2000 Points!

For those of you newer to the blog, you may not know that at the beginning of the year I created a point system for myself to help keep me accountable with my health. You can read the whole post here.

The gist is that I would reward myself points for making healthy choices (exercise, drinking water, taking vitamins, flossing, etc.) and I would lose points for making unhealthy choices (drinking booze, eating sweets, etc.). In the past I have done point systems and they have helped keep me accountable, so I figured I would try it again.

There have been some tweaks here and there, but I finally arrived on 2500 as the final number of points I needed to earn my reward: new clothes for our cruise in June! I'm excited to say that as of today, I have surpassed the 2000 point mark and am less than 500 points away from a shopping spree!!!

Honestly, I wouldn't be where I am today without my trainer. As helpful as the point system can be, I was getting pretty lazy in the weeks leading up to taking the plunge and signing up for personal training. Not only that, but even if I had somehow motivated myself to exercise for points, there is no way I would be as strong as I am now... or have some of the muscle tone that is developing (and making me do double-takes in the mirror). She is amazing - and training is one of the best investments I have ever made in my life.

The hardest part about having a trainer is that I had to promise her I would only weigh myself monthly. For someone as obsessed with the scale as me, that was rough. And it also means that I have no clue what I weigh right now. At last check, I was down 12 pounds since January 1, but that was 3 weeks ago. I'll have a better idea on Monday when I get to weigh myself again :)

But even if I can't weigh myself, I see a difference in pictures:

These aren't the best comparison shots, but I didn't have many pre-point pictures where my whole face was visible. I realize looking back that I cut off part of my face in almost every single picture I have of myself. I was too embarrassed by how puffy it was getting and thought I could disguise my weight gain. Sad.

Another difference I can see is with my strength. Every single time I train, I am able to do more and push harder than the previous session. One thing I am particularly proud of is that I'm almost ready to transition into "real" push-ups (as opposed to the push-ups where you are on your knees). I remember back to doing the 30 Day Shred and how I couldn't make it through 10 push-ups even on my knees. Now I can bust out 10 knee push-ups like nobody's business :)

I am so proud of myself, and I can't wait for my shopping spree! I have a feeling that, unlike typical shopping days, this one won't involve me crying in the fitting room... unless I happen to cry tears of joy ;)

Just 53 more days until we set sail! I can't wait to see how much more progress I can make.

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Nickelodeon Date Night!

Woo hoo! We successfully completed another date.

This week's date was Nickelodeon night where we were tasked to watch all the classics.

***Side Note*** I realize that this is another date where I designed the night around sitting on the couch and eating. Is it any wonder I need a trainer? Just kidding (kind of). When I wrote these dates I tried to think of ones that wouldn't cost a lot of money since I planned for us to do one each week. Eating dinner made at home and watching TV is about as cheap as you can get. ***End of Side Note***

We figured if we were watching shows from our childhood, we should eat kiddie food. So dinosaur nuggets, tater tots and orange slices were on the menu:

And, like any children, we played with our food a little:

For dessert, Joe had the great idea to make pistachio pudding since it looks like slime (and if you've ever watched a Kids' Choice Awards, you know how much that station digs their slime). The pudding didn't turn out green enough, so I added a bit of food coloring and voilà:

As far as shows for the night, here was the line-up:

Are You Afraid of the Dark?
Legends of the Hidden Temple
What Would You Do?
Doug
Double Dare
All That
Hey Dude
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Legends of the Hidden Temple
Family Double Dare
Family Double Dare

If you couldn't tell, we decided that Legends of the Hidden Temple was our favorite... and we couldn't stop watching! I kept hoping a temple guard would get punched or a kid would pee his pants when a guard grabbed him. No luck on either count and I was bummed. (Does this make me a bad person?)

Family Double Dare was good too. We lucked out and saw an episode with DJ Tanner and Steve Urkel! They looked like babies! And it was hilarious to see what the fabulous 90's prizes were. I have a feeling our future children won't even be able to identify 1 out of 3 of them.

But it wasn't all good...

Honestly, I was SUPER disappointed with Are You Afraid of the Dark? (And not just because I guessed the "twist" a mile away...). It was super cheesy. The acting was terrible. The camerawork was even worse. I'd hazard a guess that every amateur video on YouTube is better produced than this show. Plus, it annoyed me that these children, *ahem* members of the Midnight Society, were allowed to go into a forest in the middle of the night and light a campfire. Where are their parents?! Where is Smokey Bear?!

I was also disappointed with What Would You Do?. Though we got to see Marc Summers slide down the pie slide, the rest of the episode was *meh.* Speaking of the pie slide, I don't understand why everyone pretends they don't want to go down it. Be real folks - you know you want to slide face first into some whipped cream. Who doesn't?!

Hey Dude wasn't much better. I LOVED that show as a kid, but Danny's "acting" was so awful that it distracted from the show. (I feel a little bad criticizing him because there are rumors the "actor" died of liver failure... but no one can confirm this because no real record exists of him after the show. I know, I am as shocked as you are that his "acting" career didn't take off.) Anyways, in this episode Ted and Brad challenged one another to a battle of the sexes (of course) and the boys and girls did a cook-off. The girls made tuna noodle casserole (WTH were they thinking?) but the judge was allergic to tuna. This forced them to choose another challenge. You know, because there is only one human being on that dude ranch who could judge. What? The only adult staffer (a.k.a. Lucy) doesn't have a refined enough palate to be your tuna noodle casserole back-up judge? At least Ted and Danny made cupcakes.

Alright - enough complaining about children's shows. I loved ALL Nick shows as a kid, and it was a blast to revisit them the other night with Joe :)

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P.S. If you ask why Salute Your Shorts wasn't viewed, it's because my dad wouldn't let me watch the show as a kid. He thought the title was dirty. At 28 I agree with him, but I still maintain that the show was perfectly fine for youngsters.

200th Post... And Mexican Fiesta Date Night

While I may have been a pretty pathetic blogger lately, on the whole I totally rock because I have officially made it to post 200!

Every time I hit one of these big milestones, I am shocked that I've kept up with this blog for so long. I'm not exactly the best at sticking with things, so the fact that I have hit "publish" 200 times is a pretty impressive feat for me. 

Speaking of poor follow-through, my goal of doing a date a week while Joe is in dental school hasn't been the most successful. So far he has been in school for 34 weeks and we've done a whopping 11 dates. For those of you who aren't math geniuses, that's a 32% success rate (don't worry - I'm not a math genius either. I used my favorite online conversion calculator). 

***Side Note*** The closer Joe and I get to starting a family, the more I start viewing things in terms of how long pregnancy will be. The fact that Joe has been in school 34 weeks and pregnancy is 40 weeks is absolutely mortifying. That is a very, very long time to have another human being inside my body.... and to give up wine. ***End of Side Note***

***Clarification Side Note*** No we are not starting a family soon. In fact, babymaking has been postponed. We chose a date, I accidentally spilled to several people (thanks, wine), and then we re-evaluated things. So when I say "closer to starting a family," the word "closer" only means one fewer day. You know, in the same way we are "closer" to death every day. Fun thought.***End of Clarification Side Note***

Anywhoo, we completed our eleventh date on Saturday night and it was a fun and relaxing one: a Mexican themed night! 

Of course, that meant dressing up in clothes we might wear in Mexico plus a dinner consisting of tacos and margaritas. 

The finished product

Joe thought it would be fun to put a Mexican blanket on the coffee table to make the room more festive. Buster has never gotten on the coffee table before, but apparently he figured that a table with a blanket on it is fair game to use as a chair:

While we ate, we wanted to watch a movie that takes place in Mexico. All we could think of was Nacho Libre, so we watched that (well, about half of it and I got bored and demanded requested Game of Thrones instead.)

I may not have liked the movie, but I do dig these adorable babies in Nacho Libre costumes :)

It was a fun night, and I am excited for this week's date! We've already drawn it, and it's an easy (but FUN!) one :)

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Stacey's Visit to Philly

It's springtime in Philadelphia! (finally)

I had forgotten how much I love this city thanks to the record-breaking snowfall that trapped me in our apartment for several months. But with Stacey visiting last week and the sun shining, I was able to re-visit some of my favorite places with one of my favorite people :)

Stacey arrived last Wednesday night and we promptly hit up a cheesesteak joint with Joe. Tony Luke's is still our current favorite, but it's hard to complain about eating beef piled onto roll and covered with whiz and onions.

Upon returning home, we watched some Full House (of course) and were reminded again and again that Michelle Tanner is a spoiled brat.

Seriously. Hate her.

Michelle didn't really annoy me as a kid, but now I want to smack her butt and send her to her room for, well, ever. I feel for D.J. and Stephanie, as Michelle is the clear favorite of Danny, Jesse and Joey. Frankly, who cares what Joey thinks, but if I were in that house I'd be vying much harder for Uncle Jesse's attention.

One constant and the biggest reason to watch Full House ;)

Plus, Michelle gets away with saying the most rude, smart-mouthed things ever. I can't imagine how much soap I would have ingested if I talked like her as a child. And the eye-rolling? I swear, if she rolls her eyes at an adult one more time I'll throw a shoe at my T.V. with the hope that it'll act like a voodoo doll and one (or both!) of the Olsen twins will get a swift kick.

And don't get me started on how she is always lying and stealing things. And DEFINITELY don't get me started on her getting to be princess for the day in the Disney World episodes.

What happened before part 1 of that episode ended? Oh, that's right. Bratty Michelle didn't like being called out for her rude behavior and decided to run off. This led to everyone frantically looking for her and wasting valuable ride and turkey leg time. How RUDE! Of course *SPOILER ALERT* they found her.

But I digress... ;)

On Thursday, Stacey and I decided to head to Germantown for a little shopping. I discovered this area right outside Philadelphia when my parents visited for Christmas and knew that Stacey and I needed to visit when she came. We had some lunch and hit up some shops. I scored a great deal on a couple of purses and a nautical-themed scarf that will be perfect for our cruise :)

Since quaint shops are just one side of the shopping coin, we also headed to a nearby mall for a little H&M, Charming Charlie's and LOFT action.

Friday morning we worked out with my trainer and, because that wasn't enough sweating for one day, we decided to walk to Rittenhouse Square and do some more shopping. (Rittenhouse Square is a major shopping area in Philadephia and is a few miles from my apartment.) Though my feet got tired, the weather was BEAUTIFUL and it was great to walk, chat, and buy more stuff :)

That night, we went to a restaurant called City Tavern. Although the original burnt down, the tavern was where historical figures like George Washington would drink and dine. The servers here wear historical garb and the menu includes old-fashioned recipes that the founding fathers enjoyed. Of course, I had to ask the busboy if the building was haunted. He and the waiter then went into a several minutes long historical overview of City Tavern - and it was AWESOME. As a history semi-buff I couldn't imagine a better ending to the meal, though they were both a little wish-washy on the presence of ghosts in the building :(

Saturday was our Reading Terminal Market day and I shared one of the best sandwiches I have ever eaten with Stacey. Seriously - if you are a food fan (and, really, who isn't?), you MUST go to Reading Terminal Market if you visit Philadelphia. Grab a sandwich from DiNic's (I recommend the hand-cut beef brisket with sharp provolone) and finish up with an Amish donut for dessert :)

Photo credit

After Reading, we chilled out at home and watched Tangled. Well, Joe and Stacey watched and I dozed - shopping and eating had worn me out ;)

That night, we went to a Phillies game. Honestly, I'm not a big baseball fan and the game was BORING, but it was still fun to hang out with Joe and Stacey. The weather was also nice, and I enjoyed soaking up the sun and fresh air. We ended up leaving a little early and watched some Toddlers and Tiaras when we got home. It's not a true visit with Stacey unless we watch a guilty pleasure TLC show.

Sunday we did a little more shopping (this time with Joe!) and then we brought Stacey to the airport.

Thus ended Stacey's visit to Philly - but I'm sure she'll be back soon :)

What didn't end is my marathon of Full House viewing. I've been watching it daily since she left, and my feeling on Michelle aren't changing in the slightest.

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Weigh-In Day!

Per my trainer's request, I've ceased my weekly weigh-ins and promised that I will only weigh myself every month or so. This is hard for me, as sometimes the difference between me saying "yes" or "no" to some fat-filled snack is knowing that I am weighing myself in the morning.

I do have to say, it's been freeing to forget about the number for a while and to just focus on changing my diet and exercising more, but it also builds up the actual weigh-in because so much time has passed and a big number is expected (by me, at least).

I last weighed myself about 3 weeks ago, and this morning I had the okay from my trainer to weigh-in so we could see where I am at. To be honest, I didn't expect much. This weekend was quite depressing as I tried on clothes that fit in the not-too-distant past but would barely (if that) zip now. I pictured my fat hanging over my Lucky Brand skinny jeans that I retired on the first leg of our road trip last year, but had served me faithfully in the months leading up to that trip. I know what I weighed then, and if the pants weren't fitting now I was undoubtedly going to be in for some bad news on the scale.

Prepared for the worst, I didn't even bother bringing my cell phone into the bathroom so I could take a picture of the scale. But I wish I had, because when I stepped on it I saw 195.8 flash before my eyes.

UNDER 200! SCOOOORRREEEEE!!!!!

And not just under 200 - almost halfway to the 180's!

PLUS that means that I have lost a total of 12 pounds since January 1. I know that is very slow going, but it's a solid loss and I am thrilled to be back in onederland.

I still don't get the jeans thing. I KNOW these pants fit better when I was this weight before. But I seem to be losing from my face and limbs much more quickly than my middle (unlike previous weight-loss where it was almost like someone pricked me with a needle and I deflated all over like a balloon). This isn't a terrible thing, because when summer comes I can disguise a middle with a dress. And it won't be long before my tummy is forever shot thanks to pregnancy anyway. But I hate that I still only have one pair of jeans that fit.... and that those jeans are about to fall apart in certain places thanks to some good old fashioned thigh-rubbing.

I'm not going to dwell too much, though. After all, my trainer thinks it is realistic for me to lose about 2 pounds a week from now until the cruise. If that happens, I'll be around 175 for Bermuda! Frankly, if I can just be in the 170's as we pull out of the port, I'll be so happy!

Now I just have to focus on continuing to earn points so I can buy a new wardrobe for the cruise :)

I won't lie, I have maybe bought a dress (or two) that I am saving for the cruise. Hey - sometimes deals are too good to pass up ;) But I have promised myself that I can't wear them until the cruise and if I don't get all my points, I have to return them.

My bestie Stacey flies into Philly tomorrow for a few days, and I am sure that we'll be getting our shopping on (in addition to watching copious amounts of Full House). Though I hate to buy another pair at my current size, maybe I should try to find some in-betweener jeans. After all, I don't want a wardrobe malfunction.

And I am sure some of you are sick and tired of hearing about weight. Heck, I am sick and tired of talking about it. But life is pretty boring right now.

Can't wait for Stacey to come spice it up for the next 4 days :)

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Allow Me to Fill You In....

It's been quite an absence - sorry about that!

Here's what I've failed to fill you in on lately:


SPRING BREAK

Going back to California for Spring Break was a lot of fun!

Joe joined me in California for the first 5 days of my 11 day va-cay. Since he was only in town for a handful of days, we had a pretty packed schedule because we wanted to visit as many friends and family as we could. It was so much fun to see all the familiar faces :)

After he left, things slowed down and I spent most of my time either working or shopping with my mom. I was so strange to be away from him for almost a week - it's the longest we've been apart since we've been married - but I'm still going to try to make it home more often in the future. Since I can work from anywhere, I should take advantage of that.

It was also fun to be home for two Sundays because I was able to watch two new episodes of The Walking Dead with my parents - who are obsessed (especially my Dad). My brother, Brian, was home for the first Sunday and is a big fan as well. He convinced me to read the comics, which I started a few days ago and am TOTALLY hooked on. They are incredibly twisted so, being me, I obviously can't get enough of them.

***Side Note*** This is the first comic I've read, so I don't know if this is true for ALL comics, but I am SHOCKED at how many "adult situations" there are! Now I finally understand why some guys are totally obsessed with comic books ;) ***End of Side Note***

While I ate too much on my trip and only exercised a couple of times, I was still down 0.4 pounds when I returned... so I consider that a win. And that's after TWO visits to In N Out ;)

Of course, I HAD to Instagram my first meal there :) And, yes, I do eat a ridiculous amount of ketchup.

BUSTER'S BIRTHDAY

One downside of staying in California longer than Joe did was that I missed Buster's first birthday with us. He's four now, and his birthday was March 14. Not only did his mommy miss his special day, but the poor guy had to go to the vet for some shots!

I made it up to him by bringing home some presents. He also got a special doggy cookie in the shape of a squirrel (he loves chasing them) and Joe made him some chicken and rice to eat.

I'm impressed - the dog knows how to open a present...

I LOVE this picture because he looks like he dropped his mouth in shock at his present. Really, he was just yawning - something he does approximately 15,324 times a day.

DENTAL SCHOOL

The second semester of dental school has brought a shift for Joe. Instead of being in lecture all day learning science stuff, he's now doing more hands-on stuff! He's excited to finally roll his sleeves up. Not only is he assisting 3rd and 4th year students when they work on patients, but he is in lab doing things like making wax teeth and filling cavities on dummies.

Sometimes, he can bring stuff home. And then I get to take pictures :)

He's carving a tooth out of wax for this project. I don't understand the point, but nearly every (if not all) dental schools require this. Some make you do the entire mouth! It's incredibly time consuming.

Hard at work

But happy to be carving instead of having his head buried in a book.

TRAINING

Upon returning to Philly, I've been really focused on eating right and hitting the gym hard with my trainer. Though I have been lazy and haven't made it to the gym on non-training days, three extreme workouts a week is definitely a step up from what I had been doing. I'm going to aim for 5 days a week next week (3 with the trainer, 2 cardio days) - which is what she wants me to do.

Although I am not a fan DURING training, I am LOVING that I made the decision to do this. I can tell that I am getting an incredible workout, and I am already seeing some arm definition that I haven't seen in FAR too long. I'm so dedicated that I've even starting drinking protein powder drinks after workouts to help build muscle!

I love my trainer! She knows how much to push to make me red-faced, sweaty and sore the next day
- but not in a ton of pain.

The only thing that really stinks is that she wants me to weigh myself just ONCE a month. This is going to be VERY difficult, and it also means that you'll have to say goodbye to Weigh-in Wednesdays, but I'm going to be a good trainee and listen to her.


Welp. That's really about it. Life has been crazy busy with work and training, and there haven't been too many exciting things going on. That said, I hate inconsistent bloggers, so I am going to try to up my game :)

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Spring Break 2014

I always feel so guilty when I don't blog for a while. Generally the reason is because not much has happened, so saving my (few) readers a detailed play-by-play of the mundane goings-on of my life is actually a favor ;) But the past week has actually been BUSY. Which means I have things to report on, but no time to actually report.

Last week I successfully completed two more training sessions (on Wednesday and Friday). I'm a fan of my trainer so far. She knows how far to push me without making me so sore that I can't sit on a toilet (which has happened before, and I pray never happens again. It's not pretty). The weight room was also far less crowded on Wednesday and Friday (hmmm... maybe men also subscribe to the whole "I'll start again on Monday" thing?), so it was much less embarrassing.

***Side Note*** Apologies to my parents for using the phrase "popped my weight room cherry" in my last post. Apparently they were horrified at my choice of descriptive language. ***End of Side Note***

Joe and I left on Saturday afternoon for our Spring Break trip to California. It's been nearly a year since I've been home to visit my family, so I was super excited. What I was not excited about, though, was leaving my poor baby:

I mean - seriously - who could leave this adorable face?!

Instead of boarding him at the vet (which is what we did the last, and only, time we left him), we hired another dental student to stay at our house and dog-sit Buster. It was actually comparably priced to boarding, and I hate the idea of putting a former shelter dog back in a shelter-like setting. Reports from Buster's sitter have been good so far - much less crying than we expected.

***Side Note*** The lack of crying was on Buster's end, as I bawled before the sitter got to our house on Saturday. I am a legitimate crazy person. ***End of Side Note***

Coming home has been such a surreal experience. It certainly does NOT feel like we have been gone for a year, and it makes me realize how quickly dental school has been passing. This is definitely a good thing, as I am ready to ditch this chapter of our lives. While I like Philadelphia and am proud of all that Joe is doing, I miss living by family and I want to feel more like a grown-up and less like a college student. While it's Joe doing the studying, we live on a college student budget. The shopper in me cannot stand that ;)

Speaking of chapters in our life, I lately have developed an obsession: reading every single fertility / pregnancy book I can get my hands on. To be clear, we are not currently trying. After all, we have the unlimited booze package booked for our cruise, so that would just be crazy ;) Also, D2 (the second year of dental school) is the most difficult, so having a newborn during D2 would be pretty ambitious.  But, I am nothing if not a planner, so I am devouring everything I can in prep for baby-making and baby-growing.

To be honest, it is terrifying me.

But I can't stop.

I really had no idea that pregnancy was so horrific. I knew you got fat. I knew your boobs ached. I knew morning sickness existed. Little did I know that these things barely scratch the surface of the ailments a poor pregnant lady must endure.

Of course, it will all be worth it.

But WOW.

While there is more to say about the trip, I am exhausted and now I feel a little sick thinking about my not-too-distant future. Time to get back to my latest pregnancy book and hope that this one is a bit more positive ;)

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