Time has really been flying by for me. I cant believe its Christmastime again.
Ive been doing some shopping during the week, and trying to get things done early. I only do Dans stuff when Im alone, and we do other peoples together.
This weekend we're getting our tree. It will be kind of wierd because we havent had any snow yet this year and it will be the first time we've gone without lots of snow outside. Next week we are supposed to get 10+ cm though, so that will be really nice.
I cant believe this will be our last Christmas alone together.. it all still seems a little unreal. I dont know when exactly we will get used to the idea. I guess when there is a baby actually in the house. lol
I will try to write more soon but mainly Ive been writing in the baby blog. Baby seems to be all the news lately. :-)
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Friday, October 16, 2009
Baby Hamilton ultrasound
This is the ultrasound picture from this morning. I was really surprised at how much they were moving. I guess because I cant feel it yet, I dont think of them as moving around much. This kid was jumping and dancing all over the place, it was so cute.We wont know the gender until the middle of December.
We are having two baby showers, one here and one in Pa. The one in Pa is going to be earlier than usual because we didnt think it was safe to drive down there when the bad weather starts, and in the spring I will be too big.
The one in Pa will probably be the end of November, but the date isnt definite yet. Keep an eye out for invitations in the meantime.
Thursday, October 8, 2009
The Hamilton clan is growing!
We are expecting a new addition to our family on May 2nd, 2010.
I think we have pretty much told everyone at this point, so this is just the official post on the blog.
I have been very, very ill... The first trimester has been a real nightmare. Every week I am getting better, though. I got to the point where I could not even talk to people on the phone. It was terrible. I have bionic smelling.. not so bad now as it was, but oh my god. Im driving poor Dan crazy. It seems to be more soap type smells than anything else. I had to get rid of all the soap and buy unscented everything- and that was still really bad.
Pretty much the smell of the entire house made me sick.. hopefully that will completely go away soon.
Everything seems to be going well and in a healthy manner. Nothing unusual, and the dr tells me sickness means a healthy baby. I have an ultrasound on October 16, so will post that pic when we get it. Hopefully it will be more recognizable as a baby than the one done at 7 weeks. I think the next dr visit on October 28 we get to hear the heartbeat for the first time.
We got to see the heartbeat on the first ultrasound. It was a little blob with a really blinky blink in the center. It reminded me of a christmas light thats about to burn out- and blinks really fast.
I was surprised how fast it beats.
We will find out what the gender is as soon as possible. I am not sure yet when that will be.
Everything else is going well for us. Dans cousin kindly offered her nursery furniture set to us to use for the baby, so that will be a really big help. We're starting to get my office cleaned out and ready to turn into babys room. Slow going, but going at any rate. Most days now I feel ok, but still have my moments, and still very tired.
Thanksgiving is this weekend and Im really looking forward to that. Im making cherry pie to bring, and Ive never made a pie before so hoping it turns out.
I will at some point be making an actual baby blog but need to decide if Im using blogger or word press. Everyone wants belly pictures, but I dont actually have a belly yet. A little bit of rounding, but not much to speak of. The baby blog will be for news about the baby and also belly pictures for family far away who wants to see me get fat.
It looks at this point as though there will be two showers, but not definite yet. The one here will probably be in February, and the one in Pa (if we decide to do that) will probably be early December. We just arent very into driving that far when the weather gets bad.
Will write again soon.
I think we have pretty much told everyone at this point, so this is just the official post on the blog.
I have been very, very ill... The first trimester has been a real nightmare. Every week I am getting better, though. I got to the point where I could not even talk to people on the phone. It was terrible. I have bionic smelling.. not so bad now as it was, but oh my god. Im driving poor Dan crazy. It seems to be more soap type smells than anything else. I had to get rid of all the soap and buy unscented everything- and that was still really bad.
Pretty much the smell of the entire house made me sick.. hopefully that will completely go away soon.
Everything seems to be going well and in a healthy manner. Nothing unusual, and the dr tells me sickness means a healthy baby. I have an ultrasound on October 16, so will post that pic when we get it. Hopefully it will be more recognizable as a baby than the one done at 7 weeks. I think the next dr visit on October 28 we get to hear the heartbeat for the first time.
We got to see the heartbeat on the first ultrasound. It was a little blob with a really blinky blink in the center. It reminded me of a christmas light thats about to burn out- and blinks really fast.
I was surprised how fast it beats.
We will find out what the gender is as soon as possible. I am not sure yet when that will be.
Everything else is going well for us. Dans cousin kindly offered her nursery furniture set to us to use for the baby, so that will be a really big help. We're starting to get my office cleaned out and ready to turn into babys room. Slow going, but going at any rate. Most days now I feel ok, but still have my moments, and still very tired.
Thanksgiving is this weekend and Im really looking forward to that. Im making cherry pie to bring, and Ive never made a pie before so hoping it turns out.
I will at some point be making an actual baby blog but need to decide if Im using blogger or word press. Everyone wants belly pictures, but I dont actually have a belly yet. A little bit of rounding, but not much to speak of. The baby blog will be for news about the baby and also belly pictures for family far away who wants to see me get fat.
It looks at this point as though there will be two showers, but not definite yet. The one here will probably be in February, and the one in Pa (if we decide to do that) will probably be early December. We just arent very into driving that far when the weather gets bad.
Will write again soon.
Tuesday, August 25, 2009
Bday cancelled!
I decided to cancel my birthday party at the cabin in PA... When I realized how much it was all going to cost I decided I should save that money for the Caribbean trip in October. A bit of a bummer, but the trip is really my present- and I would of course much rather go to the Caribbean than Pa.
It looks like we are going to go to the Dominican. The agent tells us its the best white beaches and that beautiful blue water. I cant wait- I am really excited about it. We are probably going the last week in October. Andrea and I are both turning 30 so its kind of a big bday celebration for both of us. We want to save money after this trip, though, and go to Negril Jamaica in a couple of years.
It looks like we are going to go to the Dominican. The agent tells us its the best white beaches and that beautiful blue water. I cant wait- I am really excited about it. We are probably going the last week in October. Andrea and I are both turning 30 so its kind of a big bday celebration for both of us. We want to save money after this trip, though, and go to Negril Jamaica in a couple of years.
Sunday, August 23, 2009
Fat loss and muscle gain
I have discovered a few new things that I want to post here, and if it is helpful to other people that is wonderful. Weight loss can be very confusing for alot of people, and they tend to give up because they think there is just some big secret that they will never learn about it. This is absolutely not true.
Weight loss is completely mathematical. Everyone knows that the food you eat is used by your body for energy. Also, you dont have to be a nutritionist to have an idea of what is good food and what is bad food. We know that when you eat at a restaurant, the food os not prepared in the same way that you would cook it at home- and therefore not as good for you. We all know that a burger and fries at a fast food place is not as good for you as a burger and fries can be at home.
I have discovered that it is all about calories into your body vs. calories you burn up with activity.
From my experience it does not matter what food the calories come from- but the amount of calories. Now, again- should you eat healthy food or snicker bars... We all know that answers to these questions. There is nothing wrong with having chocolate, ice cream, chips, etc.. but in strict and reasonable amounts. The key to all of this is being aware of how many calories are in the food you are eating and keeping very close track of it.
I still go out to eat occasionally, but I usually look at the restaurants food nutrition info before I even go and know what Im going to order before I even get there. For example- I know if I want to go to Subway that a 6 in turkey sub with light mayo and cheese, veg, has x amount of calories.
I also keep a small notebook in my kitchen with the date and I write down every single thing that goes in my mouth, and keep track of the calories Im consuming. It does not work to mentally keep tabs on things- this is absolutely not accurate.
Before I started losing weight, I "mentally" took tabs of the calories I thought I was eating. As it turns out I was eating alot more than I thought I was. This is most effective only if you write down everything you eat, as well as the calories. My weight loss took off when I started keeping track o fmy calories this way.
Now I have previously posted here about websites that are good to help you figure out how many calories you need to maintain or lose weight- and it is different for both men and women so be sure to keep that in mind in your search. This is the website I use to determine to calories needs. This is for women: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/weight-maintenance-calculator-women
Again, I find it is not so much what you eat as how much you eat, and also how much you exercise. I use the elliptical trainer at the gym 4 days a week for 30 min. I burn 300 calories per session. I eat 1200-1340 calories per day, and I lose 1 lb. per week.
As of this weekend I have reached my goal weight of 135lbs. I have lost 7% body fat and now have a healthy body fat percentage for women in my age group.
Another thing is muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn just by doing nothing every day. Thats a long story so look it up online for more, but my point is I discovered something new about that today. I was always told at the gym that you have to do cardio and strength training at the same time to get results. However, I am simply not able to at this point. I work at 5am and the amount of time I put in the gym already is quite alot for me to keep up with.
I have done some research on this and have found that you are not supposed to burn body fat (and cut calories in the process) and attempt to build muscle at the same time because it just simply will not work. You are confusing your body and it wont know what to do with itself. The advice I found was that you should focus on reducing body fat (women in my age group is 21-32% is healthy body fat percentage) and once you get to the point that you feel you have lost enough fat- then switch to strength training (muscle gain) and adjust your calorie needs to that.
Here is a an idea of healthy body fat percentages.
It is absolutely 100% in your best interest to have lean muscle mass but you should definitely wai until you have lost the proper amount of body fat to try to start achieving that.
Looking in the mirror I still see areas that I want to slim down, though generally I like what I see. My new goal is another 10-15 lbs, which is very much still in the healthy weight range for my height and frame size.
Another very helpful website, videos actually, is Body Performance Television on youtube. I really learned alot from this trainer, and I think he is the main reason I got on track with weight loss.
It takes time and patience but stick with it and you will see results. Some weeks you wont see the scales go down, and others it will drop more than you expect. Also, never weigh yourself after eating or drinking. Always weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you eat or drink, an after going to the bathroom. Sounds silly, I know, but this is the correct and most accurate way of doing it.
Some useful tricks when cutting calories is to find foods that are really low calore that you can eat for snacks. I eat a Yoplait Source yogurt and it only has 35 cal per serving. I eat dry Life cereal in between meals. It curbs any cravings for crunchy or sweet foods.
I have not cut anything out of my diet. I eat bread every day- 2-4 slices at times. A common day for me looks like this:
B: 1 toast 85 with butter 35, coffee 30
Sn: 1 apple (negative calorie food which means free)
L: 2 slices bread 170, turkey 50, mustard 0, lettuce (neg. cal. food=free) tomato (neg. cal. food=free), dry Life cereal 120
Sn: fruit (usually blackberries, or grapefruit, or strawberries) or Life 120
Su: I try to keep supper aroud 300-400 cal. Maybe soup, and a piece of bread w/butter
It is smart to not eat red meat- eat poultry and fish instead. Im not crazy about fish unless its breaded with a side of chips so that wont work! I eat chicken mainly. A good trick I have found is that our grocery store sells little roasted chickens and I buy one of those, clean all the meat off of it, and use that meat for lunch the rest of the week. I eat chicken burgers instead of hamburgers. I buy frozen seasoned chicken breasts that are 100 cal per breast.
Life is my go to snack anytime I feel munchy or downright hungry- which I never feel hungry or deprived. I find that dry cereal in general is a good snack because it fulfills cookie cravings or cracker cravings etc..
You do have to get used to the fact that you cant always have what you want. Crackers and cookies are just simply terrible for you, and are not worth the number of calories that are in them. That doesnt mean you can never eat them again, but you have to work it into your calorie amount per day and behave yourself. You have to find ways of replacing those things with something with less calories. And always mind the "serving" size and count your calories
accordingly.
All in all, it is very simple. Please feel free to ask any question, I am happy to help.
Weight loss is completely mathematical. Everyone knows that the food you eat is used by your body for energy. Also, you dont have to be a nutritionist to have an idea of what is good food and what is bad food. We know that when you eat at a restaurant, the food os not prepared in the same way that you would cook it at home- and therefore not as good for you. We all know that a burger and fries at a fast food place is not as good for you as a burger and fries can be at home.
I have discovered that it is all about calories into your body vs. calories you burn up with activity.
From my experience it does not matter what food the calories come from- but the amount of calories. Now, again- should you eat healthy food or snicker bars... We all know that answers to these questions. There is nothing wrong with having chocolate, ice cream, chips, etc.. but in strict and reasonable amounts. The key to all of this is being aware of how many calories are in the food you are eating and keeping very close track of it.
I still go out to eat occasionally, but I usually look at the restaurants food nutrition info before I even go and know what Im going to order before I even get there. For example- I know if I want to go to Subway that a 6 in turkey sub with light mayo and cheese, veg, has x amount of calories.
I also keep a small notebook in my kitchen with the date and I write down every single thing that goes in my mouth, and keep track of the calories Im consuming. It does not work to mentally keep tabs on things- this is absolutely not accurate.
Before I started losing weight, I "mentally" took tabs of the calories I thought I was eating. As it turns out I was eating alot more than I thought I was. This is most effective only if you write down everything you eat, as well as the calories. My weight loss took off when I started keeping track o fmy calories this way.
Now I have previously posted here about websites that are good to help you figure out how many calories you need to maintain or lose weight- and it is different for both men and women so be sure to keep that in mind in your search. This is the website I use to determine to calories needs. This is for women: http://www.caloriecontrol.org/healthy-weight-tool-kit/weight-maintenance-calculator-women
Again, I find it is not so much what you eat as how much you eat, and also how much you exercise. I use the elliptical trainer at the gym 4 days a week for 30 min. I burn 300 calories per session. I eat 1200-1340 calories per day, and I lose 1 lb. per week.
As of this weekend I have reached my goal weight of 135lbs. I have lost 7% body fat and now have a healthy body fat percentage for women in my age group.
Another thing is muscle burns more calories than fat, so the more muscle you have the more calories you will burn just by doing nothing every day. Thats a long story so look it up online for more, but my point is I discovered something new about that today. I was always told at the gym that you have to do cardio and strength training at the same time to get results. However, I am simply not able to at this point. I work at 5am and the amount of time I put in the gym already is quite alot for me to keep up with.
I have done some research on this and have found that you are not supposed to burn body fat (and cut calories in the process) and attempt to build muscle at the same time because it just simply will not work. You are confusing your body and it wont know what to do with itself. The advice I found was that you should focus on reducing body fat (women in my age group is 21-32% is healthy body fat percentage) and once you get to the point that you feel you have lost enough fat- then switch to strength training (muscle gain) and adjust your calorie needs to that.
Here is a an idea of healthy body fat percentages.
It is absolutely 100% in your best interest to have lean muscle mass but you should definitely wai until you have lost the proper amount of body fat to try to start achieving that.
Looking in the mirror I still see areas that I want to slim down, though generally I like what I see. My new goal is another 10-15 lbs, which is very much still in the healthy weight range for my height and frame size.
Another very helpful website, videos actually, is Body Performance Television on youtube. I really learned alot from this trainer, and I think he is the main reason I got on track with weight loss.
It takes time and patience but stick with it and you will see results. Some weeks you wont see the scales go down, and others it will drop more than you expect. Also, never weigh yourself after eating or drinking. Always weigh yourself first thing in the morning before you eat or drink, an after going to the bathroom. Sounds silly, I know, but this is the correct and most accurate way of doing it.
Some useful tricks when cutting calories is to find foods that are really low calore that you can eat for snacks. I eat a Yoplait Source yogurt and it only has 35 cal per serving. I eat dry Life cereal in between meals. It curbs any cravings for crunchy or sweet foods.
I have not cut anything out of my diet. I eat bread every day- 2-4 slices at times. A common day for me looks like this:
B: 1 toast 85 with butter 35, coffee 30
Sn: 1 apple (negative calorie food which means free)
L: 2 slices bread 170, turkey 50, mustard 0, lettuce (neg. cal. food=free) tomato (neg. cal. food=free), dry Life cereal 120
Sn: fruit (usually blackberries, or grapefruit, or strawberries) or Life 120
Su: I try to keep supper aroud 300-400 cal. Maybe soup, and a piece of bread w/butter
It is smart to not eat red meat- eat poultry and fish instead. Im not crazy about fish unless its breaded with a side of chips so that wont work! I eat chicken mainly. A good trick I have found is that our grocery store sells little roasted chickens and I buy one of those, clean all the meat off of it, and use that meat for lunch the rest of the week. I eat chicken burgers instead of hamburgers. I buy frozen seasoned chicken breasts that are 100 cal per breast.
Life is my go to snack anytime I feel munchy or downright hungry- which I never feel hungry or deprived. I find that dry cereal in general is a good snack because it fulfills cookie cravings or cracker cravings etc..
You do have to get used to the fact that you cant always have what you want. Crackers and cookies are just simply terrible for you, and are not worth the number of calories that are in them. That doesnt mean you can never eat them again, but you have to work it into your calorie amount per day and behave yourself. You have to find ways of replacing those things with something with less calories. And always mind the "serving" size and count your calories
accordingly.
All in all, it is very simple. Please feel free to ask any question, I am happy to help.
Friday, August 14, 2009
hot, hot, hot
Well, the summer heat is finally catching us up. We got away with a really cool summer, until now. This weekend is supposed to be very, very hot. Im going to try to go to the beach with Andrea at some point. Actually, thats a good example of how cool it has been- I havent even been to the beach yet. Normally Im there every weekend.
It is the plan at this point for me and Andrea to go to the Caribbean this Fall- probably October. Dan doesnt want to go. He's not a beach, or hot weather person. Im not sure where we will go yet, possibly the Dominican or Jamaica. We still have to go and see a travel agent about everything. It will be very exciting. I have never been to a tropical place before, and I have always wanted to see that blue water. Will write more when I have details.
It is the plan at this point for me and Andrea to go to the Caribbean this Fall- probably October. Dan doesnt want to go. He's not a beach, or hot weather person. Im not sure where we will go yet, possibly the Dominican or Jamaica. We still have to go and see a travel agent about everything. It will be very exciting. I have never been to a tropical place before, and I have always wanted to see that blue water. Will write more when I have details.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Fergus Highland Games
I ended up getting my book signed by Diana Gabaldon before the tattoo last night at the Fergus Highland Games. We were going to go to the tattoo, and again on Sunday for the actual games and the book signing- but the weather forecast turned to rain.
Its a bummer, but at least we got to go last night. It was awesome, as always.
I love these books so much that I've decided to get them all in hardcover. I ordered Outlander a couple of weeks ago so that she could sign it this weekend.
I have three signed now.
Here is a picture of me getting my copy of Outlander signed. :-D
Its a bummer, but at least we got to go last night. It was awesome, as always.
I love these books so much that I've decided to get them all in hardcover. I ordered Outlander a couple of weeks ago so that she could sign it this weekend.
I have three signed now.
Here is a picture of me getting my copy of Outlander signed. :-D
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
A cabin in the big woods.
We booked a cabin for the weekend of my birthday, back home in the Allegheny National Forest. We couldnt get one at our usual place because I waited too long and they were all booked up. This one looks really nice, though. Not nearly as rustic as what we usually have. The only bummer is its not on the river. We're going to have a bbq there on the 29th and on the 30th we're going to go canoeing and hiking, something fun like that. I havent spent any time in those woods during the summer in years. We usually go in October.
I sent out invites last night, but I doubt anyone from up here will be able to go- and I dont expect them to, its a long way. It will be mainly my family and friends back home.
Im excited, it should be much fun!
I sent out invites last night, but I doubt anyone from up here will be able to go- and I dont expect them to, its a long way. It will be mainly my family and friends back home.
Im excited, it should be much fun!
Tuesday, July 21, 2009
Diana Gabaldon at the Fergus Highland Games
I have been a rabid Diana Gabaldon fan for about thirteen years now. Her Outlander books are by far my favourite books ever. I'm really lucky in that she often comes to the Fergus Highland Games for book signings, and we go to the Highland Games every year.
She is coming this year, and I'm really excited because I'm going to see if I can get her to sign a photo that I took last year of some standing stones near Inverness, Scotland. I believe that these are the standing stones from her book, and I'm curious to ask her if they are. The location is exactly as described inOutlander.
I will take pictures again this year, and post them here for my fellow DG fans. ;-)
For anyone who has not read these books, here is a simple review that describes the first book in the series.
-Outlander
-Dragonfly in Amber
-Voyager
-Drums of Autumn
-The Fiery Cross
-A Breath of Snow and Ashes
-An Echo in the Bone (coming September 2009)
-You can visit Diana's website here.
Do not mistake these books for romance novels- they are absolutely not. They are historical fiction, and the best I have found as of yet. They are not just for women, Ive met men who really like them too.
A big part of why I like them so much is because of my fascination with my own Scottish heritage. I drink up anything to do with Scotland. But even if you dont have that attachment to them, they are truly amazing books.
Read, and enjoy!
She is coming this year, and I'm really excited because I'm going to see if I can get her to sign a photo that I took last year of some standing stones near Inverness, Scotland. I believe that these are the standing stones from her book, and I'm curious to ask her if they are. The location is exactly as described inOutlander.
I will take pictures again this year, and post them here for my fellow DG fans. ;-)
For anyone who has not read these books, here is a simple review that describes the first book in the series.
-Outlander
-Dragonfly in Amber
-Voyager
-Drums of Autumn
-The Fiery Cross
-A Breath of Snow and Ashes
-An Echo in the Bone (coming September 2009)
-You can visit Diana's website here.
Do not mistake these books for romance novels- they are absolutely not. They are historical fiction, and the best I have found as of yet. They are not just for women, Ive met men who really like them too.
A big part of why I like them so much is because of my fascination with my own Scottish heritage. I drink up anything to do with Scotland. But even if you dont have that attachment to them, they are truly amazing books.
Read, and enjoy!
Aye, it's a big one....
So, shortly and quickly approaches my big 30th (ahem... I mean, my big 25th) birthday...
I go back and forth between wanting to celebrate it, and hiding away in dread of it. I completely appreciate that I have made it to thirty in good health and happiness, that I have an amazing husband and wonderful life with him, and that I have pretty much done everything I have set out to do so far in my life.
It's just that there is something so damn depressing about leaving my twenties behind. I think this is probably very normal, but knowing that doesn't make things any better. However, I do realize that these big events are going to occur whether I want them to or not and so I am working on just getting over it. :-I
So, the question now is to celebrate or not? At first I said no, but I am thinking a little differently now that its getting closer. I really wanted to go to the Caribbean over my birthday but it turns out that is hurricane season. As far as I know, the plan is to go maybe in October or November.
I am thinking now of getting a cabin in Pa for that weekend and having a party there for whoever can come, and spend the weekend hiking and canoeing like the good old days. So, at this point that is the plan. I havent contacted the cabins yet, so hopefully one will be free.
I will let people know as soon as I get things a little more put together.
I go back and forth between wanting to celebrate it, and hiding away in dread of it. I completely appreciate that I have made it to thirty in good health and happiness, that I have an amazing husband and wonderful life with him, and that I have pretty much done everything I have set out to do so far in my life.
It's just that there is something so damn depressing about leaving my twenties behind. I think this is probably very normal, but knowing that doesn't make things any better. However, I do realize that these big events are going to occur whether I want them to or not and so I am working on just getting over it. :-I
So, the question now is to celebrate or not? At first I said no, but I am thinking a little differently now that its getting closer. I really wanted to go to the Caribbean over my birthday but it turns out that is hurricane season. As far as I know, the plan is to go maybe in October or November.
I am thinking now of getting a cabin in Pa for that weekend and having a party there for whoever can come, and spend the weekend hiking and canoeing like the good old days. So, at this point that is the plan. I havent contacted the cabins yet, so hopefully one will be free.
I will let people know as soon as I get things a little more put together.
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
A very sunburned little yankee doodle dandy....
We went to Pa last weekend for a 4th of july family picnic. Even though I often hate being around the human population of Pa, I will always love Pa itself. It will always be home in my heart. I will be posting pictures on my web gallery as soon as I can.
We always end up eating too much when we go down to the states... but you cant help it. You are surrounded by so many wonderful awful bad for you, but so yummy, treats. I dont know if its because Ive been away for so long, but I swear the whole world revolves around food down there. You cant go into a gas station or convenience store without all your senses being assaulted by some sort of deliciousness.
The family thing went really well. Its always nice to see everyone again. I got a really bad sunburn playing basketball with the boys, though. Ouch.. second one this summer, and you would think I would learn by now. I dont know where my head is sometimes, but apparently not on sunblock. I hadnt even packed it.
There isnt alot else new at the moment. Im looking at getting another piercing, but not sure how well that will go on the work front. Its another facial one, so Im thinking- not very well.
Heather and I are going to see about our tattoos next week, so hopefully I can get at least one of them this summer.
Getting excited about Harry Potter coming out next week! This is the first sign of excitement Ive felt so far. lol I think we'll wait and see it on the weekend, though, because my early bedtime dictates everything I do during the week.
Will write again as soon as I have something worth writing aboot.
We always end up eating too much when we go down to the states... but you cant help it. You are surrounded by so many wonderful awful bad for you, but so yummy, treats. I dont know if its because Ive been away for so long, but I swear the whole world revolves around food down there. You cant go into a gas station or convenience store without all your senses being assaulted by some sort of deliciousness.
The family thing went really well. Its always nice to see everyone again. I got a really bad sunburn playing basketball with the boys, though. Ouch.. second one this summer, and you would think I would learn by now. I dont know where my head is sometimes, but apparently not on sunblock. I hadnt even packed it.
There isnt alot else new at the moment. Im looking at getting another piercing, but not sure how well that will go on the work front. Its another facial one, so Im thinking- not very well.
Heather and I are going to see about our tattoos next week, so hopefully I can get at least one of them this summer.
Getting excited about Harry Potter coming out next week! This is the first sign of excitement Ive felt so far. lol I think we'll wait and see it on the weekend, though, because my early bedtime dictates everything I do during the week.
Will write again as soon as I have something worth writing aboot.
Friday, June 26, 2009
MJ
I wasn't going to do this, but its finally sinking in that he is gone forever. I found out yesterday evening, and the real sadness of it didnt hit me right away.
There will never be anyone else in the world like Michael. He was truly a brilliant entertainer.
I predict that all of the people who have always been judgmental of him all of these years will be crawling out of the woodwork to gush about how wonderful and talented he was. I wish people could show someone like him how significant his contribution was to the world while he was still alive to appreciate it.
He was different, but that shouldn't have mattered. I dont know why people couldn't look past those things to what was truly important- his music.
I have an understanding of Michael that is very different from other people. Both of our families were Jehovahs Witnesses. There is no describing this upbringing and the permanent damage it inflicts. My siblings and I know it only far too well. It is no way to grow up.
This is a quote from Michael during his interview with M.Bashir:
"If I am guilty of anything, it is giving all that I have to help children all over the world. It is of loving children of all ages and races … it is of enjoying through them the childhood that I missed myself."
Unless you were raised a JW and all that it involves, you have no right whatsoever to judge someones behaviour who survived it. I could go on forever about this, but Im not going to. Suffice it to say that Michael had every right to be wierd. If your childhood had been stripped from you, you would know what a huge hole it leaves in your life.
This is a great loss to the world, but he will not be forgotten.
http://www.youtube.com/user/michaeljackson
There will never be anyone else in the world like Michael. He was truly a brilliant entertainer.
I predict that all of the people who have always been judgmental of him all of these years will be crawling out of the woodwork to gush about how wonderful and talented he was. I wish people could show someone like him how significant his contribution was to the world while he was still alive to appreciate it.
He was different, but that shouldn't have mattered. I dont know why people couldn't look past those things to what was truly important- his music.
I have an understanding of Michael that is very different from other people. Both of our families were Jehovahs Witnesses. There is no describing this upbringing and the permanent damage it inflicts. My siblings and I know it only far too well. It is no way to grow up.
This is a quote from Michael during his interview with M.Bashir:
"If I am guilty of anything, it is giving all that I have to help children all over the world. It is of loving children of all ages and races … it is of enjoying through them the childhood that I missed myself."
Unless you were raised a JW and all that it involves, you have no right whatsoever to judge someones behaviour who survived it. I could go on forever about this, but Im not going to. Suffice it to say that Michael had every right to be wierd. If your childhood had been stripped from you, you would know what a huge hole it leaves in your life.
This is a great loss to the world, but he will not be forgotten.
http://www.youtube.com/user/michaeljackson
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
So, you wanna lose weight-eh?
I have some advice that can be taken or left. I have lost 17lbs and 19in since January this year.
All I have done is cut back calories and exercise 30 min, four times a week. When I say exercise I mean working as hard as you can, heart pounding, get your buns moving exercise. I do this by interval training for 30 minutes on an elliptical machine at the gym. Interval training is when you work at your maximum ability for say 2 minutes, and then you drop down to an easier level for 2 minutes. I have read that this is the most efficient way to burn fat- and it has worked for me.
Strength training with this is ideal, but frankly, I am too tired from having to work at the butt crack of dawn every day that its a miracle that I do the exercise that I do.
Also, I used this website (this links to the table for women) to work out how many calories I should have per day. I write down every single thing I eat, and keep track of the calories. Occasionally I deviate.. but come on, Im only human. No one can always say no to a bite of chocolate or the occasional margarita.... hehe However, I am pretty strict with this routine. I fairly consistently lose 1lb per week, unless I've been naughty. :-I It is said that if you lose more than 1-2lbs per week you are not losing fat, but you are losing water and muscle. It is better to be patient and it will happen. I find that for me 4 days a week of exercise is the magic number. 3 days doesn't do anything.
Another source that has been so helpful for me is this series of videos on YouTube by a personal trainer. It takes time to go through and listen to them, but it is well worth it. I have followed all of his advice and it has worked.
Now, if you are a man you will most likely have a much easier time of this. Take my sweetie for example. He has lost 40lbs since last Fall strictly by dieting alone. No exercise. He looks great, and it makes me crazy that I have to kill myself at the gym and he doesnt- but there you have it.
I hope this is helpful to anyone who is interested. It took me a very long time to tweek everything into a plan that works, and it turns out that the simplest and most logical plan is what works. Eat less, exercise more.
All I have done is cut back calories and exercise 30 min, four times a week. When I say exercise I mean working as hard as you can, heart pounding, get your buns moving exercise. I do this by interval training for 30 minutes on an elliptical machine at the gym. Interval training is when you work at your maximum ability for say 2 minutes, and then you drop down to an easier level for 2 minutes. I have read that this is the most efficient way to burn fat- and it has worked for me.
Strength training with this is ideal, but frankly, I am too tired from having to work at the butt crack of dawn every day that its a miracle that I do the exercise that I do.
Also, I used this website (this links to the table for women) to work out how many calories I should have per day. I write down every single thing I eat, and keep track of the calories. Occasionally I deviate.. but come on, Im only human. No one can always say no to a bite of chocolate or the occasional margarita.... hehe However, I am pretty strict with this routine. I fairly consistently lose 1lb per week, unless I've been naughty. :-I It is said that if you lose more than 1-2lbs per week you are not losing fat, but you are losing water and muscle. It is better to be patient and it will happen. I find that for me 4 days a week of exercise is the magic number. 3 days doesn't do anything.
Another source that has been so helpful for me is this series of videos on YouTube by a personal trainer. It takes time to go through and listen to them, but it is well worth it. I have followed all of his advice and it has worked.
Now, if you are a man you will most likely have a much easier time of this. Take my sweetie for example. He has lost 40lbs since last Fall strictly by dieting alone. No exercise. He looks great, and it makes me crazy that I have to kill myself at the gym and he doesnt- but there you have it.
I hope this is helpful to anyone who is interested. It took me a very long time to tweek everything into a plan that works, and it turns out that the simplest and most logical plan is what works. Eat less, exercise more.
What's new?
I have decided that since I started my heathen soapbox blog here on blogger, that I might just as well move my personal blog here, as well. It is much easier than trying to organize it myself on my website.
Nothing too exciting happens in my what's new blog.. the purpose is to keep family and friends in the states and europe up to date on how we are and what is happening in our lives.
Nothing too exciting happens in my what's new blog.. the purpose is to keep family and friends in the states and europe up to date on how we are and what is happening in our lives.
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