watching the weight

although it is not something i have focused on much and try not to talk about a ton, weight and fitness have always been a struggle for me (and many in my family). in college i did a pretty good job of tackling it. then i tore my ACL and that put a wrench in my fitness routine. after college i did ok at not gaining all my weight back with having rather active jobs.

then i started my current job. although it is a camp job, it is primarily a desk job. after my first year of being here, i decided it was time to do something about the fitness i had lost and the weight i had gained and most of my clothes being a little too snug. so a year ago, i tried some strategies on my own, which worked-ish. but once summer came around i just couldn't maintain it.

so in october i decided enough is enough. with the encouragement of my boss, Leanne, i joined weight watchers. i was pretty opposed to this method because i just wanted to be able to do it myself.

but low and behold, it works!

for some reason the points and the tracking and the way weight watchers is setup just really worked for me physically and mentally (and the fact that i was paying for it helped). it was almost like a game against myself. and as much i like to think i'm not overly competitive, i am.

today i met my first goal. i have lost 25 lbs and am down 2 sizes!

and as it turns out, none of my old clothes really fit anymore, which is a good problem to have.

since it has worked so well, i am deciding to keep up with the weight loss rather than going into maintaining. the next goal is 10 more lbs and then re-evaluate from there.

to those that were aware of this current venture in my life, thanks for the encouragement and support!

Christmas Break

I realized something today as I sit and enjoy my first day of Christmas break from work.

To not be a student or a school employee and still have a full 2 week long Christmas break as an adult is rare.

And I didn't realize this until today because I have always had one. All the jobs I have had in the past 6 years of living a days drive from home have shut down for the 2 weeks around Christmas. No need to use vacation time. We all just get a gift of a break to enjoy family and friends.

And this break is a HUGE blessing. Huge.

I get to spend more than a weekend at home. I get to do (most) of the family traditions while still having time to just be at home. No rush or pressure to fit everything in.

I have time to run errands and load the car and rest before driving the day away tomorrow. And I will have time at the end to just be in my own house and get in some friend time too.

So to Habitat of Wake County, Camp Greenville, and now Look Up Lodge I must say thank you for seeing the value in a little time off around the holidays.

I sure do enjoy the break.

See you tomorrow OHIO!

great day: a list

many days can be great.
and many different things can make a day great.

the gentle sound of the rain on the roof of our peaceful and quiet home makes this day great at this time.

some days are great just because and you have no real understanding of why.

and some days are great and you can make a list a mile long of the reasons why.

yesterday was a great day. as i went to bed a wee bit past my usual bedtime, i thought to myself, 'man, today was just a great day.'

and since i like great days and lists and this was a great day that could be made into a list, here is why yesterday was great:
- the weather, it was sunny, but not blinding, cool, but not so cold you have to bundle up
- a quiet morning at home (some people might not think of a morning spent straightening up the house and cleaning up from a holiday party as great, but i thoroughly enjoy it)
- roommate rambling time (have i told you i love my roommate? because i do)
- reading a bit of an enjoyable book (check out my mom's blog for a short review)
- cashing out for the month where i am selling crocheted goods and actually having sold things. almost all my things!
- lunch at a favorite restaurant with some of my favorite people
- meeting the family of friends (i love meeting families of friends and getting a little better understanding of what makes them them)
- hunting for and finding the mice on main in downtown greenville
- spill the beans frozen yogurt, mmm mmm good as always
- contra with a fabulous band and wonderful dancers
- getting to see some of my girls at contra who have been away for the semester and seeing how they are growing up in the short months they go away
- hitting the pillow mildly exhausted, but feeling truly blessed to have had such a great day

the new rooms

'i'm living alone! i'm living alone!' kevin mcallister chants in the holiday classic, Home Alone.

and that is what i did for over two years. (not necessarily by choice)

prior to my 2 year stint of living alone, i had a plethora of roommates. my sisters; candace, tabitha, amber, norah, and meghan in college; amy and clarissa during the summers; sommer and a sublet with some college girls in raleigh; and at camp greenville, if i counted correctly, i had somewhere around 20 different housemates in my almost 2 year stay. that's a lot of learning to live with people.

but having lived alone for over 2 years i was pretty used to having my space just the way i liked it, whether my 2 room apt at boclarken or my 3 bedroom double wide at look up.

so upon the request of a friend to live with me i was a little concerned at how i would be able to give up what had been my space for almost 2 years.

despite any concern for my lack of adjustment ability, i quickly accepted and she quickly moved in at the end of october.

having now lived together for a month-ish, i could not think of anyone who would be a better fit to be my roommate.

we leave fun notes for each other often, watch cheesy christmas movies, fill each other in on our days, eat together, play board games, and talk about life and how we kind of think of ourselves as crazy, but as it turns out we are conveniently the same breed of crazy.

this is, sadly, a short term agreement as she will be getting married in april. but short term or not, i am so pleased to have a fun friend living with me for this season.

this is lindsey, the new rooms.

and that is callisto, our favorite board game.