my clothes, but the scalding hot soup also got all over my face/eye. I've been icing it all night. Still hurts.
2. I made the choice to actually go to the gym tonight with James, but I needed to put gas in my car first. In the short period of time it took to fill up my car, my battery decided to die (left my lights on). Awesome. So James had to push it into a parking spot and run home (literally) to get his car so we could jump it.
3. We got the car started, but the battery still sucks. So we had to make a 9:00 PM trip to Walmart to buy a new battery. I'm now $90 poorer. Lame.
4. After getting home from Walmart, I walked past the corner of my torn up bumper and ripped my pants....yes, my favorite workout pants. UGH!!!
All this has happened just in the last four hours. I guess my title for this post should have been "TOP 4 REASONS WHY THE PAST 4 HOURS OF MY LIFE HAVE SUCKED", but I'm not sure if you can have a title that long.
2. I made the choice to actually go to the gym tonight with James, but I needed to put gas in my car first. In the short period of time it took to fill up my car, my battery decided to die (left my lights on). Awesome. So James had to push it into a parking spot and run home (literally) to get his car so we could jump it.
3. We got the car started, but the battery still sucks. So we had to make a 9:00 PM trip to Walmart to buy a new battery. I'm now $90 poorer. Lame.
4. After getting home from Walmart, I walked past the corner of my torn up bumper and ripped my pants....yes, my favorite workout pants. UGH!!!
All this has happened just in the last four hours. I guess my title for this post should have been "TOP 4 REASONS WHY THE PAST 4 HOURS OF MY LIFE HAVE SUCKED", but I'm not sure if you can have a title that long.
Monday, January 18, 2010
Late night chats in the dark
When I was a kid I used to share a room with my older sister, Margie. I remember we would always lay in bed in the dark and talk to each other until we were both tired enough to fall asleep.
Last night, I thought of this as James and I were laying in bed. Usually, once we lay down, we say goodnight, give each other a kiss, and within 2 minutes James is asleep. It usually takes me 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, which I've always kind of resented him for...but that's another story.
Anyway, last night we went to bed and I guess neither one of us were very tired, because we laid there for about 20 minutes, just talking in the dark. It definitely took me back.
This does NOT mean we're getting bunk beds...
Last night, I thought of this as James and I were laying in bed. Usually, once we lay down, we say goodnight, give each other a kiss, and within 2 minutes James is asleep. It usually takes me 20-30 minutes to fall asleep, which I've always kind of resented him for...but that's another story.
Anyway, last night we went to bed and I guess neither one of us were very tired, because we laid there for about 20 minutes, just talking in the dark. It definitely took me back.
This does NOT mean we're getting bunk beds...
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Kansas City's Top 100 Restaurants
We're going to Blue Nile Cafe (an Ethiopian restaurant) for my birthday dinner tonight and I was looking on their website to get their phone number to make a reservation. On their website was a link to this, Kansas City's Top 100 Restaurants:
http://www.wherethelocalseat.com/Kansas-City-Restaurants/
I was curious so I looked through the list and was surprised to see that I've only eaten at 7 of the 100 restaurants listed:
Blue Nile
Blue Koi
Fritz's
Garozzo's
Manny's
Nick & Jake's
Thai Place
All of the above places had great food, except for Fritz's...which was very so-so. However, I'm guessing they made the list, not because of their food, but because of the experience. It's a fun place for kids, so I suppose it can be on the list. Nick & Jake's I was just a little surprised at. I've only been there once. I liked the food there, but I didn't necessarily think it was Top 100 quality. Perhaps I need to go again...
There were a few places on the list that I've been to, but haven't eaten at: Tom Fooleries, Reverse, Classic Cup Cafe, Blanc, and Jerusalem Cafe. I've been to both Tom Fooleries and Reverse a handful of times to drink, but I've never ordered food there. I went to a wine tasting in the basement of the Classic Cup Cafe, so I've been in the building, but I hardly think that counts. James and I went to Blanc once in Leawood, thinking it was Blue Koi (which was right next door). Luckily we figured it out before we were seated. And I ALMOST ate at Jerusalem Cafe the day of Crawl for Cancer. Courtney and I and a bunch of other people went in there to eat but they wouldn't split our checks, so we walked out.
There were a handful of places on the list that I've heard great things about, but I've never been to. I'm going to do my best to make it happen: La Bodega, JP Wine Bar, Gate's, Hereford House.
http://www.wherethelocalseat.com/Kansas-City-Restaurants/
I was curious so I looked through the list and was surprised to see that I've only eaten at 7 of the 100 restaurants listed:
Blue Nile
Blue Koi
Fritz's
Garozzo's
Manny's
Nick & Jake's
Thai Place
All of the above places had great food, except for Fritz's...which was very so-so. However, I'm guessing they made the list, not because of their food, but because of the experience. It's a fun place for kids, so I suppose it can be on the list. Nick & Jake's I was just a little surprised at. I've only been there once. I liked the food there, but I didn't necessarily think it was Top 100 quality. Perhaps I need to go again...
There were a few places on the list that I've been to, but haven't eaten at: Tom Fooleries, Reverse, Classic Cup Cafe, Blanc, and Jerusalem Cafe. I've been to both Tom Fooleries and Reverse a handful of times to drink, but I've never ordered food there. I went to a wine tasting in the basement of the Classic Cup Cafe, so I've been in the building, but I hardly think that counts. James and I went to Blanc once in Leawood, thinking it was Blue Koi (which was right next door). Luckily we figured it out before we were seated. And I ALMOST ate at Jerusalem Cafe the day of Crawl for Cancer. Courtney and I and a bunch of other people went in there to eat but they wouldn't split our checks, so we walked out.
There were a handful of places on the list that I've heard great things about, but I've never been to. I'm going to do my best to make it happen: La Bodega, JP Wine Bar, Gate's, Hereford House.
Tuesday, January 12, 2010
It's my birthday...bring on the free stuff!
Okay, so I have a January birthday and this year I noticed, more so than ever that you can get lots of free things on your birthday. Now, I'm not talking about presents or drinks at a bar or anything like that. Coupons, people. Following is a list of free things I'm getting this month because of my birthday:
- Free book from Scholastic
- Free pizza from Old Chicago
- Free sandwich from Schlotzsky's
- Free sub from Planet Sub (I think this one has to be purchased ON my birthday)
- Free chicken spedini from Garozzo's (also has to be ON my birthday)
- Up to $20 off any Vera Bradley item(s)...no minimum purchase necessary
Wednesday, January 6, 2010
Absolutely amazing
James found this video online and we just finished watching it together. It is rather long, like 12 minutes I think...but definitely worth watching. Seriously, make the time to watch it. It's one of the most beautiful (and impressive) things I've ever seen.
Breathtaking.
http://vimeo.com/7809605
Breathtaking.
http://vimeo.com/7809605
A sign, perhaps?
Okay, so I went to Facebook and the site is temporarily down. I guess this may be a sign for me to quit being lazy and get to work.
Ugh, I'll go get the coffee started.
Ugh, I'll go get the coffee started.
Why is productivity so hard?
I was pleasantly surprised last night when I got a text from one of my coworkers saying they called off school today because of the weather. Snow days, for many teachers, add some stress.
"When am I going to teach this or that?"
"We'll have to make it up in the spring."
For me...I'm like a kid. I don't think about those things. I think...yay, I don't have to get up in the morning and go to work!
Here's the problem. Grade cards go out Friday. And while I'm mostly finished with them...there's still a bit left to finish up. For whatever reason, I'm having a horrible time buckling down and just doing them. So I told myself, if I got up around 9:00 today (which would still be sleeping in), then I could make myself a cup of coffee, sit around in my PJ's, and finish these grade cards. Well, I've done the get up around 9:00 and staying in my PJ's thing but that's about as far as I've gotten.
I'm sure the better option here, would be to actually get up and start my day. Instead of staying in my PJ's wrapped up in a blanket, I really should probably shower and get dressed. That may help my productivity. But then again, it's a snow day, so I'll probably continue to check out blogs and Facebook.
And if anything, maybe I'll get to that cup of coffee...
"When am I going to teach this or that?"
"We'll have to make it up in the spring."
For me...I'm like a kid. I don't think about those things. I think...yay, I don't have to get up in the morning and go to work!
Here's the problem. Grade cards go out Friday. And while I'm mostly finished with them...there's still a bit left to finish up. For whatever reason, I'm having a horrible time buckling down and just doing them. So I told myself, if I got up around 9:00 today (which would still be sleeping in), then I could make myself a cup of coffee, sit around in my PJ's, and finish these grade cards. Well, I've done the get up around 9:00 and staying in my PJ's thing but that's about as far as I've gotten.
I'm sure the better option here, would be to actually get up and start my day. Instead of staying in my PJ's wrapped up in a blanket, I really should probably shower and get dressed. That may help my productivity. But then again, it's a snow day, so I'll probably continue to check out blogs and Facebook.
And if anything, maybe I'll get to that cup of coffee...
Friday, January 1, 2010
Top 10 Memories of 2009
In chronological order:
1. Engagement photos - We did our engagement photos in January, I think. It was on a day that was 9 degrees outside and of course we decided to do all of them outdoors. STUPID. We completely froze but somehow managed to get some good pictures. It was definitely a memorable day.
2. Dad's 60th birthday party - We celebrated Dad's 60th birthday in April out at Spring Lake. There are two parts of this day that were particularly memorable. First off, I caught my first fish ever. Well, kinda. Martin and Eric were fishing and Martin had one on the hook. He let me real it in. I was very excited. The other memorable part of this day, was when I dropped Dad's birthday cake. Luckily I have a dad that loves me even when I ruin his birthday.
3. Float trip - Over Memorial weekend, we went on a float trip somewhere in Missouri. We met Josh and Jaime and some of there friends there and spent a couple days on the river. It was a good time and is something I hope we'll do again.
4. 5K - This was a super busy day for me as it was the same day as my bridal shower and bachelorette party. I woke up at like 5:30 in the morning to go run the Hospital Hill 5K with Diane and Jenna. I didn't do fabulous, but I was proud of myself for doing it. I got 270th place overall (out of 1156 runners), 81st in the women's division (out of 722), and 14th in my age bracket (out of 142). I'm hoping to get back in shape and do another one this spring.
5. Bachelorette part(ies) - I had two bachelorette parties before getting married. They were completely different but both were really fun. The first one was about a month before the wedding. It was on the same day as my shower. We got a room at Harrah's and opened gifts (mostly stereotypical naughty bachelorettey things) and then went to the VooDoo lounge and gambled. Nicole, Margie, Lisa, Diane, Jenna, Jenni, and Paige were all there and it ended up being a great night with friends. An extra perk...I wasn't hungover the next day. My second bachelorette party was in Aggieville. It ended up just being Piper, Catie, and me (Adrienne came out with us for a bit before she had to work). It was in Aggieville, so it's a given that we had a good time.
6. The day of my wedding - I know everyone says it's supposed to be the best day of your life, but mine truly was. Things went smoothly, I felt beautiful, and I was surrounded by the people I love. Everyone seemed to have a good time, which should matter to me...but it does. It was perfect.
7. Our honeymoon - Our honeymoon was a great mix of romance, fun, and relaxation. I'm the type of person who typically tries to do as much as possible while on vacation. However, a lot of this trip was spent relaxing beside the beach or hanging out at the swim-up bar. We also took a tour of the island with Lloyd and Shal...some very fun locals who took us around in the back of their land rover jeep. This trip was our first time out of the country, so it was fun for us to get to use our passports.
8. Backyard football - This isn't very significant, but James and I bought a football in the early fall. We spent quite a few Saturdays out in the backyard throwing around the football. Nothing like good weather and fall leaves and a football!
9. Pumpkin patch - We went to the Johnson's Farm Pumpkin Patch this fall with Rory, Jenn, and Juliana. We usually take our first graders there every year for a field trip, but this year we didn't have the funds. This totally bummed me out, so I suggested we take Juliana. She was adorable there and we had a blast.
10. Our trip to Reno - We spent this Christmas in Reno with James' mom's side of the family. His grandparents were very generous and paid to fly us out and put us up in a hotel. We were there for 4 days. It was really nice to get to know his aunt and uncle and cousins. It's funny how similar James is to his family...even though he doesn't really know them. The last night we were there, James, Rory, me, and his cousins Ashley and Meghan went out. We had a really good time.
1. Engagement photos - We did our engagement photos in January, I think. It was on a day that was 9 degrees outside and of course we decided to do all of them outdoors. STUPID. We completely froze but somehow managed to get some good pictures. It was definitely a memorable day.
2. Dad's 60th birthday party - We celebrated Dad's 60th birthday in April out at Spring Lake. There are two parts of this day that were particularly memorable. First off, I caught my first fish ever. Well, kinda. Martin and Eric were fishing and Martin had one on the hook. He let me real it in. I was very excited. The other memorable part of this day, was when I dropped Dad's birthday cake. Luckily I have a dad that loves me even when I ruin his birthday.
3. Float trip - Over Memorial weekend, we went on a float trip somewhere in Missouri. We met Josh and Jaime and some of there friends there and spent a couple days on the river. It was a good time and is something I hope we'll do again.
4. 5K - This was a super busy day for me as it was the same day as my bridal shower and bachelorette party. I woke up at like 5:30 in the morning to go run the Hospital Hill 5K with Diane and Jenna. I didn't do fabulous, but I was proud of myself for doing it. I got 270th place overall (out of 1156 runners), 81st in the women's division (out of 722), and 14th in my age bracket (out of 142). I'm hoping to get back in shape and do another one this spring.
5. Bachelorette part(ies) - I had two bachelorette parties before getting married. They were completely different but both were really fun. The first one was about a month before the wedding. It was on the same day as my shower. We got a room at Harrah's and opened gifts (mostly stereotypical naughty bachelorettey things) and then went to the VooDoo lounge and gambled. Nicole, Margie, Lisa, Diane, Jenna, Jenni, and Paige were all there and it ended up being a great night with friends. An extra perk...I wasn't hungover the next day. My second bachelorette party was in Aggieville. It ended up just being Piper, Catie, and me (Adrienne came out with us for a bit before she had to work). It was in Aggieville, so it's a given that we had a good time.
6. The day of my wedding - I know everyone says it's supposed to be the best day of your life, but mine truly was. Things went smoothly, I felt beautiful, and I was surrounded by the people I love. Everyone seemed to have a good time, which should matter to me...but it does. It was perfect.
7. Our honeymoon - Our honeymoon was a great mix of romance, fun, and relaxation. I'm the type of person who typically tries to do as much as possible while on vacation. However, a lot of this trip was spent relaxing beside the beach or hanging out at the swim-up bar. We also took a tour of the island with Lloyd and Shal...some very fun locals who took us around in the back of their land rover jeep. This trip was our first time out of the country, so it was fun for us to get to use our passports.
8. Backyard football - This isn't very significant, but James and I bought a football in the early fall. We spent quite a few Saturdays out in the backyard throwing around the football. Nothing like good weather and fall leaves and a football!
9. Pumpkin patch - We went to the Johnson's Farm Pumpkin Patch this fall with Rory, Jenn, and Juliana. We usually take our first graders there every year for a field trip, but this year we didn't have the funds. This totally bummed me out, so I suggested we take Juliana. She was adorable there and we had a blast.
10. Our trip to Reno - We spent this Christmas in Reno with James' mom's side of the family. His grandparents were very generous and paid to fly us out and put us up in a hotel. We were there for 4 days. It was really nice to get to know his aunt and uncle and cousins. It's funny how similar James is to his family...even though he doesn't really know them. The last night we were there, James, Rory, me, and his cousins Ashley and Meghan went out. We had a really good time.
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