Blogtember: Sept. 4th

If you could take three months off from your current life and do anything in the world,

what would you do?

 

 

 

This may sound small, but I would love to actually start and learn how to do all the little hobbies/crafts/Pinterest ideas that I've always wanted to do.

 

 

On my 10 Before 30 List (Check out my tab above), I've always wanted to learn how to play guitar. Now I know 3 months isn't long to learn, but if I could have nothing better to do than learn to pluck some strings, I'd love that!

 

Maybe someday I could be as good as Brad Paisley...hey I can dream!

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Another item off of my 10 Before 30 list would be to start and finish a t-shirt quilt. I have a lot of memorable t-shirts that are sitting in boxes, just waiting to be cut up and made into an awesome quilt for our new house someday. I even have ideas for the pattern! I love the striped edge on the quilt on the left, but for the inside the right quilt would be GREAT!

 

 

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Just a couple things that I'd like to do with my spare time of 3 months :) What would you do?

 

 

 

 

 



Blogtember: Sept. 3rd

How cool is this? I found this link up from Jen at Wonderfully Unkempt's website, and I thought it was a very neat idea to keep fresh ideas on your blog. Thanks, Jenni from Story of My Life for the great link up idea!

 

   

September 3rd: Describe where or what you come from. The people, the places, and/or the factors that make up who you are.

 

Well, going off of my last name, Johnson, anyone can figure that I'm from a Scandinavian decent. Mostly Norwegian, with a bit of Swedish, German, English to name my largest portions. "Heinz 57" they always say. But I definitely can relate to my descents. Norwegian/Swedish: I'm tall and have blue/gray eyes. German: Dark hair and my love of beer. English? Now I'm not quite sure where I can find English heritage within myself, I just know it's in my blood.

 

I'm from a small town and live in a new small town, hence my blog name. I feel that the people around me in the small community have made me for who I am, and I appreciate that. I appreciate that people like to know what's going on in my life, even if they heard it from someone other than myself. That's OK. That's how a small town works. Yeah, it can bite you in the ass sometimes too when the news is on a bad note, but it all comes around full circle.

 

My mom has been my best friend through it all, and I've learned some great qualities from her. Being organized and independent are the traits I will forever will be grateful that she gave me. She also gave me the gift of thrifty shopping. "Never buy anything full price." I always think about that, whether it be a new sweater or a tube of toothpaste.

 

As for another money aspect, passed down from my Grandpa and Grandma Scott, I inherited money smarts. "Never buy anything that you can't afford right now." He was a cash man. He bought his cars, NEW, in cash. Now, that would probably never happen in my scenario, but I have never gotten into credit card debt, EVER.

 

My college, Concordia College in Moorhead, MN has shaped me into being a true, well rounded thinker. Thinking of how other's will see it: other cultures, men vs. women, age, etc. I see a lot of people these days that are so closed minded that it drives me insane. So thank you Concordia.

 

I could go on and on, but these are some great aspects of what makes me, me.

 

 

This is It

I'm back!!!!

Good lord it's been a long time. I get so caught up reading other people's blogs that I have forgotten about my own! Oh and that darn wedding planning and house buying stuff. That takes a lot of a person's time, I tell ya.

But I have some fun news to share. I'm getting my ass back in gear with losing weight. I've been struggling lately because of the all the stress the home buying process has been causing me, and just life in general. I can't seem to kick my habits of junk food and sitting on the couch.

Luckily, my future SIL, Trista, was kind enough to invite me to join the Border Battle Challenge put on by Victory 4 You in Hudson, WI. It's a virtual challenge made possible by Facebook and TeamBeachBody.com. You essentially have to log all of your workouts on a calendar on the Team Beach Body website, 5 days of the week. Your calendar at the end of the month gets turned into your "coach" and then turns all of your workouts into points. There are 2 teams: The Vikings, and the Packers. Get the Border Battle title now? I have selected to be on the Vikings team, of course, and hopefully we'll do well! There are other sideline ways to earn points, such as posting a challenge picture on Facebook, achieving your goal, and many other ways that will be shared with me along the way. The challenge starts today, September 3rd and goes until November 24th (Vikings vs. Packers game).

I hope this challenge works for me to get going. It's going to keep me accountable because all of these people rely on each other's workouts to earn the points and win the challenge! I really REALLY need to lose this weight for the wedding. I told myself that I'm not trying on wedding dresses until I lose weight, hopefully around 20 pounds. And that's the fun part of the wedding planning! I can't wait to see myself in a beautiful gown.

I have my before pictures finally done. They're not pretty, let me tell you. Ready to rip your eyeballs out? Don't be too scared...here you go:

Before Measurements:

Weight: 244 ( A little heavier than normal; I think it's because of the huge NJ's breakfast and shrimp alfredo that night!)
Waist: 43
Hips: 45.5
Chest: 47.8
Right Arm: 15
Left Arm: 14.8
Right Thigh: 25.8
Left Thigh: 26

Ugh....seeing me like this makes me want to vomit. How I've let myself go the past 5 years. My biggest troubles, if you're too blind to see them, are definitely my inner tube tummy, my back boobs, and a little in my flappers. I've always had broader shoulders, even when I was thinner, so I'm not concerned with that.

Well here goes nothing! Now I have my future SIL and a coworker to keep my accountable and on schedule. I sure hope this helps! Wish me luck!

The Proposal

Wow! I basically fell off the face of blog world. Sorry about that. I'm so caught up with wedding planning books, magazines, and Pinterest that I can hardly contain myself. We don't even have a date set, and I'm already starting to look at ideas!

So in case you missed it, B proposed to me on July 31, 2013 right at Wefest, the place where we met 5 years ago as complete strangers. I think back and the first thing that I remember him asking me was for my number so that we could meet up after I was done working (I poured beer during the concerts). After giving him my number, he asked what my last name was and I said "Johnson." "No, shit," he replied, being surprised because he is a Johnson himself. And it all started from there.

Well fast forward 5 years, and we arrived at Wefest with our friends and all of our camping gear. I had gotten shirts made for B and I to wear at Wefest to celebrate our 5 years of meeting and being with each other. This is the picture that I had B's cousin create for the shirts:

 

Cartoon versions of ourselves! I absolutely loved it. Well I had shown B the shirts the night, but I still had to show the my girlfriend Amanda that came. So once we were all set up at camp, I brought out the shirts to show Amanda. I basically said something along the lines "These were a surprise for our 5 year anniversary."

 

B, standing next to me, then proceeded with "Well Steph, I have a surprise for you too." That's where I basically went into shock because B rarely does surprises because he's not really the "romantic" type. I turned to him and he sweetly said "Since it's our 5 year anniversary, I felt that it was time to get you something special." Now I'm basically making these words up, because quite honestly, I can't really remember exactly what he said. I was so in shock!!!

 

He then pulled out the box out of his cargo shorts, got down on his knee and asked me to marry him.

 

I still need to get the pictures from Amanda, but boy did I have excitement on my face. I was so excited and happy. I'm an emotional person, so I started crying happy tears after I said yes. I just couldn't believe it. Something that we had both wanted for so long, and we're finally engaged.

 

When B called me his fiance for the first time, I had butterflies fly through me and I teared up again. It's such a wonderful feeling to be loved and wanted like that.

 

We proceeded to call all of our family members, in which all of them were so happy for us. "It's about time!" came up a lot. I just smiled. Yes, it's been 5 years, far too long for some, but they were happy years for us. I wouldn't have it any other way.

 

It was the perfect day for us to wear our new shirts that I got made. B, before the proposal, felt silly to wear matching shirts, but afterwards? He was so proud. He was showing the shirts off to everyone along the way to the concert to start off the announcement that we were engaged. It was fun.

 

Our first picture as an engaged couple!

 

The backs of our shirts. The butt grabbing idea was B's... go figure :)

 

 

So we still haven't picked a date or anything. We're just in the fun stages of enjoying being engaged. I've looked a lot of ideas for wedding venues, colors, and such, but B doesn't want to even look at that stuff yet. He thinks it's funny that I'm so into it. But that's what girls do!!!

 

We're actually in the beginning stages of looking for a house. Another finally! Looking to get prequalified at a few banks to see what their rates compare for us. A few houses came up on the market in the area we want, so we need to get to it!

 

Lots of craziness in our near future, but it's all for the better. I'm so excited!

 

 

Surprise!

A quick post since I've been gone for about a week. I'm a little busy catching up at work and returning back to reality after being at Wefest.

The best thing that happened while I was gone?

I GOT ENGAGED!!!

B popped the question right at Wefest, where we met 5 years ago. I couldn't have been more surprised or happy. I'm still constantly glancing at my left hand at the beautiful ring he picked out for me (with no help! He just has that great of taste!)

More to come hopefully tomorrow! I'm so happy!!!!

Happy Friday!

So here's a new linkup for today. Thought it would be fun to connect with my random thoughts on the 5 on Friday linkup!

 

1. Wefest is coming up fast! I can't wait to get away with B and another great couple from the fire department. They're such great friends to hang out with, and they are also Wefest virgins, so we're going to have to show them a good time :)

2. Where did this wonderful weather come from? It definitely doesn't feel like summer weather, more like middle of September. Comfortable and breezy. If only the sun could come out it would be perfect. Maybe we'll get lucky for Wefest!

3. I've worn a dress to work every day this week. I feel that is an accomplishment :)

4. Does anybody else use their car as storage space? Mine is seriously the worst you've ever seen. I drive an Impala, and they have HUGE trunks. Mine? Completely full. Not even sure what's all in there. My backseat is surprisingly pretty cleaned out for the most part, but my goodness is it horrible to have shit falling out of your car when you open doors. Oh...and I could REALLY use a car wash. With all the construction in my town and dirt roads, it looks like a turd on wheels.

5. My grandma kicks my ass in Words with Friends...every time.

3 Odd Things

So last night at the gym, I noticed a few random things that normally don't happen. I just happen to find them strange.

1. I heard a pop can open. Low and behold, 5 treadmills away from me, a gal is running and opened up a Diet Mountain Dew. WTH? I've never associated runners with drinking pop, especially during a workout. Whatever.

2. When I was finished working out, I headed down to the locker room and in walks an older lady with her, assuming, grand daughter with beach towels wrapped around their bodies as if they just got out of the pool. No bigs, until the grandma went into the sauna really quick, walked right back out with 2 plates wrapped in Saran wrap with personal sized pizzas on them. She was using the sauna to keep the flippin' pizzas warm!! Whoa!

3. Then, the hard one. The third odd thing I found out last night at the gym. I gained .8 pounds.

REALLY???? I'VE BEEN TRACKING MY FOOD AND NOT EATING SHIT. I'VE BEEN EATING HEALTHY. I'VE BEEN WORKING OUT. MAYBE NOT AS HARD AS I COULD BE, BUT DAMN IT THE SCALE SHOULD HAVE MOVED WITH JUST THE DECREASE IN CALORIES I'M TAKING IN!!! I'M A FOOD ADDICT. I LOVE IT ALL, AND LOTS OF IT. SO THIS PAST WEEK HAS BEEN HARD TO NOT EAT THE SHIT AND CALL IT A DAY.

I couldn't believe my eyes. I'm sure hoping that I was retaining water or something because if there isn't movement in the right direction next week, I don't know what I'm going to do...

p.s. I did get my measurements finally last night because I was so upset. I didn't think I was going to track them, but maybe, JUST maybe, I'm gaining muscle instead. Or my weight is shifting. I wish I would have gotten measurements in the beginning so I knew for sure. I just need to figure this crap out.

Naked and Afraid

Oooooh. Got ya on the title, didn't I!?

It's actually a reality TV series on Discovery Channel. VERY INTERESTING I'D SAY.

This picture is actually from the first episode that I watched. 1 man, 1 woman, totally exposed to each other to see if they can survive on a remote island for 21 days with basically NOTHING.

I found the show to be really interesting. I mean, there could be more going on behind the scenes that the camera doesn't show, but what is actually aired on TV is so crazy! The pair don't even seem to be bothered by the idea that they are completely naked in front of each other. The man above ended up getting a sun burn so bad that his skin was nearly purple ALL OVER. He even made the reference that the area where the sun has never been before was so red and swollen it was unbearable for him to walk. Hehehehhehe. I shouldn't be laughing. That's not nice. Gotta love being a woman in that aspect.

What I ended up observing was that I actually was looking past the idea that they were completely naked. I was actually was more interested in the survival aspect of the show (Except the idea of all that sand in your hoo-ha. NO thank you!) These people had NOTHING more than 1 item they chose to bring from home to help with the adventure. Everything else, including food and water, had to be found on their own. Because of this, both the man and woman ending up losing 14+ pounds in just 21 days because of the lack of food and water they were able to come up with. CRAZY!

Well, onto another subject.

I'm going to go to the gym EVERY DAY this week. This is my goal. I've been kind of half assing that part. 2 days a week isn't going to show any progress. Yeah, it might keep me in line, but it wont help me lose the poundage! Plus, I gotta catch up on the number of days worked out this month for insurance. I love getting that $20 credit to my bank account. A special little present for me to say congrats :)

What I wish I was more comfortable with would be being able to lift free weights on my own. I'm so intimidated by those beef builders and young guys that can do upside down sit ups on the high bar. Ugh...wish I could just hang from the bar. lol.

It would be so nice if there was an area for women to lift free weights without the intimidation of men. My old gym had that. At least to get you comfortable with what you're doing so you don't look like a fool. I just don't want to look ridiculous lifting, maybe not doing proper form, not lifting "enough", or looking like a wimp. I know I shouldn't worry about what others think and be in this for myself, but I just get nervous. Anyway of getting over this? I just want to be able to do them and not the resistance machines. I feel more accomplished with the free weights.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I know I know. I'm a couple days late on this post. I just got so caught up in my crazy ass schedule, I didn't really get a chance to write about it!

Wednesday I actually wasn't able to make it to the gym because I had a band concert at Como Park Pavilion. Boy was it hot! Thank goodness it was in the shade. Playing the saxophone in nearly 100 degree heat is not my idea of fun.

So I actually weighed myself at the gym yesterday to find that I'm down 2 LBS! Yes, it's not a lot, but I did have a lot of slacking due to weddings, hang out days with my sister, and booze. Ugh. Liquid calories are such a bitch... So I call that a victory.

If you're following me, I'm keeping track of my weight loss on a separate page called Weight Loss Wednesday. I'll be updating, hopefully, every week. My goal is to lose 50 pounds before January 1st! Kind of a lot, but I think I can do it. I have a lot of support with me now that I'm blogging!

I also had an NSV yesterday too! I was able to run my FIRST EVER mile with barely any walking. This might sound absurd to a lot of you, but I've never been able to run a full mile without stopping to either walk, take a break, or what have you. Never been good at running. Well, I pushed myself yesterday on the dreadmill and got this:

I was so happy! Knowing that probably the next time I run I should be able to do it makes me even more motivated to keep running. Hopefully a 5k will be in the nearer future than I thought!

Finish the Sentence Link Up

Today I'm linking up with Holly over at Where We Can Live Like Jack & Sally with their Finish the Sentence linkup! This one is always fun :)

 

 

If I had one extra hour in the day...do something for MYSELF. Craft, paint, read, something!

 

 Took a painting class with my sis the other day. It was a tough one!

 

 I wish my name... to never change! When B and I marry someday, I won't have to change a thing! (NO we're not related for Pete's sake!)

 I think anything chevron is... fun in doses. In the summer. NOT for everything.

My last nightmare...was so vivid while I dream, but 5 minutes after I wake up I can never remember them!

Sometimes...I just wish everything would fall in to place faster than the way things are going right now. I want my ducks in a row!

 

My last meal on earth would be... a mound of seafood heaven. Crab, scallops, and a whole lot of shrimp piled high on top of red potatoes oozing with butter. MMMM....

I would much rather be___flat assed____ than__badonkadonk__.

 

(Sorry Trace...)

 

Mayonnaise... YUCK. Never liked the stuff.

10 years ago, I didn't think... I'd be living with my boyfriend's parents... in their basement. KILL ME.

Selfishly... wish I could start my 20's over if I'd known what was in store in the future. Not start over my relationship with B, however! 5 years down in the "8 year plan" that he claims has taken long enough!

My favorite show on TV right now... Extreme Weight Loss with Chris Powell. WOW. If they can lose half their weight in a year, I can most definitely lose 50 lbs!!

And, George Zimmerman... can this controversy be over already!???

Feed Me...

Ugh...this diet is killing me! I did soooooooooo well last week. Keeping track of everything that I ate. Then the wedding happened. Beer happened. Chocolate and candy bar eating because you ended up having to be sober cab happened. A whole pint of ice cream last night happened (speaking of, have you ever actually added up the calories for the ENTIRE pint? There is NO way there is 2.5 servings in there!).

I'm not falling off the wagon again, however. I know that a few screw ups aren't going to ruin my diet and plan. I just gotta move on and make better choices next time. I took a sneak peak at my weight last night at the gym, and I'm hoping it can stay off by tomorrow for my weigh in! Stay tuned tomorrow!

A couple pics from the wedding on Friday:

 

I had to beg for this picture. B thinks it's such a chore for a picture once and a while! Ugh!

 Don't we look nice and patriotic? :)

The bride and groom. We were facing the sun, so all my pictures were kind of dark, but this silhouette type pic looks kinda neat!

Groom: Excited     Bride: Nervous    Photobombing Sister-Maid-Of-Honor: Not too happy

 

Jason, the groom, always has his party pants on.

 

 

Saturday I went to go visit my sister for a little bit in St. Paul. I haven't seen my dog nephew in a while, so it was nice to see him.

 

 



He knows he's cute :)

 

Well that's all I have for now. More to come tomorrow with my weigh in!


By the way! I'm finally on Bloglovin'. I thought when you created the account it automatically realized your blog info. Not so much! So if you'd like to follow, click away!





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Oops I Did It Again

Ooops! Missed me? Probably not since I don't have any followers. Oh wait! I finally have my first one, Holly from Where We Can Live Like Jack & Sally. Thank you! I haven't really been trying to look for followers, but it sure does feel good to have one!

I've been just terrible with blogging lately. I tried to setup a schedule for myself to keep me on track, but that has fallen through. I only blog while I'm at work since I have a lot of downtime, but lately that seems to be a little sparse. But maybe now that I have someone following me, it will give me that extra push :)

It's my grandma's 79th birthday today! Happy Birthday, Grandma!!!

 

 

These pictures are from 2009, so a little dated. We actually "flamingoed" her yard. The church does it as a fundraiser for the youth. Kind of as a prank, but in order to get them off your yard, you need to donate. Creative idea I think!

 

I really need to invest in good workout shoes for the treadmill. Mine just aren't cutting it. I bought them for cute regular tennis shoes to wear around, but instead made them my workout shoes. Bad idea. No room for swelling, which happens BADLY. Not a lot of arch and ankle support. Bad ankles, y'all. 3 sprains to each side during volleyball season in high school was enough for those bad boys be little pains in the ass. I really want to be fitted at a professional place but don't want to pay the expensive price! Would it be cheap of me to get fitted and advice for specific shoes, then buy them online at a cheaper retailer? I just can't fathom spending over $100 on shoes, even if they are better for you and will probably last me longer. Hell I don't know... we'll see what happens I guess.

 

Got ANOTHER wedding tonight for B's cousin. It's going to be HOT and of course it's an outdoor wedding. Great sunshine and everything, but when it gets hot in Minnesota, it's miserable. Humidity, mosquitoes, huge fluffy hair, ugh...not my cup of tea. But it should be a good time!

 

 Diet is going well! I don't feel hungry and trying to kick the cravings is going pretty good too. On Wednesday I'll be doing a check in to see how many pounds I'm down. Hopefully a couple at least!

 

Well, I don't really have much more to post today. Just a quick blurp.

 

 

 



The Perfect Day

I'm going to copy what Amber at Crafty Healthy Mommy said about today.

Today is MONDAY, July 1ST, and 6 MONTHS FROM NEW YEARS!

It's the perfect day to start over. To regain motivation, to get going on my weight loss plan. It's the perfect day.

I will be retraining myself to track all of my calories of MFP.  Off to a good start so far!

I will not go into eating binges when I'm bored or eat 10+ pieces of chocolate from the dish at work.

I will be keeping myself accountable by going to the gym at least 3 times per week. A walk on my lunch break would be nice too everyday if I can squeeze that in.

I will not be hooked to the TV this summer. I will not have excuses for not being at the gym after work or going for a nice walk after supper.

I will be starting a journal with a measurement and weight log. It's nice to see your progress from week to week and look back on it for some encouragement.

I will not be discouraged when I take before pictures of myself or when I don't see scale movement. The number doesn't necessarily mean you're not losing. I could be losing inches rather than pounds and that's alright with me.

I will be making this change for me so that I can be happy in my own skin. A happier me. A healthier me. A new me.

Hello Summer Tan

Finally! I have a tan. It's been many years since I've had a great looking tan all over. What's even better? I haven't started to peel...yet. Normally my nose starts peeling immediately, but I must be using the right stuff for moisturizer that nothing has happened yet! I'm so happy!

Well, I've been gone on vacation from the 15th through the 22nd up in Siren, WI.

IT WAS WONDERFUL.

The weather couldn't have been more perfect. The fishing was actually pretty decent this year. I got to swim/float in the lake for hours without getting cold.

The day we got there, we met a new friend, Wally.

 We think he was abandoned by his family, because there weren't any ducks near him the entire time we were at the lake. Poor little guy. We think he is a wood duck, but couldn't be quite sure. He seemed part penguin...yes penguin... because he had these huge feet that made him kind of waddle.

Since he was so tiny and young, I decided to take him in as his mother.

 

 

He wouldn't leave my side once I held onto him. Throughout the night, he would swim and then jump onto our feet. Peeping if he didn't see any feet to jump on. When it was starting to cool down, he wanted to be held and would just sit in my hands with his eyes closed as if he wanted to sleep. Unfortunately, B's dad wouldn't let me keep him in the cabin (womp womp, since I'm an adult and should be able to make my own decisions for Pete's sake) I decided to find a place for him on land. Well once I put him down and walked away to the bonfire, he just followed me like he'd be lost without me by my side. I felt so bad. I eventually put him further away from the cabins and he settled on swimming for a while.

 



 

 

He showed up every morning for 4 days at our dock just a peeping away and swimming. Unfortunately, he disappeared on the 4th day, later in the day. Poor little fella, I'm hoping he just found a new place to hang out at or a duck family to join. I'm being optimistic, unlike B. "Eagle's needed something for breakfast"...guhhhh....

 

Silly for me to say, I enjoyed Wally's appreciation of me. He had that "need" for me, like a mother. I guess I haven't had that feeling in a long time, or maybe ever. I'm not sure. It felt really good and I want to feel it again.

 

My first Pinterest project is almost finished. I finally found the final element on Amazon, so I just need to wait for it to arrive, and I'll be able to show it here on the blog! I'm so happy, because it's cool!

 

Weight loss....well...it's basically non existent. It's all in my head. I have all these goals set, but I just can't seem to stick to my plans. I think I just have so much negativity around me and no support. No one to help out. I should be able to do this on my own, but I can't. They always say weight loss is some odd ball % physical and a huge % mental. Of course, I struggle with the mental part.

 

I know the saying, " I'll start Monday" is so old and ridiculous, but I really think I need to set this goal for real this time. Come Monday, I will only have 1 month until Wefest, and a few weeks after that will be mine and B's 5 year anniversary. I want to look nice for pictures and for myself. I mean, wouldn't a nice LEANER me be a nice gift for B? I'd like to look great for him, for him to be proud of me and not continuously shaking his head when I grab for a 2nd cookie or when I'm hungry for a snack when we just ate a couple hours ago. It gets old, but I know he gets frustrated when I created my 10 before 30 goals and I don't stick to them. I'll get there. I just need to be mentally ready. I'm thinking that it actually feels like Summer now, hopefully the skinny bitches on the beach with their tiny bikinis will finally get my mind ready and jealous, so I'd lose a few pounds. LOL

 



Stars and Stripes Forever

Happy Flag Day!

Today we honor that our country in 1777 adopted the stars and stripes for the national flag! I'm so proud to be an American, and I love everything about patriotism.

I somewhat set a PR at the gym yesterday. I normally don't keep track, that's why it's not official, but I thought it was pretty damn good if I do say so myself. Sorry, no pic because I was too slow to grab my phone after I hit the stop button. Oops!

Here it is: 3 miles on the elliptical in 28:23. That's a 9:30 per mile! I couldn't believe it. Yes, it's on the elliptical, so it's a little easier than on a dreadmill or on the street. I do have to add that I had the resistance on level 5 and the course was set at random hills. I'm happy with myself! I pushed hard. What was funny is that afterwards, I felt hot, but I wasn't tired! I probably could have kept going if my yoga stretching class wasn't going to start soon. I'll have to strive for a further distance next time at that pace :)

Just one more day until vacation! Yay! Siren, WI here we come! Yeah, yeah. It's just 1 1/2 hours away, but it's a week vacation at a cabin, on a lake, hopefully with great weather, and time for relaxation and fun. We're hoping for decent fishing this year since the weather has been cooler, but at the same time that could be a bad thing (no spawning). Cross our fingers cuz mama could use a good fish fry!

Sorry I didn't post a Weigh in Wednesday. I didn't feel that this week would prove justice simply because of all the bloating and water retaining I've been feeling this last week, if you catch my drift. I normally gain anywhere between 3-7 pounds during this week. I know! It's bad! My water intake levels have gotten better, so hopefully that will help reduce the gain, but it's hard to tell.

Well. Just gotta make it through this last work day before vacay. I'm so ready for this get away I can barely stand it. Bring on the lake, beer, and sunshine!

Letter to My 21 Year Old Self

Dear Steph (21),

Wow. Finally 21, and legal. You were a good girl besides, but now the fun comes out of you. You test your limits with booze....beer chugging races at Mick's Bar, jello shots, drinking in the dorm rooms at noon just because you feel like it...then get caught and lose the mini fridge for the rest of the year. Damn. Don't worry. You'll grow out of this QUICK. You're more mature for your age, so booze isn't the primary thing in your life for long. Although, it did help you meet the love of your life!

You should take advantage of getting to know more business class colleagues. Life is tough when college is over, and having those relationships would help with life to find a great job. But of course, you're Super Steph and think you have nothing to worry about because you're great at everything you do. Thanks Mom and Grandma for always telling you this crap and making you believe it, even though you really should have tried harder. Life doesn't just get handed to you at the finest level, you have to work for it. Trust me.

Enjoy that trip to California with your old friend from Germany! He was a high school crush and you think he'll FINALLY realize what a catch you are, but in the end, you end up realizing he's not for you. Good for you. He'll still be a great email friend in the end, but someone greater is about to enter your life.

Don't tell Danielle, but thank goodness she decided to be a dumb ass and not use sunscreen on her fair, redhead type skin at Wefest 2008. If she wouldn't have went home for the rest of the vacation, you wouldn't have met B! What a fantastic guy for you! You have a lot in common, he's a gentleman (in the smallest ways, I might add), and would mark the beginning of a wonderful life together! But come on, lose the cowbell and dumb ass glasses. You don't need to look like a drunken, lost fool while having a good time.

Try to live life a little more fuller than you normally do. You never realize how quick it goes until you get to be 26 and realize that the best of your 20's are nearly gone and haven't really achieved many of your personal goals. A great job, getting married, buy a house, children... don't even think about it because it's not going to happen probably until you turn 30. Boo, I know, but deal with it. Life is hard sometimes. Just suck it up and deal with living with B's parents, in the basement, for a few years. You think it's going to be for only a few months...oh and are you so wrong. It's really going to test your relationship with B, but it just makes it stronger. Trust me. The time will come to buy a house, don't you worry. Just gotta wait for the right one to come along in your neighborhood.

Oh, and don't tell Grandma that you and B have separate bedrooms. Come on now. Yes, she is naive and would believe it for quite some time, but a white lie is still a lie. She needs to get with the times.

Enjoy being the weight that you are right now, because in a few years it's going to be tough to lose a TON of it to get back to your college weight. Love does that you know. Not a care in the world now that you have a man that loves you no matter what, but don't let that make you think you can stop eating healthy and crap every day and as much of it as you want. Peep eating contest, walking to get a frozen cheesecake dipped in chocolate on a stick, cheese pizza with extra cheese...yeah. that's what I'm talking about. Knock it off. It's going to bite you in the ass...and hard!

Other than that, have fun! Enjoy being young and free. And poor. And fat. Just gotta lay it out there.

Love,

Older, fatter, but wiser, Steph (26)

 

Oh Monday...

What a drag of a day to start off the week. It's cool, dreary, and wet. Just like the last couple of months around here. It sure doesn't feel like June. And in a week, we're off to Siren for a week of vacation with B's family. PRETTY sure there wont be any swimming in Clam Lake this year. Way too cold! The sun has only been out a couple days the last few months, so there hasn't been any chance of warming that lake water.

I'm so excited for vacation. I need it. I need to relax and find myself. But at the same time, this vacation is with the same people that I see from day to day...B's family. Nothing wrong with it because I love them all, but it would be nice to have a week vacation away from family with just B and I. We both know that they can all drive us up a wall once and a while.

B and I played cribbage this weekend to get me brushed up for vacation. Especially if it's crappy out, I'm sure we'll be playing quite a bit of this. What was awesome? I beat him both times! Best 2 out of 3, with 2 sets. He wasn't very happy since he's a very competitive person, but what can I say, maybe I'm a natural :)

B's grandma turned 90 this weekend and we had a party for her at the church she belongs to. Lots of people came, which I was glad for. She sure knows a lot of great people!

I finished a Pinterest project this weekend! Well, almost. I have it all laid out, it just needs a 2 part acrylic resin epoxy to seal it and create a flat surface. I'm pretty proud! Yes, it might look redneck, but I love anything patriotic to our country, AND of course...beer.

 

 

I need to kick my fitness into high tail starting today. I've just been so terrible at it. The eating. The working out. Nothing has been going well because I'm not sticking to it. Why can't I just have somebody kick me in the ass and get going already?

 

I follow a blog, Hang On Honey, and she talks about the little thing called moderation. She suffers just like me. I can't just have a moderate amount of chocolate, sweets, cheese, fattening shit. Nope...once I start, I over indulge and feel guilty about it afterwards. I think I may just have to go cold turkey and cut out the bad stuff for a while until I get myself on the right track. Then I can treat it as a treat for a job well done...in moderation. Here comes the rabbit food...

WLW #1: Let's Get this Thing Started!

So I made it to the gym last night after work. That was tough. The weather here has been so gloomy, wet, and rainy, that I had no motivation to get going and exercise. I just wanted to curl up in a ball and watch TV all night. Not so for me!

I ran on the elliptical for 45 minutes, which seemed forever the last 20 minutes or so. I wanted to do some strength conditioning, but I was exhausted. Hopefully tonight I can squeeze that in before yoga and STRETCH. I saw a woman running on the elliptical last night who had her feet hanging over the edge of the front of the pedal. Is there a benefit to that? Or is she just being her special own self?

I've noticed I'm very inflexible lately. Not sure if it's because I'm often dehydrated, just not stretching enough, or what. I'm hoping that I can get as nimble as I used to be and be able to do the splits again!

Now for Weight Loss Wednesday, I'm officially just starting...AGAIN. Hopefully I can stick with it again. My starting weight for this adventure is going to be (according to the gym's scale last night):

237

I've been fluctuating between 233 and 237 for quite some time now because I've been doing everything half assed. Eat really good all day, then wolf down a ton of sweets when I get home. Not workout for a week at a time. It just screws up all the hard work you had already put in. Why do I do it? I have no idea. Fear of commitment? Fear of never being able to eat those nummy treats again? Who the hell knows. I think once I actually hit a 10lb milestone, things should click. SHOULD.

B has been getting tiny. He just mentioned that he can now fit into a few of his large tshirts, which I figured was coming because his XL are getting big and frumpy. His pants are just terrible. He has no ass! So come fall, I'll have to buy him some cute ones to flatter his tiny butt :)

Feeling hungry today...ugh that makes a day tough to stay motivated to eat healthy. But I do have a yummy lunch today which I'll post here:

Easy Asian Salad

2 C. Romaine lettuce with carrots and red cabbage

1/8 C. mandarin oranges

1/2 Tbsp. sliced natural almonds

2 Tbsp. Marzetti poppy seed dressing

This salad is SOOOOOO good. Sweet and tangy and only 290 calories for all of it! Of course, there is no meat, but if you choose you could add chicken breast for some protein and make it even tastier! I can't take credit for it, but I'll give credit to my boss' wife :) Thanks!

Where's that Bandwagon?

Boy, I've been missing for quite a while now on blog world.

Simply, I've been very uninspired lately to write about anything. My life has been busy, but not in exciting ways per say. I've been tired, lazy, and have had a don't care attitude. I HATE IT.

Well now it's June, and I'm hoping to turn my attitude around and get going again. I miss the gym, in a weird way. I hate thinking that I need to go there, but once I'm there, I'm fine. I always feel good afterwards, so I'm not sure why I still hate going there. LOVE/HATE RELATIONSHIP.

What I think I miss the most is MY life. I realized that I don't really take the time to do the things that I want to do. I'm either working my ass off to stay afloat in this wonderful financial driven world, or I'm running home to have supper with B's family because that's what they like to do. Then I'm stuck at home afterwards doing NOTHING.

I told B that I don't want to watch a lot of TV this summer. We're only in our 20's for a few more years, and I want to live up those years the best that I can. I want to go fishing after work. I want to go for mini hikes/walks. I want to rough it style camping. ENJOY Minnesota summers being outdoors.

I'd also like to pick up some crafty hobbies, but those might have to wait until we get our own home. I just cant stand to pick up my stuff when I'm done working on it for the day. I want to leave it out until it's complete.

On a happier note, B makes me so happy. He is just the man that I need and want in my life. We just seem to compliment each other just perfectly. He understands me. My weird quirks or crazy family life doesn't scare him off. He embraces it. I'm so thankful to have him in my life :)

We've had a lot of weird weather here lately. Lots of rain storms and wind. I caught this picture Friday night before B and I went to see The Hangover III. (not the greatest, I have to mention). It was a nice sight for our long overdue date night.

Well hopefully I'll be able to write more later. Have better stories. Stick to a weight loss plan (for a while).

Speaking of, I think to keep myself more accountable to this blog, I'm going to assign 3 topics to the days I'd like to write:

Manic Monday: recap of the weekend, goals for the week, misc. writing
Weight Loss Wednesday: Wednesday weigh in and recap of fitness routine and eating habits. Maybe a good recipe once and a while.
Feel Good Friday: My happies for the week that made it a good week. Plus what's to come that weekend.

Hopefully I can stick to this to keep me on track!

More later!

Pain = Beauty

Oh boy do I hurt today!

I was a trooper and went to the RVAC yesterday after work. Completed week 3 day 1 (again) of C25K without stopping or cheating! It didn't hurt like it did the last time, so hopefully I'll be able to keep it up and work my way up to week 4.

I then proceeded to take the Sculpt & Strength class. It's a very motivating and pushing type class, but boy do you take a whooping when you're done! I don't remember the last time I did squats, and she focused on them BIG time today.

 

 

Ok we didn't use a crazy weight like that, but even without, OUCH!!

 

I can even feel my tummy took a small beating since we did a lot of work in that area too. I'm hoping to keep up with this class because the instructor is great. When she said she was about to turn 50, I couldn't believe it. I was  thinking mid 30's. She looked awesome. So if she does this and looks like that...what would I look like??? Motivation right there.

 

I'm thinking of posting a before picture on here to keep track of my progress. I'm a little nervous about showing my body on here, but I think it would really help me to visually see the difference from the angle of a camera. They don't lie! I also want to dig out an old picture of me from high school to keep me motivated. I probably wont get down to that weight (around 150), but I can sure strive to look like I did!

 

Speaking of pictures, my work is renewing the staff picture soon! EEEEK! I know I already look better than I did last year, but I'd still like to drop 10 lbs. before it. And get my roots done. "Roots are for trees."- Mama Laughlin

 

Tonight I have an outdoor band concert in Cottage Grove in the 90+ degree weather we're supposed to have! Not a happy camper... But maybe since it's for a senior center, they'll move it indoors to keep them comfortable. I'd be in heaven if that happened :)

 

Other than hurting from sore muscles, I feel good today. I ate healthy yesterday, I worked out, plus got all my water in! Makes a big difference folks. I knew this, and why I didn't do it all the time is beyond me. A juicy cheeseburger is always was always more tasty :)

 



Enough is Enough

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged. I honestly just wasn't in the mood last week and I didn't really have much to talk about. But things are about the change!

This weekend was just wonderful. Friday night, B and I met up with our friends Andy and Amanda for Acapulco. Mexican is soooo good! We got to sit out on the patio and enjoy the sunshine. Then later that night we enjoyed a good relaxing bonfire in the backyard. We somehow got on the subject of music that we listed to back in high school (about 10 years ago), and it was so fun! We're all country music fans, except for Amanda, who is more of a pop/dance/rock type person. But it's so funny how way back when we all used to listen to rap and rock like Missy Elliot, Lil Kim, Sum 41, Alien Ant Farm...to name a few that came up that night :)

Then Saturday after work, I headed up north to visit my Mom and Grandma. It was SSSSSSSSSSOOOOOOOOOOO nice to actually go up there and not have to do a damn thing. We just got to sit around and talk. Enjoying ourselves. And even the talk was nice. It wasn't the typical "Steph are you looking for a better job?" "Steph when are you getting a house?" "Steven this, Tom that." We just had nice casual conversation and enjoyed each other's company.

Mom cooked the BEST lobster ravioli from Costco on Saturday night and we had an "Olive Garden" night at home. Bread and dipping oil, Caesar salad with real Parmesan cheese flakes, asparagus, and the wonderful raviolis with butter sauce. Oh my god....it was awesome.

Then Sunday for Mother's Day, my sister and I took Mom out for lunch at Poncho and Lefty's in Brainerd. The food was really good there too and, like always, order too much to eat and too big of a drink :)

 My pretty Mama :)

 

 Jumbo margarita...yum!

Take another one...oooh...another one... (I'm used to this from Jen...picky picture person) lol

 

 

We then ran to Costco (can you tell we like that store?) and got some things and tried lots of yummy samples of food :)

 

Grandma is all moved into her new house...well...for the most part. A lot of stuff is still at my Mom's, but Grandma is now able to live in her house and function. It looks nice for all of her stuff. It just seems to fit her perfectly. I'm glad she is happy living in a different town because we thought that would be a big adjustment for her.

 

She is asking B to do a restoration project for her. She has this old bench that needs new planks to be able to even sit on it without falling through. It will be nice to have something outside on her little slab of a patio to enjoy the sunshine and a few potted plants.

 

Before pic. It's not even safe to sit on this baby!

 

Then the fun all came to an end when I had to come home. I missed B, even though it was only for a day and a half, but it was weird not having him here this weekend. Everything just seems to be nicer when you're closer to your family. Plus up north is so much more calm and relax. It just feels good to get away from the norm.

 

What I realized over the weekend, however, is that I really need to start taking this weight loss situation seriously. It seemed that fitness and health came up quite often over the weekend, and I feel that I have been cheating myself. I mean come on, let's face it. I joined the gym in November and I haven't lost much more than 4 lbs, but that goes up and down quite often. I splurge and eat out all the time, snack in the candy jar at work, eat chips in bed when I'm bored. I'm the reason that I'm not losing the weight.

 

Why do I do this to myself? I'm thinking it's that I'm scared to push myself. I'm scared to commit to a healthy lifestyle. The stupid little thoughts in my head like "I'll never get to eat a piece of fried chicken or cherry cheesecake again" plays in my head, so I have it, then ruin what I've done for the day. I have to get into the mentality that I used to have that food is basically just fuel. When I did this during WW in high school, I did so well. Yes, I didn't really allow myself to eat sweets because I thought they would ruin everything, but I was happier then. I was thinner then. I was the true Steph then. And that's why I say enough is enough.

 

I'm going to commit myself to eat a healthier lifestyle. Record everything that I eat in MFP. No shortcuts or cheats.

 

I'm going to commit myself to actually exerting myself during workout sessions at they gym. No more 20-30 minute elliptical runs and be done. Damn it, I need to sweat. I need to be there for at least 1 1/2 hours to actually accomplish something.

 

I need to commit to myself that I can do this so I look better in pictures for everything that is going on this summer. Weddings, vacations, Wefest, our 5 year anniversary. Wow... to think back 5 years and what I looked like to what I look like now...barf...

 

I need to commit myself to my 10 before 30 goals and the goals that B has set for me. His number one goal for me was to stick to the things that I start. This is a perfect example of the things that I struggle with and give up. But not this time. I can beat this.

 

Enough is enough Steph. I'm better than this. I can do this.



Grow a Pair

I AM SO SICK AND TIRED OF PEOPLE COMPLAINING OF THE WEATHER!!!!

There is simply nothing we can do about it, so deal with it. It's really not that cold out. At 35 degrees, we were excited a month ago to reach those temperatures. Now we're freezing? WTH...

People bundled up in sweaters and still wearing their down jackets. Having to drive the 4-wheel drive vehicle because of the 1/4" of snow we got. Really people? Grow a pair...

Yeah it's not normal to have snow and cool temperatures at the beginning of May, but you know what? Who cares! Maybe the summer wont be so hot? Maybe summer will last longer? We wont know until it actually comes around.

But then people will be complaining it's too damn hot out. Well, you know what? You have a choice. Live in MN and deal with the weather, or get out!

(Our predicted Walleye opener on May 11th)

 

 

I have a band concert on Sunday (Cinco de Mayo!). We may be taking shots of tequila in our saxophone section after our Latin song :). I'm hoping B can make it because this is the only thing that I'm in that he isn't. It would be nice for support!

 

Have a great weekend all!

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

But not in MAY!!!!

For Pete's sake...enough is enough! Minnesota always has crazy weather, but snow in May? It's starting to get old. I don't complain too much about it because there is nothing we can do but live day by day and see what Mother Nature brings us next.

So B and I finally discussed our 10 Before 30 goals for ourselves and each other. I was actually quite surprised by what he had to say! He didn't want me to post them on my blog for privacy reasons, which is fine by me. To say the least, we have a lot in common on what we want to achieve in just 3 1/2 years. Weight loss, career satisfaction, being debt free... I think we've got a good thing going on here :)

He was a little surprised by my goals that I had written for him. "But I'm asthmatic!" "I HATE vegetables." I figured I'd get those responses out of him, but with a little time and some clever thinking, I believe we can do this together. Now his goals for me? Different story...they're more like rules. Can I stick with them? I hope so! One I will share is that he wants me to stick with my goals and actually achieve them, not get halfway there and quit. I'm kind of known for that, so I understand where he's coming from. That's kind of the reason that I decided to do this for each other. Keep each other accountable for their actions and keep each other motivated. Since we know what we want to achieve, it will help build our relationship too to keep each other going and help each other along the way.

I'm excited!

It's a Sunshine Day

"I think I'll go for a walk outside, now, the summer sun is calling my name!"

Know the artist? Probably not, because I'm weird like that and remember lyrics to The Brady Bunch Movie (I bought the soundtrack.... nerd alert). But hey! It was when I was in middle school back when CD's just came out! Come on, man!

But that's truly how I feel today. The sun is shining, it's a beautiful 54 degrees today, and it's not even noon. Not as great as the weekend, but I can't complain!

My Mom and her friend Mark came to town for the Iron Man Bike Race that went throughout the St. Croix Valley area. This was a first for my mom and I, just as spectators! Don't think we did this crazy deal! Mark was bound to do the 100 mile, but settled for just over 70. It was quite windy so that made it tough.

My Mom and Mark

 

Totally random, we had 3 rabbits in the yard today. B's mom absolutely hates them since they kill all of her plants. They run around here in herds.

 

I'm excited to go to my Sculpt & Strength class tonight. I've missed it the last few weeks due to other obligations, so my arms are ready to get a good whipping. I'm also thinking of redoing week 3 of the C25K program. It took me a while to finish that week, and I wasn't completely comfortable running the whole 3 minutes at a time, so I think another week would be good for me. Week 4 looks scary!

I was really good last week on the food that I ate. I only lost 1 pound, BUT i did lose 5 pounds of bloat from eating well and working out even though it's "that time of the month." So that was a great sight to see on the scale!

All in all, it was a nice weekend. Great weather, great to see Mom, and a great fitness victory. Now onto the new week. Hopefully it goes as well as the last to keep me motivated!

 

 

 



Pampering

Last night I finally was able to pamper myself...well, if you call this pampering....

After working out at RVAC, I FINALLY got to shave my legs, exfoliate, and apply a good layer of self-tanning lotion all over...ALL AT THE SAME TIME. I hate doing this half-assed. Most times I normally don't have time or the patience to do it all, but last night, I had to. I now have a nice sun kissed glow! Except for this...

 

Ugh! I can never get my feet to look good. (Never mind the no polish on the piggies, they're getting a complete rehaul on Sunday with my Mama :) ) They always get streaky, uneven color. I even applied regular lotion to them before hand so that they wouldn't soak up so much tanner, but they decided to do their own thing. Hopefully I can get some of it off so the cute little Asian lady who does my feet doesn't think I look ridiculous!

 

I'm really excited for the weekend! The Twin Cities is expecting anywhere in the 60's and 70's for temperatures! FINALLY!!! It's going to feel like spring and it's about time!

 

Tomorrow is B's dad's official retirement party. Lucky dog...he got to retire young at 57. Only thing, he better find some hobbies to do because he's going to become one big couch potato with all that TV watching lately!

 

My Mom and her boyfriend, Mark, are coming this weekend too! He's actually going to be racing in the IronMan Bike Race around the St. Croix River Valley area, and he's going to attempt the 100 mile! Good luck to him! While he's biking, my Mom and I are going to visit some of the small towns in the area. Good quality time with her while we get in lots of walking time too!

 

Happy Friday and have a wonderful, warm weekend Minnesota!