Wednesday, July 29, 2009
Interview Update!
My interview was today at Cy-Fair ISD and boy was it a tough one! The lady interviewing me had been a teacher for years and really knew her stuff. She asked me a lot of straight to the point questions and a few theoretical questions and I think I did a pretty good job considering I'm only 2/3 through my Alternative Certification Program. At the end of the interview she said she was recommending me for hire and sending my information out to all of the principals- yay!! She gave me great compliments at the end of the interview and said that I was a "natural" and was going to be a great teacher. Now I just need to find a CFISD principal to hire me! If anyone knows anything PLEASE let me know!
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
Weight Loss Week 3, Happy Birthday to me, and more!
Birthday Flowers from Grayson and his mom- thanks guys!
Saturday afternoon Mom and I went shopping for my birthday gift - a new pair of running shoes. After getting my new iPhone I really wanted a pair of the Nike Plus shoes that have the thing in the bottom that tracks your workouts and runs. We found a really cute pair at Kohl's and I loooove them. My Pumas were getting a little worn out, plus Zach got a hold of them and chewed up the back quite a bit. I haven't gotten the chip to put in them yet, but that's the next step. At least they are comfortable!
Saturday evening Mr. Paul and Mom took me out to eat for my birthday at this AMAZING steakhouse out in the middle of nowhere- Avinger, Tx. It's called Five D Steakhouse and if you ever get a chance to eat there I highly recommend it. The steak was great and the restaurant was so cute! Apparently people drive from all around to eat there and I can see why - it was awesome! Here's me and Mom at the steakhouse:
After eating Mom and I headed to Kyle and Serina's wedding at The Reserve in Longview where my cousin Jen was a bridesmaid and my God daughter Abby was a flower girl. It was a very nice wedding but BOY was it hot! They apparently didn't open the place up early to turn the AC on so it was sweltering inside and out before and during the wedding and during most of the reception. Jen and Abby looked adorable as usual (except for those cowboy boots you had to wear Jen!) and the reception was fun. I cheated a little on the diet by having a tiny piece of grooms cake but it was DEFINITELY worth it! It was some variation of Black Forest cake and it was delicious! After the reception Jen and I and a bunch of people I hadn't seen since I was 12 years old went to McCann Street Grill to hang out. I found out that vodka has no carbs so my new drink of choice is a vodka w/ water. Not the most delicious thing, but at least it's healthy. Here are some pics from the wedding:
On Sunday I got up and made Daddy breakfast and Mom came over early to join us. After that Mom and I went to get Jen and my Aunt Karen their birthday gifts and headed out to Meme and Papaw's to celebrate. It's so nice to get to go out there because before I went to college Jen and I were there on a weekly basis. Here's a picture of me and Meme and Papaw at the wedding:
After the party I headed home and so far this week has been pretty great! Monday was Superhero day so I put on some tights and a red tshirt and taped an "i" to the front of the shirt and I was "Mrs. Incredible" or "Elastigirl" not sure which one because I've never seen the movie, but it was better than wearing my Wonder Woman costume and getting weird looks at the library and other places I had to run errands to on my lunch break. Here's a picture of me and Maggie who dressed up as Violet, Lexie and Andrew who were Batman and Batgirl, and a group picture of all of us at Main Even bowling:
Yesterday I spent the entire evening working on my teaching portfolio and I think it looks pretty great. A big thank you goes out to Jennifer Mawer and Katie Freed for helping me so much with this! Also thanks to Daddy and Mom, to my friends at TWYLA for supporting me through all of this and of course thanks to Casey for supporting me through everything this past year. Love you all!
Okay and now for the weight loss:
I am feeling fantastic and have been getting up and running almost every morning at 5:30 or earlier. Riley has been coming with me and is really enjoying it (not to mention losing a pound or two himself!). I have lost about 8 inches overall and 5 lbs. Here are my measurements and pics:
Bust: 33"
Stomach: 32 1/2"
Waist: 26 1/4"
Hips: 37 1/4"
Right Thigh: 21 1/2"
Right Calf: 12 3/4"
Left Thigh: 21"
Left Calf: 12 1/2"
Right Upper Arm: 10"
Left Upper Arm: 10"
Weight: 122 lbs
Needless to say I am showing lots of improvement in endurance, overall shape, and feeling a lot better. Yay for getting in shape and having an interview this week!
After eating Mom and I headed to Kyle and Serina's wedding at The Reserve in Longview where my cousin Jen was a bridesmaid and my God daughter Abby was a flower girl. It was a very nice wedding but BOY was it hot! They apparently didn't open the place up early to turn the AC on so it was sweltering inside and out before and during the wedding and during most of the reception. Jen and Abby looked adorable as usual (except for those cowboy boots you had to wear Jen!) and the reception was fun. I cheated a little on the diet by having a tiny piece of grooms cake but it was DEFINITELY worth it! It was some variation of Black Forest cake and it was delicious! After the reception Jen and I and a bunch of people I hadn't seen since I was 12 years old went to McCann Street Grill to hang out. I found out that vodka has no carbs so my new drink of choice is a vodka w/ water. Not the most delicious thing, but at least it's healthy. Here are some pics from the wedding:
Kyle and his bride Serina
The beautiful Jen
Me and Abby in her flower girl tutu
Me and Abby in her flower girl tutu
On Sunday I got up and made Daddy breakfast and Mom came over early to join us. After that Mom and I went to get Jen and my Aunt Karen their birthday gifts and headed out to Meme and Papaw's to celebrate. It's so nice to get to go out there because before I went to college Jen and I were there on a weekly basis. Here's a picture of me and Meme and Papaw at the wedding:
After the party I headed home and so far this week has been pretty great! Monday was Superhero day so I put on some tights and a red tshirt and taped an "i" to the front of the shirt and I was "Mrs. Incredible" or "Elastigirl" not sure which one because I've never seen the movie, but it was better than wearing my Wonder Woman costume and getting weird looks at the library and other places I had to run errands to on my lunch break. Here's a picture of me and Maggie who dressed up as Violet, Lexie and Andrew who were Batman and Batgirl, and a group picture of all of us at Main Even bowling:
Yesterday I spent the entire evening working on my teaching portfolio and I think it looks pretty great. A big thank you goes out to Jennifer Mawer and Katie Freed for helping me so much with this! Also thanks to Daddy and Mom, to my friends at TWYLA for supporting me through all of this and of course thanks to Casey for supporting me through everything this past year. Love you all!
Okay and now for the weight loss:
I am feeling fantastic and have been getting up and running almost every morning at 5:30 or earlier. Riley has been coming with me and is really enjoying it (not to mention losing a pound or two himself!). I have lost about 8 inches overall and 5 lbs. Here are my measurements and pics:
Bust: 33"
Stomach: 32 1/2"
Waist: 26 1/4"
Hips: 37 1/4"
Right Thigh: 21 1/2"
Right Calf: 12 3/4"
Left Thigh: 21"
Left Calf: 12 1/2"
Right Upper Arm: 10"
Left Upper Arm: 10"
Weight: 122 lbs
Needless to say I am showing lots of improvement in endurance, overall shape, and feeling a lot better. Yay for getting in shape and having an interview this week!Thursday, July 23, 2009
Weight Loss Week 2
Don't really have time to blog much on this topic right now. The diet is going good, I actually love it because I don't have to starve myself. I lost 2 lbs the first week and I'm already down another pound as of today (my one week was on Tuesday night). Here are the pics and my measurements.
Week 2 weight: 125
Stomach: 33 1/2"
Bust: 34 1/2"
Waist: 27"
Hips: 37 1/2"
Right Thigh: 23"
Right Calf: 13"
Left Thigh: 23 1/4"
Left Calf: 12 3/4"
Right upper arm: 10"
Left upper arm: 11"
Going to Longview this weekend but still going to work out and run while I'm there. I am loving the way it makes me feel! I'm 24 now and I'm finally going to be in great shape- first time since high school! YAY!
Week 2 weight: 125
Stomach: 33 1/2"
Bust: 34 1/2"
Waist: 27"
Hips: 37 1/2"
Right Thigh: 23"
Right Calf: 13"
Left Thigh: 23 1/4"
Left Calf: 12 3/4"
Right upper arm: 10"
Left upper arm: 11"
Going to Longview this weekend but still going to work out and run while I'm there. I am loving the way it makes me feel! I'm 24 now and I'm finally going to be in great shape- first time since high school! YAY!
Sunday, July 19, 2009
Hangin' Tough!
So yeah me and a bunch of girls went to see New Kids on the Block last night - so what? :) No but seriously "Hangin' Tough" has kind of been a theme for me this weekend and here's why:
Friday night Casey and I went shopping for birthday gifts for his dad and his brother-in-law Andy and then went to Bed Bath and Beyond to make one of the best purchases I have ever made. This blanket. Let me just tell you that this is the best thing ever! It comes in three different colors, easily folds up into this little carrying case with a pocket, and is weatherproof! We used it to sit on out at Riverside Park (behind the Pavillion) while we listened to ZZ Top and Aerosmith and relaxed. The weather was amazing and the bands sounded great! Who needs concert tickets when you can do this every weekend? Maybe we'll do this for Coldplay on Wednesday for my birthday? It's a great cheap date plus you can bring your own food and drinks including wine and beer and have a perfect little date night outside- it was great!
Saturday morning we got up fairly early and headed downtown with Casey's sister Shannon and brother-in-law Andy to go to the High Caliber Gun and Knife Show. Now this was my first gun show but definitely not Andy's. He is very knowledgeable about guns and knives and was the perfect tour guide to show us around. I've decided to get a gun in a few months when my finances are better because there have been several armed robberies and people held up at gunpoint in The Woodlands area lately and I just want to feel safe when I'm out by myself or even at home by myself when Casey is out of town. DON'T WORRY - I am going to learn how to shoot the gun and then get a concealed handgun license so I will know what I'm doing. I am very excited about this though and already found the perfect gun for me! It's a Taurus 22 pistol with a pink grip - it's little, won't kick too much, and plus - it's pink! I know it's silly but if I'm going to have a gun I'd like one that's fun to look at as well as functional. Anyway we had a great time at the gun show and I learned a lot.
Saturday night Dawn picked me up and as we drove up to the Pavillion to see NKOTB and as soon as we got close to the pavillion it started POURING and thundering and lightning like crazy. We were all thinking - we get hardly any rain for two months and then it rains on this SUPER important night? BS!! Well - I didn't care if it was going to rain - I was getting to see Donnie & Jordan no matter what. So I had Dawn drop me off and Jessica and I stood in the rain with about 200 other crazed fans and we ended up getting the prime lawn seats that were partially covered so all was good. It stopped raining as soon as they opened the gates and the grass where we sat was completely dry - perfection! The concert was amazing and we had a great time acting like 12 year olds and singing along to the boys. Oh and BTW- most of them just got better with age- JORDAN especially. Holy geez! Anyway here are some pictures and a video! :)
Donnie on the big screen and the boys
Me and Jess sweaty after dancing and screaming like little girls
Friday night Casey and I went shopping for birthday gifts for his dad and his brother-in-law Andy and then went to Bed Bath and Beyond to make one of the best purchases I have ever made. This blanket. Let me just tell you that this is the best thing ever! It comes in three different colors, easily folds up into this little carrying case with a pocket, and is weatherproof! We used it to sit on out at Riverside Park (behind the Pavillion) while we listened to ZZ Top and Aerosmith and relaxed. The weather was amazing and the bands sounded great! Who needs concert tickets when you can do this every weekend? Maybe we'll do this for Coldplay on Wednesday for my birthday? It's a great cheap date plus you can bring your own food and drinks including wine and beer and have a perfect little date night outside- it was great!
Saturday morning we got up fairly early and headed downtown with Casey's sister Shannon and brother-in-law Andy to go to the High Caliber Gun and Knife Show. Now this was my first gun show but definitely not Andy's. He is very knowledgeable about guns and knives and was the perfect tour guide to show us around. I've decided to get a gun in a few months when my finances are better because there have been several armed robberies and people held up at gunpoint in The Woodlands area lately and I just want to feel safe when I'm out by myself or even at home by myself when Casey is out of town. DON'T WORRY - I am going to learn how to shoot the gun and then get a concealed handgun license so I will know what I'm doing. I am very excited about this though and already found the perfect gun for me! It's a Taurus 22 pistol with a pink grip - it's little, won't kick too much, and plus - it's pink! I know it's silly but if I'm going to have a gun I'd like one that's fun to look at as well as functional. Anyway we had a great time at the gun show and I learned a lot.
Saturday night Dawn picked me up and as we drove up to the Pavillion to see NKOTB and as soon as we got close to the pavillion it started POURING and thundering and lightning like crazy. We were all thinking - we get hardly any rain for two months and then it rains on this SUPER important night? BS!! Well - I didn't care if it was going to rain - I was getting to see Donnie & Jordan no matter what. So I had Dawn drop me off and Jessica and I stood in the rain with about 200 other crazed fans and we ended up getting the prime lawn seats that were partially covered so all was good. It stopped raining as soon as they opened the gates and the grass where we sat was completely dry - perfection! The concert was amazing and we had a great time acting like 12 year olds and singing along to the boys. Oh and BTW- most of them just got better with age- JORDAN especially. Holy geez! Anyway here are some pictures and a video! :)
Jessica, Dawn, and myself before the Jabbawockeez (opening act) came on
Donnie on the big screen and the boys
Me and Jess sweaty after dancing and screaming like little girls
Today we're heading over to Casey's parents' house for dinner and birthday celebrations (Casey's dad, myself, and Casey's brother in law). More about that later!
Friday, July 17, 2009
Work and an update on the diet
So I started Atkins on Wednesday and yesterday I had full on symptoms of ketosis (the state you need to be in to lose weight) I feel a lot lighter and have already started losing some mass (possibly water weight but hey I'll take it!). I decided I'm going to follow it as close as I can but that I'm not going to miss out on things like having a tiny slice of birthday cake (or half a cupcake today for Lexie's birthday!) but I won't be drinking for a few weeks - not that I drink much to begin with but I'm completely cutting out the glass of wine I have with dinner sometimes and absolutely no beer. I figure it's only three weeks and I can totally handle doing without something for that long. Yesterday I was super fatigued and really irritable, but today I'm much less irritable and not as fatigued. Today is the 9th birthday of one of my kids- Lexie - so I've been letting her do some stuff that the other students aren't doing and one of the things she asked if she could do was go to the workroom and do math with me. Isn't that weird? I hated math when I was her age, but I of course said yes so here I am in the workroom listening to Lexie and Lindsay solve multiplication problems! Good times. Anyway I just thought I would write a little update! More later!
Thursday, July 16, 2009
Weight Loss Program
So on the way back from Virginia I kind of had a quarter life crisis. Casey and I got to talking about fitness and I realized that taking care of my body has become an afterthought and you can definitely tell. I have gained between 10 and 15 lbs since I graduated from SFA in May of 2007 and being 5'1" you can REALLY tell. So on the way home while Casey was napping in the passengers' seat I decided that I was FINALLY going to do something about it and stop making excuses. What I'm doing is a little drastic but I'm about to be 24 and there is no reason I shouldn't be in the best shape of my life. I've decided to blog about my weight loss and post pictures of myself (in a bathing suit no less) on here to keep myself accountable. I'm tired of dieting and working out for a week and then going back to my old bad habits just as soon as I have a bad day. So I will be running, biking, swimming, or weight training every day (no excuses) and I started the Atkin's diet yesterday as well. I went to Wal Mart on Tuesday night and got a pedometer, sports watch, and measuring tape so I will also take my measurements and post them and my weight on here as well on a weekly basis. Wish me luck!
Week 1 Weight: 127 lbs
Week 1 Measurements:
Bust: 35"
Waist: 27"
Stomach (at bellybutton): 33 3/4"
Hips: 37"
Right Thigh: 23 3/4"
Left Thigh: 23 3/4"
Right Calf: 13"
Left Calf: 12 3/4"
Right Bicep: 9 3/4"
Left Bicep: 10"
Bust: 35"
Waist: 27"
Stomach (at bellybutton): 33 3/4"
Hips: 37"
Right Thigh: 23 3/4"
Left Thigh: 23 3/4"
Right Calf: 13"
Left Calf: 12 3/4"
Right Bicep: 9 3/4"
Left Bicep: 10"
And... here are the pictures - do not look if you have a weak stomach! HAHA!
Week 1 photos:
Week 1 photos:
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Trip to Virginia
A bleary eyed Casey and myself at 5am at the very beginning of our loooong trip
Casey and I got back from Virginia this evening (Tuesday night) around 6:30 and boy are we glad to be home. We left Thursday at 5am and got to Spartanburg, South Carolina around 10pm that night. We stayed in a nice Marriott that night, but it was back on the road at 5am Friday morning. We finally made it to Casey's grandparents house around 3ish after stopping at historic Christ Church where Casey's grandmother has been a docent for several years. Because Casey's grandfather has been so ill, she hasn't been volunteering there lately, but everyone knows who she is so we got to check out the place on our own. This church was built in 1735 and is one of the oldest Colonial era churches in the US and is absolutely beautiful.
The Rappahannock River that leads out to the Chesapeake Bay
Christ Church
The view from the pulpit
We finally got to Virginia and after visiting with Casey's family for a while we went to check into the Bed & Breakfast. We stayed at the Kilmarnock Inn in Kilmarnock, VA where Casey's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary party was being held and it was beautiful, the cabins we stayed in were brand new and awesome, and the breakfast was to die for. All in all it was a great place to have the party on Saturday and it was nice to finally meet some of Casey's cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, etc. I had a great time playing with Casey's cousins' kids as well. :) Kilmarnock was also a very cute little down and Casey and I enjoyed walking down Main St. and going into all of the little shops and seeing all of the historical houses. I got the cutest wallet from an adorable boutique called Specials! After the wonderful anniversary party Katie and I were in need of an adult beverage so we went to a place called Swank's on Main St. because it was literally the only place in town still serving alcohol after 9 pm. We had a good time chatting and catching up and then we went back to the B&B for some much needed rest.
On Sunday, Katie (Casey's sister) and I got up early to go for a run and then had another wonderful breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast. I've found that I REALLY love Hollandaise sauce and anything that has crab in it for breakfast. After eating we headed to Casey's grandparent's church- Living Water Lutheran Church. The service was very different from our church and the congregation was much smaller - Casey's family (a lot of out of towners went) made up half of the people there! After church we all went to Casey's grandparents house (which is incredibly beautiful) and hung out. Casey and I went out in the canoe but quickly noticed that a storm was coming so we paddled back in and went to sit on the screened in porch. Not 10 minutes later the worst storm I've ever seen blew through and took down several trees on the property and even blew a large branch onto my car. There's only a little ding so no big deal, but it still stinks! The wind was so strong during this storm (60 mph), the electricity was knocked out, and it hailed for several minutes as well. It was really crazy! Casey and the rest of the men in the family spent the next 3 hours cutting up the trees and getting the place back in order. WHAT A DAY!! That night we slept with the doors to the screen porch open and it was surprisingly not that bad- that definitely wouldn't have been okay in TX though!
We made it!
The Rappahannock River that leads out to the Chesapeake Bay
Christ Church
The view from the pulpit
We finally got to Virginia and after visiting with Casey's family for a while we went to check into the Bed & Breakfast. We stayed at the Kilmarnock Inn in Kilmarnock, VA where Casey's grandparents 60th wedding anniversary party was being held and it was beautiful, the cabins we stayed in were brand new and awesome, and the breakfast was to die for. All in all it was a great place to have the party on Saturday and it was nice to finally meet some of Casey's cousins, aunts, uncles, great aunts and uncles, etc. I had a great time playing with Casey's cousins' kids as well. :) Kilmarnock was also a very cute little down and Casey and I enjoyed walking down Main St. and going into all of the little shops and seeing all of the historical houses. I got the cutest wallet from an adorable boutique called Specials! After the wonderful anniversary party Katie and I were in need of an adult beverage so we went to a place called Swank's on Main St. because it was literally the only place in town still serving alcohol after 9 pm. We had a good time chatting and catching up and then we went back to the B&B for some much needed rest.
Our Cabin
Katie and I before the party
The whole group!
Casey's grandparents - 60 years together!
Katie & I at Swank's
Katie and I before the party
The whole group!
Casey's grandparents - 60 years together!
Katie & I at Swank's
On Sunday, Katie (Casey's sister) and I got up early to go for a run and then had another wonderful breakfast at the Bed and Breakfast. I've found that I REALLY love Hollandaise sauce and anything that has crab in it for breakfast. After eating we headed to Casey's grandparent's church- Living Water Lutheran Church. The service was very different from our church and the congregation was much smaller - Casey's family (a lot of out of towners went) made up half of the people there! After church we all went to Casey's grandparents house (which is incredibly beautiful) and hung out. Casey and I went out in the canoe but quickly noticed that a storm was coming so we paddled back in and went to sit on the screened in porch. Not 10 minutes later the worst storm I've ever seen blew through and took down several trees on the property and even blew a large branch onto my car. There's only a little ding so no big deal, but it still stinks! The wind was so strong during this storm (60 mph), the electricity was knocked out, and it hailed for several minutes as well. It was really crazy! Casey and the rest of the men in the family spent the next 3 hours cutting up the trees and getting the place back in order. WHAT A DAY!! That night we slept with the doors to the screen porch open and it was surprisingly not that bad- that definitely wouldn't have been okay in TX though!
Casey's Grandparents house and the view of the creek
Casey and I on the canoe before the storm came and my camera ran out of room!
Monday morning we left at 5:30am to make our trek to Nashville, TN to stay with my Aunt Lydia (my mom's best friend). I would definitely recommend Nashville to anyone because it's such a beautiful area. My Aunt Lil lives up on a hill that overlooks some beautiful farmland and hills. We grilled some chicken and sat on the porch until 10 that night when we had to go to bed. The weather was absolutely perfect! Thanks for letting us stay with you Aunt Lil!
Tuesday morning we left at 5:40 and boy did it feel good to be on the last leg of this trip. We decided to take a different route than the one we came in on, but it turned out to be much better and faster! We drove through Arkansas into Little Rock and then down to Texarkana and then finally down US 59 to HOME SWEET HOME! We finally got home around 6:30 and then went to pick up the boys at Chris and Jessica's. We couldn't believe it but they had both gained a few pounds in just 6 days! Zach definitely needed it but Riley probably didn't. We're assuming he overate or was just retaining water or something from not being at home. It's good to be home!!!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
