One Week

One Week from today I will be on my way to the beach. Ready to indulge in a little relaxation. And since I have very few interesting things to say these days, I'm going to include visuals to help guide you along my plans:

Hanging out at the beach (obviously)

Staying in an adorable beach house (this one isn't ours)

Delicious, fruity, girly drinks

Sleeping (I plan to do an unnecessarily large amount of sleeping...)

Not Getting a Sunburn

Summer (beach) Reading.

Shopping

Hanging out with my two precious nephews.

And my adorable niece

(and try to fight the baby fever I get when I spend time with all of them)

Mindless T.V. Watching

Family Games

Did I mention shopping?

And of course, spending lots of time with Josh's family (while we still can. boo.).

August Impatience

Hello out there. Worst blogger ever here... I don't write because I have nothing to say.

I am doing nothing these days... just waiting and wishing. That is the summary of August for me.

August is the strangest month. It's a flurry of emotions. I am always so sick of summer by this point in the year that I spend most August days miserable. But I look forward to everything the rest of the year has to offer: beach vacation with J's family, school starting, classes with some of my favorite professors (just found this one out! Yay!), football season, my birthday, J's b'day, everything that's good about the fall (leaves changing, cooler temps, heavier fabrics, layering, darker hair, not being a big sweaty mess) and of course all of the best holidays are coming up... So I'm miserable, but a little crazy with excitement, and then I realize that most of these exciting things will end up causing me all kinds of problems so I get a little bit stressed (I'm a worrier, that's what we do.) And I try to tell myself not to wish this month away because soon I will be longing for summer.... Before you know it I'm just a big ball of emotion.

But mostly I'm impatient. I just want August to hurry up and end so I can finally get started (on what? I'm not sure...).

The month of August is kind of like New Year's Eve for me. An entire month of waiting for a new beginning.

Blogs I Like

I don't really have much to say today. Work has been pretty hectic over the last few weeks, but it should calm down next week. I haven't done anything new and exciting concerning weight loss.
Actually, a lot of my time has been spent focusing on my 101 list.
Rather than complain or talk about uninteresting things, I thought I'd take a moment to make a list of blogs I'm enjoying lately.

In no particular order, of course:
academichic - 3 ladies blending fashion and academia. it's so nice to see that the two can go together!

casey's elegant musings - lots of wonderful vintage photos and sewing tips. plus she's so darn cute.

fabfindsunder50 - a wonderful fashion blog. everything is under $50! (bonus: she is consistent with her updates)

heather drive - heather's marital journey. she also did road to the aisle, which is where I first discovered her. she's crafty, funny, and genuine.

homemade by holman - just found this one a few weeks ago. everything looks so DELICIOUS!

vixen vintage - a modern girl with a love for vintage. she's adorable. everything she finds is adorable. she makes me want to wear vintage clothes.

revisionist historian - a friend from school's blog. chock full of honesty and emotion. plus, she has an interesting writing style.

the burgess blog - my sister-in-law's blog about her family's journey to the mission field. They've just been accepted to Wycliffe and have been assigned to work in Cameroon, Africa through/with JAARS.

who ate my blog - stephen is a weight loss inspiration. that's all there is to say.

lindsay a.p. - this is a recent discovery as well. she's crafty and a good cook, and I pretty much want to be able to do what she does.

thejenwestquest - my cousin's weight loss blog. she is also an inspiration. in fact, this blog influenced me to start my own blog and lose weight. she's pretty much amazing.

snapshot fashion - quick fashion tidbits. i particularly love their 'look of the day' posts. it's fun to dream about being fashionable; cuz let's face it, i'm not.

medium bashful piggy - found this through the jenwestquest. this lady is doing the carb lover's diet. i was instantly drawn to her writing style and sense of humor. even if you're not trying to lose weight this is such a good read.

clothed much - a fashionista who also dresses modestly. it's so refreshing.

jordan & hannah self - my brother-in-law and his family leave for Guatemala this year to do mission work with MKs (Josh and his brother and sister are all MKs). this is the story of their journey.

Weekend Wrap Up and Weekly Goals

Weekend Wrap Up:
I did almost nothing all weekend. And it was great! Saturday I was supposed to meet an old friend, but it didn't work out. I cleaned the bathroom instead (it is on my 101 list) and spent the evening doing a scene from the show I'm in at South City Theatre's second annual fundraiser. Sunday was laundry and catch up on tv day. Also it was wonderful.

Weekly Goals:
I haven't done so great on portion control, but I'm still going strong on my water goals and doing pretty well with not eating past 8... So, I think I'll try a different tactic. My sister-in-law Jenise (franjenise.blogspot.com)told me about myplate on livestrong.com. My cousin Jennifer, of thejenwestquest (that's right, I'm name dropping), also uses it and has gone through a pretty amazing transformation. I'm thinking that maybe myplate will be useful for me. It may hold me accountable (especially if I find a way to post or link it to my blog, since I don't think you want to read about how much I ate of what... but you know, I'm a little vain so I'll post/link it anyway... later).

picture from chellbelz.com

But...on the good news front: I lost 5 lbs!!! I went to the doctor today and I weighed in at 260. The nurse was kinda mean about how much I weigh. I really wanted to shout, "Do you think I want to weigh this much?! Do you think I did this on purpose?!" Except for the nurse, I was happy with the number. I can't wait to see it get smaller. (p.s. losing 5lbs was a task on my 101 list, so I get to mark another one off!)

Weekend Wrap Up and Weekly Goals

Apologies if this post is short. I just typed a long post talking about the Fourth of July weekend and last week... and somehow managed to delete the entire thing. Arrgh. so, without further ado...

Weekend Wrap Up:
Josh's parents spent the weekend with us. Lots of fun was had. Saturday was spent shopping with my mother-in-law and stepmother while the boys went to the driving range. Sunday, the rest of Josh's family joined us and we spent the Fourth at the American Village (which was wonderful, except for the horse incident).
While at the American Village I decided to donate blood which I later realized was something on my 101 list. Huzzah!

Weekly Goals:
This week I will monitor my portion sizes.
I noticed last week (I did really well, btw!) that I was eating extra at dinner. I remember telling myself that I was eating extra in order to avoid getting hungry later and giving in and having a midnight feast. And maybe it worked. I don't really know. All I know is that I only messed up once (hey, 1/7 ain't bad!)... but I also know that eating healthy doesn't really mean much if I'm over eating. So this week, I'm going to watch my portion sizes.

Overall, last week and weekend were great, but as always could stand some improvement... improvement which I am attempting to accomplish each week.

101 in 1001

I have been seeing 101 in 1001 all over the place since I've started reading blogs. After researching it a bit, I've decided to start a 101 in 1001 for myself.

The Challenge:
Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.

The Criteria:
Tasks must be specific (i.e. no ambiguity in the wording) with a result that is either measurable or clearly defined. Tasks must also be realistic and stretching (i.e. represent some amount of work on your part).

Why 1001 Days?:
Many people have created lists - frequently simple challenges such as New Year's resolutions or a 'Bucket List'. The key to beating procrastination is to set a deadline that is realistic. 1001 days (about 2.75 years) is a better period of time than a year because it allows you several seasons to complete the task, which is better for organizing and timing some tasks such as overseas trips, study semesters, or outdoor activities.

For more information please visit this website.

My 101 in 1001 list:
Bold=complete

1. Donate Blood
2. Graduate College
3. Apply for Graduate School
4. Pay off GM Card
5. Pay off Josh's car
6. Pay off Credit Card #1
7. Pay off Credit Card #2
8. Pay off Andrea's Credit Card
9. Act in a play
10. Read 3 books from the banned books list (0/3)
11. Revisit the Birmingham Museum of Art
12. Lose 5 lbs
13. Lose 10 lbs
14. Lose 20 lbs
15. Lose 30 lbs
16. Lose 40 lbs
17. Lose 50 lbs
18. Run/Walk a 5k race
19. Go on a cruise
20. Take a vacation
21. Buy something for Josh "just because"
22. Make Josh breakfast in bed
23. Write one letter each month to family members living abroad.
24. Finish and frame decorative marriage certificate.
25. Make wedding photo album
26. Write Senior Seminar paper
27. Blog at least 15 times each month
28. Clean bathroom once a week for a month
29. Attend a play at South City
30. Attend a play at ASFA
31. Move into a new apartment
32. Start a savings account
33. Make Portugese Sweet Bread
34. Make Pancit
35. Visit a new state
36. Make strawberry jam or preserves
37. Go on 3 dates with Josh
38. Go to a winery
39. Visit a different country
40. Stay at a bed and breakfast
41. Go camping (at Oak Mtn)
42. Volunteer at church (more than once)
43. Read the Bible cover to cover.
44. Go to (or tailgate at) an Alabama football game
45. Pay for the person behind me at a drive thru
46. Visit family living abroad (one or both)
47. Take my parents out to dinner
48. Take Josh's parents out to dinner
49. Send a package via anysoldier.com
50. Go to a drive in movie
51. Pay 10 strangers compliments (0/10)
52. Buy a new TV
53. Send flowers to someone
54. Watch 10 of AFI's Top 100 Movies (2007 list) (0/10)
55. Try 15 new recipes
56. Go to the local farmer's market
57. Take the GRE
58. Donate hair to Locks of Love (or alternative)
59. Tithe consistently for 6 months
60. Take a multivitamin daily for one month
61. Buy new bedding
62. Find and buy cute comfortable black flats
63. Start trying to have a baby
64. Attend a midnight premier of a movie
65. Bake something for a friend
66. Get accepted into the Fifth Year Program
67. Go vegetarian for a week
68. Host a dinner party
69. Improve my posture
70. Leave an inspirational note for someone to find
71. Own a LBD
72. Ride a roller coaster
73. Take a cake decorating class
74. Visit 10 different museums
75. Watch 26 movies I've never seen starting with each letter of the alphabet (0/26)
76. Donate 1,000 grains of rice through freerice.com (1,000/1,000)
77. Donate 5,000 grains of rice through freerice.com (5,000/5,000)
78. Play mini golf
79. Influence a person to make a dayzero list
80. Give up red meat for a month
81. Blog about the (important) tasks as I accomplish them
82. Get a tattoo for/about Josh
83. Get another piercing
84. Get a passport
85. Make my own ice cream
86. Fly in a plane
87. Track eating habits every day for one month on myplate via livestrong.com
88. Complete a crossword puzzle
89. Learn to sew
90. Go one month without soda
91. Financially support missionaries in our family (monthly pledge)
92. Bake an apple pie from scratch
93. Have/attend a "Nerd Night" at least once each month
94. Get a massage
95. Go whitewater rafting
96. Go on a mission trip
97. Go on a picnic
98. Donate blood 8 times (1 gallon)
99. Read a book from any author from my ENG 232 class
100. Donate $5 to a charity for each task I do not complete
101. Make a new 101 list on March 29, 2013



(p.s. I told some friends about the dayzero list. Today I logged on to find that at least 3 of my friends have started one. Yay!)

Psychological Changes

I love to eat.
I spend most of my day either eating or thinking about eating.

Perhaps I am addicted to food. Maybe I've been thinking about my diet/eating habits in the wrong ways. Maybe I should treat it like an addiction.
For the record, I come from a line of addicts on one side of the family tree and I have flirted with alcohol and drugs and other things equally bad; but at a young age I told myself I wouldn't become an alcoholic/pot head/etc and managed to stop doing those things when it got a little too out of control.

But here I am, addicted to food. Unable to stop myself. Unable to get this under control.

And that is how I will think about this. It's not just a physical change I am trying to achieve but a psychological one as well. If I want to change the outside, I need to change the inside too.

Today I got an e-mail from livestrong (a website I have loved since my sister-in-law, Jenise, told me about it). Instead of deleting the e-mail right away (I love the website, but don't have a whole lot of time to read all the e-mails) I decided to go to the article it suggested, and was (and still am) really inspired to make this change happen.