Life going on....

Sorry about all the sadness in my last post, it was a very hard day for me, and the only thing that made me feel better was to write about it. I'm still hurting, but I have the rest of my little family, and they are certainly trying very hard to fill her little "shoes". Everyone, including the doggies, have been super cuddly and loving with me lately, and it has been helping alot. I still miss her, and probably always will. I have never had a bond like that with an animal before and losing her was like losing a part of myself - that's how involved she was in my day to day life. But, time heals and I know she is at peace and that she didn't suffer. That's all I can ask for.

ANYWAY! Before I get all sad again....

I have some great news on the Day Zero front!

- I have now saved $100 toward my camera. There is also now $100 in the baby fund for the time off work I will have to take. Only about $500 more to go! Yikes!

- #70 is complete! We paid off our storage unit and have officially cleaned it out and are starting to go through the contents and sorting into "yard sale" and "keep" piles. It's ALOT of stuff!

- #72 - fix the car is also complete! The front axle was going bad, and it didn't cost as much as we thought it was going to! We also got insurance, new tags, and the taxes paid, as well as the title put into Hubby's and my names only! YAY!

- #90 is complete, although it wasn't as great of an experience as I thought it was going to be. We went to a little Asian boutique, and I don't think she understood that when getting your FIRST massage EVER, it is NOT a good idea to get a deep tissue massage! It was great in that she got all the knots out, but it HURT! And afterwards (for TWO WHOLE days) my back was on FIRE! I couldn't even lay on it to sleep. Definately not doing that again.

- #91 is also complete! I wasn't going to do it, but I decided that my hair was just getting way too heavy and with summer coming and being big and pregnant, I just didn't want a whole bunch of hair on my head. So, I decided to go ahead and get it cut. I wasn't PLANNING on donating it until the lady at the salon said that I would have enough if I just went a LITTLE bit shorter, so I went for it! Hubby HATED it at first, but I think it might be growing on him. We will see! Here it is, along with my 16 week baby bump pic:

Sorry it's a little blurry!

I got it cut on Sunday right before Hubby and I took a trip down to D.C. to the National Zoo! It was alot of fun and I have a few pics from that day:

And just for giggles, and to show you how much my Marty poses for me, here is a picture I took of him this morning =)

Things I forgot to show you....and new stuff, too.

So, I know it's been awhile and I'm sorry for that, I just never seem to find the time to blog anymore, and I'm sure that will decrease even more once the baby gets here. (Well, maybe I'll have more to talk about then, as there is not alot going on here in our household right now. I guess we will see.)

Anyway, there are some things that I have wanted to share with you. Now, keep in mind these are cell phone pictures and they're not going to be good quality, but I wanted to share them with you anyway.

Let's back up to Thanksgiving. I want to share my awesome table setup with you! I can't believe I never shared it with you, considering how proud I am of the fact that I put it together all by myself and I think that I did a pretty good job with it!

 I can't wait until next year when I can set it up again! (And just think - when I set it out again, I'll have an infant! omg.....)

Then, at Christmastime, my wonderful hubby let me redecorate for Christmas. That was essentially my Christmas present, getting to buy whatever I wanted to decorate the table for Christmas this year. Here it is:

 And here is my Christmas tree in full view:

I was very proud of this as well. Christmas has always been my favorite holiday and I cannot wait until next year when I can share this with my son/daughter!

I also want to share with you some baby bump (or lack thereof) photos! The first is at 6 weeks on January 10th:

This one is at 7 weeks:

And here is more recent, a 13 week photo (side note: it's laundry day - LOL):

As you can see, there's not much there. My hubby keeps saying that he can see the difference, but to me it still just looks the same as it has the past eight months - chubby fatty goodness. I'm sure I'll begin to see the difference here soon but I just don't see it right now.

Now to more recent news:

I had my doctors appointment on February 16th, and everything went well during the visit with our OBGYN. We got to hear our little bean's heartbeat and I had actually lost 6 pounds which means now I can gain a little more than I originally thought toward the end of my pregnancy. Then I went upstairs to the other section to do my fasting blood sugar. I failed: my blood sugar was a 116, when normal fasting is 92. So, they diagnosed me with gestational diabetes. So, now I get to prick my finger four times a day with this lovely contraption:

And drop my blood on a test strip inside one of these contraptions:

And report to my doctor weekly. So far, I have been really bad about doing it every day, but all of the readings I've gotten recently haven't been bad, and I haven't been dieting or anything. So, I don't know what they're going to tell me, but I'm sure as long as I keep doing what I've been doing I'll be ok.

I have another appointment with the Diabetes section of the OBGYN office on March 4th, to discuss my readings, and then a regular appointment on the 16th. And then hopefully, three weeks after that, I will be coming back for my next ultrasound and *crosses fingers* we MIGHT be able to find out what the sex of the baby is!

On to today:

My husband and I made our first "baby purchase"! Now, before you get ahead of me, it's more for the dogs/cats than anything right now, but the good news is we were able to move all the cats stuff out of the spare bedroom (read: nursery) and into the kitchen! Here is what the kitchen looks like now:

Guarded by this AWESOME baby gate, which is super tall and comes with a gate for the cats so that they can get through freely. Now, we can't use the door yet, because Vala is still small enough to go through, but I figure in about two months or so she will be too big to go through the door anymore, and we will be able to open it.

And now the nursery is a blank slate ready for whatever we want to do with it!

There is a small closet around the corner to the right, and I really feel like its going to be a big enough room for the baby to be able to grow and live in for a good long time. I have a few ideas as to what I want to do with the room, and there is alot of cleaning and painting and repair work on the window to do, but it's all easy stuff. I want to put a rug down on the floor, and I want the quote "Life is but a dream, so row merrily..." written on the wall above the crib, but that will come later. I think it will be ready soon for furniture, maybe a month or so.

I know this post is long, but bear with me, I'm almost done. I had so much to catch up on! On to my Day Zero goals:

- I have read three more books:

They were all really good, and I will tell you if you are a cat lover, you HAVE to read Dewey, it is a heartfelt, beautiful story about a cat that changed a TON of people's lives. It was a tearjerker for me it was so good.

- I've started a fund to save up to buy my camera that I want:

A Canon EOS Rebel XS - $550 at our local Best Buy. So far I have saved about $80.00.  I am hoping to have it before the baby is born so that I can get some awesome pictures. (Not to mention learn how to use it correctly before the pressure is on to get good baby pics)
- I have completed #28: Cut soda out of my diet completely. I now only occasionally have a sip of soda when the mood strikes me. I am drinking water 99.9% of the time now! Go me!

- # 70 will be completed within the next two weeks: Pay off the storage unit. I can't WAIT for that day, because I get my childhood toychest back, plus a few things that I think we will be able to sell for a decent amount of money, and then we can get # 58 going - a yard sale!

- # 72 will also be taken care of with our tax money this year: Fix the car.

- #90 get a professional massage. I am going to be doing this on Thursday with my friend Amber for her birthday! So excited for this!

- #91 donate my hair at least once. I am going to grow my hair out during the pregnancy since your hair grows faster, and donate it a week or two before the baby is born!

Ok, so that about does it! I think I am all caught up for now!

Hello! I've been a blog-slacker!

Hello, friends!

Sorry for the long, long, LONG time in between posts. I have no excuse. I know. Sorry!

I have lots to catch up on, so lets get right to it!

When I last posted, we had just celebrated my husband's and my birthday. Alot of fun, and some things checked off the Day Zero list. Since then I have checked off a few more, but we will get to that in a minute!

On November 14th, we added another member to our little (big) family:

This is Vala. She is approximately 12 weeks old right now, and a little fireball! We love her very much, and she has adjusted very well into our family, case in point:

She is the queen bee around here right now!

November was a busy month for us, and we were really excited to have the opportunity to see two of our favorite teams in one month! The first was Florida State vs. Maryland:

Here I am decked out in Florida State gear.

Final Score: Florida State - 30, Maryland - 16!

Prayer Circle post-game. Very cool.

The game was a blast! We were seated right behind Florida State's bench, and we were SURROUNDED by fellow Florida State fans which was SUPER fun! We had a really good time.

The second game we had an opportunity to see was actually Thanksgiving Day in New Jersey - we got to watch the Cincinati Bengals take on our Jets! Unfortunately we lost our camera but I did manage to get a picture of the stadium with my cell phone:

The stadium is HUGE, amazing, gorgeous and it was so much fun! We got a little worried in the first half, but we came back and ended up kicking their butts! It was a great (but FREEZING) night!

Now, we get to the two Day Zero goals I get to cross off my list! Number 1 is:

#33. Complete a 5K race.

On December 5th, I participated in a local 5k benefitting our local Humane Society. I trained using the Couch to 5k program, but I don't feel like I truly completed the program, so I'm not ready to check off number 32 on my list just yet. And I won't be able to check it off for a while, but I'll get to the reasoning behind that in a minute! The race itself was easier than I thought it was going to be, and I ended up finishing faster than I thought I was going to: final time was 42 minutes 43 seconds. I thought it was going to take me about an hour. It was COLD but it was alot of fun. I had a few friends running with me, and they helped me across the finish line. Here is a photo of us after the race:

We were also able to bring Marty and Vala along and my friends got to meet my puppies, which was really cool. I am thinking about training next year and running the race again with Marty next year, which should be a blast!

The reason why I can't run until then is fairly simple and is #88 on my Day Zero list:

I am going to be a mommy!

88. Have a baby

I found out two days before Christmas that I am pregnant. My hubby and I have been trying for this for almost a year, and I am so excited for it to finally be happening! I waited and surprised Hubby on Christmas morning with a Christmas card with a picture of the positive test inside. He was so shocked and totally did not see it coming! We are both super excited to be parents and it certainly seems like nine months is SO long to wait! I'm sure it will be here before we know it.

My first appointment is January 4th, where we will hopefully get an official due date, and possibly an initial ultrasound to determine how far along in my pregnancy I am - unofficially (if you go by what they normally go by to determine due date) our little one should be arriving on or around August 26th, 2011!

So, in progress still are a few of my Day Zero goals. I went through and deleted the goals that just dont seem reachable now that we know that a baby is on the way. I'm not so much concerned about completing every single goal, I just like having goals to strive for.

With that being said, I have begun the path to healthier eating (and drinking) now that I am pregnant. So far I have done pretty well with cutting out soda (#28) and only have a soda maybe once a day. That is a BIG improvement trust me. Next on the list is eating breakfast every morning (#30) and brushing and flossing. (#31) Dental hygene is very important during pregnancy so I need to get on the boat and FAST. I have also gotten a yoga dvd (#34) because I read that yoga is a great exercise to do while pregnant, so I am going to give it a try this week. I am still working on my recipe book (#45) and it should be finished soon. Around tax time this coming year #70 should be complete: paying off the storage unit. Soon after we should be able to do our yard sale. (#58) I'm still working on the world's longest sodoku puzzle, (#82) and I just need to print off more blank puzzles in order to continue.

This has definately been an awesome Christmas season and I can't wait to see what the new year will bring for us! I promise to keep you posted more often! It will be much easier now that we have moved the desk out to the front room to make room for the baby furniture in our spare room! See we plan WAYYY ahead, and I wonder if that is a good thing or a bad one! We are just so excited!

Will update soon, friends!

Two birthdays and a ketchup post!

Ok, so it has been a LONG time since I've posted on here and I have some great stuff to tell you!

First, back on October 5th, my husband turned 26! He says he is now officially old, but I don't think that's true. His parents took us to the opening of a new restaurant in town called Logan's Steakhouse, and even though it was the second day and no one could get free to come sing to the hubster, we still managed to embarrass him:

And here is us, and his parents:

It was so much fun!

Next, it was my turn for a birthday: two days ago, on November 6th, I turned 26 and joined the "old people ranks". My friend Amber took me for my very first mani-pedi (#93 on the day zero list - done!) and for sushi! Here is our gorgeous plate:

It was sooo yummy! We also got these interesting ice cream pods for dessert:

I don't know if I would ever order another one, but it was cool to try something new.

For the mani-pedi I went with Ruby Pumps by OPI. It is bright red with red glitter! I love it!

So, that brings me to the ketchup part of today's post:

Since posting last I have read two more books:

Both were super good, and I can't believe that Fern Michaels is continuing the Sisterhood books - so excited!!

I have recently started working on #32 - Complete the Couch to 5K program. I am currently on Week 3, Day 3. I won't be completely done by the time the race that I'm signing up for comes around on December 5th, but I'm pretty sure I'll be ready anyway. So that will complete #33 on the list: Complete a 5k Race. The race benefits our local Humane Society, and I am super excited for that.

Also, #45 Finish recipe book, is almost complete. I finished writing in the recipes from mom's book and my campbells book. Now all I have to do is write in the recipes I have saved on the computer and on tastykitchen.com.

I have also successfully completed # 71 - pay off my car! I sent in the last payment on October 31st, and will hopefully be getting my title any day now. Woohoo for lowering my insurance costs!

As I said earlier, I also completed one other item, #93 - get my first mani-pedi! So fun, and will definately be doing it again!

Getting back on the weight loss wagon, and other stuff...

So, after looking at the most recent photos of me, I have decided that I really need to get on the ball about losing some weight. In most photos I now have a slight double chin, and I am no longer happy with what I see in the mirror from day to day. Currently, I am sitting at the 205-210 range: the heaviest I have ever been. A healthy, medium build, 5'5" woman like me should be between 136 and 150, so I am overweight by about 60 lbs. On my Day Zero Goals it has my goal weight being 145, which is right around where I want to be; but the first goal is to get halfway there - to 180.

As far as motivation goes, I am going to be taking before photos and 1 month progress photos, although I probably won't share them with you. The thought of me in my workout clothes posted for the world to see gives me the willies!

I have re-started our Netflix account and found the Jillian Michaels Yoga dvd I am going to try.. I am also going to start the couch to 5k program as soon as I find a safe place to run. I was also thinking about the P90X or the 30 day shred (which I also put on my netflix list) and plan to see how that goes as well. I don't have any weights, but I think I can find something heavy enough to use, maybe milk jugs with water in them or something until I can afford some weights. I'll add the 100 push up challenge to the end of that workout every day, with days off on Wednesday and Sunday. I am also cutting out soda for good, except for on Sundays as a reward if I make it through the week. I am also going to start eating breakfast every morning, as I think that is part of my problem of hunger throughout the day. I am going to start getting up with Mike in the mornings (which is at 9am) and work my way toward 8am wakeups: I'm not quite ready for that yet. I think I have a plan set in place and I am ready to start tomorrow! Tomorrow, since I don't have my Jillian Michaels dvd yet, I will do the Zumba Dance dvd that I have. I am super excited to start!

In other Day Zero news, I finished off two more books:

They were both really, really good. I will probably be getting the third book in the Bride Quartet here in the next few days, and I still have one other book to finish. (the combo-book on my list)

And on a final note - because it's football Sunday and our Jets pulled out a HUGE win versus the Patriots I say:

J! E! T! S! JETS! JETS! JETS!

Seems all I do is read these days...

Hello there!

Life has been pretty crazy this past week in our household getting geared up for the new football season. I have ultimately decided that I will join my husband this year and root for the J! E! T! S! Jets, Jets, JETS! I still love Payton Manning, but I am just in love with Mark Sanchez and I am totally 100% behind the team this year, and forevermore! It is my first educated football decision - and I am standing behind it, because I really didn't know who I was picking when I started watching football. So, anyway, yay football!

I'm still being lazy in my blogging and my Friday My Husband Rocks posts, but I'm working on it I swear! I did however, finish another book last week called Mr. and Miss Anonymous:

I completely enjoyed this book, and all of its twists and turns, although I think that there could have been JUST a bit more drama in it for me. But it was a good read, and I do recommend it!

I also went out with my best friend for a shopping day last Thursday so I am going to count that as my "girls night" for this month. I know technically it was a day, but I make the rules - so there =)

I discussed the living room "family wall" with Mike today and I think we are in agreement that we are going to combine the wedding and family wall and do four shelves (two on either side of the tv) and then just randomly put photos and memories up there as well as a "(Last Name) Family est. July 5, 2009" wall hanging above the television. We might even consider another shelf underneath the television for the tv boxes to sit on so that we can get rid of the bulky table that is there. Here is what the tv wall looks like now:

And here is what I'm thinking I want to do with it:

(I know the drawing is a little crude, but hey all I have is paint on my computer!)

I think with any luck I can make it look really nice!

I am so close to checking off number 71 and 72 - they should be done and over with by the end of this month! I only have about $600 left on my car, and then Mike and I have decided that if we are able to we are going to trade it in. We're hoping to find a decent used  pickup truck of some kind. We've got a system for our budget that seems to be working, so if we're doing ok at the end of November I think I'll go ahead and check that one off too! So exciting to be almost all caught up! I also started a journal of my happy thoughts and thankfuls, but I haven't been doing well with it, I was going to complete them each night before bed, and I'm going to try to stick to that. I just need to get caught up.

That's pretty much it for the update for now. I will write more soon!

"Ketchup" continued...

Hello again!

Super excited for today, I've got lots to do plus tonight is my first night serving (officially) but I wanted to take the time and finish my post on my Day Zero Challenge:

I believe I left off with #40:

40: try 2 new recipes a month - I'm am SO far behind on this. I should have 24 recipes in already but because of the break I took I only have 3. I hope to get cracking on this soon!

41: I'm (hopefully) going to get one of these out of the way this coming weekend, depending on my schedule! Laurel and Tom are hopefully coming over for dinner, I just have to make sure I'm off work and they are too.

42: I don't know when I'm going to do this, as classes cost money, but hopefully soon - I think it'll be fun!

43: Will be taken care of this November, because even if I don't have a full blown party, I'm still baking this cake for myself!!

44: I'm not sure if I'll do this this year, or next - but either way it will be simple because it will only be for the two of us.

45: My recipe book is in progress - I decided on which one I wanted to use, and have started filling it in, but some of the recipes I want to try before writing them into my book, since I only have so many pages

46: Bread is one of those things I am totally afraid of in the kitchen because it's so easy to mess up. I hope to get up the guts to do this soon, so that we can stop spending money where we don't need to.

47 and 48: Pending funds to buy them.

49: Birthday cards have always been a hard thing for me. I always forget until its too late. (like today is my best friend's birthday - HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESS! but alas, no card sent) I'm trying to work on it.

50: I can't WAIT to send out Christmas cards, even though Mike thinks its totally pointless.

51: Girls night out once a month is going well, I seem to just keep up with this goal without really trying. Mostly if Mike is going out I'll find something to do with a girlfriend.

52: Dunno when, dunno who.

53, 54, and 55: These are in the designing/planning stages. I still have to determine which pictures I want and what will look good on that size of a wall. Hopefully I'll have some plans soon.

56 and 57: These two will probably be done some time next spring, because I don't want to plant my tree this late in the year.

58: The yard sale will probably have to wait until next year since we don't have our storage unit paid off yet.

59 - 68: These are all in the future. Don't have the money right now.

69: Date night is good - Mike and I are actually planning to go more than once a month, probably closer to twice.

70: In the works. Need money.

71: Have two payments left! WOOHOO

72: I don't think we'll trade my car in right away. We have to get some money back in case they want more of a down payment (since my car isn't worth much)

73 - 76: Not really working on these so far, but will get to work soon now that I have a steady job again.

77: Haven't started on this yet.

78: I've found a pattern that I like but it is hard to read, so I may have to choose another one. I will also have to buy the colors a few at a time, so it will be a process.

79: again - need money.

80: I've got a great idea (write about what you know) and I will probably end up posting bits of it here to get an idea on if it's any good or not.

81: I love to read, so this one is easy.

82 and 83: these are going well, but I haven't worked on them lately.

84 and 85: I haven't started doing this yet - I'm thinking maybe I'll start on Thanksgiving? That seems appropriate.

86: This has been started but I haven't worked on it lately - again, need money to print off the pictures

87: This one is so hard, because Mike is a very narrow interest guy - sports and gaming. That's, about, it.

88 and 89: In the works, but no luck so far.

90: Actually this one should be 2/6 so far, I'm down one for this past year, and for this current year so far.

91: Ha! Nowhere near starting this right now, need money for the program

92 and 93: These will hopefully happen for my birthday this year, that's what I want.

94 - 101: Not started yet, or waiting on money. Nothing to report on those goals.

So you see, I have alot started, just not alot to show for it yet. I'm super excited for all these goals, and I hope I get some of them checked off soon!

It's 2:08 am....

...and I am sitting here at my computer screen. My kitties are laying all around me, (they've been relegated to the spare room every other day because Marty does not understand that they-are-NOT-food) now sleeping after peppering me with pleading meows for food and fresh water and of course, lovin. I'm tired but not sleepy, I'm sure you've all felt that way a time or two, so I decided to get started on my "ketchup (catch up) post."

First, I'd like to talk a little about my new job. Over the past five years of Mike's and my relationship, I have held five jobs counting this one. I started at Applebees, as a server/expo/bartender/togo runner/host - you name it, I did it. (except cook, which is suprising to me now that I think about how much I want to learn to be a good cook) I was there for four years total. Then I tried my hand at retail, with Friedmans Jewelers. I would probably still be there, (hopefully) as a store manager, if they hadn't have gone out of business. After that, I got a job as an insurance agent. I took a side job at a pizza place at the same time for a few months while I was put down to part time hours. Recently, I lost that job, and have had to go back to where I started - serving, this time for Outback Steakhouse. And let me just say two things:

1. It is SO much different from Applebees and the pizza place. Applebees was MUCH more fast pace oriented, and the pizza place was just badly organized and had a horrible front manager who did NOT know what she was doing. (Not to mention she was immature and had a MAJOR attitude problem)
2. I can NOT believe how rusty I am! I come home and my feet hurt, my back hurts and I feel like I'm coming apart at the seams. I end up going to bed and sleeping like a baby, and it sucks! I know eventually I will get used to it again, but the adjustment period is going to be SUPER hard.

Besides all that, though, I do have to say that I already love it there. The people are great, the atmosphere is GREAT, the organization is on point, and the management team are on top of things. It's laid back and fun, but still structured. There are a few familiar faces, from when I served before, and that always helps. I'm hoping to reconnect with a few of my regulars and to get a bunch more! Because that's what it is all about, meeting people, taking care of them, getting to know and care about them, and making sure that they have a good time while they're sitting with me.

I officially start on the floor on Monday, and I am super excited!

-----

Now, next I want to get into my Day Zero Challenge. I originally started this project at the end of August of last year. Since then I've done two major revisions to my goals. I'm hoping to stick with these goals until the end, because even though it's not really a "RULE" I'm pretty sure that I'm not supposed to be changing my goals as my interests change. But, hey it's my list and I'm making the rules now!

So, I've already completed thirteen of my 101 goals, which isn't bad for the first year, although it could have been better. I've got quite a few in progress at the moment, and a few that I should be working on but just haven't seemed to be able to get started on them.

14 and 15. Scanning and renaming photo files: I've been slowly working on this, but I haven't really taken too much time with it. Every time I get on the computer I seem to get sidetracked. I really need to get this done, though, so I can free up some space on our (ancient) computers harddrive.

16. Beat The Lion King for SNES : I could never get past this one part in level 2 for the life of me as a kid, and I recently looked it up online how to get past it, and it is SUPER hard. I'm getting there though. I haven't had much time to play lately, and I don't even have it set up in the room yet, seeing as we just moved and haven't quite finished unpacking everything yet.

17, 18, and 19: Right now Mike and I are watching Stargate Universe, so I haven't been watching these other shows, plus I need to start the Netflix back up to complete TNG and Gilmore Girls. In the works, but not a priority at the moment.

20 and 21: Haven't even had time to watch the first few movies I got off of the AFI list, and I'm still compiling my personal list, which I always seem to be adding to. I'm thinking I might have to revise these or just pay the $5, because it doesn't look like I'll be finishing them by May of 2012....but we will see.

22, 23, and 24: I am putting on hold for now, as they are financial in nature, and I just now got back to making money.

25: easy - this is my journal and here is post number 2 for the week! I'm holding myself to this one, I think it's important for me to keep myself accountable.

26: My Husband Rocks Fridays is something I came across on a blog. Every Friday I will be posting about a reason my husband rocks my world. (which there are many of course) I didn't do one this past Friday because of training, but I plan to start this Friday.

27: I tried to do this earlier in the year, but had very little success. I am putting this on hold until I get a professional camera (which is #22)

28-31: I am having a hard time with these. I just can't seem to get up in the mornings like I want to because of the late nights I constantly have. Eating breakfast shouldn't be hard, but it is. Soda is super hard to cut out, as I am trying to cut out tea, too. I'll have to do that anyway if I get pregnant, so the sooner the better.

32-39: On hold at the moment, although I am going to start working out again soon if the pounds don't come off from the increased activity from work.

Well, the husband is wanting to go to bed, so I will pick back up where I left off maybe on Monday or Tuesday. Have a great weekend!

Another Day Zero Update

So, I haven't done too terribly much this week when it comes to my goals - but I did finish another book:

It is the first in the In The Garden trilogy by Nora Roberts, and it was a good read, although I was a little upset with how slow it started and how FAST it ended. I think she could have paced the book a little bit better, but all in all it's good. I am now reading the second book in the trilogy, called Black Rose.

I will be updating books like this quite often now, because I found about eight books a the flea market last Sunday for about a dollar a piece! It was fantastic and now I'm looking forward to trying to find more good deals like that! My hubby also found a jersey he'd been looking to buy for a STEAL! Literally like HALF the price of what it should be! We were excited.

Speaking of excited, I am SUPER excited, because this movie came out today:

I have been waiting for this day for MONTHS! I only got to see the movie in the theater once, unlike Twilight, which I saw three times I believe. So I have been itching to watch it again and now I can! I'm going to get it this evening and then stay up late tonight and watch them both in a row =) I can't wait!

And now for the Day Zero portion of this post:

I am now officially getting back on the daily task wagon a.k.a. getting up at 8:00 each morning, eating breakfast and brushing my teeth after EVERY MORNING. I am going to do it and stick with it this time! Most of this reasoning is because I was late for work one day last week, and I almost got fired over it - at least, that's the way it felt, and I'm not going to let that happen anymore! So, that all is starting on Monday. I'm also going to start going to bed at 12:30 every night - NO EXCEPTIONS.

I covered my book reading already.

Daily photos are not going well, I have barely touched my camera lately. I will have to take some pictures on our little trip tomorrow to Chambersburg, and I will try to do better with this.

I watched The Time Travelers Wife with my sister last weekend and I have to say it was very accurate with the book, but I was a little disappointed that they added an additional scene at the end that wasn't needed, and they cut out the very last scene of the book which I thought was essential. Other than that, they followed the story very very well, and it was much less confusing than the book - but I followed the book ok, too, so that wasn't really a problem with me. They always say the book is better than the movie, but this movie came really close. I was impressed.

As for the movie list, I will work on getting it typed up this week, and will post it on my side lists for you to follow and me to keep track.

I think that's it for this week, other than I wanted to say that I'm going to start back up with the "My Husband Rocks" posts, but instead of on Saturdays, I'm going to try to start doing them Thursday evenings.

Until next time!

Day Zero Update

I got my new planner for the year today, and got down to business!

Some things that I'm going to be working on in the coming month:

~ My cross stitch project - I only have half of a color, and the backstitching left to do and then it will be complete! I'm so close I can taste it, and it's been bugging me because I've been working on this darn thing since I was in the 8th grade!
~ My daily photos - I haven't even STARTED on March's photos yet, but that's ok because I will have plenty tomorrow! I am going to a meeting for my job, and on the way home I'm going to meet on of my Knot.com friends, Ida for lunch! I'm so excited because we live so close, and we've wanted to meet up for a while! AND, that's my girls day out for this month too! CHECK! =)
~ Book reading - I am almost done Why We Suck, but I'm sharing it with my Hubby so it seems to be taking alot longer than normal for me to finish it.
~ My personal movie list - I just got The Time Travelers Wife in the mail today and I'm so excited that I'm probably going to watch it tomorrow night! I will eventually post this list and keep you updated on what I thought of each movie.
~ Planning our Chicago vacation and starting to save for it.
~ Working on my sodoku puzzles
~ Working on a budget and a payment plan/calendar for the kitchen wall so that we can keep track of what is due when and how much.
~ I haven't decided for sure yet, but I think when I finish my cross stitch, I'm going to start on my GS vest and fix the patches that are on there, and sew the rest on.
~ Daily things that still haven't been started.
~ Continue on my weight loss journey, and my eating right, and not drinking soda.
~ Continue with Rescue Me, Gilmore Girls, and Star Trek
~ Continue (not) working on my story - seriously its all in my head I just haven't started writing it yet! I'm afraid it's going to sound like a 5th grader wrote it.
~ Continue work on my recipe book, decide which one I am going to use, and stick to that decision.

Ok I think that's enough for now...I don't think I'll be any closer to completion of all those, but it's a good goal to have and it will keep me busy.

Peanuts and Cracker Jacks

Ok so, here's my good news for the week. Hubby and I are going HERE this summer:

And while we are there we are going here:

I am so beyond excited! Not only because I FINALLY get to see Wrigley Field and stand in front of the big red sign but because I am checking off TWO of my Day Zero goals! (#34 - visit Wrigley Field and # 47 - take the honeymoon Mike and I never got - JUST THE TWO OF US) And it's fitting because we are going ON our anniversary (Probably looking at a five day or so trip, because we are actually going to drive there.)

I am so stoked!! I can't wait, and I kinda thought it was a little cheesy and un-romantic to spend the anniversary of your first year of marraige at a baseball stadium, but this is the reason why we are who we are, and I love my husband, and I love my Cubbies, and I can't wait to see Chicago!!

Day Zero Update (twenty-seven weeks)

So, let me start off by saying - SORRY!! Oh my gosh, I haven't written but once this month, and I know I promised to update every week, but to be honest I just haven't had the passion to blog this past month. I suppose it is phases that I will go through.

I'll try to keep this as short and sweet as possible so that maybe I won't bore you too much.

Today is Month 7, Week 27, Day 191 of my 1,001 day journey! (WOW. Already?)

So, I have decided to re-vamp my 101 list: (1) because there are some things on there that I put in for filler, and really don't have any desire to do and a few where the situation has changed and I can no longer complete them because they are unrelevant to my life now, and (2) because there are now some things that I DO want to do that are not on that list!

I've decided to "tweak" the photo a day project. I am having too much trouble trying to take a picture a day, and it is more failure than success, so instead, I'm making a promise to myself to take more photos of everything that goes on, still break it down monthly, and TRY to fill it with as many pictures as that month has in days - for instance, February will have 28 pictures, but it won't matter how many are from the same day, or if I go over that amount or have under 28, either. I think I'm making an effort to document my life more, and maybe next year I'll try again.

Since I last updated I have read two more books. The first is called Vanishing Act by Fern Michaels, and is the next installment in the Sisterhood Series. I love this series, and I highly recommend it to ANY woman of ANY age! The other one is the first in Nora Roberts' Bride Quartet - Vision in White . I have a feeling I am going to LOVE this series! The current book I am reading is called Why We Suck by Denis Leary - IT.IS.HILARIOUS! A must get for a good laugh, just DON'T take him seriously - he's a comedian fa cryin out loud!

I also want to update on my girls nights: In January I had my best friend over for an evening of reminising through our old yearbooks, which was alot of fun. This month, I am going out with a few of my old friends and my sister, to see the movie Dear John, and then go to Ruby Tuesday's afterwards to eat. It should be a fun time! I can't wait!

I'm waiting on getting a calendar this year to be able to tell you what I plan to do when, but I do have some good news that I will share with you tomorrow! =)

Updating - sorry!

So, I haven't been on here since about the first of the year, and to be honest I have really slacked off on my goals and keeping up with this blog, and giving you all updates on my progress, but there is a good reason! I am now back on the weight loss wagon! I am not taking my Zumba class anymore for right now, until she switches the routines again, because the one she is doing right now is more muscle building than cardio, and I really need cardio. So, I have been doing an hour on the elliptical three days a week, and I have already lost two pounds in the last two weeks! I know it doesn't SEEM like alot, but if I lose a pound every week then by next year I will have lost 48 pounds - healthily! I don't want to do this quick I want to do it RIGHT so that it STAYS off! And I really just love that hour to myself that all I do is listen to my mp3 player and NOT think about ANYTHING! It's great. I'll work on the eating better here in a few weeks, but I'm going to cut soda back out, I've been bad lately. No more soda, only water, and I'm going to try to eat better without cutting out the things that I really love. The biggest thing is starting to prepare dishes at home. We have been working on it, but there are nights when NO ONE wants to cook, and we end up ordering out.

Now, as far as everything else goes - the photo a day thing is not really working out. I decided not to post the photos here, so they are on my facebook. And I am behind - again. So, maybe this photo a day thing just isn't going to work out for me. I don't have the kind of camera that I can carry around with my every day, and it's honestly a pain in the butt to load ONE picture on to facebook every day...so I think I'll get caught up and I'll give it one more month, and if I'm still having trouble, then I'll call it quits. I like the idea, but I'm just not that creative and end up taking picture after picture of my kitties, which isn't necessarily a bad thing, but isn't the point of the project.

I started work on my #3 this week - getting my wedding album and photo guestbook together. I have some of the wedding photos in the album, but they are probably not in the final order yet, because I still have alot of photos left to print. It's kinda expensive LOL.

I am happy to report that #43 - redecorate the bathroom is almost complete! I have had the same horrible pink beach scene shower curtain since I was a senior in high school, and when Hubby and I got married the first thing we did was pick out new stuff for the bathroom. I finally ordered my new shower curtain and a soap dispenser for the bathroom with my leftover gift card to Bed, Bath and Beyond from the wedding. I love it, and I had some creativity come over me and I think my bathroom is the cutest room in the house right now! All I have left to buy is a lighthouse themed white towel to hang on the rack behind the toilet and I will be done! So 95% complete!! Yay! =)

I have good news about #44 - plant a garden: I have one at the new place right out front! And I'm going to make a little vegetable garden around the side of the house I think =) I'm so excited about this!!

Hubby and I have offically completed season 1 of Star Trek: The Next Generation! I love it so far! They already killed off one character, wrote off another, and season 2 is great so far! So excited!

I also had a semi-girls night with my MOH, Jess a few nights ago. We just sat around and chatted, and looked through our old yearbooks. It was fun. So, girls night for this month is complete!

Other than that, there's really not much going on. I promise to try to keep you updated better

I've been a reading FOOL!

So, I have some catching up to do. First, I have read six books since I last wrote, the last one that you know of is Lone Calder Star by Janet Dailey. It was a very good book about a family who owns a ranch who's head guy gets run off by a rival ranch in the area, and the struggle to outsmart the rival and regain control of the land, ranch and town, and fall in love along the way. I was a little disappointed with how FAST the two main characters tell each other they love each other, but all in all it was a good book. The next book I read, was Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. I enjoyed the book very thoroughly, and I am excited for the movie.

The next book I read was called French Silk, by Sandra Brown. Honestly, I want to find more of her stuff because I read two of her books and she is amazing! French Silk is about a girl with a lingere line, who gets caught up in a murder investigation of an evangelist. There are lots of twists and turns, and a few steamy romantic scenes and let me just say, READ IT. After that, I read another of her books called Breath of Scandal. It is about a girl who is raped her senior year of high school, and basically flees the town, only to come back and get revenge on the men who raped her, which also happen to be the only family who owns any of the businesses in town. She brings in a big factory and gets the revenge she deserves. It was a fantastic book. The next book I have read is called Gentle Conqueror. It is set back in the renaissance era, and it is about a young maiden who's castle is conquered and she is forced to marry the man who now reigns. She ends up falling in love with him, and there is plenty of action in this book as well. It was a good book, although it wasn't exactly my kind of writing style. The last book I have read was called The Lucky One. I won't go into too much detail, but it is basically about a soldier who finds a photo of a girl in Iraq, and it brings him good luck, so when he comes home he goes on a cross-country trek to look for her. I loved it, and it is a must-read. It was a Christmas present from Byron and Sarah - thanks guys! So my book count is now up to 17/50, and I think it will stay there for a while.

I think that's all for tonight, I'm tired. More tomorrow!

Day Zero Update (sixteen weeks)

So, it seems like lately the only time I have to post anything is on Saturdays, and occasionally Friday nights. So, without further ado, here is where I stand currently with my Day Zero Progress:

Today is Month 4, Week 16, and Day 110.

- I never got to my new recipe this month, because I am very short on cash. I'm sure now that I am moving in with my sister, that we will be able to try some new things, because we are going to sit down and figure out meal plans.
- Still not doing the getting up, eating breakfast, brushing/flossing thing. It's just SO HARD when Hubby sleeps in to get up and to not sleep in on my days off since we always stay up SO LATE!

- Girls night/Christmas decorating w/Trish did not go over because of snow. However, we did go out on a double date with Laurel and Tom last week, so I think I will count that as my girl's night this month.

- #'s 72, 73, and 74 may have to be changed, since we're probably looking at longer than three years before we are able to buy a house.

- I recently read two more books. The first was Through The Storm by Lynne Spears. I'm not sure how I feel about the book, but it does give you some insight as to what was happening to Britney BEHIND the paparazzi photos - which involved a man giving her medication that made her unable to make her own decisions, and alot more which is pretty scary. I'm glad that she is starting to get back on track, though. Let's hope it stays that way. The second book I read was Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. The movie for this book comes out in February, and I have to say the book made me cry, which isn't hard, but it was still a very powerful story. The sacrifice that the main character makes for the happiness of the female main character is AMAZING. If you have the money and the time, READ IT. I guarantee you won't be sorry.

- I have changed #64 from spend time w/my nephew once a month, to complete a 25 x 25 sodoku puzzle. I TOTALLY forgot that I had one, and it was quite difficult to start, so I have decided that I am going to complete it, because it just might take me three years to do it!

That's all for now!

Day Zero Update (fifteen weeks)

So....sorry I didn't update last week, but with the holidays and everything I wasn't really focused on Day Zero stuff. That's ok, because I'm going to give you the rundown now on how everything has been going!

Today is Month 4, Week 15, Day 101!! I thought it was fitting that I'm posting on day 101, kinda cool. Anyway, I've worked on a few things this past month, but my main focus has been the Gym. I no longer have a workout partner, Angel decided that what we were doing wasn't working out for her and she wanted to lose the weight faster, so we have now split off and are doing our own thing. I'm trying to find another partner, but lately I have been fine with going on my own. I've been doing well, but I didn't go at all last week, and with the holidays and how much I ate, that's probably not a good thing. I have laid out a schedule for myself, and I am going to start following it religiously on Monday. NO MORE SLEEPING IN, I've got to get on a regular pattern.

Of course, girl night #1/Christmas decorating was a success! We had so much fun and there's only two more days till we see each other again and decorate MY house!! YAY!

In addition to that, Mike and I went on a double date with our friends Laurel and Tom last night, and we had a really good time! We went and saw Old Dogs with Robin Williams. It was good, but it was SHORT. I would recommend waiting until it comes out on video to see it. Then we went back to our house and all watched Ghosts of Girlfriends Past together. CUTE movie! And you gotta love Matthew McConaughey - so hot. We will have to do it again! I love hanging out with them. They are getting married next year, and I'm so excited for them!

We have also determined that we are going to be moving out. We hate our landlord and we're just tired of him never fixing anything and always hounding us for his money, when he has never done ONE thing to make our place a better place to live than the sh*thole that it is. So, my sister and I are looking for places right now, I will hopefully have some good news soon! We're trying to move in by January 1st. So I may have to put aside some of my goals for a bit until we get all settled in. I am excited though, because that means I will get to spend more time with my nephew, and see my sister more often. And this will help her out with the single mom stresses of one income. I will let you know whenever we find something!

Watching the movies on the AFI 100 list has not been on my top priorities. I'm thinking about revising that particular goal, because I'm honestly just not that interested. I'm leaving it for now, I may end up getting back into it, but I may not.

I'm also going to have to think of something to replace my seeing Gabe once a month now as well. I don't know what yet, but I'll work on it.

I have most of the wedding photos printed now, and just need to get them into the album and photo guestbook. So that goal should be complete soon.

Other than that, there's really nothing to report.

Catch Up - MHR and Day Zero (thirteen weeks)

Catch up. Yeah. Wow. I've been a slacker this past week!

Ok first, my MHR post. I'll go ahead and do two, since it will be Friday in about two hours anyway!

First, my husband rocks because he has been TOTALLY cool with running me to the gym, staying late at work, and coming back to pick me up, just so that I can get healthy. I love him so much for supporting me in this, and I hope that he gets on the gym bandwagon with me, and gets healthy as well!

Second, and this will be childish but I dont care....My Husband Rocks because he is going to a midnight showing of a certain movie tonight! Which one, do you ask??

I CAN'T WAIT!!!

My hubby rocks =)

-------------------------------

Ok, now for the Day Zero stuff.

Today is week 13, Day 87. Last time I posted I was working on a few things:

First, a correction. I thought I hadn't finished Eclipse yet, but I already have. So, whenever I get back to feeling like reading again, it will be the Lynne Spears book. Just have been all "bookwormed out" lately.

The fitness routine is going well. I was told not to expect results for about 8 weeks, because that is how long it takes for the extra water weight to start burning off. I am starting from scratch on muscle, but sooner or later I will start to gain that and that will burn fat as well. I've been going to classes almost every day, Zumba and BodyPump, and I love it! I also had a personal training session that went really well yesterday. I plan to do another one next Wednesday.

I'm not sure if I'm going to get over to my Grandmother's for Thanksgiving, but I definately want to go see her between now and Christmas. I will call her soon to set something up. Hopefully, Andrea and Gabe can come too.

The getting up early is still not happening, nor is the brushing and flossing, or eating breakfast. Those are SO hard for me, because I literally roll out of bed in the morning most of the time with just enough time to get to work. I need to start going to bed at like midnight, and getting up at 8 am again. I felt better after the inital getting used to it, and I don't really know why I stopped. Not to mention that my teeth are starting to hurt again, and its gross that I don't brush every day. I need to get back to it. I promise to do it before the month is out.

My recipe book is not going well. Somehow I deleted the completed pages that I had, and now don't have the names of the dishes that were lost, or the pictures to remember what they were. I'm really sad, because they were things I really wanted to try, and I've just been very discouraged since then and haven't wanted to work on it. I promise to get back to it soon.

That's about it!

Day Zero Update (twelve weeks)

Well, I had tons of fun this past weekend, and I have been so busy with my new workout buddy I haven't even had time to blog!

Today is technically Week 12, Day 80, since I missed my post on Monday and only took the time to tell you what Hubby got me for my birthday - which was fantastic and I love him SO SO much! =)

So, I am now into month three, and I already have a few things done for this month. This past Saturday I went to visit my nephew at my mom's house, and killed two birds with one stone. Hung out with my mommy some, which I had been meaning to do for a while, and got to see my nephew CRAWL for the first time (for my eyes, he's been crawling for about two weeks now!!) during the visit. I promise to take some more pictures of him REALLLL soon! He is getting SO big, and he is a handsome little devil! I love him so much!

I also spent some time with my best friend, Jess today! She asked me to come over to her house, and we watched the Garfield Thanksgiving and Christmas specials together, and just hung out for a while. It was really nice. I'm still one "girls night" behind from last month, but I already have a date set for the next girls night! CHISTMAS TREE DECORATING, on the 28th of November, with my Trishie at her house! Technically that is into Month 4, but then on the 5th of December she is coming down to my house to help me! I am so excited for Christmas I can't stand it, but I am trying to hold it in until after Thanksgiving! Let's see how well that goes. LOL

I also completed another goal this week, #24 - take an arobics class at a gym. Since I joined Golds I have started to do Zumba classes and I love them! But, I still want to take an actual dance class at a studio (if it is possible) so I moved that to a seperate goal to replace those apartment goals that I won't be doing anymore, since we don't know how much longer we will be here.

I have also determined that based on the number of movies I have already seen on the AFI 100 list I need to watch about 3 of the movies a month to get them done by the end of the time period. We have started watching Star Trek: TNG and have completed three episodes, and I believe I have watched disc one of season one of the Gilmore Girls already too.

I also finished the new Sisterhood book - it was so good! I am now finishing up Eclipse, and then it is probably on to the Lynne Spears book about the troubles with her two girls. I'm actually intreagued with this book, it should be a good read.

I have started the data entry on my recipe book, and I already have a good chunk of it done. Depending on the situation tomorrow night, I may be able to get more of it done.

On the to-do list this month:

Visit with my Grandmother either Thanksgiving time or Christmas time.
Get back to getting up early, breakfast, and brushing/flossing daily. I NEED to stop sleeping in, it is bad for me.
Complete a new recipe for dinner and blog about it.
Keep up my fitness routine, and my diet routine w/cutting out soda.

That's all I can handle this evening. It's 2 am and I have to work in the morning. I will write more soon!

Day Zero Update (Ten weeks)

Today is Week 10, Day 70! And I have some FaNtAsTiC news! I have found a workout buddy! I am so so so excited about this, because she is about the same weight as me and wants to lose about the same amount, and she used to be in the marine corps so I know she will be dedicated and help my lazy ARSE get to Zumba class! And her name truly fits her now: Angel =) She is my workout Angel!! lol I can't wait to get started, we are going to a $5 Zumba class on Tuesday evening.

So I think this is going to motivate me to get back on the wagon on alot of things. First, no more soda, except maybe one a week for a treat, because I love my cherry cokes at work. Second, eating breakfast every morning. Once we get the house cleaned up I am going to start getting up early again to eat breakfast and brush my teeth and such. Hubby is just going to have to suck it up and either get up with me, or sleep like crap for another hour. His choice =)

I'm already challenged with this darn Sudoku puzzle, and its driving me crazy! lol

I haven't done my recipe book yet, but if we get done the cleaning that we have to do today before its too late I may start on it tonight, because it shouldn't take me long as I don't have THAT many recipes yet.

The new Sisterhood book is really good so far, but I haven't picked it up in a few days, because of this whole Haunted Week thing for my facebook game. I also had started on the background profile of one of my characters in my romance, but haven't done anything more with it so far this week. I will probably work on it a little bit here soon. It's not like there is a rush to get it done. I have three years to write it, I'm sure I will get inspiration in due time.

I think that's all the catch up I needed to do! Now for a little fun. My birthday is this Friday, and Halloween was this past Saturday. I won't post the pictures, because they are the reason for this new workout plan being created, as I am totally embarrassed at how big I have gotten, but we had tons of fun, and if you really want to see the pictures, you can search for me on Facebook, they are there in all their overweight glory. I am losing this weight! I am thinking about taking before and after pics to motivate me further.

That's it! Have a good day, world!

Day Zero Update (Nine weeks)

So, this past Saturday was my two month mark with Day Zero! Today is Day 64, and I am now into Week 9, and I am falling behind.

Some of my monthly goals did not get met last month, but I will make up for it this month if I can!

#65. Have a girls night with a girlfriend once a month. - I wanted to spend some time with my friend Heather, since I haven't seen her since before the wedding, but she never called the day we were supposed to hang out, and honestly, I wasn't going to call her, because I'm still a little miffed that she didn't at least call me to congratulate me on getting married, and didn't show up to my CASUAL BACKYARD reception. So, this month I will do two girls nights, or try to hang out with two of my girlfriends on the same night or something.

#86. Do 50 things for Mike that I know he will love. - This one is hard for me, because he pretty much does what he wants and it is really hard for me to sneak anything in that will impress him or make him happy. He is not into the sappy stuff, so I would feel stupid bringing him home a flower or a card "just because." This is a toughy for me, but I need to start working on it, and I will!

There are a few on the "apartment" section that I have started to replace, because I can't stand our landlord, he is a jerk, therefore, I am not making an effort to make our place any better for his benefit. So:

#22 - Lose 50 pounds - healthily is being broken up into two goals - 25 and 50. This goal will now be 22. Get a professional massage.

#38. Fix picnic table and #39. Lay gravel on back path have been replaced with Lose 25 and 50 pounds, respectively.

#42. Paint the front porch w/Mike will be changed to 42. Complete the World's Longest Sudoku Puzzle.

I am still thinking of more things that I want to do in the next 2 and 3/4 years to replace the remaining 3 apartment goals that I want to replace, but when I think of something I will add it and let you know!!

I also need to get back on the ball with my daily goals:

Brush and floss every day
Eat breakfast every morning
Get up at 8:00 am every morning

And need to start packing my lunch more, cut soda and tea out of my diet again, and I have also started getting ideas for my romance, and I started on that sudoku puzzle last night - but that is fun for me. I need to get on the ball and finish my recipe book, now that I bought ink for the printer. I will work on that in the next week or two and try to get it done.

I also finished that FBI-style book a few days ago! It was so good! I think even Hubby will like it, he likes that kind of stuff, and it really kept me guessing until the very end! I am now reading the new Sisterhood book, Razor Sharp, and so far it is goooooood. But they always are =)

We are going to visit some family over the next two days, I'm going to try and take some pictures and post them here for memories. =) I'm going to start trying to do that more often.

I think that's it! I'll be checking in on Friday for MHR Friday! I WILL be posting Friday, darnit.