Thursday, April 18, 2013

Finish the sentence....

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Linking up with Holly and Jake today (again) !
 
 

1. I laughed so hard I cried when... frequently!  I love to laugh.  I miss my job in Corpus, only because two of my besties that I worked with would make me laugh on a daily basis.  Like this one time, one friend went to the bathroom and the other one got her phone, hacked it, and posted a status update to facebook about what she was doing in there. 

Me with said friends.
 
2. My high school...years were a lot of fun.  I had almost all the freedom of an adult with no responsibilities.  But I probably wouldn't do it again.  Now college, definitely!



Here's a laugh for you, these gems are from my beloved college days.



3. It really pisses me off... when people don't do what they say they were going to.  Like, if we make plans for Friday, keep them!  Or if you say you are going to get that file for me by tomorrow, do it!



 
4. In ten years... I will be hot and skinny, hopefully be a mom, oh and rich and 'retired'.


 
5. If I could erase one thing... just one?  Probably that time I drank too much the night before my wedding and then threw up all day until the ceremony.  Yeah, sometimes I'm not so good at self-control.  Hence that time I ate so much over a six month period that I looked like this:
 

 




My wedding day, May 7th, 2011

6. In 1999...  I was an awkward turtle high school freshman with bad hair.  Why didn't someone give me a flat iron?! Did they make flat irons then?


7. Honestly... I weigh myself everyday, i'm obsessed.  But I know if I don't I am 'this close' to falling off the wagon.




8. To me, Sushi...is delish.  Although I much prefer rolls over straight up sashimi.  Mostly I can't handle the feel of that hunk of fish wiggle jiggling down my throat (twss).


 

9. Someone really needs to invent... a way to get all my pinned outfits on pinterest into my closet for free. 


 

10. The first time I drank alcohol... was when I was 15.  I got the tequila down from my parent's liquor cabinet and mixed up some margaritas for me and my friend who was over. (Sorry Mom, i'll buy you a new bottle, even though that was 13 years ago and I'm pretty sure you never noticed!)


11. The one question I would ask God is... Whoa, deep.  I always have something to say and I can't think of just one.  I guess I want to know how my grandpa is doing.  He passed away over 20 years ago and I still miss him.

 
 
 
 
 
12. Lindsay Lohan... I used to love her but she is just a super hot mess now.  Get it together girl, are you trying to set a record for most (awful) mug shots or what?
 
Love doing these finish the sentence link-ups!  It's almost the weekend ya'll.  I'm going to a baseball game with hubs and the in-laws this weekend.  Hopefully my beloved Astros will win, the season has started off okay right?  Also, my sweet pup is coming home from obedience/hunting school tomorrow, I have missed him!
 
Me and my fur baby Remi, he's a Brittany.
 
Have a great weekend!
-Court
 

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Putting it out there....

I saw several people do this post and I thought it would be fitting to go over my weight loss journey so far.


How much I weighed at my heaviest: 233  Wow, that makes me cringe.  I hate to write that number, but it's long gone, so....

This was Memorial Day weekend 2012.  I don't even recognize myself.  When I saw this picture that one of my besties posted on Facebook, it was my 'aha' moment.  I knew right then that I was done being fat.  I had no idea I looked like that, in my head I wasn't that big, but seeing it right there just did it for me.

 
Calories for my favorite meal at Raising Cane's (The Box Combo, which is 4 chicken tenders and fries, a piece of Texas Toast, cole slaw, and one Cane's sauce, along with an extra sauce and a large sweet tea) 1,598.  Holy crap, that's more calories than I eat in a day now!




 

Minutes I spent exercising per week then: 0 sad but true.

So basically I was a couch potato who loved to eat.  I still love to eat, but I eat so much better and am aware of every calorie that goes into my body, and it is all tracked on My Fitness Pal.

So looking forward....

My current weight: 171

 


Me last Friday.  Please excuse the googly eyes, I think I was blinking :)

My goal weight: 145 


Days on this journey: 299

Weight Lost: 62lbs

                                                        September 2012 and April 2013


Minutes I spend exercising per week now: 300

Calories I eat daily (average): 1400

This is the first time I have put my weight on paper for anyone to see and it's somewhat scary, but liberating as well.  Now it's out there, and I have to be accountable.  I will never go back to the place I started.  I have yo-yoed all of my adult life, but this time has been different.  Exercising and watching what I eat are just part of me now.  9 months ago I would dread coming home after work to work out or run, and now (most days) I look forward to it and don't feel that my day is complete until I've gotten my run or workout done.  Each time I get frustrated with small numbers lost or not seeing the progress that I would like, I remind myself, I may have a long way to go, but look how far I've come already.  I'm excited to see where this journey takes me, and it feels great knowing that I did this myself, all by myself, and FOR myself. From here I will just keep on keepin' on and anxiously anticipating the day I make my goal.  Thanks for reading ya'll!

-Court

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Finish the Sentence Link-up

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Well it looks like the last post I did was one of Holly's link-ups as well!  I'm not doing too well with blogging here.  Anyways, since I haven't blogged in forever I thought it would be fun to answer some questions!

1. If calories didn't count, I would eat... red velvet cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory.  Not just one piece, the whole thing.  Oh, and lots and lots of Tex-Mex.

2. On my Prom night.... I had a good time with my longtime high school boyfriend, but I guess being the silly teenager I was, I expected it to be like the movies, and um, it wasn't.
 
3. When I go to the store, I always buy... Random stuff.  My pantry has all sorts of stuff that looked like a good idea, but now I have no idea what to do with.  Also I always buy tortilla chips and cuties.
 
4. Family functions typically... are extremely loud.  My family is like the family in My Big Fat Greek Wedding, only we are German.

My mom, dad, brother, and I at Disney World 2010.

5. I think my blog readers... are pretty super awesome, I mean you stuck around even though I haven't written anything since November.  Ugh, bad blogger.  I think about things I would like to post all the time, so maybe I can get them on here more often. :)
6. I'd much rather be..... in Europe than sitting here at work.  Boooorrrringgg.  I love to travel though, so I think I'd rather be anywhere than work right now, even though I mostly like my job.
Shopping and eating a crepe in Paris 2009


 
7. I have an obsession with.... clothes and shoes. Well I guess just shopping in general.  I also love to run, maybe it's not an obsession quite yet, but anyways.
8. My work friends.... at my last job became lifelong friends.  I miss them everyday!  At my current job I mostly work with people my parent's age. But the few that are close in age to me are pretty cool.
Me and my Corpus besties-Erika, Kim, and Emmy
 
 
. When I created my Facebook account.... I was 20 years old and a Sophomore in college.  Man, I loved college, wish I could go back.  If I win the lottery maybe I could be a career student?
                                 My sorority big sis and I during my Sophomore year in college 2005

10. My least favorite word is... titties.  I don't know why, it just really weirds me out.
 
11. I really don't remember.... .the first half of my Senior year of college.  But, what I do remember was pretty awesome. ;)
                                 
                                       Me with My Senior year roomies-Laura and Blair
12. Justin Bieber.... is so annoying. When I taught second grade a few years ago, all the girls in my class would sing that 'baby, baby, oh' song over and over, and it made me hate him forever.
 
Those questions were fun!  Brought back some good memories.  Now lets see if I can get all my jumbled thoughts together for a post of my own sometime later this week.  I am half-marathon training and have a few things to say about that.  Later lady friends, thanks for sticking around!!
 
-Court

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Turkey Day Linkup!



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Hey guys!

Wow, it's nice to say that and know that I am actually talking to someone and not just myself.  Thanks for following along ladies!  Today I am linking up with Holly and Erin for Thanksgiving, one of my favorite holidays.  I would've liked to have done a vlog, but i'm still new at this and not very 'tech savvy'.  So, I will just answer them in blog form.

1. What do you look forward to more: the food, football or parades?
Definitely the food!  I will always be a fat kid at heart!

2. What is your favorite non-traditional Thanksgiving Day dish?
My mother in law makes a dish called cranberries in the snow.  Basically it's cherry jello with cranberries, pineapple, and pecans, with a cream cheese and coolwhip mixture on the top.  This dish is served as a side dish but totally tastes like dessert. 


3. After dinner, is it football or a nap?
Oh man, a nap would be nice, but it is most definitely football!  The hubs family lives and breathes the Cowboys and they always play the Lions on Thanksgiving day.


4. Do you watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade? Which is your favorite float?

I have watched it before, but not since I was a kid.

5. Where do you go to celebrate and eat your big meal? Who is there (family, friends)?
For the past six years I have celebrated it with the hubs family which consists of the two of us, his mom and dad, his sister and her two kiddos (Sis in law's hubby is oilfield and has yet to get to join us for a holiday).  Before the hubs it was always spent at my mom's parents house with about 30 members of our extended family including my mom and dad's side.  The hubs and I have decided that starting next year we will switch families each year, one year with mine, and the next with his and so on.  It is impossible to do both, as our families live about four hours away from one another.


6. What is your favorite turkey day dessert?
My favorite dessert is my Nanny's sweet potato pie.  I have not gotten to have it on Turkey day in six years, but being the amazing woman that she is, she always saves me a piece!  I also love her Chocolate Meringue pie.  In fact, I could skip the turkey altogether and go straight for the dessert.   My family is never lacking in the dessert department.


Well this was fun!  I look forward to reading everyone else's answers.  Hope everyone has a great Turkey Day, however you celebrate, and safe travels to anyone that ventures away from home!

-Court

Monday, October 15, 2012

A weight-y issue

Ok, so I fail at frequent posting. :( I think I procrastinated because I knew that I wanted to talk about weight in this post and I knew it would be a difficult one.  However, it is one of my main reasons for wanting to have a blog, to chart progress, and hopefully make some friends along the way.  I know there are a lot of other ladies out there on the same journey that I am on.  Get ready for this, I have a feeling it's gonna be a long one.

So, let's start at the beginning.  I have not always been overweight, but it started early, probably around middle school.  From this time up through Sophomore year of high school, I was always the friend that was just 10 lbs heavier than everyone else.  I was active in several different sports, mostly fall seasons, so during the fall I would lose 10, and then gain it alll back and then some in the spring/summer.  After my sophomore year, in 2001, I decided I was tired of this extra weight and did Weight Watchers.  By the time I started my junior year, I was down almost 40 lbs and I wasn't the heavy friend anymore.  Thanks to staying active, I was able to keep it off for the rest of High School.  Buuut  then I went off to college in 2003 and gained about 20 lbs.  Slowly over the next 3 years the weight slowly crept up on me until I was right back to where I was in early High School.  Summer after my junior year in college(2006), again I worked hard and lost about 20 lbs and stayed there to finish out college the next year.  Just before beginning my second semester of Senior year, I met my husband Cale, and this is where I began to get eat junk in crazy amounts.

After I graduated college in 2007 and was out in the 'real world' the weight started to pack on again.  Living on my own and grocery shopping/cooking for myself for the first time, all control went out the window. I ate junk all the time along with my boyfriend (now husband!).  It was frustrating for me because we ate the same stuff and I blew up and he just stayed the same. I continued to gain up until my man proposed in June of 2010.  It was at that point that I decided that I wanted to get serious about losing the weight for the wedding.  I got on the scale and was floored.  I was 20 lbs heavier than I had ever been.  I got to work, again with Weight Watchers and by Christmas I was down  30 lbs.  I was still bigger by a few lbs than when I graduated from college, but on the day of our wedding (May 7,th 2011) I felt good about myself and felt pretty in my dress.

And this is where it got tough for us.  A few months before our wedding, Cale got transferred by his company to Corpus Christi, which is 4 hours away from Houston, my hometown and where we had been living since I graduated from college.  However, our wedding was taking place in Houston and I still lived there!  So, Cale got a place to live in Corpus that I would move into after the wedding, and I was able to find a job in my field there.  So,  I move to Corpus for my new job a month before the wedding, we get married and live together for one month when Cale finds out he is being transferred once again, this time to El Campo which is about an hour and a half southwest of Houston.  I was upset to say the least.  I had just started a new job and did not feel I could leave.  So, for the next year, we lived apart.  I in our apartment in Corpus and Cale in our family's weekend place that happens to be close to his new job location.   So, this was a long background story to explain that I was not happy and stressed, and I am an emotional eater, so the lbs came back on fast.  By Thanksgiving I was back where I has started when I began to lose weight for the wedding, and by Christmas I had put on another 10.  Shortly after the holiday, our apartment lease was going to be up, so I began to look for jobs near Houston so that Cale and I could live together again.  I was able to get almost the exact job I had in Corpus in Houston, and we house hunted and purchased our first home outside of Houston, about half way between downtown and his job in El Campo.

For the next few months it was like newlywed bliss.  We had a new house, I had a new job that I loved, and I finally got to live with my husband! So of course, more weight was put on, about another 10 lbs.  One day in June, I was looking at facebook and ran across a picture that was tagged of me and my best friends from the previous weekend.  I almost died.  I.looked.so.fat.  I had gone into that Saturday thinking, yeah i'm bigger than I used to be but I look okay.  That picture was my wake up call, my 'ah ha' moment.  From that day on I decided that I was done being the fat girl.

Now, the next step.  How on earth was I going to drop the weight?  I was 25 lbs heavier than I was the last time I tried to lose weight and it just seemed hopeless.  One day I was on pinterest and came across a pin that linked to a blog.  I started reading one blog and that one led me to several others of ladies who were also losing weight and writing all about it.  These blogs gave me motivation and tools to begin my journey.  Since July 1st I have lost 32 lbs by tracking every.calorie. on My Fitness Pal, doing Jillian Michael's 30 day shred, running, and keeping the motivation up by checking  Mama Laughlin's Fit Camp facebook page frequently.  It has been a tough journey, but totally worth it.  I have a long way to go til I reach my goal, but now I know I have the tools and the motivation to get there.  I just keep telling myself one day at a time.

I have realized some things along the way.  I have to work my but off if I want to see results, they aren't just gonna happen if my butt is glued to the couch.   It has taken me almost 6 years to finally accept the fact that I cannot eat like my hubs if I want to be slim.  I just have to take it one day at a time and make short term goals for myself, I try not to get overwhelmed with how far I have left to go, but only focus on how far I have come so far.

It feels good to get all of that out there, and hopefully someday soon, I will feel confident enough to talk numbers, but for now this is where I am.  If you read this, sorry so long!  I just felt as if I had to put it all out there and now I can move forward and get to work as I continue on this journey!

Thursday, September 13, 2012

Blog newbie

So, here I am, just starting off in the big ol' world of blogging.  A little bit about me, I am a 20 something (28 eek!)  year old living with her two favorite boys (hubs Cale and puppy love Remi) in the 'burbs of Houston. Hubs and I are newlyweds (May 2011) and Rem is just 12 weeks old.  We have moved 4 times in the last 5 years, but now I think we are finally done, at least I hope so since we just bought a house in March!
   I stumbled upon a blog through a Pin on Pinterest back in June and began reading several different blogs at that time.  Shout out to all the awesome ladies I follow! After reading for a while I have finally mustered up the courage to start one of my own.  On this lovely blog I plan to write about my ongoing weight loss journey (inspired in part by some of the great blogs I have started to follow), along with cooking and decor/diy, two of my loves!  I love to write and document, but can't ever seem to keep up with a journal, so maybe this is the way to go, we shall see.
Well then, now that that's out of the way.... :)  So glad it's almost the weekend!  Most weekends seem to get filled up somehow, whether it be with my fam here or Cale's in Corpus or  getting together with friends, but I am somewhat happy to say that this weekend is pretty open.  I have great plans of getting some projects done around the house.  I painted my bathroom vanity from cream to black, with  bead board insets and antiquing, a couple months ago, but never got around to doing the coordinating cabinets in the little potty room off the bathroom.  Hopefully I'll get started on that one.

  Also I started on a pinterest project a while back (pallet coffee table) and it continues to sit in the garage half done, so maybe that one as well.  OK, so I think we're good for the first post.  Maybe next post I will suck it up and talk weight loss. Get excited.  Oh wait, who am I talking to?  There's no one here yet, ha ha!  Well, if you read this, stick around for a while.
-Court