Shaping up!

I have purchased and have been wearing the Sketcher Shape-ups for a few weeks now, and they have been working fabulously! My posture is improving tremendously and I can can feel my calves and thighs toning up as well (beginning to achieve goal #1 for the New year!).

Believe it or not, that thick grey section at the bottom part of the sole is foamy! It looks like it's be tough and plastic-y, but nay, it is soft! The shoes are uber comfortable and I stand straighter when I wear them (see rounded heel in picture above) and now I notice how I am standing when I am not wearing the new shoes and I correct myself. Hooray for good habits!

I wear the shoes not only to work but also on walks with Elphie. Today's walk was a work-out! A brisk 23 degree day that felt like 14 degrees with the wind made me pick up my step a little to get my blood pumping. With extra "umph" in my step to keep me warm, the shoes also worked my calves and thighs to keep me warm and toned.

These shoes ROCK!

Mother, mother ocean

Have I ever mentioned how much I love the ocean?

Well, I do.

A lot.

When I went to the movies a couple weeks ago, I saw a preview for a new movie, Disney Oceans and I fell even more in love. I think I might have been a fish or a shark in a previous life. Anyway, it'll be out in theatres on Earth Day, April 22nd and if you want to check out the trailer, follow THIS link.

Since then, I can't get enough pictures of staring at ocean pictures or watching Discovery programs about the ocean. I've also been coveting the Blue Planet series and have been trying to fit it into my budget. It might be a little while, but I WILL own that series; come hell or high water!

I've also been toying with the idea of getting SCUBA certified, lately. I suppose I should live somewhere more optimal for scuba diving...but that's a battle for another day (though, hopefully I'll have a resolution sooner than later!).

Oh mother, mother ocean I miss you so!

Christen Marie

Ladies and gentlemen, this is my best friend Christen.

[Christen & me back in 2004 - senior year of high school!]

She has been my best friend through thick and thin. She laughs at all of my jokes, no matter how stupid (or unfunny) they are. She gives the best advice. She also makes the best chocolate chip cookies I've ever tasted.
I would like to tell the world how blessed I am for having such an amazing best friend. I'd also like to say how happy I am for her because she's now ENGAGED!!! Hooray! I am so, so, SO excited for you!

Congratulations!

"Doctor, doctor, gimme the news..."

I went to the doctor to get a checkup today and guess how much I weigh?

128.8 pounds

WOOO HOOO!!! Can you believe it?! I had to do a double-take at the doctor's office to make sure I was seeing the number correctly! I never thought I'd see this day, especially since my weight-gain in college. My weight skyrocketed due to the high stress of college; papers, presentations, meetings, over-extending myself socially and mentally, etc. Due to my lack of funds to purchase healthy food along with my lack of time to cook healthy meals, I consumed a lot of pasta and cheesy mac while my weight got out of control.

[Me in '04/'05 Freshman year. Not a pretty time in my life.]

Thankfully, in 2008, I lost some weight after college and lost a few more pounds in '09. I'm finally at a healthy weight for my height and I feel great! It's a great feeling to FINALLY see results! Now, I just want to get toned. Sketchers Shape-Ups, here I come!

[Me now, in 2010, as of 5 minutes ago]

2010, you're looking better and better every day!

Christmas, last decade

As promised, a blog about Christmas 2009:

Prolouge:
The adventure started out flying to Seattle to meet up with my beau for the holiday. On the second leg of my flight with the final destination being Seattle, I sat in the second row of the coach passengers, across the aisle from a middle-aged, bartender who hasn't flown in 6 years. Eak. We'll call her Mel (I never caught her name, so we'll use this one instead!) As soon as the flight attendants came to ask us our drink orders, Mel asked for 2 beers. It was 7:30am.

About 2 and a half hours into our 3 hour and 15 minute flight, and after a groggy me wakes up from a nap, Mel chats it up with me. I have a sea urching ring I wore that day that she adored and she just loved my boots. Well the four or five or six beers she's had have caught up with her and Mel becomes very vocal about needing to use the restroom, but it's full. Great. Once she is given the opportunity to relieve herself, she comes back and tells me about her reason for visiting Seattle and how excited but nervous she was to fly since it was the first time in 6 years. Once the plane landed, Mel and I wished each other a very merry Christmas and wonderful trips all around. A very nice lady, and I wish her the best, but what an odd start to my trip.

The real thing:
Once Aaron picked me up from the airport, we headed to Prineville, OR to visit his grandparents and family for the holiday. We drove and drove and drove and didn't arrive until 9pm, which made a VERY long day for me, but it was worth the drive. Aaron's brother, sister-in-law, and dad greeted us and we chatted and watched a movie. Then we went to sleep and woke up the next morning to a more eventful day. Homemade eggs benedict for breakfast, freshly fallen SNOW, doing chores (this consists of unloading and reloading hay for many horses and cows), knitting, making homemade tortillas (thanks Gloria!), naps, and getting to visit with everyone. And much of the week consisted of doing these things most days, but we also threw in some board games and pictures along with presents!

[Us on Christmas]

[The grandparent's farm]

[Their horse, Apollo]


List of presents:
-A Tom Tom GPS (Thank you babe!), Apples to Apples (I got to open this one early so we could all play), Knitting books and needles :), Perfume, 2 Wine books and a wine stopper (his family must think I'm a lush...), Bath salts and lotion (lavender in scent), A Gerber pocket knife, Chapstick & a slinky, Portable grocery bag, Coral colored long sleeve shirt, A gift card to Express, Reed diffuseres (lavender scent, which just happens to go with the bath salts), and A HUGE Moonlight Path candle from Bath & Body Works

It was much more than I expected and I had a WONDERFUL time. Thank you everyone for your gifts! Thank you, thank you, thank you!

[LOVED playing Apples to Apples. Let me know if you're up for a game...]

To finish up the trip, Aaron and I decided to take a drive up the Oregon coast for a change of scene and check out some of the sights there. It wasn't quite as cold as I expected it to be and it was beautiful, just like I expected it to be. I think Newport was our favorite stop; I loved the sea lions and Aaron loved the Rogue Brewery.

Here we are right outside of Newport, OR, checking out the waves.

Hope your holidays were as wonderful as mine! Good luck in 2010 and until next time...

Maybe 2010 won't suck...

Welcome to 2010!

[The most majestic sea lion in Newport, OR. He welcomes 2010, too.]

Hope everyone had a wonderful 2009. We're in a new year and a new decade, so it's that time again for resolutions, brand new starts, and blah, blah, blah. But before one looks ahead, one should look back and see what was accomplished and what still needs work. From last year's New Year post, I've actually accomplished quite a few of my goals. I got to see Christen, made it back to STL (for more than just a visit!), got a "grown up paycheck" (although I've left much room for improvement), and didn't get too many sunburns. I didn't do nearly as much volunteering as I could or should have, but then again, who does? And though I accomplished these goals, 2009 could have been much better. MUCH better. I got in LOADS of traveling, which is wonderful and one of my passions, but it's also been a hard year. I spent way too much apart from Aaron, my dad, and my friends who are spread around this great country. And I feel like I've wasted a lot of time trying to figure out what to do next. I still don't have a solution for what I should do next, but I have to figure it out soon before I lose my mind.

Anyway, so what needs work in 2010?
-My posture. I'm going to the store this weekend to get a pair of the Sketcher Shape-up's so I can improve my posture and work out my legs! I don't want to be a hunchback with celluite when I'm old.
-Getting a place of my own. As nice as it is to live with friends and family, I'm totally over it. I'm 23 and have too much crap to not have my own place. Even a tiny 1 bedroom apartment will do. I just need to get out on my own for a while.
-Getting a new job. I hate customer service with an undying passion. Undying. I also hate monotony, especially when it comes to my job. I clean bathrooms, I file files, I listen to the same people bitch about the same stuff and I'm going to lose it if I have to keep doing this much longer.
-Traveling to new places. Like I previously stated, traveling is a passion of mine, but I am tired of traveling to the same places over and over again. I need new horizons to follow!
-Knitting a pair of socks. Now that I've knitted my fair share of hats, scarves and such, it's time to move onto SOCKS. I've been wanting to knit a pair since I first learned how to knit last year and for Christmas this year I got a sock-knitting book, new needles and some other knitting books to help me along the way! Speaking of Christmas, I'll post a blog of Christmas adventures soon...
-Brushing up on Spanish. I'd like to say that I'll be proficient by the end of 2010, but that's a little far-fetched. I would love to be able to go to Spain at some point in the near future and acutally understand what people are saying and be able to communicate with the locals on a higher level than, "Where is the bathroom?".
-Learning to snowboard. I've been wanting to learn ever since I learned to ski and I think 2010 is a good year for it.
-Volunteering more. This will probably be on my list from now until I die. Everyone can use more help all the time.

Good luck to all of you with your resolutions and hopefully 2010 won't suck.