Day 59 NSV Linkup!

Soooo, this week I've been at a bit of a self imposed stall.  Like I said previously I weigh myself daily so that I know where I'm at.  I don't think I have tracked one time this week, because my schedule has been so helter skelter.  I knew that this week was going to be like this though.  Yesterday was my 16 year anniversary to my wonderful hubster.  Unfortunately we didn't get to do a big thing b/c we had to go to a basketball banquet for our daughter but we did end up going out to eat afterwards.  We went to Logan's & I don't care what anyone thinks I was FULLY prepared to have me some dessert to celebrate, but alas my stomach just said no.  There just wasn't any room left.  But I didn't do that bad really & was proud of my choices actually.  Here's what I had:

6 oz. filet & lobster tail
1/2 serving of their fried onion petals
mac & cheese as my other side (of which I ate every bite)

Pretty ok right?  Well I'm pretty sure that's not where the calories came in.  The real calories were in this drink that I ordered.  I wish I could remember the name, but it's some Mango/Rum drink that they served in this HUGEMONGOUS mason jar that didn't taste like it had a bit of alcohol in it, but it was really sweet & yummy. So I guess technically you could say that I did have my dessert. 

All in all I made a pretty good choice & I was happy with myself, plus I ate a pretty good lunch yesterday beforehand & this morning my weight was only up by 1 lb, but I'm sure that's just sodium.  My goal is still to get to that 263 so I can take my first set of "after" pictures & I promise I will get there soon!! 

Now on to my NSV linkup

 

Last night when we went out to eat I put on this coat that I've had for forever.  Sadly since I've owned this coat I have never zipped it up.  It fit ok, it was just too tight to zip but guess what?  Last night I put that sucker on & not only could I zip it up but I could wrap OVER the zipper.  I was pulling it around me & could actually pull the closure past each other.  Seriously, I am starting to love NSV's more than the scale itself, it's so fun to discover these new things!!  I would love to hear some of my reader's NSV's as well!

Hope you guys have had a great week!!

P.S.

Guess who is now a follower of this little 'ol blog??? That's right, TIFFANY!!!!!!!!!!!  My super gorgeous, healthy, 187 lb weight loss champion!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited that she's following my blog & I hope to be just as inspirational to others as she has been to me (and tons of others I'm sure).  Now the pressure's really on to do good....:)

Weekly Weigh In...(Better late than never)

Hey guys! Sorry I was late this week posting my weekly weigh in. There wasn't really anything special to post anyway, I am still at 266 lbs. So no loss, but thankfully no gain for this week!



On a positive note, my FAVORITE weight loss blogger ever actually visited my blog today & left me a comment!! :) Tiffany rocks!! I was looking at her picture that she posted today & I was so impressed. She had on those skinny workout pants & a t-shirt that fit her like a t-shirt. Meaning, she didn't have to make sure it was long enough to cover her lower belly & her butt, b/c guess what?? She didn't need to!! She looks hot!!! She inspires me every day.

Ok, I know this was a super short post but I have got to get some sleep before 5 am clinicals tomorrow.

Talk to you guys soon!!




Previous weight 266
Current weight 266
-0  lb
Total weight loss to date
-17 lbs

Day 54 More Non-scale victories (Pics)!

Today I'm linking up (yes a day late) to KTJ's Non-Scale Victories post (NSV's).



Tomorrow is weigh in day and while I don't see myself being at my goal of 263 I'm totally ok with that b/c you know what? I will get there!!  And you know what else?  I am very excited about my NSV's! 

My first NSV for today is the fact that I am now actually able to tell that I am shrinking!  I have these pants that are getting very loose on me, I mean one little tug & those suckers are falling down.  I actually love wearing them b/c they are a constant reminder of the weight I've lost.  Second, today I was wearing a shirt that before was SKIN TIGHT on me & guess what? Now it's baggy!! I noticed it in the mirror today & was totally amazed!!  How cool is that??  And my third NSV is that I FEEL so much better.  Not just better, but more energetic.  How much more energetic?  Well, as you know if you've been following this blog, exercise is still on my to do list.  I know I NEED to do it, but I just don't really want to yet, but yesterday that feeling was starting to actually go away.  Yesterday I was feeling so energetic I actually considered putting on some jogging pants & sneakers and....wait for it....going for a jog!!  I seriously can't even believe I just typed that.  I have NEVER been a runner.  The longest I've ever jogged has been 3 minutes & I seriously thought I was dying, but I just felt so energetic yesterday that I was seriously considering it.  I know that that comes from the energy I've gained from the weight I've lost, and it feels really good.  

I've always been a slave to the scale & have never really paid much attention to NSV's, but this time is different.  I can really see a difference from all of the hard work that I've been putting into this with counting my calories & it's really inspired me to keep going.  When you're this big sometimes even though you see the numbers on the scale moving you really can't tell a difference in your body right away, and that can be frustrating.  I've heard before that smaller people change sizes every 10 lbs & larger people change sizes every 20.  So, it was so exciting to see that since I'm almost to 20 lbs that I can definitely tell a difference & I can't wait to get there.  And in that spirit I am going to post a picture of me in my nursing jacket.  I bought this jacket last semester.  It has the name of our school on it, "School of Nursing" & the year that we graduate.  I feel very proud when I wear it but I was disappointed that when I bought it that it was so small.  When I bought it I ordered a 2X thinking surely that would fit, but it wasn't even close!  At first I was so embarrassed at how it fit (the sides didn't even come close to coming together in the middle) that I didn't even wear it at all last semester.  But I'm so happy to say that it a-l-m-o-s-t fits!  Every time I wear it it seems like the zipper is getting closer & closer to coming together & I have to say that the day I can finally zip that thing up will be a major accomplishment.  I wish I had taken a picture of how it fit before, but since I didn't I'll go ahead & take one now of how it fits.  Then when I can finally zip it I can take another picture.  Hopefully that will be soon!!! 

So, how about everyone else? What are your NSV's for this week?

This was how it fit at first, I mean no where near coming together in the front, so embarrasing! Oh & btw, this is the shirt that used to be SKIN tight & my baggy jeans too :)



And this is how it fits now.  Sooo close to coming together, I can't wait to be able to zip this thing!!







Day 52 This isn't a race...

The other day I was looking over my friends' posts on MFP & there was one by this girl who was really frustated because she'd been "at it for a while now" & had only lost 8 lbs.  She was frustrated by her lack of loss with the amount of time & effort she had been putting into losing the weight, and man can I identify!  Every other time I've tried to lose this weight I've just wanted to see immediate results.  It's that mindset of "I'm going to do this for this amount of time so that I can lose this amount of weight" & you make the changes & wait for the "miracle" to happen but the truth is, there is no miracle, and honestly that sucks!!  We all want the magic pill, I know I do, but it's that thinking right there that stops so many people from succeeding at weight loss.  We want it to be fast & easy. We want it SO bad, but we're not willing to do the work to get us there and it gets frustrating.  But this time I came to the realization that it's not about how fast I get there, it's really not even about the final destination, it's about the journey.  This whole thing is about making itsy bitsy, teeny tiny changes in our lives that will add up to a big loss down the road.  It's about chosing diet pepsi over Hi-C, it's about bringing your lunch to school/work instead of eating at the cafeteria, it's about doing that 20 minute work out video, instead of watching that hour long tv program.  It's little changes that we can & will make for the rest of our lives that will add up to US being changed in the end.  Our choices will change, our bodies will change & in the interim our lives will change. We'll look back on the road behind us & realize that we never gave up & we made it to where we wanted to be. We made it to our "new" selves, and all we have to do from there is to keep going & by then it will be easy because we've been doing it for so long.  You see that's why the road has to be long.  We have to make real changes & real changes take time to incorporate into your life. Real changes take a while to "take hold".  So if we were to be able to snap our fingers & lose the weight in 1 month, what would we have learned?  Not a darn thing & a month or two later we'd be right back where we started because we wouldn't have LEARNED the things we needed to learn to make this a LIFELONG change.  New habits have to be FORMED to replace old ones & we've all heard that it takes 30 days to either make or break a habit.  How many habits do you think you need to break? How many new habits do you need to form?  Well give yourself the TIME to do that!  It's not a race, it's a journey of 1000 miles & we're getting there step by step. 

Day 49 Yogurt taste test...

Ok so I know I have professed, probably on more than one occasion, my love for Noosa yogurt, but now I am on a search for a new yogurt.  NOT because I don't still loves me some Noosa, but mainly b/c Noosa is kinda expensive. 



I don't do fat free/sugar free yogurt, I hate the taste of those yogurts.  I eat the full fat/flavor ones & just treat them like a treat & count the calories.

So the search has begun & here's what I've tried so far:

Fage - So far I tried the one with honey in it & all I can say is YUM! That one is a great choice & so far I think it's a little cheaper than Noosa, but about the same amount of calories. I have the berry one in my fridge still.

 

 

Liberte (Mediterranee) Yogurt - Great taste, not as thick as Noosa & Fage (I love the thicker ones) BUT it was a smaller portion & the calories were WAY higher for the size, uh no thank you.

 

 

Muller Fruit Up - First of all, when I bought this I didn't realize it was lowfat, therefore it had that sachharin-y taste that is the reason that I don't eat low-fat/low-sugar yogurts so that was its first detractor.  Second it had some really thick fruitish stuff on top that I didn't really care for, and although it was thicker it was mainly b/c of that fruit more so than the yogurt, so this one is definitely out.  I didn't even finish eating the blueberry bliss one. 

 



 

 

So there you have my latest yogurt hunt.  Now that I know I like the Fage I think I'm going to have to sit down & figure out if it really is less expensive than the Noosa or not.  If so then I think I've found my new yogurt.  If not then I'll keep shelling out the $2.40 for my 8 oz of Noosa & be happy about it.  We'll see...



Day 48 Weekly Weigh In...

Ok so on Wed. I was lamenting my lack of tracking my calories & how I didn't think February was going to be much of a stellar month, well that was BEFORE I stepped on the scale this morning & saw 266 lbs!!!!!  Yep, that's right, that's two pounds down for this week!!

 

I was so excited to see that loss, especially after last weeks plateau, which really wasn't so much a plateau as a binge the Friday before Sunday's weigh in.  Needless to say I was very excited to see a loss this morning AND guess what else?  That means that I am only THREE lbs away from my first "after" picture!  Like my weight loss idol Tiffany, I am going to post an after picture for every 20 lbs that I lose up until 200 lbs (after that I'll post one every 10 lbs). 

 

Since I am so close to that 20 lb picture I have decided that this week my goal is to lose those 3 lbs so that next Sunday I can post my first official "after" picture!!  I can do it, I mean 3 lbs is doable right? 

 

Today I also wanted to share one of my new lunch fav's.  It's a ham sandwich on a bolillo roll (roll from Walmart bakery section) and it is soo delish!  Here it is in all its glory:

 

 

 

Bolillo Roll 170 calories

Walmart Deli Sliced Cooked Ham (2 slices) 140 calories

Mustard & 1 tsp. of horseradish

Sliced onions & tomatoes (I don't count the calories when I use vegetables as a garnish, or if they are very low in calories, like the cucumbers)

So total calorie count for this lunch was only 310 (with the veggies it would be somewhere around 336 or so).  Also, I sprinkled on some Oregano & I think a little salt.  Of course if you're watching your salt intake you could totally skip that part.  It was very yummy & I had it for lunch on several days.  I'm pretty sure that they also had wheat bolillo rolls, but I usually prefer white, but I'm sure the wheat is pretty good too if  you prefer wheat.  

 

And lastly I will leave you with a picture of me & my beautiful baby girl.  This was the day she was presented an award from the mayor for writing a story about what she liked about the town we live in.  So proud of her. 

 

 

Hope everyone else had a great weekend & let's kick this week's BUTT!!!!!!!!

 



Previous weight 268
Current weight 266
-2  lb
Total weight loss to date
-17 lbs

Day 44 Eh...

It's looking like my monthly goal of just 8 lbs is probably a good one, heck hopefully I can meet that!!  Last week was no loss & this week I just haven't been able to track like I need to, so I'm a little worried about this weeks weigh in & of course there's only one more weigh in for this month after Sunday, sooooo we'll see.  Maybe I can fit in some work outs & get this weight loss back in gear.   It's just hard to fit working out in when you come home from school/clinicals TOTALLY exhausted.  I came home yesterday, ate dinner & was in my bed by 7:30.  I talked to my daughter for about an hour & was OUT by 8:30.  Thankfully this is supposed to be my hardest semester of nursing school & the next two are all downhill from here so I guess I just need to tough it out for a few more weeks. 

Sorry this post has sort of turned into a bitch fest.  On a more positive note, I can really tell that my eating habits are starting to become a real part of me, not just something I do b/c I have to.  For instance today I was getting a drink at lunch & I started to fill my cup with Hi-C Fruit Punch, but then I thought about it & thought to myself "I don't think I need or want those extra empty calories" & so I switched to Coke Zero & never looked back.  When I thought about it later I was very happy that I made that choice.  I really need to start giving myself more credit when I make choices like that.  It's little changes that will add up big time in the end.  It's also those little things that sneak up on you if you DON'T watch them.  For instance, say today I had gone ahead & gotten the Hi-C.  Then next time I was faced with that choice I'd think "Oh it was no big deal the other day, it won't hurt if I get it again today" and then the cycle would start all over & every choice would be a "little" choice & "no big deal" but in reality those little choices do end up being a big deal.  A big FAT deal - ME! 

So, for today I am going to give myself a pat on the back for making a healthier choice & know that every decision I make towards being healthy, no matter big or small is a choice that leads me in the right direction. 



What about you?  Have you made any small, healthy choices lately that maybe you thought weren't a big deal, but when you think about it you realize that all these little choices really add up?

Day 41 Weekly Weigh In...

First of all can I just say that I can hardly believe it's been FORTY ONE days since I've been blogging about this journey?  This in and of itself is an accomplishment! I started this journey on December 18, 2012.  Just a random day that I decided, "I'm going to lose weight starting today", and I did it.  I made the decision to start & I can hardly believe that here I am still going strong more than a month later!!  Not to toot my own horn, but I am really proud of myself!! 

On to today's weigh in.  I didn't expect anything really spectacular when I stepped on the scale this morning b/c Friday I had a little double Mexican fiesta.  After I left school on Friday afternoon some of my classmates & I decided to go to Chuy's for a Tres Leche cake.  Ok, first of all, have you ever had this?? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it.  It was SO delicious, and that sucker was HUGE!!! 

Seriously, even in this picture you can't tell how big it really is.





But, I didn't eat the whole thing, nope, I cut it in half & only ate half of that deliciousness.  The total calorie count that I found online was 460 calories, so basically I had 230 calories just in that cake alone.  Now that wasn't too bad, but then I also had some chips & salsa/guacamole & their creamy jalapeno dip.  Again, if you've never had the creamy jalapeno dip, highly recommend it. 

This is totally what I would have been doing had I been alone in that restaurant!



Ok I know you're thinking "Well that's not too bad Candi, don't worry about it."  Well, guess what?  Then about 2 hours later my husband comes home from work & he's like "What's for dinner? Why don't you call & order us some Mexican food?"  Welllllll, technically I didn't really have dinner the first time, we just had some snacks after class, right?  So, I proceeded to order two crunchy beef tacos & some cheese dip (of which I ate most of) & then ate again. Now I have to admit, 2 crunchy tacos still isn't that bad compared to what I would have eaten prior to starting this weight loss journey, so honestly I still didn't feel too bad.

Anyhoo, after Friday night I really tried to keep it under control yesterday & I did pretty good.  I'm pretty sure I stayed under my 1700 calorie allotment, and so I got on the scale this morning & voila still at 268 lbs, which I'm totally ok with.  Honestly I was happy not to see a gain. 

So, for this week I'm logging no loss/no gain, but I'm ok with that.  I'm living a normal life & sometimes that includes eating Mexican food twice in one day!!

How about everyone else? How did you do this week??



Previous weight 268
Current weight 268
-0  lb
Total weight loss to date
-15 lbs

Day 38... NSV (Non Scale Victories!)

Today I am linking up with KTJ over at KTJ Weighing In for her NSV (Non Scale Victories) link up.



I haven't linked up previously because although I am losing weight, I just really couldn't think of any NSV's to report, but this week I have TWO NSV's!! 

My first NSV came at school. At school our secretary's office is upstairs, and the other day I needed to talk with her. Now, we have an elevator in the building, but come on, this is nursing school. WHO in their right mind is going to be the one to take the elevator? I mean we're supposed to be healthy, health professionals, what shlub is going to take the elevator? Hence, no one hardly ever uses it. I digress. So, as I said I needed to go talk to Kim about something & was in a hurry b/c we were only on a 10 minute break from class. So I hustled out of class and BOUNDED up the stairs. Yes, I practically RAN up that set of stairs, not once but THREE TIMES & guess what? I was only a teensy bit out of breath when I got to the top!!!!!!! You guys have to understand, I usually CREEP up those steps & by the time I get to the top I am DYING with SOB (shortness of breath)!!!!!!!!! I was so super proud and happy that I could do that, and it really showed me that this weight loss really is making a difference.

My second NSV came the other night when my precious baby girl got an award from the Mayor & alderman of the town we live in.  She wrote an essay on why she loved our town and out of 1200 essay's hers was one of the winners!!  I was VERY proud of her to say the least.  Anyhoo, the award involved a reception, so I decided to wear this dress that I've had since last summer.  The last time I wore this dress was around Christmas time and although it fit then, it was a bit snug (and that was with my minimizer on!) Well I put it on the other night, sans minimizer, and guess what?  I could REALLY tell a difference in how the dress fit!  I kept looking in the mirror to verify that there really was a difference, and there was!!  I was so excited! I have read before that when you're a bigger person that your size changes with every 20 lbs, whereas with smaller people it's every 10 lbs.  Even with 15 lbs down I can still tell a difference in my dress & that was very exciting/motivational. 

Speaking of motivational, I was reading Katie's blog over at Runs for Cookies & she was talking about her weight loss & how she couldn't have done it without exercising.  She said that in the past she had lost weight before but that she struggled to keep it off & had yo-yo'd for years but that her real breakthrough came when she added exercise into her routine & KEPT IT THERE.  It really got me to thinking about my own weight loss journey.  While I am losing weight every week and I'm VERY happy with my progress, I have to think of how much MORE effective I would be with some exercise. Of course my excuse has been that it has been cold outside (and it SERIOUSLY has been), but now it's starting to warm up (thank you Lord!!) and I feel like this is the time that I really need to start incorporating some exercise into my weight loss.  Something else she said in one of her posts was the difference in her body that exercising caused.  She said that she had lost weight previously & had been the same weight that she was now, but that without exercising she was like 2 sizes bigger, AT THE SAME WEIGHT.  Isn't that crazy?  I mean we've all seen people who weigh the same amount but one is a size 6 & the other is a size 10 and usually we just chalk it up to different body types, but now we're talking about the same girl.  Same weight, different sizes & she said it's all from exercise.  Definitely something to think about and seriously contemplate in my own journey....

Anyhoo, sorry this post was so long.  I hope you guys are having a great week! It's almost Friday!

Weekly Weigh In....and some measurements

Today is my weekly weigh in & although I didn't hit my end of the month goal of 269 by January 31st, today is even better! Today I am down 2 more lbs for a total loss, since December 18, 2012, of 15 lbs!!!! Woohoo!!  Very excited. 



Only 5 more lbs until an after picture!! I can't wait to see if I can tell the difference.  I know I can tell the difference in this one pair of jeans that I own.  I was wearing them yesterday & they were so super baggy.  Of course they've always been a little big, but yesterday was ridiculous, in a good way of course. 

I also took a few measurements to compare to last month, so here goes:

Neck 15 1/2 inches (previous 16 -1.5 inches)
Bust 49 3/4 inches (previous 50 1/2 inches -.75 inches)
Hips 57 inches (previous 58 inches -1 inch)
For a total of inches lost in those places of 3.25 inches. 

Yesterday was a great day for eating, as a matter of fact I'll go ahead & post it. I wish I had taken a picture of the chicken that I made, it was SO delicious!!  My family loved it.

Breakfast:
Nothing (I didn't feel too hungry for breakfast so I skipped it)

Lunch:
2 beef tacos from a mexican restaurant
1/2 serving of chips/salsa/cheese dip
Estimated 580 calories

Dinner:
Shredded chicken with fajita seasoning and green chiles
3 taco shells (I guess yesterday was mexican food day)
Calories 342 (3 taco shells only had 150 calories!!)

Snacks:
Noosa Honey flavored yogurt
2 c. Golden Puff cereal
1.5 c. 2% milk
Calories 753

I still love cereal at night.  It's my favorite nighttime snack/dessert.  Sooo, I guess today officially starts the beginning of the week & I am going to seriously try to get in my 3 work outs this week.  I would say that walking the halls in clinical should count, but the floor is soooo slow that I really can't even count that as exercise. 

Anyhoo, that's my weekly weigh in, super excited about it, I hope everyone else is doing well!!



Previous weight 270
Current weight 268
- 2  lb
Total weight loss to date
-15 lbs

Day 33 Why am I lying to myself??

What did you say?  Why yes I did get on the scale this morning & it said 269!! And no that's not my "official" weigh in, I actually weigh myself every day, but why couldn't I have seen this on January 31st!!  Then I could have "officially" been at my goal at the end of the month!! Oh well, it was still great to see it.  And what makes it even weirder is that this was AFTER a total snackfest on Friday.  Friday morning class was canceled & I ended up staying home all day (in the freezing cold, can we say over this weather?) and for some reason the refrigerator was playing my swan song.  I swear it was like the refrigerator was the pied piper & I was all 50 children following it's sweet song, lol.  Let me list what all I ate. 

Cereal, beef summer sausage, cheddar cheese with more beef summer sausage, & then more cereal, homemade chili, and then for dinner some delicious homemade tuna salad.  I swear there had to have been more than that & I just can't remember it now b/c I went to bed STUFFED.  And really since I've started this journey I haven't been stuffed in a long time.  Before I started this journey, being stuffed was a constant state and I have to say, I don't really like that feeling.  I actually don't mind being a little hungry, it makes me feel like I'm in control. 

But lo & behold, I stepped on that scale this morning expecting a gain & nada, instead I was even down a pound.  Can we say super excited?  I set my goal for this month kind of low, with only being 8 lbs instead of 10, why you might ask?  Because I'm kind of chicken.  Do you ever feel like "Ok, I've lost some weight, but this is probably as much as I'll be able to lose"?  I think that's where I'm at.  I feel like I have done really good at losing these first 14 lbs, but now the stupid side of my brain is trying to tell me that I've probably reached my limit, that I can lose 14 lbs, but probably not much more.  Isn't that crazy??? I am 100 POUNDS overweight, but my brain is telling me that I can only lose 14 of those pounds.  Wow, what a stupid lie!  That is so ridiculous that I can't believe I would entertain that thought for ONE MINUTE!!  But I do.  I look back to past attemps & think, yeah this is probably as good as it's going to get....CRAZY!!  So, when my brain starts acting all idiotic what do I do?  I head on over to Project 365 & I take a look at Tiffany & the fact that she lost 180 lbs & no she didn't do it overnight, but by gosh she KEPT ON PLUGGING & never gave up & that weight came off!!

 

And if it can happen for her, it can happen for me, I too just have to keep on keeping on & stop listening to my dumb brain!!  I mean where is Minnie when I need her?? (Minnie is my skinny alter ego for those of you that haven't read my previou posts, Skinny Minnie that is.) 

What about you guys?  Does your brain have a set limit of weight that you think, "Yeah I was able to lose this much, but probably not much more than this, and SURELY not the _____ lbs that I need to lose"??  Or am I the only one with crazy brain?

Day 32 - Liebster Award!!

Thank you so much to Jessica over at The New Adventures of Jessica for nominating me for this Liebster Award!! 



Liebster is the German word for dearest, other translations mean favourite or beloved. The award is given from one blogger to another, and is a way of saying "dearest blogger" or "favourite blogger". To be nominated for the award you must be a blogger with under 200 followers.

How does the Liebster award work, you may be asking? Well, when you are nominated you need to give 11 random facts about yourself. You are also sent 11 questions to answer by the person that nominated you. You then need to nominate 11 other bloggers and set your own 11 questions for them to answer. You also have to notify your nominee's, that could be a Tweet, Facebook message or comment on their blog.

So here goes, these are the 11 random facts about little ol' me.

1. I am not usually a people person. I usually dislike people upon first meeting them & only warm up later.
2. I am in the 3rd semester of nursing school going for my BSN.
3. After nursing school I want to go on & get either my Midwifery license or my Nurse Practitioner license.
4. I'm always afraid that I won't have enough time left in this life to accomplish all that I want to accomomplish.
5. My mom died when I was 36 & it was the saddest, most life changing thing that has ever happened to me thus far.
6. I LOVE spending time with my children.  They are by far the coolest people on this planet, no seriously.
7. I am in a biracial marriage & my hubby & I have been together for 18 years.
8. I have one sister and that is as far as my family tree goes, just me, my mom & my sister.  Seriously small tree.
9. I LOVE reading decorating magazines, seriously it's a passion, I salivate over any blog that shows their house & it's all perfectly put together.  But my house is a total wreck!
10.  In my mind I want to be that perfectly put together person with every hair in place, pefectly done make-up and always in that fabulous outfit.  In reality I'm a jeans, t-shirt & flip flop kind of girl & my hair is usually in a ponytail or a bun & I'm usually sans makeup.
11. I'm usually a ball of contradictions.  Like I would love to have more followers to this blog, but then I'm also afraid if I get too many then I can't be personal with all of them.  Contradiction, that's me in a nutshell.

And here are the questions that I had to answer:

1. If you were stranded on a desert island, what 5 things would you bring with you? (Assuming you already had the necessary basics, food, water, clothing & shelter)
I would bring my husband, son, daughter, sister, and a big boat so that we could leave after we got bored.  :)

2. What is your favorite movie?
Gosh, I have so many favorite movies.  I guess I'd say anything written by Nancy Meyer (Father of the Bride (I & II), Something's Gotta Give, It's Complicated, etc.)

3. Which would you rather experience firsthand?  Space exploration or under water exploration? 
Well both scare the bejeezus out of me b/c if something goes wrong you can't BREATHE!!  But I'd have to say I'd much rather explore space. I'm fascinated with all things space.  I want to know who else is out there!!

4. What is a huge fear of yours?
My biggest fear is dying while my children are young.  My mom died when I was 36 & I still felt like an orphan. I want to live forever, or at least until my children are old & wrinkly :)

5. Do you have something you love but are embarrassed to say you enjoy it?
Well, in order to be embarrassed you'd have to care what other people think & I usually don't.  But, I'd have to say I really love all things pink & girly.  I love flowered headbands, girly purses etc., but I don't usually wear them b/c I think I'm too old to pull it off.

6. What is something you love about yourself, non-physical?
That I'm smart.  I love the fact that I am an intelligent human being.  Now not that I'm joining MENSA or anthing, but that is one thing I love about myself.

7. What is something you love about yourself, physically?
I've always loved my legs.  I know some bigger people hate their legs & they never wear shorts, skirts etc., but thankfull I was blessed with good genes in that dept.

8. Pet peeves about people?
Girl, seriously?  I could go on & on about this one (see #1 of my random facts, lol).  But if I had to narrow it down to my BIGGEST pet peeve it would be when you're talking to someone & they're totally looking around like they're looking for someone better to talk to, instead of giving full attention to what you're saying. 

9. If you could go anywhere in the world & money & time weren't an issue, where would you go?
I'd take the whole summer & take all of my family members (remember I only have my sister & her family) & we'd spend the whole summer at Taprobane.

Taprobane Island is a rocky private island with one villa, located just off the southern coast of Sri Lanka opposite the village of Weligama. Private Island 5 en-suite bedrooms, (4 doubles, 1 twin), Infinity Pool, Beautiful rambling tropical garden, 5 staff to look after your every need

 

 





10. If you could only eat one kind of food for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Assuming you don't mean I can eat American food, I'd have to pick Mexican.  Not because it's my favorite, but b/c it's easy to prepare.  Now if someone else were preparing it for me then I'd say Chinese.

11. Favorite dessert?
Orange Mini Muffins with brown sugar glaze by the Pioneer Woman.  F-A-B-U-L-O-U-S!!!!!!!!

 



And now for my nominees:

FogDog Weightloss

The Miscellaneous Mom

Life with my Loves

Running Toward Healthy

Progress Not Perfection

Adventures of a PICU Nurse Practitioner

And here are your questions:

1.  If you could have a superpower what would it be?
2. If you could push "the button" and instantly receive 10 million dollars but someone in the world would die, would you?
3. Do you prefer movies or music?
4.  Whichever is your preference to #4 then what is your favorite movie or favorite type of music?
5. What is your idea of a perfect day?
6. If you could snap your fingers and instantly change one thing about yourself, what would it be?
7. What is your favorite season?
8. If you could vacation somewhere & money was no object, where would that be?
9. Would you rather have money or good looks?
10. Do you believe in love at first site?
11.  What's better New York or LA?