Babysitter...

Steph, this is just for you...Rosie has offered to help out whenever you need it :)

Evil vs. Good

The story of my life these days is seeing the good in the bad, or the good over the bad, or however you want to look at it.
The new project at work is interesting. The team is great and the experience I will get from this project will definitely get me going in the direction I want. The 3 hour drive each day, not so great. Luckily My salary was increases slightly and I will receive mileage reimbursement for 132 miles a day. Hopefully this covers my gas and the extra loan I had to take out to purchase my lease.
The wedding is only 2 months away, and I have so much to get done. The good thing is that when it is all over I will get away to Hawaii for 2 weeks, the bad is that I am running myself crazy trying to get everything done.
The walk is 3 weeks away. It's sneaking up quick and I haven't been getting much walking in lately. We did however reach our fundraising goal for the year, which feels amazing.
The weight front...well, the scale is hoovering at about 128-130. I'm not sure what will get it moving again. The workouts must be paying off though because my dress is fitting better and I can definitely see a difference in my arms and thighs. I'm staying on plan and eating well balanced meals/snacks...That's what is important to me right now.
I don't have much new going on lately, there is no time for new! I did get my hair chopped off on Friday and then Saturday Derek and I went to a Halloween party at some friends house. I had a great time and didn't worry too much about my stomach flab. I was irritated most of the night with one of the girls there. She had her stomach stapled about a year ago and it was all she talked about. I am glad that she lost the weight and all, but she was treating me like I didn't understand what it was like to be "bigger" and the emotions that go along with losing the weight. Some people just need to open their minds.

I need this for the 3-Day walk!!

I entered the Gracie Gear Giveaway!
Check out Roni’s Weight Loss Blog for more information.

Seat Assignments

I just received our seat assignments for Hawaii!!! I cannot wait to leave on our honeymoon...a little less then 3 months away! Our seats are pretty good, we have a window and a middle seat...I am so nervous for the long flight though! Eeek!
We leave for San Diego in 5 weeks. Our walk is Nov. 21-23, I think I am ready for it to be over. I am so busy with the wedding and work that training is whatever I can fit in. Usually it's about an hour a day, that's not too bad. I can't wait to get out there and just get going. It is the last "big" event I have before the wedding.
Training with Laurie is going well. I enjoy getting my workout over and done with early in the morning at least 2 days a week and I think I am starting to notice a small difference. I think that by the walk I will be noticing it a lot more. The dress is starting to fit better too. We were able to zip it up on Saturday, it's tight but it zipped.
My sister hosted my first wedding shower on Saturday, it was so nice to see all my family and friends and BOY did I get a lot of awesome stuff for the house. My grandparents bought us knives and my parents got us new pans....I love everything!
Derek's family also came in for the shower. I cold have done without that but at least it was just a weekend. I love his Mom and Step-Dad to death, they are great and so down-to-earth. His Dad and Step Mom on the other hand...crazy. It was like the whole weekend they were trying to put on a production and impress everyone...drives me nuts! I pretended to be sick on Sunday just so I wouldn't have to go down and converse with them. Bitch, right?
I finally met his oldest sister, Mia who is in the wedding. I love her, she is soooo outgoing and fun. I felt like I could tell her everything. Plus I think it is so cool that even though she doesn't know me or any of my friends she totally joined in when we went to try on the dress and what not. She just is so excited to be part of it all.
Last but not least, Rosie got her dress and she is so adorable in it. She was so excited to put it on she could barely stand still. Once she had it on she twirled around in it and called herself Cinderella. She was hilarious! I put mine on and she told EVERYONE about her matching dress. It was so cute! Our friend Erik came over later in the afternoon and she was calling him "Prince Erik"...too funny. I will post pictures as soon as I get them.

Making changes.

I've tried to write this post 5 or 6 times now and every time I get busy doing something else. Well, I officially accepted the promotion and project in St. Cloud. So far I have loved the new team and really the 1.5 hour drive to work isn't as bad as it sounds. Hopefully I will have a hands-free thing for my phone by next week and I will actually get in some return phone calls during the drive.
Things are crazy at home. I finally decided to start tearing apart the upstairs rooms to decorate but Derek's parents are coming to stay with us on Friday and we don't have anything put back together. I took Thursday and Friday off to clean, decorate and relax. Derek and I both have massage appointments on Friday. It is our treat to each other. I can't wait.
Saturday is my first wedding shower!! I can't believe the wedding is less then 3 months away. Eek, I have a lot to do!
The weight front is okay. The dress is starting to fit better, we can get it zipped but it is extremely tight. I am getting in 2 hour long strength/cardio routines a week plus 2-3 days of cardio. I have been too busy to be hungry so that always helps too. The scale dropped another lb. last week and hopefully I start seeing a difference in my inches the next couple of weeks.

Making it my lifestyle.

I've been struggling a lot in the last month with my depression. The weather is starting to turn cold and it is usually dark by the time I get home these days. Work is crazy, trying to wrap up my project and get used to a new team and project at the same time. I start my new project on Monday :( I am scared!
The good news is that I am starting to come to a realization that healthy living has become a lifestyle for me. I don't dread getting on the treadmill in the mornings, rather miss it when I don't get it in. I don't think about what I am cooking or eating, but trust that I am making "healthy" choices for my body. By all means this does not mean that I haven't splurged. I just think that I don't give myself enough credit for where I am.
The scale has been down, I am not checking it a lot these days but trying to get on at least every Friday to see if I am at least on the right track. I have started working with a personal trainer. Since I received a promotion this month, I felt like I needed to treat myself. Instead of celebrating at the table I decided to treat myself to a personal trainer. I meet with her twice a week for an hour each time. I have 24 sessions with her so my last day will be the Monday before my wedding! I love the workouts and I wish I could afford to have a personal trainer for life!

It's my Friday...

Today is my Friday, I am leaving at noon today and won't be back to work until Monday! I am so ready for a couple days off. Unfortunately I'm not going to be getting any rest and relaxation done. In fact, I plan on getting about 10 APs a day! My fellow walkers and I are having a HUGE fundraiser sale at my house and there is a ton to be done. We still have about $1000 to raise before November.
I have been so stressed out with this work stuff that I haven't been sleeping well. I'm going to do a lot of thinking, planning and talking this weekend and hopefully I will feel better about the situation by Monday. I am very excited about the promotion it is just too bad the drive almost outweighs that.
Work-outs are going okay this week. I haven't been getting up early most mornings but have managed to get a run in almost every afternoon. The scale was down yesterday but I had a late dinner last night and didn't want to get on this morning. I will have my official WI tomorrow morning and we will see where I am at.

I think I need a wife...

Seriously, work is crazy right now and therefore so is life. I got thinking this morning while running on the treadmill...even though Derek and I share most of the responsibilities, I am still the one that kind of runs the house. I schedule the calendar, I pick whats for dinner, I usually make the move to start dinner or pack lunches or start cleaning...even if Derek does help out I don't think they would get done if I wasn't taking the lead. I guess that seems pretty normal though, I mean usually it is the women in the house that does that sort of stuff, regardless if both partners work...it's just in our nature. Anyways, I got thinking how great it would be to have a wife. I know it sounds horrible and I don't mean it in a gender biased way at all. I just can't imagine not having to worry about what's for dinner, when is cleaning going to get done, what chores are there to do, etc...
What got me thinking about this? Well, I got some news at work, good and bad news. The good news is...I'm getting my promotion, FINALLY! The bad news is that my next project is in St. Cloud, MN...70 miles from my house. I will be in the car 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. That's 140 miles a day, 700 miles a week! Have I mentioned to you all how much I HATE to drive. Yeah, what am I getting into? Business is slow though and at least I have a job and at least I will be compensated for the driving.
Needless to say though, I am stressed out. I have a billion things on my plate right now and all I keep thinking about is "who is going to run the house". Derek takes care of his stuff and he is great at keeping up on the lawn, trash, bills, etc... but if he was left to run the house I'm pretty sure he would only clean about once a month and his idea of a good dinner is sitting down with a bag of chips and a jar of salsa. We have some major changes ahead of us. I can say that along with my nerves I have excitement. It will be a great project and an awesome team. I'm just not so sure about that drive!
I have to run, but I promise to update more later this week. The weight front is going well. The scale started to move in the right direction this week so hopefully I can record a loss this week!!!