Friday, September 16, 2011

"Mama, I'm Coming Home"

I've had an EXCELLENT week this week and I'm so excited for the weekend too! Yesterday was my weigh in and guess what?!?!.....I love 3 POUNDS!! :-) :-) It's such a good feeling to know that work can pay off sometimes and it's especially helped that I have someone else to motivate me to actually go to the gym and workout. With my little win, a new haircut, and the weather getting to my favorite temperature, I feel great!! Don't you with it could be like this all the time?

Anyway, so this weekend I am going home for the first time in almost 2 months to see my family and celebrate my niece's 3rd birthday party. She is the CUTEST niece out there but it's probably because I'm a little biased! Here's a recent picture of her!


I'm so happy to just spend a lazy weekend with my family and see my DOG! haha...The weather is supposed to stay around a perfect fall 60 degrees and sunny so it should be a really nice weekend. Hope it doesn't fly by! Have a great one!

Tuesday, September 13, 2011

A Whole New Woman!

After an awesome visit from my boyfriend, it was back to the daily grind at work. I'm in a special training class at work so it's been a change from the normal routine, but it kind of feels like I'm back in college all over again. This has been the first week of my new weight loss challenge at work and I'm feeling the pressure. As I get closer and closer to this Thursday (weigh in day), I'm getting more and more nervous that my number last week was a fluke and it will look like I gained weight.

To try and get my mind off of the weight issue, I've tried to revamp myself a little bit in other ways. I went to the mall with a friend yesterday and finally got a little makeup consultation at Bare Minerals and ended up buying their starter kit. I have very little experience with foundation and makeup in general so I was happy that they were so helpful in showing me how to apply my makeup so that I could do it myself. On the plus side, it looks really good!

 Today I decided to get a haircut! I was a little hesitant to get it done somewhere else different than where I was used to at home, but I got referred by someone else so I took a chance. At first my bangs were a little shorter than I'm used to, but the more I'm looking at it the more I'm getting used to it- I'm sure I'll post pictures soon!

If anyone out there has tips on how to keep that motivation going without starvinggggg, please share your thoughts- I'm open to all suggestions! :)

Friday, September 9, 2011

Because I knew you, I have been changed for good...

So yesterday was one of my best days in the recent weeks (see previous posts) because I went to see WICKED! For those of you who live under a rock and have never heard or seen Wicked, it's the story before the Wizard of Oz. You get a whole new glimpse into the lives of characters like Glinda, Wicked Witch of the West/East, the Scarecrow, and much more! Even more important than the story line is the MUSIC!

From upbeat musical numbers to slow, meaningful songs, this musical does not disappoint! No matter who you are or where you come from you can relate to these characters. In fact there is one song called "For Good" towards the end of the musical that hits me in the heart everytime. The main message of the song is friendship and how in the end a great friend has changed you "for good." There have been so many moments in my life where this song has been a backdrop that hearing it always makes me tear up in a good way! Here's a clip of the song from the original broadway cast.


I have a really exciting weekend coming up! Right after work today I will be picking up my college roommate and we're heading back to my place to make dinner. By tonight my boyfriend will be here for a weekend visit and I'm so pumped because I haven't seen him in over a month! On Saturday we are taking my neice to the zoo for her birthday and then headed to a friends for a party. Sunday will be a relaxed football day, but those are always my favorite. Hope everyone has a fantastic week!

Rant: Getting up in the morning. No matter what my bed is always more comfortable than getting up and going to work!
Rave: MUSICALS! I need to start seeing one a month to life my spirits!

Wednesday, September 7, 2011

"The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows"

So let's just say I haven't had the best couple of days and I've learned irony follows me and shows it's face more often than usual. After spending a small fortune to fix my car and locking my keys in my car the next day, I was wondering if I should just buy a bus pass and get rid of my car! No worries because it wasn't over yet! My old roommate sent me a text yesterday to stop by the flower shop she works at to get something. She gave me a plant that I've wanted for my cube because she said "You've had such a bad week so I wanted to give you this." Little did she know that bad week was slowly turning itself into a bad month because literally 10 minutes after this, I got into my first car accident.

Before I explain any more, I wasn't hurt and neither was the guy I hit which is the most important thing, but it didn't help the fact that I was completely shook up and scared to death. I'm not going to go into details about the accident, but accidents happen and I've been fortunate enough not to get in one yet. I instantly gave up all my insurance information to the guy for him to be kind of a jerk to me the whole time. Oh well-you live you learn.

Anyways after yesterday I was completely distraught and upset. I came into work today as a coworker and I were starting a little weight loss race and today was the day we would weigh in. The last thing I wanted to do was step on a scale and see my weight, but someone amazing happened- I didn't weigh as much as I thought I would! It was one of the only times I've seen a number I wanted to see on the scale so maybe this means my luck is turning around! I'll share my starting weight with you guys (204.8). My goal for next week is to lose a pound down to 203.8. I'm starting slow. Long term goal- I want to lose 20lbs by the end of the year. Keep reading on and see if I can actually do it!

Rant: Not enough hours in the day to get enough sleep, exercise, and fun!
Rave: I found an awesome quote from Rocky yesterday when I was feeling all emo and whiny-

                             "Let me tell you something you already know. The world ain't all sunshine and rainbows. It is a very mean and nasty place and it will beat you to your knees and keep you there permanently if you let it. You, me, or nobody is gonna hit as hard as life. But it ain't how hard you hit; it's about how hard you can get hit, and keep moving forward. How much you can take, and keep moving forward. That's how winning is done."

Thursday, September 1, 2011

You Spin Me Right Round, Baby Right Round

The title of this post was inspired by the fact that I went spinning last night and in the middle of class I had the biggest charlie horse in my calf and had to stumble out of the room. My leg still hurts, but I've figured out it's because I'm dehydrated and spinning makes me sweat out of every pore in my body!

Not gonna lie-it's been a rough few days. There's been a squeaking in my breaks for a while now and I knew it was time to get them checked. Little did I know I would be spending a small fortune on getting all new breaks,rotors, and bearings on my poor little mercury cougar. After I had my credit card swiped I had to hold in the tears until I got in my car to drive home. Once I start to cry a little bit, the flood gates open and I cry about everything going on at that moment. I cried about my car, about not going back to school, about my weight, about my workout not "working out", about my friends who I miss, about missed opportunites, and anything else that could cram in my brain at that moment.

It's hard to realize that this is a whole new beginning in my life-just like it was when I first came to college. I know it's just something that will fix itself with time, but it sucks! And then there's the whole dieting thing which is going nowhere. I don't come home after work and binge on bad foods, but it seems like no matter what I do, no weight is coming off.

In other non depressing news, my roommates and I had our house warming party this past weekend with the first part of it being a Pure Romance party. I had never been to one before, but it exceeded all of my expectations quickly. It was so much fun and some of the stuff she showed us was so crazy! It was really fun to just get together with a bunch of girls and let loose for a while. And it's even better to be at a party at your own house sometime because then you can just crash without needing to worry about driving home!

Finally, I've become addicted to a new show-DEXTER! I watched the first season and now I'm hooked. Because the new season starts soon, I am on a mission. I must watch seasons 2-5 before October so I can start watching the new season. I think I can do it because Comcast has all seasons streaming online so I've accepted the challenge! Anybody else out there like the show?


Rant: I think I covered all of these above!
Rave: Long weekend coming up which means short week next week! woot!

Friday, August 26, 2011

Cheers to the Freaking Weekend

So lately I've been reallly missing school. I can't believe it's already been like 4 months since I've graduated...where has all the time gone? To ease the pain a little bit I've already planned a trip to go see my roommate in Philadelphia where she is attending med school over labor day! It's only a week away and it is MUCH needed! I can't wait!

This weekend is the much anticipated house warming/pure romance party at my new house. Should be a very interesting event, but a nice way to show off the house to all our friends. It will be funny to see what kind of "games" they play at this party... a lot of drinks and laughter I'm sure. This week has draggggeddd on so I'm so excited for the weekend! I think I need some retail therapy so shopping sounds like a good activity for tonight especially to rest up for tomorrow night. Cheers to the weekend!

Rant: Dear Scale, why can't you just give me the number I want??
Rave: New friends who make it easier to say goodbye to college and hello to the next adventure.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Shocked to the Core

Well before I give an update on the normal things happening in my life I need to talk about the EARTHQUAKE that I felt today! It was the weirdest things I've ever felt! One second I was sitting in my chair at work and then it felt like someone came up behind me and shook it! As soon as I heard where the earthquake's center was I made sure to call my closest loved ones who lived that way and thankfully they didn't feel too much more than I did so that made me feel a lot better.

In other news, I think the reality of no longer being in college has finally caught up with me. Yesterday I was around Oakland and saw all the new students moving in, and then I just realized that everyone is so separated and it's never going to be the same way again. One of my roommates made one of my favorite pictures her profile picture this week and it just shows how much fun we had. Don't get me wrong. I'm making more friendships now too, but it's really hard to know that this ending is really just another beginning. I had a breakdown last night and it was really hard. I miss my friends. In the last couple months it feels like they've all been ripped away from me, but I need to remember that they are all starting their own exciting adventures and I am really happy for all of them.


Rant: Not seeing as much results as I want to with this whole self improvement/working out thing, but that's not going to stop me.
Rave: Even though I won't be in college again, it is pretty awesome that I have pictures like this to look to when I miss it.

Thursday, August 18, 2011

My Longing for the Digital World

         So I've been moved into my new house for almost a month now and still no cable and internet. Because I have the most amazing luck in the world the same week that I decided to order my new cable/internet service, Verizon decided to go on strike and has continued to be for the last 12 days. Therefore, cable and internet was nowhere in sight for me so yesterday I finally threw in the towel and ordered Comcast instead. the thing that got me the most was that I had to speak to a manager on the phone who did not know how to cancel my order. This got to me because shouldn't an effective manager know how to do all parts of the job? ughhhh...so Wednesday is the day that we should have cable and internet and will be re-connected to the world again and I'll hopefully be able to keep up with my blog better.

        On Tuesday I decided to try a different class at the gym that was called "BodyAttack" I guess the name alone kinda gives it away, but this class kicked. my. butt. You literally did not stop moving for an entire hour and afterwards I was so sweaty and exhausted but felt SO GOOD!! There is something about working otu so hard and getting pushed so far that you feel so amazing afterwards. I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to go back!

        Tonight is the season opener game at Heinz Field where the Steelers are taking on the Eagles so I'm taking a day off from the gym and going out with some friends to watch it. Tomorrow starts off what should be a good weekend when I go to the Britney Spears concert!! Can. Not. Wait!

Rant: I wish I would get up earlier in the morning and put more effort in getting ready instead of just wanting to go back to bed.
Rave: I am so excited to have a weekend filled with friends and family!

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

Merry-Land!

So this weekend I went down to Maryland for the weekend to visit Jon while his aunt and uncle visited. Most of the weekend was spent touring the town and spending time near the water. He's only about 20 minutes away from either the Potomac, Patuxent, and the Chesapeake Bay so it always puts me in a good mood! We ate our fill of crab legs and played fun games in the apartment.

Here's a pretty view of the water


And one of the super scary bridges you have to cross! I close my eyes every time!

I'm finally getting into a comfortable routine with the new house and my workout routine. I'm hoping this work week goes quickly because at the end of the week I'm going to the Britney Spears concert! It should be a much needed fun night out especially with having to deal with the fact that everyone is going back to school and now I'm in the "real world" and have to face the fact that I'm no longer in college.

Rant: I hate the inevitable fact that you feel like you're growing apart from friends since everyone is adjusting to grown-up life
Rave: A coworker showed me this sweet website today http://pinterest.com/. I've found some awesome recipes and crafts already!

Thursday, August 11, 2011

TGIT!

Thank god it's Thursday (or better yet my Friday)! I took tomorrow off to take a long weekend and go down to Maryland to visit Jon. It's a 5 hour drive all myself which sucks, but it will be worth it to spend the weekend down by the Chesapeake Bay soaking up some sun (hopefully it doesn't rain). I bought a bluetooth headset last night so I can catch up on my phone calls on the car ride to help pass time. I love taking little mini breaks from regular life and it's nice when I can see the boyfriend too!

I'll try to blog some while I'm down there and post some pictures of the cute little town where he lives! On another note, my best friend is moving to Virginia this weekend as she got a job teaching. I knew it was coming and even went to her going away party this past weekend, but it didn't hit me until today. For some reason as I'm eating some leftover saltine crackers that I had with my soup for lunch today I started to get teared up thinking about her leaving. Most of my close friends are now at least 5 hours away from me and it's an awful, empty, different feeling than I've ever experienced! I know that we all much spread our wings and fly, but can't we all stay a little closer? Until next time xoxo

Rant: People who shouldn't be able to procreate- I read a news story today about a woman in Pittsburgh who police arrested because they found her 3 year old in filth with bug bites all over his body and he tested positive for COCAINE! What is wrong with people in this world??
Rave: My landlord came through and my gas should be turned on by the time I get home! Yay for hot water!

Wednesday, August 10, 2011

Who Knew a Hot Shower Would be Such a Luxury?

So yesterday when my roommate and I woke up we could smell gas in our new house. We had smelled it over the weekend, but it was right when we did laundry and we figured it was just because the dryer had not been used for a while. Since we both woke up smelling it, we decided to call the gas company. When they heard me say "smelled gas," they immediately sent someone over to the house and told us not to go inside. Eventually we found out that our dryer was hooked up wrong and gas was leaking out. Thank goodness it was never close to the amount in that air that would be needed to explode the place. Unfortunately it wasn't over there. The gas guy went to check our outside line because he could still smell gas and he found a leak on the outside line which needs to be fixed by our landlord before the gas company will come back and fix it! Let's home this isn't a sign of things to come....



For now I'm just enjoying ice cold showers and no use of my stove-awesome. I guess I'll have to get creative with my microwave and toaster oven. Although yesterday sucked, I got to have dinner with my old roommate and then brought her over to see the new place afterwards. It was really nice to catch up. Tonight I'm excited to go to the gym and then go to buy a bluetooth headset afterwards since I will be driving down to Maryland on Thursday evening and I figure I can catch up on my phone calls to keep me busy! Hope everyone out there is enjoying their hot showers!

Rant: Guess it's obvious, but looks like tonight I'll be taking a shower at the gym!
Rave: I'm thankful I at least have a place to live and electricity!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Shake Your Money Maker!

So last night I went to BodyJam at the gym to get a little dance-cardio workout. Usually I really like this class because the people in it are athletic, but not crazy good dancers so we all feel comfortable around each other-until last night. It looked all innocent at first- the girl in front of seemed to get the steps down really well, but nothing too out of the ordinary-until we got to the mambo part. All of a sudden the girl in front of me became a dancing goddess who looked like she wanted to be a back-up dancer for Britney Spears or something! The way she was touching herself all crazy and shaking her hips made me nervous to even look at her! Maybe if I keep going to class I'll look like her someday- HA!

As I took my sweaty self back home, I got a call from my good friend who had just got back from ITALY (pretty much my dream destination) because friends of hers were getting married there. They asked her to go and being there for over a week she only spent $100 TOTAL!! Anyone wanna take me to Italy for their wedding? Ughh I'm totally jealous! I knew that I would end up saying this, but I should have studied abroad during college because I'm itching to go to a different country. Any suggestions on some budget traveling? I'm setting it as my goal right now to go to a foreign country by next year! I think I wanna start here....

IRELAND!

Tonight I'm testing out a recipe for my old roommate who is coming over to see my new place. I'll let you know how it comes out. It's a pasta dish with zucchini, onions, and cheese with a breadcrumb topping. YUM. Maybe if I close my eyes I can imagine I'm in Italy tonight!

Rant: Won't have cable or internet at the house until the end of the month and then found out today that the company went on strike! ughhh
Rave: So pumped the house is coming together! Will post pictures soon.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Don't Fall In!

This weekend was very busy, but with all things fun and exciting. My boyfriend was in for the weekend to celebrate his birthday and one of the highlights of the trip was kayaking on the river in downtown pittsburgh! You were able to rent the kayaks by the hour and could see the whole skyline from a completely different view. After our adventure of a day I had to pick up a new shelf for my room in the new house. I wanted a nice sturdy one to store some books and picture frames on and I found a really nice one at Target. After we saw the band Train perform at a firework show after the Pirate Game (see below), we went back to my house to build the shelf at 1am while my roommates were sleeping. Just imagine 2 people both looking at the instructions and the hundreds of pieces that come with this thing and WHISPERING throughout the entire thing. It was quite comical.

*Picture of the lead singer of Train throwing the first pitch at the Pirate game!



I woke up Sunday morning with an awful headache, but was at least able to finish my room (finally) and go out for my best friend Ashley's going away party as she is moving to another state for a job. I hate that my friends with education degrees can't stay close to me- come on PA! It was a weird feeling saying goodbye to her. I never had to go through the transition before of really saying goodbye to people, especially since Pitt wasn't very far from my hometown while I was in college. Right now most of my friends are hours away from me and that's a lot to get used to. Shoutout to all my friends moving on and doing awesome things with their lives! xoxo

Rant: I just wish I could stay home sometimes during the week and sit in my Pjs all day and watch bad tv!
Rave: Love those quality weekends with quality people even if it does make it that much harder to go back to work on Monday

Friday, August 5, 2011

Welcome Home

So I know I've been off the radar for a while, but I was so busy packing up one house and moving into another that I had no time to breathe! I've been really stressed out over the move, but it's been nice to be settled down into a bigger place and getting a new routine started. I really like my new house and it's only a couple minutes from the zoo (my favorite place!).

I've only been able to make it to the gym a couple days this past week, but I had my first personal training appointment last week and it went really well! She gave me a plan to work all muscle groups and gave me some really good tips on how to use the gym to my advantage. Not only does the gym provide a good place to burn some calories, but there are some characters there too! The other day I was doing some ab exercises and the guy next to me was BLASTING his music on his iPod enough for me to hear the words and it was sooo bad that I won't even repeat some of the lyrics on here. I was just thinking how can the f word make you do one more squat? Oh well to each their own. Another thing I realized was that people do not know how to dress not only on the street but in the gym too. The other day I was in class and the girl in front of me was bending over and I saw EVERYYTHINNNG because her pants were so see through! I'll just stick to the Old Navy capris and T-shirts.

This weekend will be spent celebrating the 25th birthday of my boyfriend and enjoying the weekend with him! Although I'm excited for all the things I have going on I know the weekend will go so fast and it will be Monday soon. Hope everyone has an awesome weekend!

Rant: Unpacking....for days....
Rave:Having some awesome people to work with helps the days go by.

Thursday, July 28, 2011

Homeless No More!

So this morning I think I forgot my brain at home. I'm been on a huge coupon kick because my mom is really good at using them so I'm trying to learn and do the same to save some moolah. I got coupons in the mail for Bruegger's Bagels and one of them was a free bagel. I was pretty hungry this morning before work so I figured I could use it and knew of one right new work. So I pull up to the "Brueggers" and only realize after I have parked that I was walking into Einstein's bagels. Thank god I didn't try to use the coupon. Then, since I was already half way through the door I had to commit and go in. What a mess! Just gotta laugh at yourself sometimes.

Later today I learned that I will not be living in one of these this year.....




That's right folks, I finally heard from the landlord and I have a place to live! This also means that I won't have to pack up my current house, move stuff into storage, then move it again. One move is a much better option!

In a "bettering myself" update, I had an early dinner last night because I figured I needed to pack and wanted to get a work out done. Well my sister called to invite me to dinner around 7 to see my niece so I went telling myself I wouldn't have to eat anything since I already did- how do you think that went??? I ended up eating like 3 pieces of pizza because it was right in front of me! This week is really stressful and it's hard to eat well when you're trying to get rid of all your food. Here's to next week being better!

Rant: It's really hard to say no to a steaming melty cheesy piece of pizza- even if it means you have to put more gym time to make up for it!
Rave: HAVING A PLACE TO LIVE!!! :-)

Wednesday, July 27, 2011

My Bad Taste in TV

So yesterday I was on Hulu to catch the latest episode of the Bachelorette (guilty pleasure 1) and happened to stumble upon my newest guilty pleasure show.......
Honestly I can't even begin to make up an excuse as to why I'm watching it, but I'm already on episode 4! It's the typical Abc Family show that sucks you in and before you know it, there's an hour of your life you can never get back, but I just can't stop watching!! This on top of Keeping up with the Kardashians and Dance Moms, my TV watching lately has really hit a low note. I need to find some better TV. Any suggestions??

Today during lunch I stopped at the liquor store to pick up so boxes so hopefully I'll be really making some progress tonight after the gym! Yesterday I managed to pack away about half of my clothes and take down one of my shelving units! Totally exhausting! It's going to be a loooong day of moving this weekend, especially because I don't know whether or not I'll be able to get in my new house by the time I need to be out of my current one. I just can't wait to move in and get settled and start to relax a little bit!!

Rant: Dragging my butt out of bed in the morning is hard enough, but how to some people just look perfect when I get into work, and I'm lucky I could run a brush through my hair?
Rave:I met a new friend at the gym yesterday! Starting to really enjoy myself there!

Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Packing, Packing, and more Packing

So it's been a couple days since the last update, but this weekend was JAM-PACKED. One of my best friends from out of town came in to visit and we went to a wedding. I realized I'm not used to staying out late anymore and was dead the next day. Now that it's the last week in my house, I've been busy trying to pack away all my "stuff" while saying goodbye to all the memories this place holds. I think it will really sink in that I have graduated once I say goodbye to this place that meant so much to me in the last year. The memories I made and the people I met along the way won't be forgotten and I know that the friends I made will last a lifetime.

Ok done with the sap-tastic words today. I'm physically and mentally exhausted from all the packing, especially because I don't know my official move-in date for my next house. Therefore, I'm going to have to store all of my stuff (bed and all) somewhere until I can move in. Ughhh...this next week is going to be awful. I am proud though because I've made it to the gym at least 4 days a week so this whole making myself healthier and happier thing is going well! Last night I even did the dance class again and it was actually FUN! Once I got the moves down I got to put my own spin on it and had a good time- while burning calories! Woo Hoo! Haven't had a weigh in for awhile, but I'm sure it will happen when I go to my first personal training meeting on Friday!

For now I'm just going to try and stay calm and keep in mind that growing up, while it can be challenging and different, is natural and inevitable and I'm learning to embrace it. I'm pumped because Jon comes home from the beach this weekend and then it's his 25th birthday! I can't wait to celebrate!


Rant: Can't I just snap my fingers and all of my belongings will magically be in my new house?
Rave: The feeling you get when you are covered in sweat but had an awesome workout!

Friday, July 22, 2011

Edge of Glory

The title of this post is a shout out to Lady Gaga, but more importantly to my best friend coming in from out of town this weekend! She is in a wedding in Pittsburgh and I'm going to be her psuedodate! She gets in in less than an hour and I'm just itching to leave work to go and meet her! The one perk I've found about growing up and moving on is having friends who live other places to visit, but them getting to reconnect again because you don't get to see them as much as you used to.

In the great weight loss update, I opted to go to yoga yesterday instead of the class called "BodyAttack" (ya just use your imagination on that one folks and you'd probably be right!), and at my gym they have a bunch of yoga mats to use and I was in a hurry when I left my house so I figured it wouldn't be a problem if I didn't bring my own. OH was I WRONG! I honestly can't make these kinda of stories up so here it goes! BodyAttack happened before yoga and since yesterday Pittsburgh has a heat index of over 105 degrees and the room doesn't have AC you can imagine how hot, and more importantly sweaty, the people were coming out of the class before I went in for yoga. I picked up a yoga mat to use (forgetting the fact that the people before me used them) and right when I was stepping on to get into the first position I felt the feeling of a puddle of SOMEONE ELSE'S sweat under my feet as I stepped on. I almost vomited right there. I tried to pick up another mat, but they were all like that!! Therefore I spent the majority of my yoga class trying to tell the difference between my sweat and someone else's until I just gave up and focused on the 2 hour shower I would take when I would get home.

Cheers to the weekend everyone! I'll probably have a recap on Monday about my weekend, but I hope everyone has a fantastic one and keep cool!

Rant: When it's 100 degrees out and I see someone smoking a cigarette- I mean do what you gotta do, but aren't you just making yourself hotter?
Rave: My best friend will be here in half an hour!!! :-)

Thursday, July 21, 2011

Whip your hair back and forth...

So last night I went to the BodyJam class at my local gym. Can I just say that I was playing along with the whole dance class thing, until Whip your hair by Willow Smith came on. I immediately starting cracking up, but when I looked around not many other people seemed amused. I wanted to scream out, "Come on people!! We're getting ready to dance to a song sung by a 13 year old about getting whiplash from thrusting your hair all over the place!" The rest of the class went just as expected- my hips/butt/feet where shaking anywhere but the right place so I did what any hardworking BodyJam goer would do- stopped looking in the mirror! I'm posting a picture below of BodyJam's promotional picture and let me just say this is exactly how I looked yesterday! ;-)



Tonight I was going to try their BodyAttack class, but I'm reconsidering it since it's supposed to feel like 105 degrees outside and the room where the class is has no air conditioning making for some serious exhaustion on my part. I think I'm getting out of my little feeling sorry about my weight slump and just decided not to look at the scale for a while. I'm super excited for this weekend though because one of my best friends comes in from out of town and we're going to a wedding which is pretty much the most fun social event with free alcohol and dancing you can find! Can't wait to come to work tomorrow and just blast Rebecca Black's Friday in my head all day!

Rant: Why does it have to be sooooo hard to drag my butt to the gym??
Rave: The landlord of our dream home finally got back to us and it's looking like (cross your fingers) I have a place to live when my lease is up in a mere 8 days!

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

You've been De-friended!

           So today I was talking to a coworker about facebook and she asked me how many friends I had. I didn't know the answer to this off the top of my head, but since I had been through college and everything, I guessed a couple hundred. To my surprise I had 782 friends!! 782! I was in shock over this and thought, "There is no reason I need that many friends on facebook, especially because that means 782 people can turn around and look at the things that I am posting!" It just plain creeped me out so I went on a de-friending spree! It was the weirdest thing to scroll through my friend list and see where people were in the world and what their profile pictures said about them. It will be interesting if any of these people turn around and try to friend me again because that would tell me how much they really look at my profile! Gosh Facebook really has a way of being scary sometimes!

        In other news, my lease for my apartment ends in 10 days and the new house my roommates and I thought we had is still there, but the guy just won't get back to us. We've already seen the place and everything and want to move in, but every e-mail and phone call goes unanswered! Ughhhh..no matter what this is just stressing me out even on my best days. How am I supposed to pack up my life when I don't even know where I'm going? Well I'm headed out of work soon and tonight I'm trying the BodyJam class at my gym which is kind of like Zumba where you dance to popular hits. Should be interesting considering I have no rhythm!


PS. To find good of everyday (or at least try) I'm going to end each post with my Rant and Rave of the day!

Rant:  No place to live in 10 days
Rave: Got some AC pumpin in my apartment! (which is good because it says it's going to 'feel like' 105 tomorrow!)

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Keep Holding On

So yesterday on my way to the gym I was stuck at a traffic light for 20 minutes because there was an accident ahead of me. When I finally got through that there was a random car show and there was NO parking. By the time I actually parked and got into the gym my class had already started and I couldn't get in. I was instantly pissed off because I hate missing a class. I had to go downstairs on the elliptical instead and my motivation to work is way less by myself compared to when I have someone in a class yelling to work hard. Add this to the fact that I weighed myself and was not happy. Not a good combo. But this was a big reason I started this blog- to receive support and motivation to keep myself honest and work hard towards my goals.

Another huge thing stressing me out these days is my relationship. I guess I haven't introduced this point yet, but I do have a boyfriend who I've been with for 5 years. It's an amazing relationship and we've been through so much that I couldn't imagine being with anyone else. Of course there has been plenty of rough times (I don't live in this imaginary fluffy rainbow-y world) but we have gotten through them together. Here's the kicker- he lives in Maryland. Don't worry, it's not like I met him online and we've been having this weird online relationship from different states for 5 years. I met him at the end of high school through mutual friends  and we started dating. During college we went to different schools about an hour away so it was not that bad and we both still got to have our own experiences at school which I think is a big reason why we are so strong now. When he graduated with his masters in education to teach secondary math, jobs were slim. Education right now is so bad, especially in PA, and he was forced to go to Maryland to accept a job so that he could make an income. I totally supported him in this decision, but now that I have graduated, it has been really hard not to have him around. If I'm lucky, I get to see him about 2 times a month-it sucks. Even though this is a very downer of a post I'll post a picture of us to brighten up this page....Any words of wisdom out there for long distance relationships??

Monday, July 18, 2011

Is it Friday yet?

Hello all!
  So today is Monday...ugh, isn't it just the worst! I think the better your weekend, the worse your monday. This weekend was very fun with beautiful weather! I saw Harry Potter on Friday. Now, for those of you who read the books religiously- what did you think? In my opinion, it was pretty different from the book in many ways. Don't get me wrong, as a movie it was EPIC, but they just left out/changed things that I felt didn't need to change. For example, where was Percy?? Or how about the battle between Harry and Voldemore? They didn't fly together around the castle and claw at each other's faces in the book! Potterwatch? Where was that? It didn't even show up in the first movie either so that was expected. They briefly mentioned Remus's kid and mentioned nothing about Harry raising him. I know I'm just being picky, but these are little things that made the book memorable to me. I was surfing the web a lot this weekend for comments on the movie and stumbled upon this awesome picture. I found it on a website that had the 20 Harry Potter Movie Sequels.It makes me laugh every time I look at it! (http://www.smosh.com/smosh-pit/photos/20-harry-potter-movie-sequels)



In other weekend news, I got to go to my friend Dan's house for a party at his house complete with a pontoon boat, campfire, and fun! It was nice to get away from the city for awhile and enjoy the outdoors. I got to spend the next day at my parent's house and enjoy some quality time in their pool to get some sun since god knows I don't get any when I'm at work in my little cubicle. I don't even see a window from my desk! The one semi-comical thing that happened at home was that I was unplugging my stereo outside and discovered there's a wasp nest under the outlet, therefore a wasp bolted out of that suckers and got me right on my hand. I screamed loud enough to probably make the neighbors think I was getting attacked but that sucker hurt! My mind traveled back to the time when I was about 8 years old at a cookout playing with water balloons with all the kids there. There must have been a yellow jacket nest in the ground as we filled up the balloons with water and I guess I was the slowest one to run away because all the yellow jackets swarmed up from their nest and stung me in about 15 different places...No wonder I started to freak out when the wasp hit me on my hand! I instantly went into 5 year old mode as I ran into my house with tears streaming down my face yelling for my mom (because moms know how to make everything feel better, right?). As my mom googled what to do for a wasp sting (I thought moms knew everything?!) and I sat there crying my dad comforted me by saying, "There's no reason to cry!"....Thanks for the comfort Dad. After all the commotion, I survived with a swelled up hand and blood shot eyes.

As I mentioned before, home was going to be my first chance to have a "weigh-in" for a while. When I lost all of my weight a few years ago, I remember the moment I looked at the scale and saw a number under 200. Well because of a little thing called Senior year, that number is back up and it really got me down this weekend. It's hard for me to talk about this, but I feel like the more I put myself out there, the more I can own up to my goals and achieve them! Although I did loose about 3 lbs from July 4th to now, I still wasn't pleased. The new gym I joined gives you a free meeting with a personal trainer to set up some goals and my appointment is this week. Let's hope I can make the most of it.

Sorry for the long post- no access to a computer all weekend so had to smush everything in one! xoxo

Friday, July 15, 2011

"And all was well."

Unless you're living under a rock, you know that Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows-Part 2 premiered last night at midnight. One downfall of being an "adult" and having a real job where you have to be up at 6am is that you can't go see a movie at midnight and expect to be functioning the next day. Because of this, I opted to buy tickets for the 7pm showing tonight. I'll be much more awake, but I'm at the edge of my seat waiting to see it! The first book, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone" was published in 1998 when I was 9 years old and now here I am at 22 and the journey is about to come to an end. I can't think of anything else in my life so far that I have followed and enjoyed for 13 years! Here's a picture of me in front of the Hogwarts Express!

I forgot to post yesterday because right after work I went out to dinner with my friend who I just graduated with to catch up and spice up our daily routines. We went to Houlihans and it was soooo delicious! You'll find my favorite drink below. It's their Georgia Peach Long Island Ice Tea! During their Happy Hour (5-7) they are only $3! It was really good to get out and do something different for a change, but I was a little disappointed that I will miss working out for 2 days in a row (since tonight is the Harry Potter movie and there's no way I'm missing that!)...I need to remember though that you need to give youself a break one in a while or you will just wear yourself out. I'll be going home this weekend where I will face the scale for the first time in a while. Hopefully it won't ruin my entire weekend and hopefully I find the motivation to keep going (any good tips out there anyone???)...Stay Tuned!






Wednesday, July 13, 2011

X-Treme Xercise!

Last week I joined a gym because my logic was if I pay for it I will go (let's hope it stays that way). I joined mainly to take Les Mills classes where you work different parts of your body in different segments set to popular music. Check them out if you're looking for something different to keep your exercise attention. So anyway, I decided to take a different class yesterday called X-treme Step. In my head I said, "Well I've done a step class before so this shouldn't be that bad." Well I found out I was wrong. The word "X-treme" is in there for a reason. There was not one break throughout the 55 minute class and the entire time my feet were moving (for the most part).

I was completely off rhythm when the unthinkable happened....I watched with horror as a girl beside me tripped on her step and fell! I was even more terified when the instructor didn't even notice and kept going. For the rest of the class I found myself going slow so that I wasn't the next victim to fall to that mean step!

In other news, on my way home, I ran into one of my friends who I met in high school and went to college with me as well. I asked him what he was up to post-graduation and such and he told me he was traveling to Guatemala to teach math to 5th graders. I was super pumped that he was doing that, but then it made me think, "What the heck can I say I've done when I look back in 5 years." I haven't went abroad or taught underpriveleged children. In this time of my life I find it hard for me to make sure I'm living out some kind of "purpose." I've been happy lately because I've been getting to work actually awake and on time and then enjoying my gym time in the evenings before I go to bed and repeat.

Well I'm off to go home and enjoy my non airconditioned apartment! Only 2 more days until HARRY POTTER (yes, I'm a Harry Potter geek). Here's me with the HP Castle at Universal Studios!



Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Is This Thing On?

Hi everyone and welcome to my very FIRST blog I've ever attempted so bear with me! I decided to start this blog because I am going through a time of my life where everything is changing and I wanted to be in control of this blog to sort out everything and hopefully meet some of you bloggers out there who have some of the same experiences/problems as me.

I decided to title my blog after a quote in Peter Pan, "To live will be a great adventure." I picked this quote because Peter Pan is all about a boy who won't grow up and right now that's how I'm feeling. I just graduated from the University of Pittsburgh with a BS in Health Information Management. I was very fortunate and had a job within a month of graduating, but I miss college so much already and it's only been a couple months!

The next few days after graduation seemed like a continuation of school, but no one had to go to class; I was loving it! Then, people starting to leave, move away, get jobs, and leave our little college bubble to burst out into the real world. Suddenly, everything was changing by the day and I was freaking out! How was I going to function without all of my friends, especially my 3 roommates who I shared everything with for the past 2 years? Luckily I had some friends still with me in Pittsburgh and my family only lives an hour away and they were and always are very supportive of me!


Tacky picture from graduation, but I couldn't help myself! My roommate's dad is a professional photographer and snapped this picture- so precious! As I keep blogging I'll keep introducing you to more things me and take you through some of the problems I go through- losing weight, keeping it off, a long distance relationship, learning how to dress in the corporate world, keeping/losing touch with friends, MONEY (borrowing $70,000 for college seemed like such a good idea at the time), and everything else that comes up. Right now I'm just going to breathe and LIVE, because like the blog title says, it will be a GREAT adventure!

xoxo
Lisa