Weigh-In Wednesday

I know, I know... it's Friday. But I haven't done one of these in a few weeks, and I did remember to weigh myself Wednesday. I just didn't get around to posting it until now!

I'm ashamed to say that besides the 5K walk, I haven't worked out once. : ( And I haven't done much better watching what I've eaten... So I was very surprised to find I had lost 2 pounds when I weighed in! Yay!!

This week: -2

Total: -10.1

Total weeks: 11

Avg. per week: -0.9

Wow, I passed the 10 pound mark!! : D Hopefully that'll motivate me to go even harder now! I think my biggest problem is that since my new job is in Montgomery, I don't pass by Curves anymore. It's actually quite out of the way now... I know that's just an excuse, but having to drive past it everyday made it much easier for me to go consistently.

BUT, we may have found someone to rent our house in the Gump, so that means we can finally move to Wetumpka! We've already started looking online at some houses, so hopefully we'll be able to find the perfect one for us! : )

Please keep us in your prayers as we get ready to take this big step. And also pray for the victims of the horrible weather we had on Wednesday. Matt and I were very blessed not to have any problems, but so many weren't as fortunate... I believe over 200 people were killed in our state alone. Crazy...



Walk of Life 2011

Ok, so this is way late post #4... After that I think I'll be caught up. : )

This year I headed up another team for the Walk of Life. If you're not familiar, it's an annual 5K walk/run that helps raise money for the Joy to Life Foundation, which provides free mammograms for medically underserved women in our area. You can find out more about the walk and Joy to Life by clicking here.

For this year's team name, I wanted something cute and clever... The first thing I came up with was the D-cup Divas. But since most of us couldn't live up to that name (ha, ha), I ended up going with the Bosom Buddies. : )

Now, in order to qualify as a team, we had to have at least 10 people sign up before a certain deadline. When it was getting close to the race, and we only had 3, I got kind of worried... My invitation to join emails were getting a little more frequent and a little more frantic!! ; )  The Joy to Life Foundation was even giving away a car to try and get more people to register early!

Thankfully, a wonderful lady by the name of Frances, an old co-worker of mine, signed up and got 5 others to sign up with her!! Then 4 other old co-workers signed up, bringing us to 13!! Later on, a boyfriend was also added to the team, so we ended up with 14 members on the Bosom Buddies. : )

And now some photos from the big event. It was a gorgeous day, and as a special surprise, the Montgomery Fire Department helped kick off the race by making a huge pink water arch for us to run under. I'm not sure if that was the brightest idea though, because everyone who was wearing a white shirt got covered with the pink liquid... Hopefully it washed out okay!!



Oh, look... It made a rainbow! : )




This guy carried his dog on his back for the entire walk!




A little entertainment to keep us going. Not sure if you can tell, but the water in the fountain is pink!



Ok, I have to talk about the picture above... This was the first year Matt agreed to do the walk with me. I was really looking forward to spending that time with him. BUT as soon as the walk started, he decided he wanted to try and run. (I should mention here that I'm not in the best shape and felt if I tried to run, I would most likely die) So, he took off and left me there with my teammates. I was quite perturbed about that, but when he finished he did come back so he could walk the rest with me, so that made it a little better... Ultimately though, it just motivated me to be able to run with him next year!!



I liked that we had the green light in this pic : )



During the walk, there was an airplane writing words in the sky. I thought that was pretty cool!



Yes... someone actually dyed their poodle pink.





Yay!! We finished!! (some of us more than once)



So... remember that car I mentioned earlier? Well it just so happens that I WON IT!!! Yep, I won a 2011 Hyundai Elantra GLS! I still can't believe it...

They announced the winner after the walk, but Matt and I left soon after we finished to go grab some breakfast... So I had no idea I had won until they sent me an email Monday morning!  



Isn't it cute!?




Haa ha ha!! We did a little video and photo shoot when I picked it up. You can see more of this embarrassment here.



Yayy!! I'm still in shock. : ) I mean... who wins a car?!? So crazy!! I really love it, too! I've never owned a new car before... all mine have been used. And I'm really enjoying the cool features in it. Like how I can plug my iPod into the radio and listen to it. And how I can use bluetooth to make calls by pushing a button on the steering wheel! (Yes, I'm easily amused...)

So a big thank you to the Joy to Life Foundation and to all the Bosom Buddies!! Hope to see you all again next year! : )

Six Wonderful Years

Way late post #3...

April 9th was our 6th Anniversary!! I can't believe it's been six years already... It seems like only yesterday I married the most wonderful man in the world. : )

Wow... look how skinny I was!! How depressing... ha, ha. So I guess I'll share our super romantic engagement story with you.

We had been dating about a year and a half, and one afternoon, we were sitting on my couch watching TV. During a commercial break, Matt looked over at me and said, "So when do you want to get married?" And I said, "Yesterday."

Wasn't that sooo romantic!? Ha, ha, ha... But that's all it took for me! The next day I drug him to Kay Jewelers to look at rings. : )

Around that time, all of my friends were getting engaged. So I had been looking at rings online to get an idea of what I wanted just in case Matt was anywhere near asking me. And I had pretty much decided that I wanted a heart-shaped diamond on a white gold band, with just a plain white gold wedding band. I loved the heart-shaped diamonds, and I wanted something nice and simple. But being a great salesman, the Kay lady had me try on a bunch of different enhancers... and what she didn't know was that I LOVED all things angel... And one of the enhancers happened to look like angel wings. So when I tried it on and saw a heart with wings, Matt took one look at my expression and (reluctantly) said, "We'll take it." : )

I love my wedding ring!! Even after six years, I still find myself gazing at it occasionally. : ) Of course, it's nothing compared to the love I have for my husband. Matt is the best thing that has ever happened to me, and I thank God every day that He so blessed me with him.

I love you, Baby! Happy 6 years!!

Say Goodbye to Your 20's

Ok, here's way late post #2!! : )

April 2 was my 30th birthday!! I'm no longer in my 20's... It feels weird to say that, but other than that I'm totally fine with it. I've never been one to worry about my age. Of course, only time will tell if I maintain that mindset! ; )

Sooo, my wonderful husband and in-laws threw me a Madhatter Tea Party to celebrate the big day! (I may have dropped a few hints that that's what I wanted...) It turned out to be a little more work involved than I initially thought, and it didn't turn out exactly like I had envisioned, but it was so fun!!

When I came up with the idea, I had more of the Tim Burton movie version in mind... a little darker, a little crazier, and more modern. But while preparing for it, I started to worry that it'd be more like the cartoon version. Don't get me wrong, I love the cartoon version! But (as weird as it sounds for a 30-year-old who wanted an Alice in Wonderland party) I wanted it to be more of an adult party than a kiddy party... But I was very pleasantly surprised at how it turned out! My in-laws definitely outdid themselves! : )

And, to top it all off, my Mom, step-dad, and youngest brother were able to come from SC! It was so great to be able to have them there! It made my birthday even more special!! : )

So here are lots and lots of pictures from the big day:

We actually painted these roses red : )



Our book club (minus Heather)





This was as close to an "Alice" dress as I could find (since I waited so long). My niece was a much cuter Alice though! : )




The lovely Jennifers and Jamie, our modern Red Queen





I was going for the classic, Alice, toes-out stance...





A better shot of my cute flamingo mallet : ) (I won by the way... ha ha)





My sis's friend, my sis, and my mom





Everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to me. The girls crowded around me b/c they wanted the butterflies off my cake...




The Jennifers & I




Aunt Paulette, Summer & Jamie (aka two flowers & the Red Queen)

 I got some really awesome presents too, and I took pictures of all of them, but I think I'll spare you... Well, I'll put one pic of the gorgeous vases Mom got me. Love them!!!

Ok, I'm all done now! ; )  A big thank you to everyone who made my 30th birthday such a special one!!!

Another Lovely Mail Day

Wow, I am so behind on my blog posts!! : ( And so much has gone down during the past few weeks... I'm going to have to do at least 4 separate posts! I'll start with a little mail love. : )

Here are a few outgoing pieces:



Letter to the Lovely Lauren




15-page rant to the wonderful Sarah (Ha, ha)




A little postcard I painted for the darling Gracie

 And here are some awesome incoming missives:




A sweet package of Air Mail Envelopes from Lauren

 

 



A lovely birthday package from Sarah. (sorry for the crappy pic... my camera died so I had to use my phone!!)

Close-up of the cute cross magnet : )

Close-up of the pretty necklace



And lastly, a wonderful etsy purchase I made from The Little Fox:

I loved the packaging!

Curiouser and Curiouser Postcard Collection



Close-up of two of my faves



The Book Lovers Postcard Collection



A super sweet thank you card and note she included : )

Well, that's it for this installment. Be sure and check out The Little Fox's Etsy Shop if you haven't already... it's filled with very cute prints, postcards, bookplates, and more!

101 in 1001

I was inspired to try my own "101 in 1001" after seeing it on both Lauren's ( not your everyday cinderella ) and Brooke's ( Roots and Wings ) blogs. I've actually been working on it FOREVER but still haven't come up with all 101 things. I even copied some from both of their lists! (Hope you don't mind, ladies...) ; ) But Brooke suggested that I make "finish the list" one of the 101 (she's so clever...), so without further ado:

From the Day Zero (101 in 1001's Official Name) Website:

101 in 1001

The Challenge:


Complete 101 preset tasks in a period of 1001 days.




The Criteria:


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




Why 1001 Days?

Many people have created lists in the past - 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 tasks.

Start Date: April 7, 2011

End Date: January 2, 2014

Strikethough - Complete

Italic- In progress

Normal- Not yet started

1. Finish my 101 in 1001 list
2. Read the entire Bible
3. Have a baby
4. Eat a tomato I grew myself
5. Get down to my driver's license weight
6. Make it on Jimmy Fallon's hashtag list
7. Send 100 postcards on Postcrossing (0/100)
8. Find 100 caches with Geocaching (0/100)
9. Take a trip with Mom and Anna
10. Go to a Paramore concert
11. Be able to play 5 songs on my guitar well (0/5)
12. Visit 5 new states in my quest to visit all 50 (0/5)
13. Open an Etsy shop
14. Finish writing my first novel
15. Take a cake decorating class
16. Crochet a scarf
17. Run a marathon
18. Go water-skiing
19. Visit NY
20. See SNL live
21. Read all of Jane Austen's novels (0/6)
22. Sponsor a swap on my blog
23. Learn to use a sewing machine
24. Style my hair every day for a week (0/7)
25. Complete a course on learning French
26. Complete a course on learning Spanish
27. Take a cooking class
28. Paint a self-portrait
29. Have fresh flowers on my table for a month
30. Finish the 365 Poem Challenge (18/365)
31. Write a song
32. Be an extra in a movie
33. Act in a play
34. Do a cartwheel
35. Bake a pie from scratch
36. Bake biscuits from scratch
37. Buy a nice camera
38. Buy a piano
39. Get a new house
40. Plant a vegetable garden
41. Tell a stranger she's beautiful
42. Write 100 letters to pen pals (0/100)
43. Visit my Great-Grandmother
44. Blog every day for a month
45. Drink only water for 2 weeks
46. Take my vitamins every day for 2 weeks
47. Finish up my bachelor's degree
48. Read 5 biographies (0/5)
49. Go to an opera
50. Color an entire coloring book <-- I had to take that one, Lauren!! : ) Love it!
51. Reread all the Harry Potter books (0/7)
52. Take Matt on a picnic
53. Make a snow angel
54. Go to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal
55. Go to Disney World
56. Buy a pair of Toms shoes
57. Sit outside (on a porch) and enjoy a thunderstorm
58. Dance in the rain
59. Pay for the person behind me in the drive-thru 5 times (0/5)
60. Don't eat fast food for 2 weeks
61. Get an eye exam
62. Watch a sunrise while sitting on a beach
63. Take a photography class
64. Blog about each of my completed tasks (0/101)
65. Go to a murder mystery dinner
66. Go to an Alabama football game
67. Go on a cruise
68.
69.
70.
71.
72.
73.
74.
75.
76.
77.
78.
79.
80.
81.
82.
83.
84.
85.
86.
87.
88.
89.
90.
91.
92.
93.
94.
95.
96.
97.
98.
99.
100.
101. Make a new 101 in 1001 list when I complete this one!



Weigh-In Wednesday

Hey guys! Yet another Weigh-In Wednesday on a Thursday... After church last night, we stopped by Matt's parents' house (like we always do), and Matt's mom wanted to play cards. So we didn't get home until after 9:30. :( So I just went to bed.

I may be able to post them from work though... still learning all the computer restrictions at my new job. : )

But anyway, I was very surprised to find that I lost 1.5 lbs last week... I didn't work out at all that I can remember, unless you count playing croquet at my birthday party. (Which I'll have a big post of soon... just waiting on some pictures other people took) Plus I ate a lot of junk food... cake, ice cream, brownies. A very bad week for me... bad but extremely yummy! ; ) Ha, ha.

So... I'm going to keep the goal of working out every day this week. For my birthday, I asked Matt to get me one of those watches that uses your heart rate to tell you how many calories you've burned. That way I figured I could keep a log of how many calories I consume each day vs. how many calories I burn. He wanted me to pick it out, and I haven't gotten around to doing that yet, but I should definitely have one by Monday.

This week: -1.5

Total: -8.1

Total weeks: 8

Avg. per week: -1.01

PS... I just realized my average last week was wrong... It should have been -0.94. Oopsie! ; )