Well hello there, 2017!

     This week I really have been reminded why I started this journey a few years ago. I can truly say, for the first time in a VERY long time, I feel amazing! I really feel like everything is clicking for me again. My workouts don't seem like work, and my will power is so on point that avoiding temptation is almost easy. This is how I felt before, and it feels so good to feel this way again.
     It was a successful week in many ways. Back in the kitchen this week with many home cooked dinners... some in my new Instant Pot (which I absolutely love!!!)! We went out to dinner one night this week, but I was able to stay on track. On The Border actually has a really great light menu, and I was able to stay away from the chips and queso. Was faced with chips and queso again at lunch yesterday, and was able to walk away with a chip count of 0! With great tasting food, you really don't feel deprived at all!
     I refound my love for reading on the treadmill this week too! It is so nice to read something other than a text book... and it makes the time on the treadmill go by so fast! Looking forward to many great reads this year!
     This morning has already been a productive morning, too. Dinners are planned for the week... I've been to the gym... and weekly grocery shopping is done! Lots of yummy dinners planned this week! Really hoping this motivation keeps rolling. It sure does feel great.
     All of this resulted ina 7.8 pound loss this week!!!
     I am even excited about my wedding dress again, which, I have to admit, has been the last thing on my mind for the past couple of months. Hopefully a fitting is in my future... 😊

What a year!

     For the past few weeks I have seen so many Facebook posts saying "Good riddance, 2016" and more comments to the same effect. I really can't say this is true for us. 2016 was a great year for Roger and I, and while I am sad to see it go, I am so excited to see what 2017 has in store for us!

     There were some great additions to our family in 2016! In February, our new niece, Kennedy, was born. She has the sweetest personality and is a total love bug! In March we welcomed a new nephew, Eliason, and in July we were blessed with a granddaughter, Claire. We can't wait to meet these two new loves in July, when we are planning a trip to Minnesota for the 4th!

     We had a baseball road trip through the southern states planned for the summer, but school threw a wrench it that. We made the best of it, though, and were able to make it to 3 new ballparks, bringing our total to 10! In May we went to San Diego where we saw the Dodgers play the Padres -- what a great rivalry to experience! We also got to go to Sea World (which we both loved!), and spent a breezy day at the beach. In July, our baseball travels took us to Cincinnati where we met up with over 100 other "STAMPeders" for the first annual Ballpark Stampede. For those of you that don't know, Roger and I belong to a group of some really great people who share our interest of baseball. We have a Ballpark Passport book that we take to every ballpark with us and we "Get Validated!" at every park. The passport is much like a US Passport and each ballpark has different validation stations, usually guest services or a team store, where we take our passport to get it stamped. I like to call this "getting our stamp on!" Tim, the developer of the Ballpark Passport, is an amazing man (and now a great friend!). He arranged a great day for all of us in Cincinnati. We took a tour of the Reds Hall of Fame and the ballpark, had a question and answer session with some Reds Hall of Famers, watched batting practice, and watched the Reds take on the Diamondback. It was a fun packed day, and we met so many great people! While in Cincinnati, we also got to meet up with my friend Betsy and her husband, Jesse, and daughter, Eisley. We had a great dinner with them at a really great BBQ restaurant! Roger even talked Betsy into taking us to a local brewery near their house. It really was a great weekend! Our final baseball trip was to Atlanta in September. This was the final season for Turner Field, so we knew we had to knock that stadium out before the Braves finished playing there. We were able to meet up with quite a few STAMPeders at this game as well. Roger's cousin, Leah, flew in to Atlanta from Florida and spent the weekend with us. We had such a great time! Along with the Braves game, we went to an Atlanta Falcons game and toured Coca Cola world. Such great memories!

     The Thanksgiving Caribbean cruise is still so fresh in our minds! I think it is safe to say we wish we were still there! We really had a great time with the group we were with! Our dining room servers, Leo and Adis, were awesome and made each night's meal worth going to the dining room for! We spent some time at the beach and got to interact with Stingrays in the Bahamas. Spent another day at the beach (in some amazing water!) in St. Thomas, visited a local baseball stadium (I know, shocker!) in San Juan, and another beach day in Grand Turk. Roger discovered his love for snorkeling on this trip! We had so much fun we already have another cruise booked for next year!

     Oh, and how could I forget.... ??? I got something shiny in May! Ahhh! I am so lucky that this ring represents the love between Roger and I. Every time I look at it, I think about the day I will become his wife. The wedding planning has been so fun so far, and I can't wait to see how the day pans out! One thing is for sure, it is going to be a great day celebrating us!

     School is going great as well. I am just finishing up my pre-reqs and submitted my BSN program application last week. Fingers crossed! I should know by the end of February!

     2016 was great, and I am confident that 2017 will be even better! 2017 is going to be the year I make myself a priority. Not only is it my year to get healthy, but it is my year to stay healthy! Thank you everyone for your support so far. Keep hanging on... the best is yet to come!

Merry Christmas!!!

     I hope everyone had a great Christmas! We sure did! It was a great day spent with family. And of course we all got spoiled! I had so much fun watching the kids open their presents (pictures and videos of the grandbabies in Minnesota!). The looks on their faces was priceless!

     I ended up getting 2 pressure cookers for Christmas! I am so excited to put them to use! They are going to help so much with making healthy meals during the week. I already have so many great recipes I can't wait to try!

     It is so hard to believe we are in the last week of 2016. I have to say, 2016 had a much better ending than 2015. Everyone is happy and healthy, and that is really all that matters! This also means that we are in the last week of our team weight loss challenge. Roger and I have lost a combined 7 pounds so far. I think that is great for the month of December! Can't wait to see what we can do with the new year!

     3 months until the girls trip to Vegas to check out some venues! I am super excited! It's going to be a great weekend with some amazing girls! Hopefully we can find the venue that is going to work! In the meantime... Operation: Wedding Dress is in full force!

Oh, The Holidays!

     The holidays got me this week. I had a gain. The gain wasn't as much as I lost last week, but it was still a gain. Upward and onward. Gotta hold on to how I feel right now and let that guide me through this week. I did work out some this week, but I know I can do better. And this week WILL be better!
     We had my office Christmas party last night. So much yummy food! I think one of the hardest parts of this year is not only staying away from temptation, but rebounding when that temptation gets the best of you. Sure, I didn't do as well as I hoped I was going to this week. But the biggest decision comes today. Do I continue to fall into the trap because "I already had a gain, so might as well start over with the New Year?" or do I learn from it and move on. I'm choosing the later.
     Roger is still on board and he actually had a loss this week! Makes me hate men and their metabolism even more! ;)
     I guess that's about it from our little neck of the woods this week. 1 more week til Christmas! :)

Only Going Down From Here...

   

     This week was the successful week I was looking for and needed! I lost 5.4 pounds this week and it felt great! It was the first week of our Couples Weight Loss Challenge and Roger and I lost a combined 10.3 pounds! I am really loving doing this together!
     A lot of our weight loss this week was probably water weight from what he gained on vacation, but it was great to see the scale move in that direction nonetheless! It wasn't a perfect week at all, and that just helps even more to stay motivated. I am committed to making this week an even better week! Adding the gym back in this week. Even though this can slow the scale down, I know I am going to start feeling so much better physically in no time!
     We had such a great day yesterday celebrating Roger's birthday! We surprised him with Christmas Story The Musical at the dinner theatre for lunch yesterday, and then had a small gathering of friends and family for a couple's bunco night. Mom made her delicious lasagna and we had a lot of fun. This may have been the biggest win of the week knowing that we can still have celebrations like this and still have a great week!
     Today I plan on doing some meal planning... something I haven't done in a very long time. I know it helps with success and it is so much less stressful not having to figure out dinner after a long day at work. It helps to have Roger help with this, too, so that he has somewhat of a say on what we have for dinner. We'll be going out to dinner for his birthday on Tuesday night, but we are trying really hard to limit eating out to one night a week.
     I have some work to do before I try the dress on again... but I feel like I am finally back on track!

Today is the Day!

     Today is the day! I had an "aha!" day like this a few years ago and it ended up in the loss of 104 pounds. While I am so glad that I don't have that far to go again, I am so upset with myself that I have gotten back to where I am right now. But I'm done looking back. I'm done fretting over what has happened. It is what it is, and I am lucky enough to be able to change it. 

     Vacation is over. It was an AMAZING vacation spent with some pretty great people. I visited places that were more beautiful that I could ever imagine, and truly fell in love with my fiance all over again. I am so glad we are able to spend these times together. It wasn't so long ago that these vacations were just dreams for us. We have both worked so hard to get to where we are, and the places we get to go, and I am so proud of us for that!

     While I tried not to let the way I looked or felt bother me, deep down it really did. I didn't take the pictures I wanted to take, and probably didn't do everything I wanted to do. But no looking back, only forward. I am looking forward to feeling good about myself again, and am so excited to see the pictures that will be taken on our next cruise. God has put some pretty amazing people in my life, and I am learning to take full advantage of that!

    Watch out world, today is the beginning of my next chapter. And this one is going to be the best one yet!

Total Reset... After Vacation...

   

     Ugh... Here I am. 2 days before vacation and no where near where I wanted to be. It's ok, though. I am going to have fun! And when I get back Operation: Wedding Dress is on full force!
     I was reminded tonight it had been a while since I've posted. I can think of a million excuses, but it probably just comes down to the fact I haven't been doing well. Food is honestly my struggle. I love to work out... And feel great when I do! But when I'm busy with work and school my meal planning is the first thing to go. Something I am going to focus on when we get back.
     The dreaded holidays are coming. No excuse though. I can do this!
     Wedding planning is frustrating! It doesn't look like the first venue I liked is going to work out. Poor communication from the get go isn't such a great thing. Roger and I both really liked it, and I can't say enough how ideal the location is. But everything happens for a reason, and I know there is something out there that is even more perfect for us! My mom, Holly, Gretchen and I are taking a girl's trip in April to look at a few more places. I am so lucky to have them!
     I hope everyone has a great a Thanksgiving! We are leaving for our cruise Thursday night and I plan on checking in after with a solid plan for Operation: Wedding Dress!