Bah humbug to January, indeed.

I think that the January slump is upon me.

Today was the first time that I have worked out since last Friday morning. It was a sad, sad sight. I did 20 minutes on the arc trainer, then tried to run a 5k and legitimately couldn't get through 10 minutes. It was like every possible ache and pain that I could feel, I did-- my knees, my back, my shins. So I went back to the arc trainer to finish out the most pathetic 45 minute workout that I've had in awhile. The good news? I went back to the gym. The bad news? It almost felt like a pointless workout and that's just never fun at all.

It's so frustrating because I ran the entire time that I was home in Texas over Christmas, like 3 miles a day. And it felt good. Not easy, but good. I think the big was that I was running outside. While time doesn't exactly fly by, it certainly feels like it goes quicker than when I'm on the treadmill. Unfortunately, with me leaving for work while it's still dark and leaving work after it's dark, there are zero options for me to run outside right now. On top of the darkness, it's in the 20s in the morning and I like my warm PJs at home more than frostbite on a road, thankyouverymuch. It's just such a mind game because I know that my body is physically capable to run and train, but when I'm stuck working out on equipment inside, I just can't get past this mental block. Ugh to that.

Also, I have been extra moody today because as of Monday I recommitted to the Weight Watchers Points+ program. Let me tell you, although I have followed this program for the past year and have seen fabulous results, after basically being off of it for over a month, it is NOT easy to start fresh and eat healthy again. While I didn't go crazy over the holidays, I did let myself indulge. I promised myself that I would not go home and torture myself over wanting but not allowing some of my favorite foods that I rarely get a chance to eat. Combined with the running everyday and lots of socializing, I maintained for two weeks and then gained 2 pounds at last Friday's weigh in. I was okay with it, mainly because I knew I had managed myself the best that I could in my situation, and I knew what I had to do to get it back off.

However, now that I've been actually writing my food and points down and having to manage things again, it's HARD to get back into a routine. I already feel a difference in my body with cutting out fast foods and snacky stuff like chips and cookies, which I openly allowed myself before/around/over the holidays. Good difference or not, I'm still fighting that phase where you're craving the goodies that you let yourself have.

(Just a sidenote: This is not going to be a WW blog, all about my cravings and food and weight loss. Participating in WW is a big part of my life and my routine though, so I will obviously document my struggles/accomplishments on occasion. Off my soapbox :) )

I'm feeling bummy, so that's all for today.

'Til later, my lovelies!

So many languages in the world and a smile speaks them all.

A smile can be worth a thousand words. A thousand words that can remain unspoken; that someone could not verbalize but felt in their heart; that someone might not have even known that they needed to experience before the smile shared with them even occurred.

A smile can make a terrible day worthwhile; a sad day worth toughing out. A smile can be private or beaming; flirtatious or sincere; mischievous or kind; wicked or reassuring.

While a smile from someone near and dear to you is always nice, sort of like a secret handshake, a reassurance that this friend, family member, love, etc. is still on your side and in on the game with you, a smile from a stranger is entirely different.

To smile at a stranger is to take a risk. In the .005 seconds that it takes for you to decide if your mouth will greet someone or disregard them, thoughts race through your mind: "Will they smile back? Will they dismiss my cute frown-turned-upside-down? Will they wonder why on earth this random person is smiling at them? Oh, I'm being silly... just look up for goodness sa- Ah. They smiled back. It was definitely my friendly non-frown."

People of Yankeeland are so very different than the people of my country (Texas, obviously). They're often cold and abrupt, far too busy and important to pause and offer up a smile to an unsuspecting passerby. Regardless, I've stayed true to my word (and vows to my Mama) and have not let my South escape me. Whether I'm hurrying down the street, waiting in line at the grocery store, sorting out issues with people at work (y'all, I even smile on the phone. Believe me, you can hear a smile in someone's voice just as clearly as an aggravated frown), I always smile. I like to think that maybe, just maybe, it might bring a little bright moment to someone's day.

Today was a long, rough, endless day for me. When I finally made my way to a seat on my shuttle that takes me to the train (a lovely commute, indeed), I looked up to see a fellow rider boarding. As tired as I was, I dutifully looked up, our eyes met, and I smiled. Her eyes opened a bit wider as she perhaps contemplated the surprise at what I, this stranger, had just done.

And then she smiled back.

Right there in those two seconds stood the reason that I always make an effort to smile and anyone and everyone. Today I was the person who unknowingly needed a little smile. I teared up the tiniest bit as I felt in that moment that my efforts are not always lost on those who have better things to do than smile at a stranger.

I'm all about the giving, but as nice as it is to offer a smile, they're still always awfully nice to receive.

Two posts in one day? It must still be early in '11...

I have a Christmas post with pictures from my trip home all in the works, it's just not quite done yet.

Brian and I drove to a house his friends rented on New Year's Eve and somehow made it back to Boston by 11am on New Year's Day. I have a handful pictures, and there are stories that I will not be sharing, due to the fact that I'd like to keep my job. Again, this is not ready.

Because I'm such a phenomenal blogger, I'll simply cover and share what's up with me as of late.

*I'm obsessed with a wrap that I ordered at Au Bon Pain and have taken to making on my own-- a La Tortilla Factory 100 calorie wrap, 2 tbsp red pepper hummus, lots of spring mix greens, kalamata olives, and sliced grape tomatoes. It is the bomb.

*While in Texas for Christmas, my flight back to Boston was cancelled twice, which meant an extended vacation for me. As lovely as it was to have more time with my family, there's only so much sci-fi TV that I can handle watching with my dad.

*I had a fabulous Christmas and received, among lots of other things...

a Polar heart rate monitor

the cutest apron ever

this little book which I can't wait to jump into

these pretty little things

And lots more. It was a very blessed and happy Christmas for my family, indeed. Gifts or no gifts, it was perfect just being home with my family and animals and relaxing and eating... a lot. I may have had Chick-fil-a three times and enough queso to fill my boots. Ah, home.

*Tonight is the first date night that Brian and I have had since I've been back in Boston. We're going to our most favorite restaurant, Not Your Average Joe's, and to see True Grit, where I just might sneak in a little Christmas candy and order popcorn. Nothing beats movie popcorn, my friends...

*Crate & Barrell's Christmas clearance sale. Seriously. Brian has been instructed to put my debit card on lockdown. It's just so darn tempting...

*Valentine's Day is my next favorite holiday that's coming up!! People may get all Negative Nancy and say that it's just a greeting card holiday, that there's no point in it at all... ll of the pink and hearts and sweet, mushy stuff-- sign me up! And if someone will buy me these cookie cutters, I'll make you Cupid sugar cookies to your little heart's content. Seriously.

*This goes against everything that my Weight Watchin' body is telling me, but I've heard so many things about the Williams Sonoma Peppermint Bark that I just might bite the bullet and order some. It's on sale, and how on earth could you beat the goodness that is peppermint and chocolate melted together? You just can't.


Well, I've typed my way to lunchtime, so I'm off to enjoy my wrap. And an orange. Do I wish that a big ole bag of Cheetos would be joining me? Obviously, but I'll just act like that little desire/craving/need isn't there. Hello, hormones-- so nice to see you again.

'Til later, my lovelies!

A new year, a new day... a few days late.

It's not a great sign of things to come when your New Year's Resolution is to blog every day of 2011 and you don't start until January 4th. In my defense, things have been all kinds of crazy lately in my neck of the woods, so y'all will have to just be patient with me for a bit.

Considering the fact that I've never been all that hot in keeping up with resolutions, I've opted this year to instead stick to making and (hopefully) achieving goals. As most good bloggers do, before I list my goals I must reflect on my past-- I'm all about the reflection.

Looking back, 2010 was a heck of a year...

My relationship with my family strengthened and proved that it will always be there, no matter what we may face or how far apart we may be.

My love for Brian deepened as we moved in together and realized that we really do complement each other, through tears and tiffs and smiles and celebrations.

I graduated from college student to working girl and settled in at a good fresh-out-of-college job.

My cooking skills flourished as I made supper every night for me and Brian, wading outside of my food comfort zones and trying so many new foods and recipes. The processed foods have slowly lessened in my diet (minus the occasional Cheetos and Godiva... a girl can only give up so much), and the fast food stops have drastically decreased (again, minus the occasional bean burrito. Oh Taco Bell, you sing the song in my heart...).

The world of repaying student loans fell upon me and I learned how to budget my money and walk the fine line between "I NEED that" and "I WANT that" (so not all that easy when you're getting your first real world checks straight into your bank account, but so worth it in the end). I've laughed a lot and I've cried a lot; I've made new friends and weeded through my old.

For the first time in my life, I ran completely on purpose, out of pure happiness and enjoyment, not force or due to being chased. I ran a lot. I ran and I liked it. I ran RACES and fell in love.

After indulging in one too many football dips and bowls of pasta, I joined Weight Watchers and lost right at 40 pounds (sidenote: I'm not flaunting the number but I'm darn proud of myself, so the amount lost stays). It's amazing what losing 40 pounds can do, other than get you fabulous new clothes. Silly aches and pains are gone (seriously, I'm only 25 with all of the moaning and groaning and creaking of an old lady), getting winded is no longer an issue, I cross my legs like the skinny girls. Being thinner may not be everything, but it sure does feel good.

As fabulous as 2010 was, I'm feeling really optimistic about the kind of year that 2011 may play out to be. There are lots of things kind of juggling around right now which I'll share as I know more, but I'll just say that it's looking like exciting things could be on the horizon for me/us.

And now for The Goals of 2011-- The Year of Me

1. Continue staying focused on the new Weight Watchers Points+ program. Stay willing to be open to new foods, recipes, and advice until I reach my goal.
2. Reach goal.
3. Run the Zooma Half Marathon in Austin, TX on April 16, 2011. I'm running in Texas because there's no way I'd cross that first official half finish line without my family there to see me do it.
   
4. Blog daily.
5. Read at least one book each month.
6. Go on a random weekend trip with Brian, just because.
7. Plan a vacation for just me and Brian, not to see family or go with friends.
8. Fly home to see my family more often, even if it's just for a weekend.
9. Run as many smaller races as I can manage-- 5ks, 10ks, half marathons...
10. Be a better friend. Whether it's mailing cards just to say hi or making sure to return phone calls, be a better friend.
11. Work on researching my family ancestry. I'm all kinds of interested, and I think this would be such a neat project.

Well friends, there you have it. Since I'm vowing to blog once a day from here on out, you'll be able to keep track on my progress (or failures). I'm looking forward to seeing what this year has in store for me, my family, and my friends, and I'll be anxious to report back to y'all.
Keep me on my toes!

'Til later, my lovelies.

I'm a half century old! Wait... no I'm not.

As I may have mentioned before, math is not my strongest point. I walked around for about a week telling people that I was going to be HALF A CENTURY OLD!! before Brian finally stepped in and informed me that I was turning 25, not 50. Ah, well-- at least I was blissfully unaware.

It was a lovely little day filled with not much at all, which I'm all about these days. Pretty pink roses were delivered, we did lots of Christmas shopping during the day, I was gifted a lovely gorgeous exciting new camera, we went to a nice dinner, and then climbed into bed to watch Christmas Vacation... because Brian had never seen it before. A moment of silence for him, please. (sidenote: I am ALL ABOUT Christmas movies, and he's never seen the majority of my favorites, including It's A Wonderful Life, A Christmas Story, Miracle on 34th Street... I don't know what planet he grew up on, but these were absolute holiday staples in my young movie-watching life. Because I only want the best for him, I'm force-viewing all of my favorites before I leave for Texas. He can thank me later.)

Sunday morning Brian made breakfast, I stayed in my pajamas until 1, and then we went to his parents house for World War Thr... I mean to watch the Patriots game and decorate the tree. Whoop. It was not relaxing or fun. It was stressful. There was lots of yelling about the tree and things falling and things being crooked and... and I have to do that with my own family in one week, and one family's dose of drama is about all I can handle and I much prefer it to be my own family, thankyouverymuch.

Anyways, now the week has begun. My crazy week. I fly home to Texas after work on Friday which means that I now have two and half days to get two weeks worth of things done, including finish shopping, do laundry, pack, get gifts together that I'm taking home, grocery shop for meals this week and for Brian to have food while I'm gone, and bake enough treats for my entire department (100+ people). If anyone has any suggestions about holiday treats that pack well individually and are always a hit, I'd LOVE to hear about them. I need treats for the 8 admin people in our group, plus treats for our janitorial staff and my bus driver (just because they work hard and always have a smile!), and a bunch of more basic treats to put out in the kitchen for our lab.

My camera cord finally came and I uploaded a ton of pictures (dating back to apple picking in October), so I'm going to do a post of picture catch-up.

Hope everyone has a wonderful day!!

reasons why this saturday is oh-so-lovely.

Reasons Why I Am Loving This Saturday Night

*After a long week of chest cold #2 and being exhausted and worn out, I'm feeling good and like myself again!

*Our third roommate has moved to New Jersey for three months for a work extension program. All I can say is alleluia- the break is needed. I'm excited for this little bit of time that Brian and I have just for us. I spent all day today cleaning and making the place look as close to mine as I could, and it feels GOOD.

*Brian took Level 1 of the CFA exam this morning... make that all day. I drove him into Boston to check in at 8 this morning, he had an hour break around noon, and then I picked him up at 5. He's put 200 hours of studying into this exam, and has openly admitted that he probably put more time into studying for this exam than he did for all of his studying through college... and he studied a lot. I was so nervous that I would pick him up and he would be in a horrible mood, but my wonderful boy was ALL SMILES. Seriously, my prayers were answered. Every time I thought about him today, I sent a little prayer his way, for him to be focused, to be calm, to not be overwhelmed... Needless to say, he whistled and chatter-boxed the entire way home, so I'm thinking we're pretty confident :) He won't find out the results until mid-January, but he said tons of kids were walking out with him, talking about how hard it was, and that he just really didn't feel like it was all that difficult.

We're both so glad that it's over-- I'm the easily-rattled one in our relationship. In the three years that we've been together, I've seen him worked up enough times that I could count on one hand. These last few days, he's been completely nervous and on edge. To know that he feels confident and so relieved that it's finally over is an answer to my prayers, indeed.

*I'm sitting on the couch with a lovely (large) glass of red wine, waiting for Brian to wrap up playing on his XBOX so that we can go to dinner at our favorite dinner spot. A night with my boy, stress free? Sign me up, please.

*I decorated for Christmas today. We're getting our Christmas tree tomorrow and going to breakfast, and then I'll put all of our ornaments and such on (my favorite part)-- love. Love it. Christmas is my favorite time of the year, and I'm really getting back in touch with the real and true reason for the season, which I feel like too many people tend to forget at times. It makes my heart happy.

*My birthday is next weekend. I will be a quarter of a century old. I'm terrified... yet excited.

*I fly home to Texas for the holidays with my family on the 17th. Although my parents shattered my world and informed me today that they'll be getting a fake Christmas tree (I'm all about the real), I absolutely cannot wait to be home with my family to do all of our lovely holiday things together. Christmas movies, decorating the tree, cooking and eating 'til we burst, Christmas Eve mass... it's what the holidays are all about :)

Two posts in one day is shocking. I'm off to dinner. Au revoir, my friends!

my ladies, my friends... my girls.

I am a true, firm believer in having amazing girlfriends.

There are friends who come and go, friends who you've recently met and are just getting to know, friends who you can maybe call for a girls night out but not for a no-makeup-early-morning brunch... these friends are good to have and are wonderful at bringing you lots of smiles and fun times. As much as they're your friends, they aren't your girls.

Your girls who have seen you through thick and thin, through the good times and the bad. The girls who you know that you could call in tears and that they would do anything in their power to right whatever is wrong, and who would show up at your door with wine and junk food to cheer you up. The girls who are gently honest, managing to find a way to tell you what you need to hear without making you hurt more than you already do. The girls who have seen you through the crazy nights out and the lazy nights in. The girls who are the first in mind when you think of you want to stand by you when you get married, have babies, and get older together.

I'm lucky enough to have a close handful of my girls. They are all wonderfully beautiful and special to me in their own individual ways, which is why I'm so lucky to have them in my life.

One can make me laugh and laugh and knows just which Friends quote to throw my way at random, or to always text stories about how our parents need our dogs to practice on for future grandchildren. She has known me the longest and maybe knows me the best. We've danced through high school football games, picked up late night Sonic and driven all over our tiny hometown, spent more time watching Gilmore Girls in our respective living rooms than we could ever remember to count, and had more of the hilarious-to-us moments and memories that you can really only share with those friends who have known you since forever. We can hold conversations with each other while looking at each other in the mirror while putting on makeup, and I will never judge her for loving peanut butter and cheese sandwiches. She is an amazing and wonderfully beautiful person, inside and out, who is honest and truthful and trustworthy... and I love her for that:


Another never fails to brighten my day with her loving and kind words, always unintentionally exuding this perfect happiness, which comes from how full she is of love and happiness and God in her own life. She shows care, concern for and devotion to her friends, which is more appreciated than she will ever, ever know. When I first met Brian, she was the first to know all of the details, and has supported me through all of my ups and downs of moving across the country. Today has been an emotional rollercoaster (hello, girl week), and right when I needed someone, my phone rang, and it was her. We talked and laughed and cried for an hour and a half, and when we hung up, I felt lighter and happier and uplifted-- she is the special, amazing, once-in-a-lifetime kind of friend who can do that to you, and she has saved my heart more times that I can count. I love her sweet soul to pieces:


Another who has the exact same chipper, positive, happy personality and outlook on life that she had when I first met her in 6th grade orchestra, with me at the cello and her at the violin. Girlfriend is so amazingly intelligent and is currently in med school (so proud of her!), and you better believe that I will do everything I can to see her graduate! We always always make a date to meet up when I'm at home, and I always know to set aside at least three hours for our coffee/lunch/catch-up extravaganza, and I look forward to it from the second that we say goodbye to the second that we meet again. She is just a wonderful person inside and out, and we have the kind of friendship where we just pick right back up where we left off the last time that we were together:


This lady has known me since kindergarten-- we met fighting over a red crayon and were inseparable from there on out. We were together through all of the dramatics of school-- first crushes, first kisses, first breakups. Skinned knees and broken hearts, Barbie dream houses and riding our bikes to the neighborhood park without our parents (big stuff). I'll never forget the time she tried to roller blade down Suicide Hill or when we were walking her dog and he ran into a neighbor's backyard, complete with a huge dog, and we ran to the front door screaming to call 911. We hit big bumps in middle school and went our separate ways in high school, but once we grew up and realized that it was okay for our worlds to be different, I was one of the first to be called when her sweet baby Abigail Rose was born. We still talk and see each other and even though we may not be quite as close as we are with others, we will both always be each others firsts best friends, and that's a pretty fabulous title to hold:


As I stated earlier, this morning was a bit rough. I'm missing my friends at home so much, and talking to Keegan brightened my afternoon. It made me think about how truly blessed I am to have such wonderful women in my life. I wouldn't trade my friendships with these ladies for the world, not only because we've been through so much together, but simply because they're my girls. And really, how fun is it to go through life without your girls right there with you, along for the crazy, fun, tragically fabulous ride?