Super Bowl, Super Broke, and Six Times a Bridesmaid

Well, the Super Bowl is tomorrow.

The Super Bowl is tomorrow. 

Holy cow, the Super Bowl is tomorrow!!! Yeah!!!!

So I'm off to the grocery store in about ten minutes, just as soon as I finish this blog to get my supplies for sausage balls and the Super Bowl party I'm going to tomorrow.

Sometimes, it's hard for me to go to a Super Bowl party. I'm a little nuts when I watch football. If you've ever read this blog, you might have noticed I'm a bit of a fans. Just a bit. However, the last three times the Patriots won the Super Bowl I was at a church Super Bowl party. The other two times? I was at a party at a friend's house. 

Yes, I know that where I watch the Super Bowl has absolutely ZERO impact on the game. Rationally, I know that. However, like the good sports fan that I am, I am totally and irrationally superstitious. I will be wearing the same jersey I've worn all playoffs. 

So, anyway, that's usually why I watch at home. Mostly because I have to control myself around the general public and I don't have to do that at home. I might or might not yell at a the TV, talk back to the announcers (my go to is "shut up, Collinsworth, you're an idiot"), and insult the intelligence of the refs...

So what am I making? really, really bad for you (but mostly clean!) sausage balls.

I'll make my own bisquick out of wheat flour (yay clean eating), then combine it with two pounds of sausage and cheddar. Then I'll bake them in little balls and they will be delicious. 

That's okay, as all the cross-fit, paleo girls who are coming to the party are saying that the Super Bowl is a diet "cheat day". I'm down with that. I'll probably go to the gym tomorrow so I don't feel like a total pig because I can guarantee some stress eating will happen. It's the Patriots. I'll indulge my tendency to stress eat a little tomorrow, since there will still be no retail therapy.

So I'm a solid month into the Total Money Makeover. And I've already goofed. 

Here's how, so you can avoid rookie mistakes like this. I get paid on the 15th and 30th. So I did my budget based on that. But I neglected the whole surviving from the 30th to the next paycheck thing. So I had budgeted to have used every last cent of my paychecks on the 15th and 30th during the month of January.

See the problem? 

I would have had no money (I mean NONE) until February 15th. So I added something new: flex money. On the 30th, I will pull out $100 to cover anything that there isn't money left over for until the next paycheck comes and I can replenish the envelopes. 

I'm sure this "flex money" will eventually not be needed as I get better at planning ahead and sticking like super glue to my budget. But until I adjust, this is just how it's gonna be. Plus I can use the flex money to cover things like baby shower presents and bridesmaid dresses (I'm going for my 6th trip down the aisle NOT wearing white.) instead of having to figure them into the budget every month as they come up. 

Yes, I just found out like ten minutes ago that I would be bridesmaid dress shopping on Monday night. 

So I guess I better go easy on the snacks at the Super Bowl. There is NOTHING worse than trying on bridesmaid dresses when you're all bloated and feel gross. I mean, some of them are hideous enough as it is. You don't need the added bonus of bloating and grossness to add to the chances of trying on some truly awful dresses.

I actually enjoy dress shopping and there are some really wonderful dresses out there, but I have never been dress shopping for these things where I didn't try on at least ONE dress that was hideously ugly. Seriously, what bridge puts her friends/family in dresses like that???? 

Guys, the movie 27 Dresses was only mild hyperbole. There are some really bad dresses out there. And some really regrettable wedding choices. Can I just elope please? (can someone just ask me out, please???) ;)

In all seriousness, I am very happy for my cousin, and hopefully we will get good dresses. I haven't had any truly hideous ones, just a few that weren't my taste. Though I've tried on some doozies (including one that we now refer to as "the shiny poop dress"). 

I'll try to find time to break down the game before tomorrow, and if not, there will be either a euphoric post next week or a post next week about the glories of hockey and baseball with a side of depression. 

And I know I said I'd review Sons of Liberty. You have to actually watch it to review it...I'll get to it eventually. It's chilling in the DVR. So when I watch, I will review. 

For now, Go Pats!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

Here's a video from Jimmy Kimmel that is hysterical followed by some blatant homerism and gifs. 

#doYourJob #OnToSeattle #onToSB49 

I Resolve. Sort of.

So, dearest blog, what's new?

Other than my SUPER long rant about that-which-shall-not-be-mentioned-about-balls, I've neglected this blog. 

First year teaching = less of a life than grad school. I didn't think that was possible, but it is. 

But it's January, time for the oh-so-trite resolutions. Note, I still have my resolution to lose weight. I went through Christmas without gaining any, which I think is a win. So that's still there, but I've learned to do baby steps with my weight loss goals. I don't really count that as a "resolution". 

One resolution I've had is to be more organized. The other is to do Dave Ramsey's Total Money Makeover. 

To do these, I knew I needed some supplies: 

For my budgeting and organizing, I chose an Erin Condren planner, a cute binder (thanks Hobby Lobby!) and a bunch of Pinterest printables. I would list them all but I honestly don't remember which ones I ended up using and which I did not. They're all on this board: 

Follow sara's board Organization Compulsion Disorder on Pinterest.

So I got my binder ready, I used cardstock and my circle cutter to make tabs for financial things, for health things, and for my to do lists and grocery lists. 

Then I got Dave Ramsey's book Total Money Makeover from the library. I read it cover to cover. It was a very interesting read, actually, not at all what I expected. And it kicked. My. Butt. 

Man.

I thought I was making decent financial decisions. And then Dave tells you this and tells you why this is the truth and it makes sense and it's totally a "duh, why didn't I think of that before!" kind of thing. Granted, not everything was like that, but he lays it all out, logical and without any nonsense or business-ese mumbo-jumbo. 

So now I've got a budget for the first time ever (shocking, at 28, I know, but true!). I've also got envelopes with cash and I'm not allowed to use my debit card. I'm focusing with gazelle-like intensity on getting rid of my debt (the book explains that little nugget...) and it's...hard.

I mean, really, really hard. I wanted a "Do Your Job" t-shirt from the Pats pro shop (here...it's wonderful, fits great and is super soft!) so I had to sacrifice ordering lunch with my fellow teachers for the entire month. I cut my grocery budget so I could buy things for my classroom. I know I have money and I can't spend it because it's earmarked for my debt. 

It sucks. 

Like, a lot.

A whole lot. 

But what's getting me through (other than my super-cute binder) is the idea that after next month, this debt will be gone, and by April this one will be paid off and the car is done by this and student loans will be done in two years. TWO YEARS. How many people can say that? Though I might have to stretch mine out to five because I work in a low-income, high-need area and can get some of them forgiven. But those are questions for when my Student Loans are my only debt and I can start saving for a down payment and become a homeowner. 

For reals, y'all. 

That's an awesome thought. But I'm not going to deny it's hard. I'm going through a lot of things right now where my prayer is just "Jesus, you take control". I've even found myself singing the line "Jesus take the wheel" whenever I get down about my singleness (not too often) or my debt issue (more often) or my weight (almost daily). 

What was it that they say in The Princess Bride? Oh yeah "Life is pain, highness. Anyone who says differently is selling something". And that's totally true but not true. Yes, there is a lot of pain in life. Some small, some soul crushing, but it's there. I try not to let it get to me. 

I usually have a sunny outlook and disposition, and really, the things that pain me are totally what you would call #1stworldproblems. But they're still problems. And that's why I'm trying to constantly say "Jesus take the wheel" because when I drive, I drive like a crazy grandma who can't stay on the road and is likely to wreck the car before I get to my destination. So it's better if someone with a little more experience and grace takes over. But that doesn't mean it's easy.

Oh no. 

Not for this girl. 

I am a straight-up, Monica Geller style control freak. I mean, I have a planner where I write down LITERALLY everything I have to do. From dentist appointments to making my bed to laundry. It all goes in the planner so that I have a schedule and I know what I need to do.

Yes. I am that bad. But it is helping. And being this crazy organized is helping me get through my first year of teaching (halfway there!!!!!! wohoo!!!) and it is helping with the whole budget "no you can't buy that" thing. 

Why am I struggling so much? I'll tell you. My default stress things are shopping and food. I can't shop because I'm on a budget. Gizelle-like intensity and all that. And I don't want to do food because I've worked too hard to get where I am and I'm not going back. 

My solution: reading, working out, cleaning, and Pinterest. Whichever one strikes me at the time. It's not perfect, because sometimes all I want to do is go to target and buy myself a cute shirt or a pair of workout shorts. But I have to tell myself "no". I'm 20 days in to the whole Total Money Makeover. I'm not used to it yet, but I hear it gets better. And easier.

Just like my TV watching. I used to have, like ten shows that I never missed. Now? Now I'm behind on Big Bang Theory (I'll catch up this summer),  I have the final 5 episodes of White Collar still in the DVR ready to watch. I just caught up on Once Upon a Time over Christmas break, and I've got two episodes of Gallivant and four episodes of The Librarians chilling on the DVR. Not to mention I'm an entire season behind on two shows that I usually kind of keep up with. But I'm not dying to see them or freaking out because I don't know. I guess grad school and 1st year teaching have kind of...broken me of my TV habit. That, and a bunch of my shows ended last year (White Collar, Psych, Burn Notice).

I will be watching Sons of Liberty which I DVRed and will eventually get to. It comes on too late for me to watch it live (#teacherlife) but it looks really good. I'll review it hopefully by the end of the week.

With that being said, it's time to start gearing up for the Super Bowl. #GoPats #OnToSeattle #DoYourJob

So much awesomeness right now, with the Pats in SB49, the Bruins finally playing well, and baseball is coming soon (pitchers and catchers report 2/20!!!!) so I'm one happy sports girl right now. As long as no one brings up balls...

Not So Badly Done

So like most Americans (seriously, we need to do something about this) I'm wanting to lose weight. I actually have lost almost 30 pounds since last August, which is not too shabby. My goal is to be 2-5 more pounds down by the end of August to bring that total up to 32-35 lost in one year. Not stellar but I'll take it. 

I'm not going to spend a whole long time on this because 1. I'm not done, 2. I'm not an expert and 3. Not so much the point of this entry. 

Anyway, I'm putting the goals down on the interwebs to help keep myself accountable. I want to be another 10-15 pounds down (ish) from now in November, and at my goal weight by next August. But I'm not thinking too much about those down the line goals, I'm focusing on the 2-5, which has actually helped me lose and keep it off. The little goals are easy and I don't get discouraged. How am I doing this? By putting everything I eat into my FitBit app, watching what I eat, and working out. Simple. Traditional. Effective. 

Moving right along...

If you haven't been watching Emma Approved you need to go do it right now. I mean, I loved Pemberley Digital's updated version of Pride and Prejudice with the Lizzie Bennet Diaries, and their update of Emma has been just as awesome. Seriously, updating Jane Austen is HARD, and they've done a spectacular job. 

**SPOILER ALERT FOR THE FOLLOWING TWO PARAGRAPHS**

Anywho, Emma is one of my all-time favorite books. I feel like I've said this before but it bears repeating. So for those of you who know the story, we just got to the point where Mr. Knightley scolds Emma for her treatment of Miss Bates at Box Hill. Now, in the adaptation, they had Emma embarrass Maddy Bates about her home-made jams at the celebrity opening of the restaurant Boxx in Beverley Hills (I see what you did there...). Then Jane gets mad at Emma because Jane is in love with Frank who has been hanging all over Emma like crazy, but we know that Frank is just doing that so no one knows about him and Jane. Why, I don't know. So Jane reams Emma out (somewhat rightly so, but not entirely). Emma (fantastically acted by Joanna Sotomura) is reeling from this when Alex Knightley enters to get on her case about being mean to Maddy. 

We know, of course, that Knightley has come to the realization that he's in love with Emma and he can't stand to see her act like Frank Churchill. He believes she's acting like Frank because she's in love with Frank, which we all know isn't true, but Emma's behavior in this instance is not good. So Knightley leaves, and Emma, who has always had things handed to her is suddenly adrift. I hate sounding fangirlish but, the feels! I can't wait to see what tomorrow's episode will bring!

Moving right along. Mostly because that was two episodes ago and it still...mmm. So well done, guys! So well done! 

Last, but not least, book time.

I've started The Cost of Discipleship by Dietrich Bonhoeffer. Talk about right in the feels! This book is convicting and well-written, if a little hard to get through because of the depth of the content and the language, which is at a significantly higher level than a fiction novel. (I know, talk about shifting gears...) Anyway, so far, so good. It's been an interesting read that has given me a great deal to think on. I think this will be a slower read than what I am used to, however, I think it'll impart much more knowledge than what I usually read as well. 

Until next time :D

On the lookout for my Leben schlanger shicksals schatz...and healthy football food too

One of the Patriot's SB trophies

So today I need to find snacks for a party Sunday. I mean, who isn't hosting/going to/deciding against going to a party this weekend? Just about everyone, I think. But that's the problem with parties, especially ones that revolve around football. You're sitting for at least two hours, you don't really do anything active, and the snacks? Well. You're talking about pizza and chips and dip and pretzels and chicken wings and subs and basically really bad for you stuff. I mean, when faced with a choice, would you rather have a buffalo chicken wing or buffalo cauliflower? Let's be honest. I'm going for the chicken wing basically every time.

And when you go to these parties, not everyone there is on a diet. You don't want to be the weird person who brought the chickpea and quinoa goat cheese lettuce wraps (I'm making that up off the top of my head but it actually might be good...) You want to bring stuff that will get eaten: brownies, cake pops, chips, pizza rolls. Fear not, for I have scoured the web for you and have come up with some delicious selections: 

1. Crispy chicken fingers baked with Cornflakes (recipe here)
• I have had these before, and if done right, they're a very tasty replacement for traditional chicken fingers
2. Hoisin glazed turkey meatballs (recipe here)
• I've never had these, but they look and sound absolutely delicious. 
3. Crab stuffed mushrooms (recipe here, you have to scroll down a bit)
• So good. Like, incredibly good. I am pretty much obsessed with stuffed mushrooms but I could eat like ten of these. And really, in terms of appetizers, not so bad.
4. Chipotle chicken sweet potato skins (recipe here)
• Sounds weird, I know. But they are very, very good.
5. Baked zucchini fries (recipe here)
• I made these at least twice a month summer before last. Couldn't do it that much this past summer because it was a really bad year for squash and zucchini. But these are so good. They're like cheese sticks and french fries all rolled into one. 

And look, some nights, you have to just let it go and not stress if you're eating a slice of pizza or a cookie. The answer is in portion control. Don't be this guy:

Side note: I have no idea why I keep using Supernatural gifs, other than the fact that they seem to have a gif for literally EVERYTHING. Next post, I'll try to find something Sherlockian or from the Office or something.

I was actually at a dinner party a week ago and my friend laughed at my plate because it was literally full of half-dollar size servings of everything. Despite the laughing, I've found that helps me with my portion control at parties and holidays and such. Everything looks so good and you want to try it all, but if you get an actual serving of everything, you'll be sick, for one, and destroying the diet, for two. I'm all for a splurge day, but this is how I compromise. It's nice, because I get to try a little of everything, and if I really like something, I go back and get an actual serving. If I don't like something, I didn't have that much to begin with so I'm not wasting food. 

If you just want to eat without thinking about it, sometimes you need that sort of day. For my part, I will probably again get teased for my wacky looking plate, but at the end of the night I won't have a food baby from eating too much, I'll have tried a lot of different things, and I won't feel like I've wrecked my diet. 

Want my advice? Enjoy the evening. Cheer for the Seahawks, watch the commercials and relax. The gym will absolutely be there Monday. 

Moving right along. If you actually read the title of this entry (and you should, I put a lot of work in making my titles clever/accurate) you might have gone "huh?" because it looks like I banged on the keyboard for a few seconds in the middle there. 

Wrong.

That's an actual German word. HIMYM fans know what it is. It's laben schlanger schicksals schatz. It means "lifelong treasure of destiny" in German or simply "soul mate". Somehow, some of the most profound and beautiful lines in How I Met Your Mother are given by characters that are only in an episode or two. Klaus explains the German idea of soul mates to Ted by saying that it is "something that happens instantaneously. It courses through you like the water of a river after a storm, filling you and emptying you all at once." 

Yesterday I talked about my singledom and how I'm okay with it. I am. Because I am looking for my schlanger...whatever, my soul mate. My "can't eat, can't sleep, reach for the stars, over the fence, World Series kind of " love (if you can guess the movie that little gem came from, kuddos to you 90s kid!). Why waste my time with a guy that I'm not going to end up with? Looking for that spark? Forcing it because I don't want to be alone? Nope. Not happening. 

Does that mean I'm waiting for some crazy sign and won't give anyone a chance until I feel it/see it? No. But ladies, come on, we know. When you go on a date with a guy and you just don't feel...anything...you know it's time to move on. 

I don't know who or what is coming around the corner, the cool thing about finishing up Grad school and actually getting to get a real teaching job in the fall is that I don't know where I'll be. I don't know what grade or what school, it's a bit of an adventure, so I'm approaching my search for the ONE in the same way. Yes, I'm going to apply for jobs and do my best at an interview, but I don't know when or where that job is going to come from. Same deal with the whole singleness situation. I could meet someone in the grocery store shopping for party supplies tomorrow or it could be a few years, it's out of my hands. 

But dude, once you meet me, get a move on, will you? I am NOT known for my patience. 

So that's all for today, folks. Enjoy the game tomorrow, I'll likely NOT be blogging because I have a party to prepare for and a game to watch and I might try to make it to the gym so I can eat without worries at said party. After the confetti settles, I'll post my own recap of the game with my very own special twist. I'll either be in mourning (broncos win) or celebrating (go Seahawks!). Catch you Monday!

Last one. I couldn't resist...the Supernatural fandom really does have a gif for every occasion, bless them.

Cabin Fever, or...Why I love the cable knit shawl collar pullover sweater (with elbow patches)

So day two. I finally got out of the house after being snowed in the last two days (the non-perks of a small car). Even if it was just going to the bank and walmart, I was OUT I was FREE! 

And then I came home and did one of the craziest things I've ever done: I got my mother started on Pinterest. 

Yep.

Why do I do these things to myself? Seriously. 

So while I kept reminding her "you have to name the board before you click create" and "It's pinned, you don't have to keep going back and checking", I started playing around on Pinterest on my phone. 

I have quite a few pins (over 3,000) and many of them are DIY, fitness, teaching, all that good stuff. However, I saw a few pictures while browsing the "Popular" category that had me create a new secret board: "If I had a man, I'd dress him like this". Well, I don't like my boards to be just four or five pins, so I went through and pinned every delicious suit worn by Matt Boomer and Neal Patrick Harris on their respective shows, as well as a few things from the "mens fashion" category on Pinterest (but have you seen how many of those guys are carrying PURSES? You can carry a bag, guys, but if it's a purse, nope. Hand in the man card). 

Derailing. Anywho. I then added lots of pictures of Steven Amell (Arrow on the CW) and the always lovely Jensen Ackles (Supernatural). I am 95% sure that his wife, Danneel Harris Ackles (Rachel from One Tree Hill) dresses him, and she hits it out of the park. The gif above is from the show, so that's a costume thus Dean's style and not really my taste. This, however, is: 

I have now learned that this sweater is called a "cable knit shawl collar pullover sweater with elbow patches". Sold. I don't know what it is about this particular sweater, but I've now seen it on like five different guys and every time it is ridiculously hot. Seriously. 

So as you might have noticed, the title of that pin board was "if I had a man". Yes, I am, lamentably (?) still single, which actually doesn't bother me because I don't actually have the time to devote to any person right now. So that's sort of in God's hands, I'm not pushing, I'm not looking, I'm just going with the flow of His plan and if He pushes someone towards me, great, if not, that's okay too. That's why my new pinboard is cracking me up. I looked at it once I finished pinning like crazy and it was all over the place, like leather, plaid, sweaters, wool coat, button down, chambray, jeans and a T-shirt, crew neck, v-neck, vests, suits, combat boots and sandals. And then a bunch of cable knot shawl collar pullover sweaters (a few with elbow patches). Actually, there were a lot of elbow patches...not really sure what that's about. 

So what does this have to do with the price of tea in China? Nothing. Mostly is was a derailment from helping my mom get started on Pinterest, but it was a fun one. Which leads me to an actual point (that has to do with weight loss and everything!!! wohoo!) 

First off, my starting weight might have been a bit off. I'm actually back down to 161. Which is what I was before Christmas...progress, yay! 

Secondly, yes, I am going to talk about weight loss on this blog, but I might bust out football (I'm taking the Seahawks in the big game), or hockey (BEST SPORT EVER) or baseball (five days until truck day at Fenway!), or men's fashion or have a complete fangirl moment about a TV show (not often, I promise). But here's one thing that I have learned in the years upon years of trying to lose weight: you have to do it for YOU. 

In college, I wanted to lose weight so I could find a husband. I'm 27 and still single and overweight, so that worked out fabulously. After college, when I was funemployed, I thought losing weight would magically help me get my life together. Nope. Wrong again. And failed again. 

Then I started running. At first I started running because it would help lose weight and magically get my life together, but then I ran a half marathon. That was AMAZING. I don't think I can explain the pure sense of accomplishment you feel when you run across that finish line. But I fell off the bandwagon. Then I got back on, still working towards the magic life fix. I threw out my back, ran another half anyway, and spent the next nine months doing nothing until I threw the back out again and gave up on running entirely.

That was it. That was when I realized that I was failing because 1. I wasn't involving God at all in any of this, and 2. I wasn't trying to lose weight for me.

The first one is easy. Weight loss, fitness, life is hard. It's easy to give up. One of the things that can keep you going is faith. I don't know how many runs I've spent just talking to God, no ipod, no friends, just me and the Big Guy having a chat. I gotta tell you, those were some of the best runs I've ever done. I highly recommend it. 

The second thing takes more introspection, which the first thing can help with. You have to analyze why you are starting this journey or you're going to fail. I've come to the realization that my weight, my clothes size, those are arbitrary numbers that mean nothing. Absolutely nothing. Yes, they can help track the progress I'm making, but they are by no means the reason or the judge of how well I'm doing. If I don't lose another pound, but I lose fat and gain muscle so that I am a healthy individual who isn't at risk for heart disease and diabetes (both run in my family) then I have met my ultimate goal. 

Yes, I'd like to be smaller. I love clothes and fashion and it's true, things do look better on a smaller frame. And yes, I might get a few more looks from the guys, but that is not why I am doing this. 

I'm doing this because I want to be healthy. I'm doing this because my Dad has gone through cancer twice. I'm doing this because three of my grandparents died from heart disease. I'm doing this because my grandmother had and my mom has diabetes and the rest of the maternal side of my family has thyroid problems and they are on, like, five medications a day. 

I don't want that. I don't want a future of pills and issues and increased risks. I'd like to have kids someday, and at 27, it's starting to look like I'll be having kids in my 30s, and the healthier I am, the healthier they'll be. I want to be able to go on a run with my friends and not slow them down. 

I saw this on Pinterest and I love it: 

God created it. Jesus died for it. The Spirit dwells in it. So I better take care of it.

That, to me, is just so powerful. And it reminds me of my goals. So when I start thinking "ug, I'm still single because I'm fat. When I lose weight I'll get married" (yes, I'm not kidding, I have thought that) I go back to that quote and remind myself of why I truly started this journey. I'm 20 pounds down since August, and moving in the right direction. 

....

So, that went from a goofy post about elbow patches to something sort of serious. I am generally going to try to keep these lighter, but I think if my struggles and my inner monologues can help someone realize the same issues in themselves, it's a good thing. What's the old adage? the first step to solving a problem is admitting that you have one. And I do. Several, actually. Apparently a fondness for elbow patches is one of them...  

Here we go again...

So I have completely and totally neglected this blog. Seriously. The only thing I can say is that it's been a rough few months: full time job, part time job, full time grad student, dad with cancer, holidays, and in general, laziness. However, writing is such a huge outlet for me that I have decided to give this whole blogging thing another go. 

I have a friend who writes a fantastic blog, and this blog renewal is partly inspired by her success. Its called Honey I Shrunk the Gretchen and it is fabulous, check it out if you've got a minute. 

So why the blog? 

Well, I need to lose weight. I'm currently weighing in at about 165 lbs., and with a height of only 5'3", that's not so good. And I can't believe I just posted my weight on the INTERNET! Holy cow. Calm down, that's part of the process: being honest, being vulnerable, and holding myself accountable to the real, honest numbers. I've actually lost weight already, in August I got myself a fitbit (love it!), and I'm actually almost ten pounds down since then (yay!) it would have been 15 but...Christmas. 

To that end, I have three goals: 

1. to be healthier. I'm actually a very active person and I like doing things like playing sports and races and physical activity, so I'd like to be able to do all of that better, for longer, and without getting winded
2. I'm going on a cruise this summer and I HATE looking at pictures of me from the last cruise (about 180 lbs...not cute) so I want to be able to look at pictures from this one without cringing.
3. I really, really, really want to run a marathon. My sights are set on the Disney marathon in January 2015. I've run two half marathons and there is just this niggling thing in the back of my mind that says "you have to do a marathon". I'm not getting any younger, and I think that's one of those things I'm just going to have to do with my life, so might as well get it over with. 

My goal weight, which I hope to reach by August-September this year is 125 lbs. My goal for the cruise is 135. That gives me approximately 5 months to lose 30 pounds. Doable, I think. I've got my YMCA membership, and I've been good about going. I write down everything I eat (which is still not completely under control, but...I'm working on it). The last thing I've done is some motivational sayings and pictures. They are literally all over my room:

    

 

I'm hoping the fact that these are everywhere I look everyday, it'll keep me from getting discouraged and complacent or giving up. I especially like this one: 

"It takes 4 weeks for you to notice your body changing, 8 weeks for your friends, and 12 weeks for the rest of the world. Don't quit. Give it 12 weeks."

So that's my promise. I'm going to try my hardest for 12 weeks and see what happens. That will, incidentally, coincide with the end of student teaching and grad school. Finally. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. 

So here's to blogging, losing weight, and staying on track. :)

Peace out.