I'm so excited!! I finally got a call for a job! And a fantastic job at that! I am the newest ELA teacher at Shoemaker HS in Killeen! HOLY COW!
I'm sososososososososososoooooooooooo excited for this opportunity. I have no idea on any details yet, but I will know more on Monday.
Oh? Best part? The school is like... 2 blocks away from Carlos' house! I may actually get to see my boyfriend on a near daily basis, instead of this once a week nonsense.
On a separate but related note, if I know you in real life (like spoken to you face to face) and you read my blog, don't use it to spy on me... I know who you are and you irritate me to no end. Oh... And your stuff? I'll get to it eventually... I'm busy being an adult... Maybe you should try it out sometime...
After that little tidbit of negativity... Back to the swooning over my job! I start on August 12th, meaning I have to cut waaaaaaay back on my shenanigans at Denny's. I love my current job, but I'm so ready to actually start my career. Career.... What an adult word... O_O The best part? This is just one more step on my road to funky-dom! Goodbye chunky!
For my sweet boyfriend's birthday (which I've been planning since June!) I took him on a little overnight trip to Schlitterbahn! It was the absolute most fun I've had in a very long time. We got to spend some serious quality time together. We laughed, goofed off, joked and just generally had a blast.
I didn't manage to get too many pictures, because... Well... Water park + iPhone = disaster.
Here's a recap of our trip!
We left my parent's house around 6:30... Stopped at Denny's (yes... my Denny's) for some breakfast. We arrived at the park around 9:30 and they were already letting people in the gates! Woo! We rode some rides, walked a ton, climbed steps, swam, and had a fantastic time. Around noon we trekked out to the car for some much needed turkey wraps, chips and string cheese. Nom nom. After lunch we ventured back to the park and lounged in a hot tub to let our food settle. Around 4 we started getting hot and crabby, so we ventured to the hotel for showers and dinner. Dinner at Olive Garden was AMAZING! I had a watermelon margarita and the chicken scampi. Nom nom. After dinner we went to Chilis for dessert... and by dessert I totally mean margaritas and chocolate lava cake.
The next day we woke up and ventured back to the Austin area. We stopped at BJ's Brewhouse for lunch and trolled the outlet mall for a bit. Then on to Georgetown for snowcones and finally home.
It was the best trip I've had. Carlos told me that it was also the absolute best birthday he'd ever had. That's what I was shooting for :)
I also got him a cupcake... But it melted in the car... Oops.. Oh well... Here are the pictures I did manage to snap!
Not a very good picture... But at the water park!
Selfie before Dinner
Snow Cones!! Nom nom nom!
Not sure if you've noticed, but I kinda love this guy :)
Howdy loves! It definitely feels good to be back and writing on a semi-regular basis. Today I feel compelled to share my progress with the world of Blogger... If you follow me on IG, you've seen the picture... But now you can hear the story behind the pictures..
Before 321 pounds After 254 pounds
The picture of me in the brown shirt was taken on the night of my 21st birthday. The guy you see in the picture is my friend Daniel. He has a band and he came to College Station to do a show especially for my birthday. That is what you see on the surface of that picture. What you don't see is how insanely unhappy I am. This was the point in my life where my fiance, Joey, was cheating on me with several different people. He wasn't there for my birthday because he had plans with one of his several other girlfriends and lied to me about doing something with his Army unit instead.
I was the heaviest I'd ever been.. I was always the girl that said, "Oh I'm still under 300... That's not bad. I'm fine!" I stepped on the scale that morning for the first time and nearly cried. I knew I had gained some, but I didn't realize how bad things had gotten. This was the point in my life that I started Weight Watchers. I knew something had to be done.
Unfortunately being a broke college grad meant I couldn't really afford to stick with WW. That slowed my journey, but didn't stop it. I kept steady around 280 until I began seriously blogging in February. So much has changed since that April. I'm a happier girl woman. I don't at all regret getting that big, because I firmly believe that it taught me a HUGE lesson about myself (no pun intended). I've grown to the point that I love my body! I love my curves and my pale whiteness. It's the only body I have, so I should love it! But, loving my body doesn't mean that I'm going to stop the journey. Oh no sir. I want to keep my body in good shape, so it will last me for a while!
With my new found confidence, I've noticed that I'm trying lots of new things that I would have NEVER tried before... I'm even buying different clothing... Like this... Check out my new swimsuit!
Yes ladies and gents, that's a bikini
Yes... I actually bought that high waist bikini. It's perfect! Plus I think it looks amazing on me.
That was the story of how it all began. I was depressed, unmedicated, and very big. Now I'm still depressed (officially diagnosed), medicated, happy, healthy, and moving. I'm convinced that nothing can stop me now!
Good afternoon loves! It's my day off! Woohoo! Damn have I earned this bad boy this week.
If you know anything about me from real life, or from reading my blog, twitter, instagram or pinterest, I hope one of the tidbits you've taken away is that I'm a nerd. Nerd. HUGE nerd. Learning is fun for me and I enjoy most things geeky and obscure.
Being the nerd that I am... I devised an experiment... Will wearing makeup to work increase my tips? If you haven't noticed, I'm not a makeup girl. Hell I can barely paint my nails without looking like I went to a half blind baboon for a mani. It's embarrassing, but it's a fact of life for me. My mom have ULTRA sensitive skin and can't wear it and my grandma is stuck in the pancake days. Ew. Not cute.
I have some Bare Minerals foundation that I bought a year or so ago that has sat unopened and unused. It works as both a foundation and concealer. The lady I bought it from at Sephora told me that much. I also bought some Almay eyeliner and mascara specifically for hazel eyes. I've watched a couple how to videos on youtube, so I just went for it. Why not? What can it hurt? I've always been a big chicken when it comes to eye makeup. Quite afraid of stabbing myself in the eye.
Not too bad for a first attempt, huh?
Seeing as though it's an experiment, I need to be able to replicate the results for it to be filed as a causation, and not just a correlation. Based on last night, I saw a HUGE correlation. I didn't act or dress any differently. I saw about a 50% increase last night. O_O Holy crap. Last night (Tuesday night) I brought home about $100 in tips. DAYUM. A normal night is $50-$60.
After all was said and done... Foundation and eyes..
I didn't think I looked that much different, but I guess I did... My little brother and best guy friend said that I did. I'm not wearing anything but the mascara, eyeliner and foundation. Nothing on my lips or anything... Not too shabby, huh?
Good morning my dears! It's Thursday! Which means it's my FAVE DAY OF THE WEEK IN THE BLOGGING WORLD!! It's time for another fantastical edition of Non-Scale Victories! And boy have I got a good one today..
Piggy backing off of my post yesterday when I mentioned my mom telling me that I'm a crabby, cranky bitch unpleaseant when I am off my game with eating. I've made a correlation between good eating habits and my moods... Good eating=nice Sammie. Bad eating=psycho bitch from hell Sammie. Lesson learned? Yep. So... My victory this week?
I'VE STARTED LOGGING AGAIN!
Seriously... If you are a MFP junkie, you should so add me (dramallamaduck)! Woot! I have found that when I log my calorie intake, I tend to eat better. Maybe it's because I really don't want to know how many calories are in my Sonic Toaster sammich.
What are your victories this week? I can't wait to read all of them!!
I've posed this question to myself recently... What is exactly is love? What does it mean? What does it entail? How does it make me feel? When I talk about love, I'm talking about romantic love between two people. I am the first to admit that there are several different kinds of love, but today my focus is romantic love between partners.
I've been conducting a quick, messy poll amongst people I know, both in the real world and in the blogosphere, about exactly what love is and what love means to them. I've gotten a wide array responses ranging from hopeless romantic to utter cynic. My intent with this project was to try and figure out exactly what loves means to me. One of the biggest problems I've noticed is my inability to tell if I love the person or if I love the idea of the person. This is my biggest struggle. Based on the opinons I've gotten, I think I'm slowly forming my own opinion. I will give the age range, relationship status and sex of the person that gave me each answer... No names will be disclosed unless I've been given permission by the responder!
Here are some of the responses to the question, "What is love to you?"
"My answer might be a little different than most. I think that love at its most meaningful is about commitment. If you really love someone, you should be commited to them no matter what and they should be to you as well...I know this isn't the "romantic love" you asked for but it's the same with my daughter. She drives me absolutely crazy some days, but no matter what I'm always going to be there for her. That will never change. I'm committed to being her dad."
Single Man (early to mid 30s)
"Love to me is when you have found that one person you're [most] comfortable with. [You] can talk to them, makes you laugh, makes you want to pull your hair out, but you wouldn't want it any other way. Someone who you can cry in front of and they are open enough to cry in front of you."
Married Woman (mid to late 20s)
"Love is being with someone and resisting the urge to toss them in an alligator infested swamp when they piss you off or nag you before 10am, because eventually you'd miss them."
Married Woman (mid to late 40s)
"That's a hard question to answer since that's not a word I've thought about for a long time.
Single Man (mid to late 20s)
"Being willing to do anything for someone no matter how far the distance, being able to carry on a conversation even if it's just one or two words at a time, and not even having to talk but being in the same room with the person is enough to calm you and make you happy."
Single-ish Man (early to mid 20s)
"Love is not a ring, perfection or keeping with the social norm. It's making it what you BOTH want, regardless of anything anyone else says or thinks. You know you're in love when you have to figure out how to function on your own in everyday life. It's finding the way to not live and breathe only for them, but also for yourself. That's when you have something special. "
Single Woman (mid to late 20s)
"Love is laughter every. single. damn. day"
Married Woman (early to mid 40s)
"Love is....someone who brings you a half pound bag of MM's when you asked for a single serving pack cause you're watching your calories--and he doesn't really care. "
Married Woman (early to mid 40s)
"Love is a force of nature. Unlike my past relationships, the love I share with my husband just found me one day. No matter how much I commanded, demanded, and attempted to push it away, I had little to no ability to change what was happening between my husband and me upon our meeting. Love is bigger than we are. We describe it as a “magnetic force.” Married Woman (mid 30s)
From all of the answers I've gotten, I've come to the conclusion that love does have some basic elemnents. Respect, commitment, comfort and dedication. What I have seen is that no one has said that love is easy. Not only does love have practical elements, but there also seems to be some sort of magical/other worldly/cosmic powers to it.. This most clearly resonated in the last response. No matter how much she fought, she still fell in love with her husband.
The conclusion I've come to is that love is like a rollercoaster.. Scary as hell looking at it from the outside... You pick someone to sit next to that you can at least tolerate, sometimes a total stranger. You sit down and get to know your seat mate, or continue bonding if you already know them. You start to feel comfortable and then the chain starts clacking and you find yourself moving forward. Your heart races as you look to your seatmate and smile. You get to the top of the first big hill and you feel like you're flying! You go over the hill and fall at incredible speeds and get flipped and twisted and turned all around. There are peaks, valleys, gut wrenching lows, heart racing highs, twists, curves, turns and that general feeling of euphoria. You and your mate reach the end of the coaster, and get comfortable again... Then it keeps going. It's a never ending rollercoaster. The absolute ride of your life.
Saying this... I really and truly believe that I've been in love once... I also believe that I have the potential to fall again some day, maybe sooner than anyone (even myself) thinks possible.
I feel like I'm grasping at straws trying to come up with a NSV this week. I'm stuck. I'm in a slump. I don't know how to get myself out. I ate Sonic for breakfast and I finished it... Even the Tots.. Shit.. I'm tired, I don't sleep worth a damn, I wake up 4 or 5 times in the night, I'm eating like crap, my motivation is in the crapper, and I'm pretty ready to give up...
It's a struggle like you wouldn't believe
During my walk on Monday I rolled my ankle... The roads around my house aren't the greatest ever and there is a small drop from asphalt to gravel near where I park my car. I stepped wrong and managed to trip, rolling my ankle in the process... I was ok yesterday until about 5:00pm. I was on my feet all day in work shoes (ballet flats) because my Mom's HOSA banquet was yesterday. I helped her with all the food prep and everything, so it was hectic. I'm paying for it dearly today. My ankle is KILLING me. I even took ibuprofen before I left this house this morning. I never take medicine of any kind this early in the morning.. EVER. I won't be doing any sort of exercise until my ankle stops hurting.
Maybe that can be my victory for the week? I recognize that I've hurt myself and I'm doing what I can to help it heal. Does that work? Does that even count?
I'm injured.. I feel fat.. I feel shitty.. My confidence is in the crapper.. I'm in a TERRIBLE mood... But at least I know my limits. I recognize that doing anything on this ankle will hinder further progress, so I may as well sit back and rest some. There's my NSV for the week... Recognizing my limits in order to prevent further injury.
I'm in a terribly foul mood today... I'm beginning to think that I expect far too much from people... Guess who didn't get to talk to Carlos yesterday, AT ALL. Like no texts, nada.. I called him when I got home and didn't get an answer. I also tried to talk to my friend that I mention here sometimes that's helped me find my self confidence again... He's ignoring me... Like flat out just will not talk to me. I know he's ok because he did say yesterday that he's busy at work and he would get back to me... Guess what? He never got back to me.. Maybe I should just swear off men. Seriously. What the hell is the point when all they do is claim to care about/love/like/adore/be crazy about you and then let you down?
What the hell did I do? No clue... At this point, I don't bloody care... Screw it....
One day I'll actually stop... I hope...
On a tad happier note- If you haven't seen my post from yesterday, go here to check it out. I am working on an entry and I need feedback! HELP! Please??
Goooood morning lovelies!! It's Tuesday... I'm tired... And completely unmotivated. For the last couple days I have put on my work out clothes, laced up my shoes, and have NOT gone on a walk/jog. At all. When I walk/jog, I usually do so at night.. I leave the house about 8:15pm and I'm home by 9:00pm to shower and relex.
I need to get my rear in gear, but my motivation seems to have gone AWOL. I can't find it.. I've looked everywhere. I've become complacent and I'm fighting with myself. My inner skinny girl yells at me to get off my arse and go exercise. Then my inner fat girl feeds her a cupcake and she shuts up.. It's an internal struggle and it's making me tired!
Last night I was called away on an EMS call... Poor little girl fell off a trampoline and broke her arm. It was ugly. Sunday night, I was on doggy duty while my parents went grocery shopping. I know I live in a small town where the crime rate is relatively low, but I don't like going for my runs/walks when no one is home. I exercise outside, usually after dark. I just feel safer if I can let someone know where I'm going. They know my route in case something happens and they know when I come home. Maybe a tad paranoid, but I'd much rather be safe than sorry.
I find my utter lack of motivation very frustrating. I'm also more tired than normal... Like, I'm sitting here at work trying not to fall asleep on my keyboard. I've had breakfast, I'm sipping on caffiene, and I fell asleep around 11:20 last night. Maybe I need to sleep earlier tonight. Or catch a nap on the way home. I'm so tired and its frustrating!! Maybe the time has come to pop a Benadryl and really sleep. I can't keep zombie-ing on like this...
Going back and re-reading this before I post... Dear Lord my thoughts are everywhere... The lack of sleep must be messing with my attention span.
"The scale can't measure your will, your drive, how much time you put into your food plan, or how many temptations you said no to. It can't tell how many old habits you broke or new, healthier habits you started. It doesn't know the effort you put in at the gym, and it doesn't care. It won't heap praise on you because you chose the stairs over the elevator or know that you passed on a slice of a colleague's birthday cake even though you wanted it with all your heart."
- Kim Bensen
I had to steal the above quote from the beautiful lady Katie, simply because it completely reflects my exact seniments with the journey that I'm on. The scale does not define you. Your beauty, your health, your worth is not determined by the number on the scale.
So what is my victory today? I'm back to my healthy breakfast ways! I got ran over by fell off the wagon when it comes to healthy breakfast during my trip to Galveston a couple weeks ago. I've been ok with lunch and struggling with portion control at dinner, but breakfast went flying out the window. I am proud to say that I've only eaten Chick Fil A once this week and every other day I've had Greek Yogurt and something else (fruit, protien bar, etc...).
I've also started cutting back on my soda intake. You and I both know that Coke Zero is crack soda to me.. Almost as back as the Caramel Delights being crack cookies... Damn you adorbable Girl Scouts and your crack cookies. Normally in the morning I'll get myself a giant Coke Zero where ever mom stops for breakfast.. Guess what's in my cup today? Diet Green Tea. Thank you Sonic!
I will admit that I tried to weigh myself on Monday morning, just to see what would happen... Wellllll... One of my dogs barfed on my scale a couple days before... It sounds icky, but it's true.. I didn't realize the extent of the damage. Needless to say, my scale is now having epileptic seizures. Awesome. Oh well!
I know I've already had a scheduled post today... But I needs some help.. I am doing the Cara Box Link Up and I haven't put mine together to send to my partner... I'm so stuck.. I've read her blog a lot and it seems like we have a very similar sense of humor. She shares some of the funniest freakin pictures! She's also pregnant with munchkin #2 and she already has a little boy.
How do I go green for a mom of 2??? Shizzle... I've sent her a couple emails this morning asking some general questions, but I'm so stumped.. Maybe a cute tote back full of awesomeness? Crap... No idea...
Mommy readers, any ideas?! Cara Box participants, any ideas?! I'm desperate here...
On another (separate) note... I finally grew and pair and completely blocked Crazy Pants McGee from being able to contact me.. I blocked his crazy arse on Facebook, Skype and I deleted his phone number.. Also deleted the slew of whiny, pathetic text messages begging me to love him.. GAG ME. I don't love you. It's a hell of a thing for me to be able to say too. I'm worth more than you... Bat shit crazy...
It's Monday morning! Good morning my dears. I hope everyone had a FANTASTIC weekend! I know I did!! My weekend was so amazing I woke up this morning with a huge grin on my face. This was definitely one of the best weekends I've had in a long time.
So... I'm breaking up with several things in my life at the moment.. It's time for me to part ways with some aspects of life and celebrate others.
The first thing I'm dumping is my long hair...
And to think.. It's actually behaving...
Long hair.. We've had some really good times and we've had some really bad times. You've always been supportive, but lately you've been a bit frizzy and unmanageable. In my quest to feel better in my own skin, I think it's time that you and I parted ways. I doubt that I will ever be coming back to the land of Rapunzel-esque tresses.
My new cut makes me look and feel foxy. I thought I was a sexy beast before, but the new hair just magnifies my animal magnetism. Not to mention I'm a little bit of an attention whore, so I'm loving all the oohs and aahs. RED HAIR DON'T CARE! At least I'm comfortable enough to admit that I'm an attention whore :-p
The second thing I'm dumping is my Monday Weigh In posts...
For too long, I've let my weigh ins on Monday morning dictate how my week goes. I come on here and I place all the focus on that number that the scale spits out at me. That's not my focus anymore. I don't give a damn what the scale says and I will not let it dictate my week. I'll keep logging on MFP and I'll weigh in there, but I don't plan on sharing my weight on my blog. My weight does not define me. I am not worth any less at a size 20 than I am at a size 10. Scale- You don't own me. Bugger off you bastard.
My blog is going to become a haven for me to work my balls off. I want to run and be fit. I want to dance and swim and live an active lifestyle! Fit is not a body shape. Fit is a way of life. Healthy eating, exercise, self confidence, body positivity, and mental health are what I'm all about now. Weight is no longer important to me. Fitness is important. My body is fantastic, time to make it healthier, stronger and sexier than ever.
This exactly... You are all beautiful...
I hope that you all will continue to stick around and read what I have to say... I want every single one of you to know that I'm so proud of everything you accomplished. I love reading about your losses, your gains, and your lives. I'm not going to stop following you and I will continue to cheer you on. This is merely a change for myself. You are all beautiful, strong women and look up to all of you for everything you've accomplished. Rock on ladies! You are in charge of your destiny!
I leave you today with the tshirt that is at the top of my wishlist. There is one person I would cuddle so hard. He's a reader too :) You know who you are!
Goooood morning my sweet loves! It's Thursday!!! Meaning 2 things... #1 It's a NSV Link Up Day!!!! And #2 Tomorrow is Friday! I'm really excited about this weekend. SUPER FREAKIN EXCITED!! So many plans :) I'll be sure to post pictures on Monday. Let's just say, some things around here are going to get shorter!
So... On to my Non Scale Victories for the week..
My NSVs focus around my realization of my actual goals for my life. Yesterday I touched on what I want as far as life in general. Since I try to keep my NSVs fitness related, I spent some time contemplating on what exactly my fitness goals are.. I've come to realize that my goals aren't about getting down to a certain size, or really a certain weight for that matter.This is the list I've come up with:
-I want to be able to run a 5K without wanting to die... Or vomit...
-I want to be able to get through an entire yoga DVD without having to rest or modify the poses.
-I want to be more comfortable in my own skin.
The last one is probably the biggest hurdle, but it's also the goal that I'm working on the hardest. I have a wonderful friend that never hesitates to tell me how amazing and beautiful I am. He even had me send him a picture when I thought I looked my worst (just waking up, puffy eyes, drool, frizzy ginger poodle hair, still in the throws of sleepy grumpiness) and told me that even at MY perceived worst, I was still very pretty.
Isn't he sweet?
With his talks and coaching, I'm slowly starting to beleive what he's saying. I don't look in the mirror and pick myself apart anymore. Instead I admire what I see. I see the curve of my waist and the fact that I do have an hourglass shape. I can see the subtle differences that the running and squats are making in my legs. I want to be stronger, not skinnier.
This all links into a quote that someone posted in a forum on MyFitnessPal this morning. Immediately after reading, I shared it on my personal Facebook, this blog's Facebook and I knew I would link it into my post here. I found it very moving.
"It doesn't make sense to call ourselves ugly because we don't really see ourselves. We don't watch ourselves sleeping in bed, curled up and silent. With chests rising and falling with our own rhythm. We don't see ourselves reading a book, eyes fluttering and glowing. You don't see yourself looking at someone with care inside your heart. There's no mirror in your way when you're laughing and smiling and happiness is leaking out of you. You would know exactly how bright and beautiful you are if you saw yourself in the moments where you are truly beautiful." Author Unknown
What do you want? How can I help you? What is it that you need? These are questions that I ask myself on a daily basis. What do you want for breakfast? What do you need to make your job easier? What do you want out of life?
That's the question of the decade.
This is a question that my best friend, Ellie, and I discussed last night. For the sake of her privacy I won't say what she wants. Some Most of the stuff is pretty private and her business to let the world in on. What I will talk about, however, is my stuff.. What I want with my life.
When I started this blog, it was supposed to be nothing but happy weight loss festivities. Then it evolved into something more than that. This blog is as close to being me as you can get without actually touching me. I don't hide anything, and if I'm uncomfortable discussing something I'll say so. Likely if this happens, I will open up about it on a later date. When being honest with myself, it means being honest on the blog as well. I've made some amazing self discoveries while typing in this little box and clicking publish so that the world can see what I think. This is one of those serious, self discovery posts.
Like I've said a freakin billion several times before... Chunky isn't a body shape for me, it's a state of mind. The journey from Chunky to Funky is more about transforming my mind and spirit than transforming my body... Yes, weight will be lost. Yes, health will be gained. I want, more than anything to feel better about myself as a person, no matter my size. I love the NSV and Spring Training Link Ups, because they focus on something more than weight. Funky is healthy, happy, and peaceful. Funky is what I want to be. Happy with myself, happy with others, happy with life.
For once in my life...
Getting back to what I want... Ellie and I were talking about what exactly we want with our futures. We are around the same age (me= nearly 24 her= newly 27) and both kind of stuck in a rut. She's made the recent discovery that she HATES her career and I can't get mine to actually start. We both recently broke up with our fiances and we are both looking very closely at graduate school (for the same thing, no less). We are both open to the idea of being single, but I do eventually want to find a relationship. I'm talking to a very dear friend of mine at the moment, and we've discussed the possibility of pursuing something more than friendship. It's just not time for that at the moment. I want to be single and have my head clear. Thankfully he's completely ok with that. We also live 2.5 hours apart. Damn you distance.
In the grand scheme of things.. I know that these are some of the things that I want:
I want to eventually spend the rest of my life with someone.
I want a person to be my significant other that isn't crazy (like bad crazy), clingy, or with mommy issues. I want to be your girlfriend/wife, not your mother.
I want to go to graduate school. Books are my thing. Time to make them a career. Masters in Library Science, here I come!
I want to experiment with my likes and dislikes when it comes to... Well... BOW CHICKA WOW WOW.. If you are curious, no I'm not sexually confused.. I'm as straight as the pole your momma dances on, I just have very limited experience when it comes to things...
I want to travel. Like... Haul my ass to Europe and all over the States... There's so much I've never seen.
I don't want to plan a stupid wedding. The thought of myself in a poofy white dress and my best friends as cookie cutter bridesmaids makes me a little... Queasy... If I find the person I'm supposed to marry, then he and I will go to Vegas... No plans for me thanks...
I don't know a whole lot about my future... It's all very fuzzy to me at the moment, but amongst the fuzzy is brightness. My future is so bright, I gotta wear shades...
Hello my dears! Welcome to another installment of the Spring Training 5K Link Up! I pretty much adore this link up. I just recently (past few months) started exercising and this is a great way to stay accountable! Plus we are all running/walking/elliptical-ing/biking/shuffling a 5K together on June 1st!
This weekend was actually pretty good for me in the way of fitness. Fit-nasty. Bam. Sorry.. I'm in an odd mood today. I'm somewhere in between a state of euphoria and exhaustion. Sleep was fitfull last night. Odd dreams about people I've never met in person before (but that's a story for another time). I can't say that they were bad dreams, in fact most were quite good (if you know what I mean!). They just made me wake up a lot :-/
Time to windex the mirror... Dog noses..
Anyhizzle... On to the fit-nasty talks... I finished Week 3 Day 1 of C25K on Sunday night. And let me tell you... I thought I was going to die. During week 3 you do a 5 minute warm up walk, then 90 sec of running, 90 sec of walking, 3 min running, 3 min walking, and repeat. The you end with a 5 minute cool down. Let me tell you... 90 seconds of running? No sweat. I got that shit.. 3 minutes? I was pretty sure my lard ass was going to pass out. I didn't stop though... Nope.. I kept moving my turtle speed bum and finished. BAM!
Last night was a "rest day" for C25K, so I changed up my routine a little.. I hopped on my elliptical for a 7 minute warm up, then I walked for 14 minutes (about a mile). I did throw in a small smattering of running here and there, but it was a good walk for the most part. The I put on my crazy hat... I decided that I would take on the beast..
30 Day Squat Challenge
Is she even wearing drawers?? That's nasty... Ain't nobody got time fo dat.
Last night wasn't so bad... I did 2 sets of 25 squats with some sweet dance moves separating the sets. I'm pretty sure my neighbors think I'm on a hallucenogenic drug binge, but whatever. Can't hold my epileptic seizures sweet moves. I think the odd part is the lack of soreness today... I'm a little sore, but not really. I have some really odd soreness in my hip/abdomen area... Like the place where my pelvis and my abdoment meet.. Like up high.. It's an awkward area to have sore.
One of my biggest goals is do have a butt.. Like a real badonkadonk. I want a booty that would make Beyonce say, "Dayum." (If you follow me on Instagram, you've heard that line before... If you don't follow, you should! User name: fromchunkytofunky). My account is protected, but most everyone that requests I will let follow! I know that squats are one way to help you tone and perfect your epic lady lumps. I want to be a whooty... For those of you who don't know what a Whooty is, feast your eyes:
Good morning darlings! I hope you all had a FANTASTIC Easter weekend :) I got to spend lots of time with my family. The food was amazing (of course) and I ate a ton of veggies. Woot woot! I also got 2 good C25K runs in this weekend! One on Friday night and one last night. My water intake has been the suck as of late. Not a pretty picture..
So.. As always, it's my Monday morning weigh in!! Yeah buddy! I was really anxious last night about weighing in today. I worked my butt off last week and was really hoping to have some success to show for the effort... And boy did I!! Not only did I drop the 3 pounds that I gained, but I dropped 6 additional pounds!! 6!!
YES! Almost in the 250s!!!
This brings me to a total of 30 pounds gone! 30!! Holy cow!
I'm excited! 30 pounds... I never ever thought I could do that..I haven't taken any pictures yet, but maybe today. I finally got a new mirror for my bedroom, so I can see.. I'll do a before and after in the same outfit, just to look at progress.
Part of my post today is Easter reflections... Sundays are a little rough for me.. Sundays were the days that I would always spend the day with James. Now that we aren't together, I haven't been keeping the routine. It's difficult. Very difficult. I haven't established a routine for myself on Sundays yet, so the sadness seems to be able to whack me over the head when I least expect it.
It's more of a loneliness than a sadness I suppose. I surround myself with amazing friends and my supportive family, but sometimes it's not enough. I miss the companionship that comes with being in a relationship. However, I have no immediate plans to be in a relationship any time soon. It's time to focus on me. I need to be a little selfish at the moment and learn to love myself. How can I love others if I don't first love myself?
I've never been a relationship jumper... I had a string of short term BFs in High School, then I was single for 3-ish years. Then I started dating the butt and was engaged to him for nearly 4 years. Broke that off, single for a few months then started dating James. Broke that off about 1.5 years into it. It seems that in my adult life, I'm tunring into one of those jumpers. I don't want to. I don't want to jump. I want to be happy and single and not have to share my blankets or worry about someone other than Molly. I don't want to be tied down to one person right now. I want to date, meet people, go out and shamelessly flirt, shamelessly flirt with the AV maintenance guy that visits me in the library. I love being single...
At least he won't steal my blankets... Bastard...
But I miss it... I miss the attachment. I miss the feeling of closeness. I miss having someone to harrass at all uungodly hours of the day and night. Sure, I have friends. I have the greatest friends on the face of the planet. I constantly talk to them. Hell I'm sure there are days that they want me to STFU and GTFO. It's different though. Having a significant other is different than just having a friend.
It really sounds like I want to have my cake and eat it too... (Tangent: Who in the hell came up with that saying?? Doesn't it make sense to eat cake if you have it?? Who wants cake to go stale? What am I supposed to do with the cake? Look at it? Seriously...) I want the security of a relationship with the freedom of singledom. I'm a complicated woman...
I am so honored to say that I have been nominated for 2 Liebster Awards!! Holy cow! O_O I wasn't expecting one nom nom nomination, much less TWO. Since I have been nominated for 2 awards, I will do the requirements for both :) All total that's 22 random facts about me, 22 questions answered, and I will nominate for as many as I can.. I'm not sure I follow that many blogs..
So what exactly is a Liebster award?
The Liebster Award is for bloggers with fewer than 200 followers. A Blogger nominates 11 fellow bloggers and asks them a set of 11 questions. The rules state that a nominee must link back to the blogger from whom they received a nomination. The nominee will write 11 random facts about themselves and then answer the 11 questions which have been set for them. They in turn will nominate another 11 bloggers and pose 11 questions to them. This is a really fun way to discover and connect with new bloggers and help us all gain some new followers along the way!
My first nomination came from my best heifer in the whoooole wide world, Natalie at Beauty and Brains with Brown Eyes. She is also the designer of my ultra fab layout! She's also tall. Super tall. Amazonian tall. 6'4" how's the weather up there tall.
11 facts about me for Natalie:
1. I once shared a group hug with Natalie, her sister and her dad... The top of my head came up to Nat's boobs. I was the shortest person in the hug. It was a bit awkward to look straight and see chests...
2. I am obsessed with shoes. I think I have around 40 pair... All of which I wear...
3. I only wear glasses when I'm too lazy to put my contacts in.
4. I am a nationally registered EMT-Basic.
5. I love working for charitable causes. Have a silent auction that you need items for? Selling raffle tickets? Need volunteers for a school carnival? I'm your girl!
6. Speaking of charitable causes, did I mention that I'm also a volunteer firefighter? Basically I risk my arse to save yours FO FREE :) You're welcome.
7. I'm a little cocky... I don't beleive I'm the best... I know. That's a fact Jack.
8. I love the TV Show Duck Dynasty! Most of my Wednesdays are rest days, simply so I can watch.
9. I've been engaged twice. Yes... Twice... Did I mention that I'm turning 24 next month?
10. I am a teacher. Yep.. Right now I only sub, but I am looking for work as an English teacher! Love my high school kids.
11. I am a HUGE believer in the concept of Karma. What goes around, comes around. ALL.THE.TIME.
Natalie's Questions
What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Gathering my thoughts in written form... It's theraputic to be able to go back and read about what was on my mind on a specific day.
What is your dream vacation?
I reallllllly want to visit Europe. More specifically, Germany, France and the UK. I'm a mixed breed of cultures, but I do know that I'm over half German with a smattering of Irish and Cherokee. I think spending like... A month in Europe would be amazing. I'm also a fan of WWII history, so I would visit so many museums, etc.. Oh and maybe I should mention that I LOVE BRITISH LITERATURE! Seriously.. Shakespeare is my homeboy.
Phone call or text?
Depends on the convo taking place and who I'm talking to.. My friends Natalie and Richard I text, but I talk on the phone with Ellie and Britt...
What song(s) are you currently in love with?
I love this song!!! OMG LOVE IT!!
If you won a million dollars, what would you do with it?
Pay off my student loan debt! I know it sounds lame, but that is my one goal in life! Debt free!
What is your favorite book or movie?
I am a book nerd.. I have lots of books at I love .. I guess the one I'm currently obsessed with is the Divergent series by Veronica Roth. I love any and all things post-apocolyptic and dystopian.
What is one thing you can NEVER leave home without?
My phone. It;s how I track all of my calories and everything.. I can't go without it. I'm terrible at rememberings to log things if I don't do it immediately.
What 4 words would you use to describe yourself?
Quirky, dependable, cocky, confident
What is your biggest pet peeve?
Teachers that don't leave lesson plans!
What is your favorite post or most viewed post to date?
Probably one of my NSV Link Ups. It's so important to celebrate things in health and fitness not related to the number on the scale.Also maybe my giveaway post.. It was my first one!
Would you rather be famous for the rest of your life or be the best friend of someone famous?
I would much rather be the best friend of someone famous... You still get perks, but you don't get all the attention..
My next nom nom nomination came from Sue at Limefreckle. I started following her blog through one of my several link ups... The first thing that caught my eye was her jewelry! I like to make jewelry myself, so I was drawn to the sparkles :) Check out her Etsy shop here! Isn't it all TO FREAKIN DIE FOR?! Love love love.
Facts for Sue
1. I love to make jewelry, but I rarely wear my creations. My daily jewelry is my watch and my Aggie Ring. I used to wear an engagement ring, but we know how that ended :(
2. I was born with blonde hair and brown eyes... As I got older, my hair turned red and my eyes morphed into a crazy combo of green and brown.
3. I obsessively check my email. It's an addiction.
4. I love to crochet! It's very relaxing.. In fact, I may add something homemade to my giveaway in April!
5. I tend to name my vehicles. My current car's name is Damon.. My previous car was named Winston. Winston was an 85 Mercedes 300SD. Winston's girlfriend's name was Winifred or Winnie. She was Natalie's 92 Honda Accord.
6. One of my students once told me that he was in love with my hair... Apparently gingers are appealing..
7. I'm clumsy. I'm constantly covered in bruises, most of which I have no clues as to the origins.
8. I'm the captain of cheesy one liners and puns... PMS jokes aren't funny.... Period...
9. I am disgraphic...
10. I am partially deaf. I only hear out of my left ear. My right ear canal is about the size of a sewing needle. I also have no ear drum and the inner ear is deformed. I was born that way and the problems were discovered around 9 weeks of age. My deafness is why I typically do not speak with any sort of accent. I can, but it's a matter of choice. I haven't had any surgeries to correct the problem and I really don't want any.. If you have any questions, I'll be happy to answer! I have no shame.
11. I have ZERO fashion sense. I can put together something cute in my head or for someone else, but I can barely dress myself. When I'm not at work, I live in jeans and tshirts.
Questions from Sue
Cats or Dogs?
Dogs! I love dogs... Cats don't love me.
What is your favourite song right now?
Just Give Me A Reason by Pink... LOVE. Also a huge fan of Thrift Shop by Macklemore
What book are you reading, and is it in book format, or kindle/ipad?
The Last Olympian by Rick Riordan. It's the 5th book in the Percy Jackson series. It is in regular book format. I also have a stack of books waiting to be read...
What do you like most about blogging?
Thoughts into words and actually seeing that people are interested in what goes on inside my twisted mind.
What would be your dream job?
Librarian! I'm working on making that a reality... Ugh grad school.
Where did you last go on vacation?
New Orleans. I was there for a work conference last August and got to do lots of touristy junk.
What kind of car do you drive?
2011 Volkswagon Jetta.. His name is Damon.
Favourite jewelry - earrings, bracelet or necklace?
I have a pair of studs that I wear every day. They literally never come out of my ears.My grandmother gave them to me for my 18th birthday. They are birthstones (diamond) and go with everything.
What is your favourite workout?
Running! I know it sounds odd, but I love to go out and pound the pavement. I used to love to do Zumba, but I don't have a class to attend at the moment.
Last movie you saw in a theatre?
Django Unchained
Do you know anyone on the Autism Spectrum?
Yep! A couple of my cousins... Such sweet kids..
Ok loves... Here are my 11 blogs that I'm nominating for a Liebster! I read all of these blogs on a regular basis and I love love love them all!
Ok... So I don't have the awesome accent to say it like the cute little farmer guy on Chicken Run. Oh well. I promised a post about this topic last weekend, and let's just say that life happened.
I have a bit of a....quirky..... relationship with food. It's not as terrible as some stories I've read, but it's not super healthy. Like most girls women I know, I get the typical cravings when my Aunt Irma is coming to visit (along with water retention and at least one zit somewhere on my face).
When I was growing up, I was taught to clean my plate. Eat all the food on my plate, because there are starving children all over the world who would kill to eat like you do. I was also taught that it's quite rude to turn anything down that is offered to you. "Oh! You want me to eat this cake and that ice cream and then pizza as a snack?! OK!"
This is still a mindset that I struggle with.... To.This.Day. I no longer feel bad turning food down from people. Shockingly enough, people won't like you any less for saying no thanks to cupcakes. Who knew?! Leaving food on my plate or the table, however, is an entirely different story.
Pizza (along with Chick Fil A) is my complete undoing... Pizza more so than the other... I love pizza. I could eat pizza daily, 3 times a day. Pizza is the food of the gods... NOM NOM NOM.
I had something really scary happen to me a couple weekends ago. James and I went to Pizza Hut for dinner on a Sunday evening. We ordered a medium thin crust meat lovers and a small order of cheese bread. We both ate 2 peices of cheese bread and 2 slices of pizza... Leaving half the pizza to be put in a box and taken home. We were both satisfied at this point and decided that we wouldn't be eating anymore. We sat there sipping water and something very scary happened to me..
I wanted to finish the pizza... At one point in my life, I would have finished the pizza. I told myself, "No.. This is just a craving. You aren't really hungry. Do not eat the pizza." I broke out into a cold sweat, my heart starting racing and I started hyperventilating. I had a freakin panic attack over not finishing the pizza.
I've had panic attacks before.. I'm not stranger to them. But let me tell you.... That one was by far the scariest for me. I've never had a panic attack over denying myself food. I didn't need it! I wasn't hungry! Yeah... Tell that to my hyperactive brain...
Then another day this week, Mom and I brought home Papa Murphy's pizza.. I was good and ate 3 pieces and stopped... But I could NOT put it away. I'm the person that puts food away and sneaks bites off the spoon or whatever while I'm taking care of the leftovers. Thankfully Mom saw that I was struggling and put the food away without help.
The biggest part of my struggle with my weight is all in my head. It's a mental game. I have to outsmart myself and not give in to the random cravings I have.
I'm feeling particularly snarky today. I'm not really sure why. There are some happenings in my personal life that have me all wonky/insane in the membrane, but I'm not going to bore you with those dramatic details.
One of the things that I noticed while running last night is the source of my bitchin' post today. (And that's a "complaining" bitchin' not an "awesome" bitchin').
See? I'm dead sexy in red :)
Please Note:
Normally I love my boobs... They are pretty awesome and I can RAWK damn near anything I choose. No, I don't want to give you some. No, I don't have plenty to spare. YOU CAN'T HAVE MY TITS! Today, however, I'm not loving my ta-tas. I want them to shrink. I want to not hurt my back when I run. I want to not hear all the stupid ass black eye jokes from members of the itty bitty titty committee. I just want regular bewbs today... Just for today. This rant does not express my ongoing opinion of my body image. Just for today I'm bitchy.
Busty girls... Raise your hands high in the air. Don't wave your hands too much, you might get whiplash from the jiggles. I'm talking to you my dear busty ladies.
Why in the hell don't they make DECENT/AFFORDABLE sports bras for the chest-tacular masses ::snort::. (Be prepared for plenty of puns!)
I'm sorry... I'm poor... Broke as a joke on crack... My current sports bras AKA the things I wear under my shirt when I run came from Academy. They were $10-$15 each. And they don't support shit. All these bras do are stuff my lady lumps into some spandex-y fabric and hold them together as I jog. They do offer a bit of bounce resistance when I run, so I'm not looking at black eyes or anything.
I went to the gym with one of my best girlfriends over spring break... So I got a good look in a full length mirror... Holy uni-boob Batman!
Another issue with these crap-tacular boobies? Boob sweat. I freakin hate boob sweat. Especially when I run. It's the nastiest feeling in the world... My current bras do nothing to wick away boob sweat. Argh.
I've had bodacious ta-tas since I was very young. I wore my first bra at the age of 7. That's 2nd grade my friends. By middle school I was a C cup. High school I was a DD. My largest size was in college at my heaviest weight. I was a 46 DDD.
One of the things I look forward to is the possibility of boob shrinkage. I don't want to lose all of them, but I would be ok with only being a D or DD. Ain't no body got time for DDD.
