Hey ladies! I can finally breathe again. I finished writing up my 10-day lesson plan tonight. The whole thing is about 40 pages long. Anyway, I am back and I promise to get caught up on what's going on with everyone. I haven't been keeping count of my calories the last little while...just stressing with my lesson plan so I don't have any good news to report there. Anyway, I'll be catching up tomorrow! It's good to be back!

Hey everyone! I'm going to have to apologise in advance for the lack of posting/personals recently! I hope you can all understand that it's because I am on holiday, but I am reading up on all your posts to keep updating on your lives =).

My trip to America so far has been great. The first meeting of the bf after 7 months was, in all honesty, weird. It wasn't the magical moment I thought it was going to be, but that didn't mean it was bad. It was just very strange seeing him there. After a day we started to slip back into our usual chemistry, which is what I expected to happen. So things are great, it's amazing being with him again - I'm trying to make the most of it! Time has been going slowly, which is AMAZING since it always goes so fast. I feel like I've been here for 2 weeks but I've not even been here a full week yet.

He really loves my new body! He's been saying how proud he is of me, how much slimmer and healthier I look. I even made him do Insanity with me, and he was DYING! Considering he's in shape it was quite a sight, and I felt so proud of myself that I was doing better than him even after having a 17 hour journey the day before!! He said "Alright, I'll give it to you, that was legit hardcore!" So that made me feel good =).

So far we've been on a walk, to the butterfly pavilion, I watched him go climbing (it was super hot) and we've of course been to a few restaurants/fast food places! We've watched films, played video games - the usual!

I got my new camera which I'm playing with loads. Because of the size of it (it's a DSLR) it's hard to get pictures of the two of us without someone there! But I want to get as many photos and videos as possible, I wanted to make a little movie of all the things we've done to some music just as filming practice (since I want to make films as a career one day!)

Weighing in daily is getting hard, because the scales here are in his parents room and sometimes I feel awkward asking to go and use them. But I got down to 155 lbs which is incredible. I've either remained the same weight or lost a small amount so far, so working out has helped! On Valentines day I didn't work out, so it was my rest day, and yesterday I didn't because I felt a bit sick. Because he lives in Colorado the altitude means I get dehydrated quicker, and I wasn't keeping on top of drinking water! So I had a fail day and now I owe the bf a favour, since I wrote a list of rules for myself and if I fail one I have to be a temporary slave! He said he's going to make it super tedious so it will encourage me to workout! *sigh* I deserve it!

I've been really good with eating so far. I make sure we only eat out once in a day, whether it's for breakfast, lunch or dinner, and not to drink soda in the house/snack. And when I am out I only have one soda too. The food has been DELICIOUS! I had Pho last night, which I felt was really healthy since I got the seafood one! It was tasty.

On Friday the film festival starts and we're going to a few events, Friday morning is "Jiro Dreams of Sushi" which is a documentary on a master sushi chef - so afterwards we're going for sushi at his old work place! I can't wait, I love sushi.
Saturday I've planned a surprise trip for the bf...he loves wolves so I've planned with his parents to take us all to a wolf sanctuary. We've booked the VIP tour, so we get the tour of the sanctuary and then get to actually go in the enclosure and meet the tame wolves! I can't wait! I just hope that his Mum (who can be a bit of a loud mouth) doesn't spill the beans since I don't want him to have any idea where we're going!

I think that's all from me, take care all!

sgregg At least you got your lesson plan taken care of. I'm sure that's a huge relief to finally have it off of your shoulders.

Riestrella Haha good for you for showing him up on Insanity! That's awesome. :) That's a cute idea to do a list of rules you have to follow. Smart too! The wolf sanctuary sounds like such a cool idea! Hopefully his mom will keep the secret.

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Seems like people are pretty quiet on here lately (or I just talk too much) :)

I am SO excited about this weekend because there is a wine & food showcase in my area. I get unlimited tastings of all of the wines on the show floor (about 200 wines.....er, don't worry, I won't be trying them all!), a souvenir tasting glass and I get to go into any exhibits and seminars that I want.

...and of course, a 3 day weekend will be very nice. :) I have some boring stuff around the apt to do, but maybe I can knock most of it out Friday night so I can enjoy the rest of the weekend to relax, work out, and de-stress.

riestrella Im so glad youre having a great time with him!!! thats funny about the insanity.... i think just because a persons fit doesnt mean they could do a workout... i think your used to working out hardcore and you prob dont even notice.. well im sure its hard... but like i said your used to it :)

I like the list of rules as well ;) Good for you for sticking to everything... eating out and all... about the pics... do the good old one handed shot of the two of you... its better then nothing lol The wolf sanctuary sounds amazing i would love to do something like that... once again because of my heritage native american wolves are a big part of that :) well I hope you have fun enjoy the rest of your time!!!

not much going on with me everyone sorry ive been gone for awhile... my little guy has been a handful the past few days he came down with a little bug and was sleeping and pooping non-stop :( so between him crying and all that and trying to get my normal workouts/walks and chores in... ive been exhausted -_- Last time i posted I mentioned about his dad and the whole 1st birthday scenario... well he hasnt even said anything about it... just pretended like it never happened ... so that argument has been post-poned i guess -_- had a crappy valentines since he was called out of town for work on monday for the week he got back today so hopefully well see him tomorrow and this weekend.... got a bunch of shopping done today for Aiden... mostly Easter stuff... they put it out so i figured id get a jump on things and grab it while its there and not picked over.... My mom also got a free room at the casino for the night so were going there in a couple weeks to just have fun, go in the pool have a few drinks/dinner and relax... which is much needed for me since i havent been away from my son in months and months...actually i think ive only been out like 3 times since he was born ....lol... i never get nights out so Im pretty excited... anyways thats pretty much it... have a good night everyone... ill do personals tomorrow

Hello!

This week has been no bueno in the exercise and food department. I've been having headaches (which I never get) and my IBS has been kicking it into high gear :( I'm having a Thai food and movie night with my mom today, and tomorrow will be a new day. For real. It's happening this time. No more goofing off!! I'll be rearranging my room tomorrow, so that'll be a good work out for me along with a long hot date with the gym.

Valentines day was nice for me. My boyfriend got me a dozen red roses and took me to this DELICIOUS Indian restaurant. It was my first time having Indian food, and I am officially a fan! But it was a nice relaxing night :)

Candice: hope the little man is feeling better! There's been so many different bugs going around..it's horrible!

quiet ballerina: yup, 2 cats. :) Food and wine festivals are awesome!! Have a good time!

Rie: hahaha I love the rules list!! I should start something like that because I HATE doing chores! Glad to hear you're having a great time and that's so exciting how proud he is of you :)

sgregg: ugh...lesson plans STINK. My one friend had to do tons of those and unit plans. She was not a happy camper!

torito: Hope the midterms went well for you!! Give yourself a day of relaxation when it's all said and done!

sgregg welcome back! I bet it’s a relief to have the lesson plan done. Sounds like a ton of work

riestrella I’m glad to hear you’re having a great time, and kickin his *** at insanity! Enjoy every second

quiet that sounds like a great weekend. I hope you get de-stressed

Candice a night out sounds like exactly what you need. Must be nice to have the shopping done already as well. Hope he feels better

samma mmm…thai. Have a good date with your mom! Glad to hear you had a good valentines day.
I wish I could get a day of relaxation! I have 8 midterms, (2 of which are after my spring break so I’ll be cramming during that time too), then as soon as this set is over I’ll have 8 more and then it will be finals. I can’t wait for this semester to be overrrrr.

It was a pretty quiet week, I’ve felt ‘stuck’. In school, in weight loss, in life so I’m trying to get outa that mind set. I have a huge midterm on Tuesday that I’m stressed out over because the teacher is crazy and goes soo in depth. Fingers crossed

I have my weigh in tomorrow morning! im nervous this week even though I didnt "cheat" I did eat way to many crackers!
Ill be back to let you all know how I did :) Wish me luck

Helloooo!!! :)

Just a quick check-in!

Rie - Good to hear that you are having a great time!

Torito - School makes me feel "stuck" too...so hang in there...it will be over soon!

samma - I've never had Indian food either. What did you order? And we need a pic of this cute little fur-ball. ;)

QB - I'm glad you got to re-take the quiz. I hate online classes. The last one I took I slacked so badly. Anyway, good luck on your final!

namaste - How did you do on your test?

Samanthia - How was your weigh-in?

sgregg: it was lamb....something. it had coriander, garlic, and ginger in it and it was pretty spicy! It came with naan and rice. The one good thing about spicy food and me, I definitely do not go overboard with eating tons!

And here's Kimba! http://a6.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphot...17113228_n.jpg

hey everyone, i just wanted to pop in and say that my studies are nearly over, we had exams last week and after 12 horrendous months I can finally call myself a psychologist :) So now i am looking forward to getting back to normal, losing what I regained, recovering psychologically myself from the year! and getting into job hunting lol

Also that kitten is super cute

Aww, Samma, he's a cutey!! And that Indian dish sounds yummy! :)

Icon - Woohoo for studies being over!! I know you are relieved. I have less than 3 months left myself!

holy moly I did not realize how big the picture was!! But thanks :) He's my little fluff ball!

Been off the wagon and slowly starting to get back on it...first by going to the gym. I've been slowly eating better. I'm just trying to go by what my body wants rather than what I enter into my phone app.

Samma, Kimba is adorable!! He can't be more than 2 months old. (Is he named after Kimba the White Lion?) I just adopted my second cat, Arthur, in mid-January. He's seven months old now and had been at the shelter since he was Kimba's own age. Poor baby. I still don't believe no one wanted him until I came along. D:

Iconised Ghost, congratulations on finishing your exams and finally becoming a licensed psychologist! What will you do now?

torito, I can't believe some of your mid-terms are AFTER your Spring Break. Don't professors know how this works?

candice, I know it's been a couple of days, but I hope your son is feeling better.

Quiet Ballerina, how was your Bacchanalian weekend?

Riestrella, have you and the bf been to the wolf sanctuary yet? We have one for big cats near us that I've been meaning to get out to see.


It snowed here yesterday for the first (and probably only) time this year. It was less than an inch and I'm sure it'll all be gone again when I get off work in three and a half hours, but we had one magical evening. Zara and Arthur, my kitty roommates, were entranced. And I got to drive empty roads and do my shopping at an empty grocery store because very few Southerners have confidence in their ability to drive on snow. :lol:

Zara's been sick. She had a little cough, wasn't eating enough and didn't poop until she made a mad poop in her carrier on the way to the emergency vet clinic. The vet wasn't sure what was wrong with her, but she gave me steroids and antibiotics and since then Zara is COMPLETELY improved. We've got another appointment on March 3rd for a follow-up.

I kept kicking myself for not getting pet insurance for her while she was healthy. I know, financially, that it's smarter to open a savings account and set aside the money I would otherwise spend on pet insurance for her and Arthur every month into that account--but what happens if she gets sick again before I've had a chance to build up a substantial balance? I've only had my real adult job for not quite two months, and I lent close to $600 to my boyfriend to pay his rent, buy him groceries, and take his rabbit to the vet when he got sick. (Don't worry, he's not a loser. He's got almost $3k coming to him in outstanding accounts in the next couple of weeks.)

So this is what it's like, being an adult.

I will admit, though, I ate like crap for three days and missed a Spin class while I worried about her. Still lost a pound by yesterday, though. Huh.

bopbot: he's actually 13 weeks old (so 3 months and a week). He was just the tiniest one of the litter. He's gotten longer since I've gotten him though, and he has his healthy kitten check up tonight. He was 2.6lbs when I got him, so let's see how much he's gained! And yes, he's named after Kimba the white lion.

back on track! Just came back from the gym...did an hour of the stairmaster. I did some arms and legs, but no abs. I'm still full from lunch so I figured that would be bad news if I worked on abs.

bopbot :) My Bacchanalian (great word!) weekend was fantastic!

Samma Okay, as much as I'm anti-cat, the little fluff-ball is pretty adorable. :)

It's been a very nice weekend for me. The wine and food festival was mostly wine (and jewelry, oddly enough) but I got some really tasty wines, and some very fun wine glasses! I also got this delicious olive oil that's infused with garlic...I'm going to use it tonight to make a pasta salad.

Aside from that my weekend's been pretty low key, which is what I needed. Glad that it's a short work week too!

....but my tummy is rumbling and I need to get to the grocery if I want to make the pasta salad tonight. :) So I'll pop in for a better update later.

YES IT WAS AMAZING! Picture!

https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...96940492_n.jpg

Look how big his head is compared to mine!!

Also:
https://fbcdn-sphotos-a.akamaihd.net...91975561_n.jpg
I'll report more on it later!

Sorry your kitty got sick, and yeah insurance is hit and miss when you can think of better ways to spend your money. We just got a new puppy and I think the parents are considering insurance...because she's going to get sick one of these days. You've just got to really look into it! Adult life does kinda suck that way!

samma super cute!

icon woo congrats!! That must feel amazing

bopbot I know!! Part of me is glad that 2 of them are after, because I’ll need a lot of time to study for them but I thought the point of spring break (called reading break in our school) is to give us a break from reading
I’m sorry to hear about pet sicknesses! And being an adult sometimes really sucks. Pet financials are hard, because on one hand you want to save for it if anything ever happens, but on the other what if that wasn’t enough savings and then pet insurance… It’s hard

riestrella holy the sanctuary looks soo cool! I’m jealous

I had to miss half of school today to go to the opthamologist since I’ve had chronic headaches, luckily my eyes are normal. My doctor said if they persist I’ll get a CT scan but they have been getting a bit better so I don’t think I’m gonna go down that route. I was glad to get my eyes checked though since I never had in the past. But with the eye doc, came the drops (which I sucked at) then my vision was so blurry, and my pupils were so dilated that I had to wear sunglasses inside, and I just didn’t wanna be that girl at the gym so I came home and found a cardio workout video on youtube. It definitely wasn’t as intense as I usually go for cardio, but at least it got my heart rate up a little. And I didn’t feel like a fool for falling down from blurry vision and sunglasses on.

This next post is kind of long, so if it's tl;dr: My cat's sick and I don't know how to pay for it because I've loaned money to friends in the past and no one can/will pay me back.

Ugh. Ugh ugh. So, the dear boyfriend's been stiffed by an employer yet again.

He had a contract in December for a $500 website. It's been finished since the first week of January, but the company refuses to pay up, so the site hasn't launched. That was supposed to be the boyfriend's Christmas money, to buy me and his family gifts.

He had another contract, also beginning in December, for a website for a laser equipment company. They paid $2000 up front and were supposed to pay him another $2000 when the site was complete. It's nearly finished and now the project director wants him to stop work on the site so the manager can "consider his options."

As it stands, he has about $700 to pay this month's rent and bills. He owes me $450 for last month's rent and groceries and another $120 for vet care for his rabbit, who was very sick two weeks ago. He was going to pay me back in full as soon as the laser equipment company paid him for their website, but since it doesn't look like they'll be doing that now, who knows when I'll see that money.

Edit: I haven't had a Christmas gift, or a birthday gift from my birthday in September. I feel crappy being bothered by that, but the longer it is, the more it needles at me. It's stupid. He's the best of boyfriends. He's so wonderful about everything else, supports me in everything I do, makes me healthy dinners all the time, rubs my back when it hurts, takes care of my every emotional need. I feel like a shallow jerk for letting his bad financial situation bother me. But I thought I was done being broke when I landed my new job in December. Instead, I've been barely keeping us both afloat, and now that there's an emergency, I resent every dollar he hasn't paid back.

It normally wouldn't be so bad. I make more than enough to cover my own bills and don't mind helping a friend out every now and again when things get dire. But Zara has a vet appointment for March 3rd, and at this point, I don't think I'm going to have enough money to get the tests and treatment she needs.

I'm trying to collect on debts from old roommates. Between the two of them, my roommates from last year owe me a little over $500. I sent them a Facebook message explaining that Zara was sick and begging that they pay me back whatever they could in the next two weeks. I haven't received a reply from either one, big surprise. Not that I ever expected to see that money again. But I thought they might have an ounce of compassion. Even fifty bucks would have helped.

Anyway, that's my rant. Shoot me if I ever loan money to anyone again. I'm going to try and sell my bass guitar on Craigslist this week. I'd try to sell my scooter, but it isn't running, and I don't have anything else worth selling. Even my computer has three keys that don't work.

Edit: The boyfriend wants to sell some things of his, too. He really is the best, and I am the jerk.

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Quiet Ballerina, your weekend sounds lovely. Hope the pasta salad was delicious!

Riestrella, YOU GOT LICKED IN THE FACE BY A WOLF. And GOSH, girl, do you look good!!

torito, I hope your headaches keep improving. Way to fight through the discomfort of weird eyedrops and get some exercise anyway. Mad respect.

thanks everyone for the comments... yes my son is doing much better now... back up and running... or crawling haha... hes starting to let go of the couch now... getting brave that boy... i have a feeling hes going to start walking soon, then im in trouble :P

Kinda been crappy when it comes to eating and exercising the past few days... just havent had the energy to do it... and the one day I did have a snack (puppy chow) i got a huge migraine because i havent had sugar in so long... (added sugar or sugary sweets) and im not sure i like that.... i think i need to make a change to my diet and allow some sugary sweets but like once a week or something cause obvs eliminating it isnt good either... i dont think ive ever had a migraine that bad in my life. -_-

Kind of excited about the casino this weekend.... my mom also got us free tickets to the buffet which ive heard is absolutely amazing... and ive never been to our casino here in Windsor before meanwhile had the buffet so im going to let that day be my cheat day.... im sure im going to suffer from it... booze and lots of food... :( but oh well... ive jumped back on the wagon today and exercised this morning and went for a walk just before the snow hit (pheww) .... and ive eaten pretty good today so hopefully ill lose a couple lbs or something before i go that way i wont feel so bad when i gain a couple back... lol

personals:
kinda just skimmed through quickly
samma such a cute kitty <3 I miss my pets from home...

bopbot hope your poor Zaras feeling better... really sucks having a pet thats sick... my poor scooter used to have seizures all the time... brought me to tears because I was so helpless

riestrella so frickin jealous of you right now... that wolf sanctuary looks amazing... I would love to get up close with those wolves... glad your having such a great time... and can I be the second person to say that you look great!!!

torito sorry to hear about the headaches.... those can be such a bi***.... yes better to be safe and get everything checked just in case... a friend of mine in high school used to have them so bad she would sit and cry in class... her doctors told her to just monitor everything she did and ate... turns out she went for a cat scan and had something in her brain that was causing them.... can never be too careful....

Riestrella: those pics from the wolf sanctuary are SO cool!! I'm jealous. :)

torito chronic headaches are nothing to play with. :( I hope you figure out what's going on soon!

bopbot I'm so sorry about your cat! :( And what is wrong with those people hiring your boyfriend?! Can he take them to small claims court? Keep bugging those friends/old roommates that owe you money! That's so rude of them. I'd send more messages. And call. And text.
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I'm so so ready for this week to be OVER. Even though Saturday won't be very fun because I have to wake up super early in order to leave my apt around 8....because I'm helping my friend and her hubby move from their apt into a townhouse. I'm thinking about getting a big thing of coffee for everyone (there's 10-12 of us helping move I think) but then I'm kinda like....wait. It's not my stuff. Why should I bring coffee? :-P
I don't know. Maybe I will...I'll call the store and see how much their 'box of coffee' costs. I do plan on getting bottled water and bringing that. I just don't think my friend is going to think about stuff like that....and well, we're people. We're going to get thirsty.

Buuuut.....my roommate is going out of town. So I will have the apt to myself probably Friday night and Saturday/Saturday night!
(Nothing against her. Just want the entire place to myself sometimes. :) )

Urk....will try to post more later. I hear the baby. She's a HORRIBLE napper this week.

Dropping in quickly!

Rie - Those are some awesome pics! :)

Getting back on the wagon Monday. I actually volunteered for the running club at the elem. school so I can do some walking while the kids are doing their running. It will be fun...hopefully. I just want a chance to get some needed exercise in. My weight is at a standstill right now. I just haven't been actively counting my calories like I need to be. But I'm really getting on it this coming Monday. I have to. I feel horrible. I haven't been drinking my water and I just eat a bunch of junk all the time. And I crave it because I've been eating too much of it. But I know I can get over that and move on.

Anyway, I just wanted to pop in real quick and give a little update. I'm sorry for no personals. I just hate that I don't have the time for it right now. :(

FFS I just wrote a nice response to people and then hit refresh and lost it ARGGGGG

sgregg- thanks! What are you studying? It feels like it has taken such an incredibly long time that i can hardly comprehend how long it has taken, even though i went through it!

bopbot- thanks! I'm thinking about spending some time away from patients at the moment. Maybe a very long time O_o I'm hoping that the job search takes at least a month or two and that gives me some time to start thinking rationally about whether i want to go back to that kind of clinical work or not. That sucks about your cat too :( Does your vet have any kind of payment service, so maybe you could pay it weekly or in lump sums?

rie- those pictures are amazing! Wow. I would really like to go and do that some day. I will have to put it on my bucket list

torito- thanks!

Had my last day at work on Friday (yay!) and I am so looking forward to getting back into eating well and exercising and relaxing and recovering. And sleeping! OMG i've missed sleep so much

SO. Weighed in on thursday at 147 lbs. Hooray for screwing up! I took a break from the gym yesterday (time didn't allow it anyway). I went to see Wanderlust with my boyfriend...that movie was absolutely hilarious! I literally was crying at some points because I was laughing so hard! We went out to a restaurant called Iron abbey. I got this portuguese burger which was good, but SO greasy that I actually felt sick from a couple bites. I also had two beers....one was a strawberry flavored one that was incredible!

Today is a fresh start. Im going to the gym soon and I plan on kicking my own butt! If I'm so upset about myself, then I need to stop messing up and just get at it! I'm going to write down all of the reasons why I want to be healthier and post it in my room so I see it every single morning. I know my mom will see it and say something about it, but whatever. I need this mode of motivation since it's the only type I get in the house!

Rie: WOLF!! That's an awesome experience!

Tori: It's always a good time when you get your eyes checked! When I had mine checked I went on a walk with my roommate....who was literally my seeing guide because it hurt to look around even with sunglasses on! haha!

Quiet: enjoy the weekend of solitude! :)

Samma - you can do it! Let me know if you actually put the notes up. I think that's a great idea. I may do something like that too.

Icon - Elementary Ed. Almost finished!! And I'm so excited to be almost done. Graduation is May 12th!

Can you all believe that February is almost gone?! It just goes by way too fast after you grow up. Ha! Back to calorie counting tomorrow. I'm planning on tracking EVERYTHING on myfitnesspal. I don't have time to exercise or I would be tracking that too. I wonder if they have "being a mom, wife, and full-time student teacher" in that thing? ;)

Anyway, our weather has been crazy. We got up to 84 degrees the other day!! 84 degrees is CRAZY in February! I love the warm weather, but it's just weird. This winter has been very mild and I'm scared of the mosquitoes we are going to have this spring and summer because of it.

Ok, I'm rambling now, so I'll try my best to drop in this week! :)

*crickets chirping*

Where is everyone? :)

March is almost here!! Where did February go?! I really need to kick my booty into gear. My little brother is graduating in May and I want to look good in the family pics. lol Okay...I want to be healthy too of course. But come on. An excuse for a cute new SMALLER dress? Yes please! I might go peruse ebay now... :)