Weight Loss progress

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Friday, January 30, 2009

Weighing In

I have a new found dedication to losing weight and staying healthy. I've worked out 6 of the last 7 days and I have done my crunches every day. I am proud of these accomplishments! I feel really great(physically). I've also been watching what I eat and measuring things out.

A week ago today I started this new journey. Anxiously I stepped on the scale to see how much it has all paid of.. then I saw the number. Only down 1 pound. How can that be???

I have been using this online food journal at the daily plate to track what I have been eating and how much exercise I am doing. You put in your weight, height, age, activity level and it calculates how many calories you should be eating daily. So it says I should be eating 1,491 calories a day. Which is right on target because when I talked to the trainer at the gym they said 1500. My problem is that I am barely making it over 1100 calories a day. I think I made it to 1200 yesterday. So maybe I'm not eating enough? I've been eating what seems like non-stop but it is mostly fruits and veggies.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't somewhat disappointed. I'm not giving up though. I have a long road ahead of me. so.. 1lb down.. 49 to go!

If anyone has any healthy recipes please email them to me! I'm running out of ideas.

Monday, January 26, 2009

Can I?

May I have a moment to pat myself on the back?

I have always struggled with weight and I slack off on working out. This has not been the case over the last 4 days though. I've committed to 20 crunches a day for 31 days. I have done them every day so far! It's amazing how achieving that one tiny goal can lift your spirits and make you want to work harder.

I've also been going to the gym regularly. I forgot the gym closes early on Sundays so I was a little discouraged yesterday but I went walking instead. I'm proud of myself. I could have easily whimped out and used the gym as an excuse to not work out.

This morning I was super tired when I got home from work so I crashed and slept until about 430. I'vwe realized sleep is just as important to a healthy lifestyle as eating right and working out. I figured today would be my "rest" day but I brought my workout gear to work with me. One of the girls has a portable stair stepper and graciously said I could use it. So I did! Umm wow! What a workout! I feel so good though.

Daily I pray for strength to keep going and to achieve my weight loss goals. Its a tough battle and I need a good support system to keep going. Thanks to everyone for your encouragement.. don't stop! Trust me, it is tough to stay focused on the goal when you smell your neighbor cooking fried chicken.

Saturday, January 24, 2009

I Love to sweat!

On a normal day, the above statement couldn't be farther from the truth. However, when I am working out.. I love to sweat. It feels so good to work up a sweat and get your body rid of all those toxins. If I'm not sweating I feel like I'm not working out hard enough.

Going to the gym is a funny thing. I could absolutely care less what I look like. I crawl out of bed, throw my hair up, brush my teeth, change clothes and I am out the door.

I read an article today on MSN about changing your life in 31 days. It wasn't talking about huge life changes.. just small things. Working out 1 minute a day, using real plates, talking to random people, wearing something like red lipstick that will give you confidence. All things that are completely achievable. So for the next 31 days I commit to doing 20 crunches a day. I actualy did 40 today and it took all but 1-2 minutes. How easy!! I have a countdown on my bathroom mirror reminding me to do it. If I cannot do something this simple each day then I have serious discipline issues :)

Monday, January 19, 2009

Pay It Forward

Have you ever seen the movie "Pay if Forward"? Great movie. I highly suggest you see it. I watched it years ago and it touched me deeply. If just one person does something for someone else and that person pays if forward to another, imagine what kind of impact we could have on the world.

Years ago when I worked at Union Bank of California I learned how to crochet. My boss, Kelly, brought a crochet project one day and I decided I wanted to learn. So right there on the teller line I started making my very first scarf. Honestly.. it wasn't pretty! Uneven, loose in spots, tight in spots etc. Hardly something I would give to someone as a gift.

I practiced and practiced. She taught me how to make Granny Squares, sew them together and eventually how to make blankets. I started finding patterns and de-coding them. Now I have the ability to make blankets/scarves for people I love. Everyone tells me how special it is to recieve a handmade blanket but no one will ever know just how much it blesses me to see that same blanket wrapped around a little one.

I have since taught 4 or 5 other people how to crochet. A skill, a learned talent has been bestowed upon others because someone took the time to teach me. Thank you kelly for paying it forward to me.

Lucy :

Peyton:

One I finished today for a co worker

Sunday, January 18, 2009

To Charge or Not to Charge..

I've been doing cakes for a number of years now and people constantly tell me I should start charging for them. I toy with the idea but I have never done it. I am on the fence about what is a fair price and if my quality of cakes will stand up to the picky public. Family and close friends can look beyond the flaws.. maybe because they didn't have to make it and that is a load off so they will take whatever is given to them. I'm not sure. I know they turn out cute but they are far from perfect.

Over the last few weeks people from outside of my close circle of friends and family have asked me to do cakes. (ok only 2 people so far). I have agreed to them both and they fit with my work schedule so why not? And yes, I am going to charge them. I feel a little bit of pressure with these but I am sure they will be ok.

So I guess if anyone needs a cake of some sort.. let me know!??!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Seagulls

After working 10 nights straight you get a bit of cabin fever. I was itching to get out of the house so I got ahold of Ashley and we headed towards Torrey Pines State Beach.

It was a gorgeous day yesterday! We walked for a while along the shore before finding a set of rocks to sit on and have lunch.

Seagulls are never far away when you are on the beach. Normally I despise these birds. They are just gross birds in my mind. They can dive-bomb a group of people with their poo and hit every single one of them. They are loud and annoying. For whatever reason I found one particular seagull entertaining and somewhat cute yesterday.

He was the only one hanging near where we were sitting. I am a sucker for the droopy "I'm hungry" eyes given by most animals and some children. I tossed the last bit of the rolls to it and it was gone in a flash. He scooted a little closer but I had no bread left. The only other option was... chicken.. Is it just me or is there just something morally or ethically wrong with feeding a seagull chicken? Regardless, those big eyes hit the soft spot in my heart and I tossed a chunk of chicken. Much to my surprise he ate it. I simply told him he could have very well just eaten part of his cousin.

He never left our side. We sat on the rocks for a good two hours and he only left briefly. Each time another bird would come by he would stretch out his wings to make himself look bigger and chase the other birds off. At one point he sat down in the sand about 8 ft in front of us as if he was out very own watch-bird. We were his and no one was allowed to get close.

It reminded me of the seagulls from Finding Nemo.
"Mine, Mine, mine, mine".

Tuesday, January 13, 2009

American Idol & Reality TV

That's right ladies and gents... American Idol(A.I.) season 8 starts tonight! I can't wait to see what the new season holds. I have mixed feelings about a new judge being in the mix but I am confident this season will be just as good as the last 7!

Tonight I start the night off with dinner at Station 81 with my brother and the guys on his shift. They have quickly become a second family to me and I enjoy the talks we all have. Jeff, one of the medics, and I had a little bet last summer where American Idol was concerned. Fortuntately I won the bet but had mercy on them all and made a peach cobbler for them. Tonight, at their request, I will be making peach cobbler. Fitting that this falls on the first night of A.I. It is a total coinsidence and i really just thought about it when i started writing this.

So... Here's to a great season of Reality shows! The Bachelor, Mamma's Boys, American Idol, The City, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Superstars of dance... the list goes on.

P.S. Have you caught the first couple episodes of The Bachelor? wow.. its been good so far! I can't wait to see who he picks. I secretly hope when DeAnna comes back into the picture he chooses her. :)

Sunday, January 11, 2009

The Cake Monster






Peyton's 1st Birthday Cake:





Peyton's Birthday Cupcake

Before:

And After:

Needless to say our little cake monster loved her birthday cupcake and had a great time at her party. Kudos so my sister-in-law for planning a fantastic BDay party for her baby girl!





Blind Date?

While at Jessica's last week, a friend of her mother-in-laws came by. Jess and I were outside watching the boys play and I was happily holding Lucy. The visitor was oooing and ahhing over the sweet little girl in my arms. She quickly complained that her kids were slacking because she only had one grandson. She says a few more things to Jess then turns to me " are you single?". I burst into laughter and said yes. Her face lit up and quickly said I need to meet her son. She turned to Jess and said they need to set us up on a blind date. I was bright red I am sure but told her "why not". She went on to tell me a little about her son and show me a picture. The picture was kind of old though(a graduation of some sort). So we will see what happens with that.

Blind dates are kind of scary because there are so many unknowns. I'm still open to the idea though. Here's a recap of ones I have experienced:

1)While at Vanguard the Resident Assistants did a " get your roommate a date" dinner/date night. My date backed out (a friend of mine that had to go out of town) so one of the RA's set me up with her brother's friend. We had a scavenger hunt to find our dates. Of course the person that made my scavenger hunt made it super hard and I had to go all over campus.. on a scooter... in heals.. that's a recipe for fun right there. I find my date and he hands me this crumpled and dirty plastic florwer. In which he says " sorry, I just found it on the ground". Thinking it was somewhat sweet that he wanted to give me something, I went with it. Until we joined the rest of the group and everyone had pretty fresh flowers from their dates. He had forgotten. Oh well. We leave for dinner (pizza at the park) and while in the car he finds my friends' foaming lotion that is in Marshmallow scent. It actually smelled like burnt marshmallows and he got it everywhere. It smelled sooo gross in the car. Once we got to the park, he bounded out of the car towards the tables that were decorated. Then he says " oh a water fountain"...he then makes his way to the water fountain and promptly sticks his head in the water to "wash his hair". Ok....

At dinner he gets restless and starts playing with the candles on the table. Lighting napkins, name plates, plates and anything else he could find on the table. He then proceeds to light the contents of a trash can on fire. I was in awe the entire time. I didn't realize I was going on a date with a 12yr old! When it was time to head back to the school, he jumped in a different car and I never saw him again.

2)My roommate(at the time) and good friend, Desiree had gone to a couple swing dancing classes at a local church while we lived in Costa Mesa. She had talked to a guy that she said was "perfect" for me. She wanted us to meet so I went with her the next time. She introduced us and we chatted a few minutes before the class started. We had quite a few things in common and I was stoked. Towards the end I was wondering if I should ask for his number or if he would be asking for mine. I walked up to him and a couple people he was talking to just in time to hear him ask another girl for Her number and if she wanted to go out sometime. Not loosing hope, I waited until he was done talking and mentioned that my roommates and I were heading to dinner at Red Robin if him and his friends wanted to join us. He said "sure" so we all got in our cars. I then informed my roommates of what I had done and that we now had plans to go to dinner at Red Robin. We got a table for 7 and waited.... and waited. They never showed up.

3) Tony.. met him online while I lived in Pomona. We met at a starbucks halfway between our homes. A nice, safe and public place for a first meeting. We got our coffee and had a seat. We chit-chat for a few then he goes into a deep explanation of why he really shouldn't be having coffee because of his stomach problems. He's not allergic to it or anything but the milk in it upsets his stomach and he will probably have to run to the bathroom soon. Ummm TMI?

4) In 2008 I decided to try online dating again. After 100 matches w/ no one contacting me, I got very discouraged and decided to give up. Finally one guy contacted me. We emailed and talked on the phone for a couple weeks. He wanted to meet so I said ok. We were going to meet at a McDonalds and then he had something planned. I got to the said McDonalds (so I thought) and waited.. and waited. Finally he called with "where are you". I told him I was in the parking lot and he said he was too. We finally realized we were at 2 different places. He came to me and we were on our way. He took me to the Point Loma Lighthouse. When we pulled up to the gate, the guard said it was $6 for parking. Josh sheepishly said he had no cash on him and asked if I did. Unfortuantely I did not. And they didn't take ATM or credit Cards. I had my checkbook and was able to write a check for parking. No biggie. We get out and he tells me he has a bike and skateboard in the back of his truck and which one do I want.. ummmm huh? I havent been on a bike in YEARS. The last thing I wanted to do was fall on my tush in front of this guy on a first date. So we just walked around, looked at stuff and chatted. It was awkward at best but I guess that is to be expected for a first date. We hung out a couple more times but the sparks just weren't there. Happy to say we are still friends. He actually just got married in December. Im very happy for him.

With each new experience comes new stories and new adventures. I'm sure if this blind date happens I will have more stories to share. I'm just waiting it out to see what happens. I don't have his contact info and he doesn't have mine so who knows how it will all play out. More to come I'm sure!

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

A Year Ago..

One Year ago (tomorrow) one of the most precious little girls was born. Peyton Marie King was born January 8, 2008. I can't even tell you how fun it has been to watch her grow over the past year. She's sweet, funny, entertaining and such a good baby!
I remember how the day started last year.. I got off work knowing Katie was going to be induced. The induction had been postponed a couple hours so I came home from work and set about making cookies. I was ready for the long haul.. I had my lap top, ipod, magazines, books, snacks, water etc ready to go in my car. A good friend of mine was working a medic shift in deer springs so I cruised to north county to see him for a bit. We laughed about the rumors going around about us (for whatever reason people thought we were dating.. we werent) and he was asking about the pending birth of my niece. My mom kept in contact with me through the morning. She called me when Katie was at 4cm. I told my friend I should probably head to the hospital. We continued to chat for probably another hour before I left.
Happily cruising down Pomerado Rd my mom calls me:
Mom: (very calmly)Where are you?
Me: ON Pomerado Rd, why?
Mom: umm well Katie is at 9 and will start pushing soon
Me: Nooo I can't miss it! I will be there as fast as I can

Road rage set in and I was yelling at all the retirees slowly driving down Pomerado Rd. I quickly parked my car, grabbed my purse, camera and "its a girl" chocolate cigars and RAN across the parking lot. All the while calling my paramedic friend and screaming into the phone that I was going to miss the birth. He just laughed. I ran through the doors, jumped around as i waited for the elevator, pushed the 4th floor button about 25 times in hopes it would go faster, exited the elevator. My dad was standing there and told me what room. I ran down the hall, pass the nurses station and into Katie's room. Everyone got a good chuckle. I said my hellos then went to the waiting room. Eventually the teary- eyed grandmas came down the hall to tell us Peyton was here. ahhh what a moment!
A couple days ago I visited Brian and Katie. They asked me if I wanted to rock her to sleep in her room. What a precious moment for this Auntie! As she layed against my chest, all snuggled tight.. I couldnt help but tear up and Thank God for this amazing little girl. I love rocking babies and holding them when they are sleeping. There's nothing like it in the world!

Monday, January 5, 2009

Newest Creations

This past weekend I once again dug deep and found my creative ability in order to make a very special Baby Shower Cake. One of my dearest friends is have twin boys!! I wasn't able to make it to the baby showers for her other kids so it made this one extra special! I had a great time thinking of a design and making the cake.
Here are a few pictures:







I love making cakes. Each time I do one I am told I should do it professionally. Naaahhh. I just have fun doing it. Another reason is the MESS it makes. I don't have the worlds largest kitchen so it gets dirty fast. I throw one layer in the oven then scrub down the dishes in my sink, sweep the floor and sanitize my counters. Its a long process. Not to mention when I start to get tired I start dropping things. Thus leaving my kitchen speckled with colored frosting. I think I will just keep doing it on the side for fun.

I also had the opportunity to make the diaper cake for the shower. I've never done one so I was kind of winging it. I think it turned out ok though. Late friday night I realized I didnt have any rubber bands. I was bummed I had to go out one more time for yet another thing I forgot(this is where making a list at the beginning of the day comes in handy). Of course when I got to the store they didn't have regular rubberbands so I had to settle for small hair rubberbands. Good thing it was a pack of 250! Considering I snapped about 50 of them in the process of making the diaper cake. Just for the record, itty bitty rubberbands hurt just as much as regular sized ones when they snap or break on your fingers!




And last but not least.. the baby blankets I made for the little guys:


I had so much fun doing these things for her! I am thankful for the creative ability TO do these things!

Sunday, January 4, 2009

Seattle

I've realized that I take on a lot in my life. I have a very hard time saying no to people I love. Making cakes, cookies, dishes for potlucks or driving 30 miles to see a couple friends I wouldn't normally see at the same time, I am always on the go. I am generally labeled as "busy" and I get quite irritated when I hear that. What I know is that my life is full. It is full and rich from the people I am surrounded by, the opportunities presented to me, and the things I love to do. This new year is going to be fantastic.. I can feel it in my bones!! (Just like I have for the past two weeks when the Chargers won!!!!)

I am embarking on a new journey in May. I am going on a real vacation! My destination of choice?..... Seattle, Wa........ "Why Seattle?". Well, it is simple. I have never been there before. I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am about going! My friend Ashley is going with and possibly Staci. The three of us work together and have had our share of ups and downs this past year (as we all have) so we decided to get out and have a little fun! There are so many things to do and see there!

The biggest thing I want to do is go to Orcas Island which is part of the San Juan Islands. I have always been fascinated with killer whales. They are beautiful, magnificent animals. To go out on a boat (my mom in cringing at this very moment) and see them in their natural habitat will be amazing. Just take a look at the website! It is a beautiful fishermans warf type area with quaint Hotels and B&B's.. whats not to love! It is going to be a great trip!

Here are a few possible things to see on the trip:

Pike Place Market
Space Needle
Butchart Gardens
Coffee

Everything is still in the planning stages. We are trying to find the best deals on airfare, hotels etc. So if you know any traveling secrets or have some connections let me know! :)