2011 wrap up

2011 was overall a good year for me. Most importantly, I've learned so much about myself and so much about life and what this thing called being a grown up is all about.

In January, I went into 2011 with two main goals:

• Lose Weight
• Get a new job

In May 2011, I reached a 30 pound weight loss* and in July of 2011 I gained a new job in my dream career field! 

Bonuses in 2011

In May of 2011, I met a really great guy at a mutual friend's party and in July 2011, that really great guy became my boyfriend! He's still that same really great guy and I'm excited to see what 2012 holds for us. I only "though it would be nice to meet a great guy" and I wasn't looking to meet someone but he just came into my life when I least expected. "That's how these things happen" he's told me. I've been told this before but of course I never believed it, until it happened to me! The right guys always comes at the right time, always.

In June of 2011 my sister told me she was moving to California and asked me if I wanted to join her on her journey out west. It was probably the most amazing experience of my life! Seeing all the landscapes I have mostly never seen before - especially mountains and canyons! Visiting Colorado was the highlight of the trip......seriously the most beautiful place I've ever seen. I kind of felt we were like Thelma and Louise, minus the bank robbing. ;) I never really talked about this trip so here are some highlights; Just crossing different states and seeing things I will never forget....the run down poverty stricken neighborhood in Western Colorado - I literally thought it was a junk yard until I saw someone coming out of a house and children playing outside....very sad; the most greenest rolling hills with lavish ranch houses; driving through Wyoming through the forests which seemed never ending and staying in a honeymoon suite with a heart tub in Wyoming because all of the other hotels were shady and that was the only room they had left,  being on top of a mountain 14,000 ft above sea level at Rocky Mountain National Park, staying in the cutest town I had ever been to in CO - Estes Park, literally looked like it came out of a story book!  Trying to figure out where we are going to stay each night was always an adventure and we just played everything by ear. We would go to different hotels and stay in the one with the lowest rate/least crappiest!  Going to the zoo in Utah and spending the day in beautiful Salt Lake City. Seeing the Bonneville Salt Flats! Staying in the most crappiest hotel in Nebraska after our first day of traveling..literally thought we could get murdered or a disease from the toilet seat. Leaving Nebraska and stopping at a gas station on our way out where small town city folk (aka. old retired men with their dogs resting in the beds of their trucks) were just sitting around inside drinking coffee and talking about the good ol' days and then finding a huge cockroach in the bathroom! Seeing snow capped mountains in the Nevada dessert and a casino not even 2 minutes into getting to the state. Not liking Reno one bit because it was so dirty. But the whole trip was EPIC. It was wonderful. And I'm so GLAD I did it. With my sister. :-) 

In February of 2011, I went to Hollywood/LA/Beverly Hills/Santa Monica with my roommate and her friend. Definitely memorable and a fun way to spend a last minute sporatic vacation! (We literally booked the tickets three weeks before the trip.) We even saw PINK on the boardwalk in Santa Monica, saw paparazzi and took a celebrity homes tour. I'd love to visit CA again, but in the San Francisco area next time! 

Oh, and I also got my first real bonus from work in December. Heck yeaz! 

FIRSTS in 2011

2011 was the first year my friends started getting married! 

In April of 2011, I moved out of the house I lived in for two years post college (bittersweet) as one of my roommates was getting married! I moved in with my other roommate about 2 miles from our old place. In October of 2011, that roommate got married and I was in her wedding. It was a beautiful wedding and I was glad to be a part of it. 

Two other friends also got married this year, my childhood friend Melissa in July and my high school friend, Erika in August! Which means 2011 was the first year that I attended a bachelorette party; make that THREE bachelorette parties in 2011!

2011 (Sept), was also the first year I went on vacation with a male, my boyfriend, Matt. :-) It was of course, a small local vacation and more like a weekend getaway to Northern MN. Duluth to be exact. We stayed at an old mansion which was converted into a cozy, romantic bed and breakfast. We enjoyed wonderful fancy breakfasts, wine and cheese hours at the mansion, quality time with my sister and her fiance, and walking along Lake Superior. It was quite nice. 

2011 was also the first year that someone in my immediate family got ENGAGED! My sister, Kim, and her fiance, Casey are tying the knot in March 2012. No one ever thought the baby of the family would be the first to get married but he's pretty great so I'm alright with it. 

2011 also brought another baby into my life...my friend Jenny had a cute little guy in March and he is just splendid to be around. 

So many positive things happened but there was one loss in 2011. My grandpa Erny died at the ripe old age of 100 years old in March. Yes, you read that right, 100! He lived a great, long life and he was the most funniest grandpa I'd ever known. I'm happy knowing he is with my grandma Alice and no longer feels empty without her. 

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So, of course this leaves me to 2012...what's in store for this year? I have a few inklings, which I'd love to share.....in my next post.

Stay tuned......

*PS: Weight loss is now technically at -24 lbs because I've gained 6 pounds since meeting Matt. Gaining weight when you meet someone? That really happens? Go Figure! 

Apartment Tour: Welcome!

Well since I've lived at my place for nearly 8 months now, I thought I would share my humble abode with you all! I've lived with my friend Maria for almost 3 years now (in two different places). We met in college in a marketing class we had together and have been friends and roommates pretty much since (well minus a year post-college).  I'd also love to see where you all live so you should consider doing a tour of your place as well. :-)

Welcome to Apartment 102

This is my Bedroom! 

Bathroom Art work

And if your curious, this is my roommate & I in California.
(She's also my frequent travel buddy!)

And that's it. Thanks for stopping by! :-)

Life as it goes....

Wow I have not updated this thing in ages. My apologies for lack of detailed updates. I shall give you a more detailed outline of current happenings in my life. 

I have a new job in advertising/marketing.

I'm learning a lot and nearly every day there is a new challenge. It's definitely way different from what I was doing before but I'm glad I made the move to "the next step" and am getting a lot of great experience under my belt. 

I have an official boyfriend, Matt, who is THE BEST.

Matt and I met at our mutual friend, Jess' graduation party back in May. He went to grad school with Jess and also went to undergrad college with Jess' boyfriend, Carl, back in Michigan. Jess and I went to high school together. Pretty cute, eh? When I first met Matt, I had no idea that he was interested in me, he didn't really have much game and therefor wasn't very flirtatious towards me. But, there was a reason why we both stuck around until the end of the night after everyone left. Matt asked me for number, well actually, he asked if I wanted to "hang out sometime" and then I asked him if he wanted my number. Our first date was at The Cafeteria in uptown, followed by his first experience with Tea Garden and a stroll around Lake of the Isles ending with a romantical sit down under the stars at Lake Calhoun. And, I actually kissed him on the first date, something I have never done before! And now we've been dating ever since and he's definitely the best guy I've ever dated. I scored big time! :-) 

I'm running a 5K this weekend. 

Despite me running the 5K this weekend, I have not been good about working out. I've gained 5 lbs since meeting Matt and have totally lost my drive for working out and eating super healthy. And I feel gross. So, now I begin the trek again. I would REALLY love to loose  an additional15 pounds. It's going to be a slow process but Matt and I are going to try and keep each other motivated. My work schedule now is completely different (i.e. I have less time to cook/work out, more of a commute to work) so I need to find a way to adjust to my new lifestyle.

I've pretty much accomplished all of the goals I wanted to this year. Next year, I'll have new goals and I do have an idea of what I want to do but I do not have a compiled list thus far. Of course I will share more towards the end of the year, with reflections on this year and all. 

So many updates, so little time.....

Well, I have abonded my blog again...sorry folks! Life is crazy...but crazy GOOD. Let's recap the past month and a half:

• I got a NEW JOB!! I am super happy to announce that I am now in my dream career field....Advertising!!  After three weeks of interviewing, I accepted a position to be an Account Executive (also known as an AE) at an advertising agency. My client is one of the top fortune 50 companies in the U.S. and I will be working in the following three account areas: Aerospace, Construction Home Improvement Marketing (CHIM), and Optical. I will have so much to learn but I am so excited and grateful for this new opportunity. Basically, as an AE, I am the liason between the agency and the client so I will be meeting with clients, making sure their needs are being met from everything from estimating costs for projects, re-launch or new product launches, package designs and everything else that goes with execution of an advertising campaign. I will also get to travel, attend conferences and eventually do some public speaking when I feel comfortable. It's a real big girl job but I couldn't be happier. I start on July 11th and will be sure to update after my first week on the job.

• I went on a West Coast Road Trip!! I have always wanted to go on a West Coast Road trip and the opportunity presented itself to me last minute so off I went! I actually just got back this past Tuesday night. I will update a detailed blog post about my adventures out west SOON!


• I met somone! And he is really great but that's all I will say for now. :)

How did I get so lucky with all of these things going on? Well, I strongly believe in karma and if you put good into the world, the world will be good back to you.

I hope everyone has a wonderful and safe fourth of July weekend! Until next time....

My first 5K

Pre Run at Minnehaha Falls!

So exciting news….I ran my VERY FIRST 5K two weeks ago! It was pretty random and a coworker and I decided to sign up a week and a half before the event. It all started when I ran around the lake by my house (3 miles) without stopping. At that point, I decided I was ready for a 5K. So I asked my coworker if she wanted to join and we signed up. We decided to do the MN AIDS Run for the Ribbon event. They are a nonprofit agency dedicated to stopping HIV through prevention, advocacy, awareness and services. Awesome cause!

It was the COOLEST experience ever! I ended up running by myself for it as my coworker and I ran at different speeds. In the beginning, the fog horn blows and everyone starts running. There’s also a full audience of people cheering you on with signs and encouragement! During the race, I only stopped twice towards the end (after the 3 mile mark) because I was getting a side ache. As I was reaching the finish line, everyone was cheering me on and putting their hands out for high-fives. I was running solo so EVERYONE, like 150 people at least, were looking at ME! The energy was amazing!

Right when I stopped running I felt like I was going to throw up – I think it was because I was so used to the gravity of running since I barely stopped and kept pushing myself to run. The feeling only lasted for a few minutes and I felt better once I drank some water and cooled off. They had tons of vendors giving out tons of free stuff (juice, snacks, first aid kits, little knick knacks, etc.).

And because I loved it SO much, I am doing another 5K next month! Eventually, I would love to do a marathon but I’ll be taking baby steps for now.

On a final note, I have had some exciting opportunities and things that have come up that I am super excited about it. I truly believe now more than ever that if you are good person and do good things, good thing will happen to you. I am feeling hopeful about a lot of things lately and in the next few weeks, I hope to share what’s been going on. I don’t want to jinx anything!

Happy (almost) Friday!

Two days of Apple Cider Vinegar

Sounds delicious, eh? This was my BEST friend for two days.

Well it wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t great.

About a month ago I was talking to a co-worker (who has also lost a lot of weight and looks awesome) about how she got over her weight loss plateau (where your body stalls and doesn’t want to lose any more weight). She told me about this two day plateau breaker/detox diet and I thought I’d try it out. I was finally brave enough to go at it this past week. I started it Tuesday and on Thursday I finally was able to have REAL FOOD again.

Let me preface this first by saying that last week I actually think I may have already broken my plateau by eating pretty much raw/organic, lean meats, veggies/fruits, almonds, non-fat dairy yogurt, whole grain oatmeal, etc. Basically, I researched fat burning foods and ate all of those. I did this all of last week along with a pretty intense workout schedule and actually LOST WEIGHT AGAIN!  TWO POUNDS! So I really think that is the way to go for a more lasting diet.

According to my co-worker, the plateau breaker/detox diet just causes your body to switch itself up so it’s easier to start losing weight again. It’s a good refocusing tool for after the holidays, before swimsuit season, etc. I have tried to look this diet up online but have not found it yet so I don’t even know what it’s called…if you find anything on it, let me know.

So let me talk about my two day experience with this diet:

LOTS of Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV).  This is going to be TMI but I’m going to tell you anyway. ACV did have an effect on my bowels. After every ACV encounter, I did both the #1 and the #2. That’s a lot of #1s and #2s in two days! Day 1 had way more #2s though. HAHA. Also on day 1 I went to bed super early so I wouldn’t have to think of food (sad) but I still managed to take my workout class.  I also felt like the ACV filled me up making me feel full but not bloated. I did not experience a stomach ache or any other negative side effects. You can look up the effects of ACV and how it has been used for weight loss, there are tons of articles. From what I have found:

For thousands of years, vinegar has been used for weight loss. White vinegar (and perhaps other types) might help people feel full. A 2005 study of 12 people found that those who ate a piece of bread along with small amounts of white vinegar felt fuller and more satisfied than those who just ate the bread.  

While the results of these studies are promising, they are all preliminary. Many were done on animals or on cells in a lab. The human studies have been small. Before we will truly know whether vinegar has any health benefits, much larger studies are needed.

Source: WebMD

There’s also an article at the Mayo Clinc’s website that says there’s little scientific evidence showing that it helps curb appetite and burn fat. So take what you will from both sides of the argument.

HOWEVER, I can tell you from my experience, ACV definitely cleansed me and definitely made me feel full. There were some moments between meals where I did get a hungry feeling but if you look at the diet, it’s VERY low calorie and I think without the ACV, I would have felt like I was starving.

So did I think this diet broke my plateau? It’s hard to say. I lost two pounds last week working hard at the gym and also eating very little processed food. Then I just noticed this morning I lost another pound.  So perhaps it is working but the next few weeks will really tell me. Also, I am  thinking that because I am focusing on tightening and toning by taking 4-5 one hour Body Works (weight/strength training class), I am also building muscle so perhaps I will start to gain weight or not see any weight loss at all? Regardless I am now 11 pounds from my goal weight. Those 11 pounds are going to be KILLER!

And now, here onto the detox/plateau breaker diet:

Shopping List

Mrs Braggs Apple Cider Vinegar (Found only at upscale food stores like Lunds/Byerlys)

2 grapefruit

4 protein bars (I used South Beach Diet's chocolate raspberry bars)

Bag of Spinach

Fat Free dressing of your choice

1 cucumber

2 6oz portions of chicken

2 6oz portions of fish, your choice (I used tilapia)

1 cup freshly chopped parsley

2 TBSP of olive oil to be used any at time you wish (at least 1 TSP a day) - I used this on the chicken/fish

1 TSP of salt to be used at any time you wish (at least 1/2 TSP/day) - Again, I used this on the chicken/fish

Pack of Crystal Light to go (I used the tea ones)

80oz water a day

Meal Plan: (Days 1 and 2 are the exact same)

Breakfast	1 grapefruit
Snack 1	One Protein Bar
	1 TBSP ACV w/Crystal Light (I used 17oz bottles for this)
Lunch	Chicken with 1/4 cup Parsley
	2 cups Spinach with 1 TBSP of fat free dressing
	1 TBSP ACV mixed with the dressing
Snack 2	Cucumbers (I mixed this with the salad)
	1 TBSP ACV w/Crystal Light
	One Protein Bar
Dinner	Fish with 1/4 cup Parsley
	2 cups Spinach with 1 TBSP of fat free dressing
	1 TBSP ACV mixed with the dressing

You can use oil and salt how you wish – I added them on top of the chicken and fish.

You must drink 80oz water/day (Crystal light drinks count as a portion of this water)

And a few disclaimers:

You can only do the plateau breaker diet for 2 days otherwise your body will go into an anorexic state. You must wait at least a month if you want to try it again. Also, some people’s stomachs don’t agree with the apple cider vinegar, if this is you, STOP the diet.

DO NOT drink the ACV straight – it will eat your teeth.

If any of you decide to try this, let me know how it works for you. Also, if you have any questions leave a comment in my blog!

There are a lot more exciting things going on right now that I will talk about in my next blog post. I should never neglect my blog for this long again. Too much to update about!

Have a good weekend everyone.

Recipe:Lighter Baked Macaroni and Cheese

YUM! I’ve had a craving for macaroni and cheese and I finally got around to making this last night (in the midst of my chaotic life) and it definitely fulfilled my craving! This recipe can be found here. Again, it’s from my favorite healthy cooking blog, Gina’s Skinny Recipes.

I owe a huge update next week. I know I’ve been complaining a lot about how crazy my life is but it is truly insane. I would love to sit on my butt one day after work without doing anything or going anywhere. I didn’t go to the gym for a week, which is the first time that has happened since October when I joined. Me giving up the gym for a week? That IS insane! Well I did go lastnight and it felt great (but I ate like crap because we had a pot luck at work yesterday). I’ve lost focus for a week and I’m back in action starting today. Last 13 pounds……here. I. go! (again)

Here’s hoping I only work 12 hours today so I can make it to Body Works class tonight.