Yeah Summer :)

I'm not going to lie. Being a teacher has its perks :) Although bringing work home with multiple times a week during my 9 months of teacher isn't fun, not to forget the marathon grading at the end of quarters stress, having summer off is a pretty nice (and well-earned) perk. This past week was proof to that. I was able to get up early on Wednesday to go to the Minnesota Zoo with my mom and sister and then stay up in the cities to watch Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince. I didn't get home until about 2 that morning, and it was okay :)

This past weekend led to another awesome adventure: my first Dave Matthews Band concert in a few years. Three summers ago we planned on going, but the tranny went out on my car in Janesville, quite a ways from the concert venue in East Troy, WI. Last year the concert fell on the weekend of Western Days, so obviously Western Days trumped that. Pat and I went just us, and thanks to Warehouse, we were allowed into the preferred seating area. It was quite a strange show; the play list was very different than their typical list, but I was able to rock out to some of the new stuff as well as old favorites like "Crush," "Dancing Nancies," "The Stone," "Grey Street," and "Ants Marching." The parking lot trying to get out sucked (even more than usual!!) and the detour on the way out wasn't much fun either. We didn't get home until about 7am, had time for about a 3 hour nap, and then was off to a family reunion. I was a mess!!

And now we embark on a new adventure in the Walsh household, a roommate. This is the first roommate Pat or I have ever had except for each other. Sarah will be living in our basement the next 3 weeks or so as she completes an observation period in Winona as part of the Pharmacist training/schooling. This should be fun!!!

Party like it's 1999?

So, this past Saturday was my 10 year high school reunion. Going into it, I was filled with mixed emotions. I was excited to see a few friends that I knew were going to be there, but excitement was not the largest emotion I was feeling. Simply stated, I was nervous.

My high school years were not my favorite years. Although my high school led me to some individuals I am proud to still call my friends today, my closest friends were not created within the walls of Lourdes High School. I made some poor decisions, and by my senior year, I found myself floundering. I cut ties with those that I felt weren't really my friends, and began to hang out more and more with some Chatfieldians that I felt appreciated me for who I was; I no longer felt like I had to live up to this image that really wasn't me. Since the reunion was planned through Facebook, which means not everyone was fairly notified, and I knew many people weren't coming, I wasn't really sure what I had to look forward too (besides seeing some friends who I KNEW were going to be there...Jes!).

They day did lead to some surprises. I was able to catch up with a few friends I had lost touch with, but it really ended up being like high school all over again. Each group took a section of the park to chat, and I felt like I was in the commons all over again. One side you found strollers and families chatting, and on the other side a game of beer pong was happening. I guess some things just don't change.

So, where is the silver lining? Well, just like when I was fed up with the frustrations and separations in high school, I escaped. The evening found me surrounded by what I affectionately always called "my guys," playing poker, and laughing until my cheeks hurt and I was short of breath. Quite poetic, really :)

image from jchs.org

Back in the habit...

Okay, so I've learned a lesson. Much like other things in life, once you allow yourself to get "out of the habit" of something, it remains "out of the habit." I'm not going to give some big, elaborate story about why I stopped blogging. Instead, I'll simply give a list of just a few things that got in the way of keeping this thing up-to-date.

My sister turned 21, and I turned 28.
I got kidney stones, pink eye, and multiple other bouts of illness.
I'm a teacher, so grading and lesson planning take priority.
Being the senior advisory in a high school eats up most of your spring and early summer.
We got a dog!!!
Struggles with weight watchers (but I did achieve my 10% and 25lbs loss over the past few months, both milestones in WW)
School had to keep my laptop once school was out for a bit
Camping and Vegas
And I'm just a bit lazy I guess

So, today is a new day for me. I am going to work on getting back into the habit of a few things.

1) I am going to make sure to post pictures and events that are important to me
2) I am going to start tracking what I eat again. Summer has been a real challenge for me when it comes to sticking with my weight loss plan, so I need to get back to the basics
3) I am going to start thinking about lesson plans for the coming school year.

These are three things that I have really slacked on lately, and by posting this, maybe I'll be able to get myself back into the habit.

Size does Matter!

I learned something today. Well, I actually learned a few things, but this blog is going to center on only one. Today, I learned that size does matter. The size I speak of is the size of pants. I've been on a plateau lately with my weight loss, and I have been getting down on myself over it. I had a specific goal in mind set for my birthday (which I could still reach), but something has me feeling much better and more motivated.

I finally gave in and went shopping for some new pants. Savers had one of their everything-half-off sales yesterday, so I went to find something that made me look less like a bag lady and more like me. Now I know why belts were hardly able to keep my pants up; I am down a whole pants size! Woo hoo! Not only do I actually have an ass again in my pants (the pants that were getting to big were giving the impression I had a saggy diaper or pillow stuffed in my pants), but I'm walking with a bit more confidence. You would think that clothes that are too large are more comfortable, but I totally disagree. They make you feel uncomfortable and bigger than you actually are. I am walking with a bit more of a sway today knowing I'm down a size and my pants are fitting the way they should!

Pat convinced me to try on some of my older pants that were heading into the garage sale boxes once spring cleaning starts. Good thing I didn't throw them out when we moved! They fit again! I was wearing pants last night that haven't fit in about a year, if not a little more. I bought them about 4 years ago when I was student teaching, and they just got tighter and tighter as time went on. How exciting! What great motivation to keep me going and hopefully leave this plateau behind. I have visions of sundressess and swimsuits this summer, and for once, I'm not cringing!

Sugar, Spice, and Everything Nice...

For those of you who have known me for quite some time, you may recall my minor obsession with the Powerpuff Girls towards the end of my high school years and a bit into college. Well, last night I was sittin gon the couch nursing this terrible cold I can't seem to kick while Pat was searching for something to watch. He landed on Cartoon Network and an episode of Powerpuff Girls neither of us had seen before, granted it has been a looooonnnnnnngggg time since I have taken the time to watch Powerpuff Girls. Anyway, I was completely mesmorized. I still get such a kick out of the show. At the commercial break, Cartoon Network announced they were celebrating the 10th anniversary of The Powerpuff Girls!!

I feel old.....

Don't call it a comeback....

Okay, so it has been almost two months since I've been able to get on this thing and update it. Excuses? Sure, I have a few. The holidays, keeping up with grading at school, geocaching adventures, and working out after school lately are just a few I can come up with off the top of my head.

Life has been a roller coaster for me lately. I've had quite a few ups (family time, friend time, Wild games, concerts, continuing to lose weight) and some downs (sick on and off, two aunts dying on the same day, snow days causing pile-ups at school, the looming of state jury duty), but all in all, I'm doing okay.

I got my 3rd star at Weight Watchers last week which means I'm down 15 pounds! I've gained a littler here and there over the holidays, but I'm working really hard to stay on track now. My pants are getting looser and looser which is great, but I'm hoping they don't look too big. I dont' want to get new clothes until the spring. I've also noticed my bras getting a little looser too. I guess I'll just have to be okay with that :P

I thought I would look back at my first post a little over a year ago and see if I stuck to my resolutions. Here is what I hoped for:
1) Get better at being on time. For the most part, I think I've shown improvment here. I'm even coming to work over 10 minutes early every day now!!! That's something to be proud of.
2) Work out at least 3 days a week. Well, I have done this the past couple weeks, but all in all, I did not do so well with this one. Weight Watchers is helping me get back on track with this. I've even learned that I don't have to go to a gym to work out. Shoveling our driveway is turning out to be a really good work out too!
3) Make more time for "me" time (reading, tanning, indulgent t.v. shows...) Up until we moved I was doing well at this. I've been able to squeeze in some reading and Nintendo DS time in lately, but I really, really want to get back to making time to scrapbook. I'm months behind!
4) Not to sweat the small stuff as much. I think as a whole I've done a lot better with this one. Minus a few cracks here an there (moving, the house warming, and some lesson planning here and there), I think I've done much better at this. Excercise and beer have helped, too.

Now on to my NEW New Year's Resolutions:
1) Work out on a regular basis
2) Get better at putting things away at home
3) Journal/track what I eat every day
4) Learn something new every day
5) Do something FOR ME every day


Latest music obsessions aside from the usual: Indgrid Michaelson and Matt Nathanson

High five? How about a high ten!

After a rough week last week, I achieved a major goal today! I set a goal for myself about a month ago to lose 10 pounds by Thanksgiving. After our housewarming and the leftovers tempting me, I gained weight at my weekly weigh in. I worked really hard this week and even spent my morning off today working out, and it paid off. I have officially lost 10.2 pounds!!! I'm hoping to continuing losing weight and maybe even another ten pounds by Christmas. I know it will be hard because it is the holiday season, which means sweets tempting me around just about every corner, but I am still going to work toward that goal. I'm currently able to put all my pants in the dryer :) That's the only big change I've noticed so far, but that is change enough. No, I take that back. The biggest change I've seen is in my eating habits. I am eating smart snacks and really watching my portion control. I'm AWARE of what I am eating, and that is the BIGGEST change. Yeah me :)