No Time and Not Much To Say

There she is... my new bag and I just love her.  I feel bad in a Joan Jett kinda way now that I am sporting this lovely.  Well, okay....maybe the bag could use some spikes to really make it bad ass but spikes aren't really me.

I am down 1.2 lbs this week which really shocked the stuffing out of me.  I just *knew* that I had gained walking into WW.  My reason for this knowing is that I did not track or count points all week.  I was mindful about stopping when I was full and about eating good food (except the Chinese I had on Sunday) but I didn't go to the gym and ate what I pleased.  I had already decided to give myself some down time since I knew last week and this week were gonna be a little unsettling.  More on that later.

I am back on track for this week with tracking but feel as if aunt flo will make an appearance and that always messes with my head and the scale.  Fingers crossed!

Have a great weekend folks!

Thank You

Thank you all so much for your wonderful shoe suggestions.  It was hard to decide looking on line so I decided to hit up VA Runner (which is where I got my last pair of shoes).  Granted I always feel a little intimidated walking into a store that is staffed with super fit runners but they are so nice and wonderfully helpful.  $118 (!!) dollars later and I have a lovely pair of Asics that hug my feet and support my entire body.  LOVE.  I really don't mind paying that kind of money for shoes because the last pair I had I bought in 2008 and cost about $125.  That's $5.20 a month.... not bad.  :)
Here are my new babies:

Cute huh?  ;)  I even tried them out today with a full work load AND a Bodyjam class this evening at the gym.  My knees didn't hurt once.  SCORE!

Guess what?  I am down 2 more pounds for a total of 17.6 lbs AND I passed the "lost 5% of my weight" mark.  HAPPY DANCE!

In all seriousness you, my lovely web friends, helped make this possible.  I wouldn't be here now if it weren't for the support of my friends, family and angels like you.  THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

Last but not least, a thank you shout out to Julie Lost and Found and Lanie Painie for bestowing me with the Versatile Blogger Award.  Thank you ladies!  I swear I will pay it forward tomorrow when I am not so bloody tired.

KISSES!

And Now You're Back...From Outer Space

Good Lord it has been forever since I put up anything. So in order to fix that I am posting a quick blurb to let ya'll know what this little southern belle has been up to. Tomorrow is my first day off in I don't know how long. And by day off I mean that the day is my own. I don't have work, or any family obligations, no events to attend just a day to call my own. So I will be spending it catching up on blog goings on, cooking, cleaning and getting a heavenly massage tomorrow morning. Sigh. So here is a break down of the haps in my neck of the woods:

• Yes, I got the job! I will totally be doing massage for a Dr.'s office and making great bank with benefits and vacation time. Sweet!
• I have found a fellow massage therapist to share my office space with me so that it wont be going to waste. Plus since we work so well together we can now offer couples massages.
• I said goodbye to one fabulous roommate and hello to another. So far things have been awesome, of course I really haven't been around much... ;)
• I haven't been to the gym in almost two weeks.... ugggg! However starting next Monday (my first day of work) I will be going at least 4 days a week cause it's, get this, right next to my new job! So really, there is no excuse. :)
• I haven't started my 3 free months of Weight Watchers but I plan to rectify that this week.
• I have been extremely busy with massages these past couple of weeks.....life is good, money is good. :D
• For the first time in a very long time I feel as if a great weight has been lifted off of my shoulders. I will actually have health and dental insurance, something I have been without for about 6 years now.

So all in all a crazy, wonderful, stressful, happy, sad, lovely couple of weeks.

Bon Voyage!

I will return after these short messages........ ON THE 22nd!!! :)

Where The Heck Have I Been?!

It's been almost three weeks since I've posted and that's just CRAZY! There has been a lot going on since the Turkey Trot. The biggest and most important thing as been my inspiration. That 5k walk/run was exactly what I needed. I have really enjoyed the focus that seems to be taking over my workouts. I have been doing double workouts on Sundays and trying to hard core exercise 4 days a week. However this week is a little shot since I leave for the wedding cruise on Friday and seem to be suffering from a slight sinus issue today which has totally sapped my energy. But it still can't diminish my excitement for the Caribbean!!!

Seriously you guys, I can not wait to feel that warm ocean breeze, sand between my toes and a pina colada in my hand. We are very fortunate to be cruising on the Independence of the Seas by Royal Caribbean. This ship is INSANE! Not only does it have a gagillion pools, clubs and restaurants but it has one of the most beautiful gyms one can find on a cruise liner. I swear I am not just saying this because this is a weight loss blog but I really can't wait to workout on this vacation. Imagine walking around a track on the lido deck with nothing but the beautiful blue ocean as your backdrop. Sigh. They also offer yoga and pilates! I made a promise to myself that this vacation would be an active one. Relaxing but active which is why I have signed up to do Snuba on St. Thomas and Para Sailing on Labadee. So exciting!!!!

No on to more boring news, my eating has definitely suffered the past week and a half. The reason? No groceries and I don't plan on buying any before the trip. What would be the point since most of it would spoil before I returned? But guess what? On the ship they have every kind of fruit and vegetable you can imagine and I can't wait to consume them all. :) Since my funds are a little tight I have no plans to do any serious partying so this would be the perfect time to really detoxify my body and to soak up plenty of vitamins and minerals.

If I don't post before Christmas I hope that you all have a very healthy and happy holiday!!!

Soooo Tired.....

but I wanted to post my Turkey Trot time. This was my first ever marathon run/walk and I was totally smitten. Everyone was in such great spirits before, during and after and I really felt like I accomplished something awesome!

My official time for walking the 5k was: 55:23. Which beat my training time by almost 10 minutes! I guess it was the adrenaline and the people cheering us on. My mom and I finished together by running the last few feet and singing the Chariots of Fire theme song out loud. It ruled! Patherine was there cheering us on in her lovely blue Hello Kitty hat. Bless her!

I hope that more people will join us next year. It was loads of fun.

Must go now..... so sleepy.

Happy Turkey Day!

Pineapple Express

I would like to think that I am the type of person, when choosing a prize for a reached goal, that would pick something chic and cultured. Instead, this time, I wanted to laugh and forget about a rather crappy day. So I chose to take myself to see Pineapple Express. I was not disappointed. This movie was hysterical! James Franco is super delicious even as a stoner and Seth Rogen plays a fabulous straight man to James' silly one. Danny McBride also deserves mention for being freakin hilarious! I laughed so hard that I was wheezing and crying. If you just want to "go away" for a while then check this movie out. The fight scene at the end was a little much for me but hey, it's a movie for and about guys.

Reaching My Final Goal

I have been thinking about this a lot over the past several months. I have a reward system in place for when I lose the first 50 pounds, have kinda started thinking about what my rewards would be for the next 50 but beyond that I haven't really come up with anything. It seems that in typical "me" fashion I have been concentrating most on the prize at the end. What in the world would I give, get or have done to myself when I finally reach the great and powerful Oz? The possibilities are limitless because, let's face it, I really can't picture myself there yet. In my mind it is still a little unattainable and maybe that is a good thing. Maybe it helps to force me to focus on just the "next 5 pounds" because 5 pounds is not nearly as daunting as say..... the next 150 pounds. Which right now is my end goal. I want to see how I look and more importantly how I feel at 170 pounds.

If, no, WHEN I reach my final goal I want the reward to be something so spectacular, so amazing, so unbelievably outrageous that I become addicted to the idea of actually achieving it. It has to be something that I already obsess about, dream about, ache for. So here is what I came up with:

When I reach my goal of 170 pounds I am going on a two week hiking trip through the Scottish Highlands! Now the question is: WHO'S COMIN' WITH ME?! :) Check out this site and this site to get an idea of what I am talking about.

HELL YEAH!

Guess What UPS Just Dropped Off?!

!!!!!!!!!

I had decided about a week ago that I would make this my reward for the 21 Day Challenge.

I am so in love with this bathing suit that I am wearing it right now while I type this post.

" All right, Mr DeMille, I'm ready for my close up. "

I Got My Hair Did.......

and it is super cute! Sorry I don't have a picture to go with it but I will try to get one. The closest picture I could find of what my hair kinda looks like is this (the color is not the same though):

You like?

Reward For Reaching Goal # 1

I can't even begin to tell you how excited I was going into Ulta to purchase my reward for losing the first five pounds. I felt like breaking out into song and spinning in the isles but I didn't cause that would be weird. Anywho, here is what I chose:

OPI's I'm Not Really A Waitress.

You can see the color better in this picture.

and I couldn't resist picking up OPI's newest editions the Nic's Sticks paint-n-go nail lacquer in I'm Outta Here!

So, you like?