I, who have no sisters or brothers, look with some degree of innocent envy on those who may be said to be born to friends. ~James Boswell

So this is a random pictures/stories/crafts post, so enjoy!

The best news is that: My sister is home! She goes to school in WA D.C. Too far away. At least we have unlimited minutes between our phones. And I don't know if I told you guys yet, but I love my siblings. They hard-core rock. Like my little brother? He is center snare for the highschool marching band, and even though he is an 18 year old guy, he has good moments:)

Here we are at his last high-school football game!

So...we wrapped my sister's room in ugly wrapping paper as a homecoming surprise! And then we dog-piled...because we are cool like that.

This is my sister and I in awe of the bad decor in a B&B we were staying at...seriously? SERIOUSLY?

So this morning I got a little crafty. And it only took 30 minutes! All you need is a corkboard(or a fridge front, or a wall to tape things on:), some scissors, old magazines, and you are set!

I had been thinking about making an inspiration board for a while, and then was convinced when I say what Skinny Me had done. So I gathered my many old magazines and started cutting. And this is what I ended up with:
I choose real looking women, and people moving, and yes, that is Jack Black dressed as Nacho Libre in the upper left corner...who wouldn't want to be a rocking-comedian-cute-musician? In a cape?

Okay, I can see I am alone in this argument:)

So the last portion of this delightful-sunny-sfternoon post is about my breakfast. I think my sickness was some intense food-poisening, because I feel great now. Woot! And this morning I had an all-star breakfast.

Can I just say, I love oat bran? Not as soupy as farina or cream-of-wheat, but smoother than oatmeal. Then I sprinkled some walnuts, dried cherries, plain yogurt, and brown sugar on top. ( the dried cherries were a splurge as WINCO the other day:)

BAM! My awesome breakfast! Paired with a little black coffee and the best hydration out there: H2O.

Have a fantastic weekend!!!!!

Sickness and Success

Good health and happiness to you all! I am currently sipping blue gatorade, trying to restore my body that does not want anything to do with food. I am listening to my body (goal from last week) and it is saying, "take it easy. Slow down for a bit. Sleep." Fair enough body, fair enough.

In other news: I know you have been dying to hear the results of my most recent weigh-in, right? Well hold onto your seats folks, because Tuesday I stepped on the scale, ready to see 219lbs...and instead saw:

215!!!

yesyesyesyes!

I think I really pushed myself with working out the past week, including a "last-chance-workout" on Monday that consisted of my jogging/walking on the treadmill for 52 minutes. I don't think I have ever spent that long on the treadmill. Luckily, I was listening to the Avenue Q soundtrack. (quite possibly my favorite musical ever. Look it up.)

Such a huge weight-loss does concern me a bit though. I think some of it has to do with womanly bloating and body weight-fluctuations, so my goal for the next weigh-in is to maintain that loss. Especially now that I am sick and might not be able to work out as much.

Oh, and I finally had spaghetti squash!! The first way I tried it was with olive oil and a mix of cumin, curry, and a bit of red pepper. It still tasted really squashy (what did I expect?). But I was determined to make something tasty.

My second attempt was lightly sautéing artichoke hearts, peppers, onions, some bits of chicken, and then adding in 1/2 cup of low-sodium v8 as the "sauce." MUCH BETTER.

I am trying to think of my "diet" as an opportunity to get creative with my food. What can I make that is healthy? That doesn't taste bland? That doesn't taste like diet food? That everyone in my family can enjoy? It forces me to make a wider use of all the spices I have available in the kitchen. Except for rosemary. blegh.

So go be creative! Make something new! Concoct a new dish! Redo a bland sandwich! And spice up your life!

The Sunday Funnies...

Hey guys! Hope everyone's weekend went well, I had some cake, some walks, some struggles with what to eat, but ultimately, I had a good time:) I just wanted to share wonderful video with y'all. Hope it helps you on your road to success and health!

Rawr!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSA-1tZZTPM

Who is Loser Girl?

I like a good stretch every now and then.

An extra post today! What fun!

I realized that my favorite blogs to read are the ones where I know some things about the blogger. And then I realized that there are a few people reading this blog who don't know me in real life! (how cool is that? Way to connect us, internet!) And y'all who know me wouldn't mind reading some random things about me, right? Right!

I now present to you, a random getting-to-know-me list:

I am 22. Yep.

I graduated from university in May with an English degree...like I was ever going to get a job with that:) And what a fine, healthy economy we graduated into...ahem.

I work as a barista, making espresso drinks for the masses. This means at least 4 days a week I am on my feet for 8 hours straight and working within 10 feet of a pastry case at all times...yay for burning calories in an active job! Boo on the pastry case:)

I live my parents at the moment....ouch. I actually really love my family, and living at home makes it easier to have good food on hand, as well as support and the cutest dog in the world. While I am hoping to move out soon to be closer to work, I really can't complain.

I love traveling. And books. And baking. And singing. And musicals, and hiking, and plays, and movie kiss montages on youtube, and the rain, and mountains, and the ocean, and games(like Clue and Apples to Apples, not mind games:).

While generally pleasant to people, I get pissy when I am driving...especially if you change lanes without signaling. If you do that, and notice the driver behind you gesturing wildly with her hands and looking peeved, wave...it's me!

The Pacific Northwest is the best region in the world. If you disagree, I will fight you.

Or I will let you have your own opinion on a very subjective subject...

But seriously, it is.

I gotta feeling.....oooooo!

Speaking of good songs, I listened to the Freaky Friday soundtrack the other day during my workout, and I was pleasantly surprised! It's no Black Eyed Peas, Queen, or rousing Beethoven symphony, but most of the songs have a good loud drum beat you can climb stairs to...you can also motivate yourself by thinking of lil ol' Lindsay Lohan and the path her life has taken...chuckle to yourself, then focus on making your life awesome, yet dignified:)

I weighed in this week at 220lbs: new sports bra, here I come! Good timing too, I'm starting to like jogging.

I'm going to be honest, I was a little disappointed at the weigh-in. One pound? I've done better than that every other week! But.

I lost one pound even though I went to a oktoberfest themed birthday party, ate out with family, and had the urge to hibernate. I lost that pound in a regular week of living...which means I am changing the way I live my life. It's scary and exciting at the same time. I love the extra energy I have when I eat right and exercise, and I need all the extra endorphins I can get! (I work in customer service...'nuff said.)

But this journey is also a letting-go of my old self. The old-self who would eat all the oreos, who would watch more tv. The old-self who had a pretty face, who was the perma-single funny friend, never the love interest. I could stream-of-conscious on this subject for a while, but I will limit myself to this: I am nervous about this new life I am creating, but I know it's the best shot I have at the life I want.

As for the past weeks goals, I did go jogging twice, but I only made two new recipes. No problem, I can do the other two this week. The two new recipes I helped concoct (new to me, that is) are the red cabbage and apple slaw, and a curry/coconut/cumin/pumpkin soup. I also now have some spaghetti squash in the house, so I am looking forward to making something with that for the first time!

So, new goals for the coming week:

1. Two new healthy recipes!
2. Listen to my body. I will continue to push myself, but I don't want to push myself to exhaustion or sickness. Then again, maybe this goal should include not listening when my body says, "it's hard. I don't know if I can do level 6. Maybe you should just take it easy." Hells no! I know that my body is capable of great things!

Hope everyone is rocking the socks off of this week and respecting themselves with healthy food, good exercise, and a wee bit'o'fun!

My 25th post!

Hello! Sorry about the little break there in blogging. I might be a bit a procrastinator at times. The kind who left all her school projects until the night before the due date...the adrenaline rush really kicks in at 4:30am while drinking a peanut butter soy latte! (so delicious, so rare)

I have so much I want to share and discuss, it’s hard to know where to begin. Oh wait, I know.

Thank you.

No, really....THANK YOU. This blog has been a source of motivation and inspiration for the last 8 weeks, and I am so grateful for all the support and comments you give. Friday and Saturday were the first days in a long while that I truly did not feel like working out. Maybe it was the cold crisp weather I love so much putting me in hibernating mode, maybe it was complacency with my weight-loss, whatever it was, I was not feeling it.

But then I was sitting on the couch Friday evening, watching the telly, and I thought, “Wait a second. If I don’t work out, I have to write a post about not working out. I don’t want to share my laziness with others!” And so I got off my butt and went to a Latin Rhythms class and generally made a fool of myself trying to shake my hips in decidedly un-wasp-ish moves. What fun!

Saturday I put off exercising until 9:15pm. (generally, you shouldn’t work out to close to your bed time, otherwise it might be difficult for you to fall asleep...and trust me, those zzz’s are important for weight-loss and health in general.)

What awesome activity did I do Saturday night, you might be asking yourself? Why, I made red cabbage with apples while doing arm workouts and dancing to the Spice Girls! And all in the comfort of my home kitchen...with my dog thinking I was trying to play some new game with her. Anyone ever try to do crunches when a dog is near? It’s a challenge.

Am I too cool or what? Bet you wish that had been your Saturday night:) Both of those exercise moments were because I didn’t want to let you, or myself, down. Yesterday I went jogging, and today I kicked my own butt with 20 minutes on the treadmill, 20 minutes on the Stairmaster, and 2.5 minutes on the rowing machine. (okay, 2.5 minutes on the rowing machine might not seem that impressive, but my shoulders and back were killing me...maybe my form was off? Or maybe my rowing muscles are non-existent...)

I see my Mondays as a “Last Chance Workout” of sorts, since I currently weigh-in on Tuesdays.

So once more, THANK YOU. I hope you are inspired every once in a while by me, this blogationship should be a two way street! (no, I did not just make up a word! Blagationship is totally legit...don't quote me on that:) Have a wonderful week!

Oh happy days!

I love the fall. The smells, the crisp air, the crackling leaves and bonfires. At least, I love fall until the Pacific Northwest turns grey for 6 months...just kidding! I love the cold and drizzle. And rain boots. And wet pavement. And the sound of busy windshield wipers. I also love pants, sweaters, and scarves, so woot for the lower temperatures!

Okay, I got distracted by autumn. I really just wanted to let you know my goals for the week.

1. Go jogging at least twice.
2. Find 4 new recipes to try...and make them.

I've already started on both of these, and am going to keep updating my Fitday profile as well, so I can do random calories checks. And now for a beautiful picture of Mount Hood, from http://www.williampatrickmoore.com/Oregon-gallery.html