I'd like to thank the academy...

of fellow bloggers for this award.

Ok, I'm really not that snotty, but I did receive blog awards from two of my fellow bloggers. I'm sure I was mostly awarded because these girls are my friends and not because my blog is life-altering, but whatever. An award's an award! Thanks Christen and ShoeFanatic614!!

Here are the rules for receiving a blog award:

1. Accept the award, post it on your blog together with the name of the person who has granted the award, and his or her blog link.
2. Pass the award to 15 other blogs that you’ve newly discovered.
3. Remember to contact the bloggers to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I'm not sure if I actually follow 15 blogs, but here are the ones I've awarded:

Cooking with Christen
Scrumptiously Sassy
There's a Bear in Your Kitchen!
The Wilsons
The Meyers... Plus Two!
The Hurricane Hannah Chronicles
The Blogs of a Southern Wino
Pink Tales
Life of Lacy
Sweet Tea and the Red Sox
Reading is Sexy
Skinny Food by Amy
When October Falls

Diet: Day 31

Well, one month and 5.5lbs down! June was a pretty good month diet/excercise wise. Work has been giving me hell, wedding planning has been practically nonexistant, but weight loss has been going pretty well.

Here's my weigh-in from yesterday:

171.5(down 1lb from last week, down 5.5lbs overall)

I'm really starting to feel proud of myself! I feel like I have a lot more energy, and my jeans are getting loose. I was actually able to slide them off without unbuttoning them today. I had to do a little bit of wiggling, but they came off! Looks like Jamie's going shopping for new jeans soon! I'm a little mad about that because I somehow jumped from a size 8 to a size 12, but I'm trying to look at the bright side.

July 1 also brings *hopefully* the start of wedding planning. Josh is Catholic, I'm not. We're having a Catholic wedding, Josh is in charge of getting the priest. Said priest has been in the process of changing churches, so we haven't been able to get in touch with him regarding scheduling a meeting, getting permission, yada yada yada. Today is his first day at his new church so Josh is supposed to try to get in touch with him today. ::fingers crossed that this actually happens:: If we don't meet with the priest soon, there won't be a wedding because I will have killed someone. Do you sense my impatience?

Diet: Day 22

Monday Morning Weigh-in!

172.5
(no change from last week, down 4.5lbs overall)


I was actually very surprised there was no change from last week. Josh and I got busy and picked up food three times last week ::gasp:: I know, I know! It was awful. Plus I didn't exercise at all. I do have a good excuse for that, though.

Meet my foot:






(This is just so you can see that I don't have abnormally fat feet. )


Josh gets mad every time I bring it up, but I'm really starting to worry that something may be wrong. We went swimming last weekend and I kicked a metal ladder. It swelled, I put ice on it. It bruised, I put ice on it. It's only gotten uglier and more painful. So, you see? This is why I haven't been walking. If it's still not any better by mid-week, I'm freaking going to the doctor whether Josh likes it or not. In Josh's eyes going to the doctor = spending a lot of money, which is true I guess and I really don't want to spend a fortune for someone to tell me it's just a bruise either. However, if I wake up tomorrow morning and my entire foot is black, I am going to kill him.

Diet: Days 12-15

So, I really couldn't tell you what I've eaten in the past few days, but it has overall been pretty healthy. Oh, and Friday I drank an entire bottle of water. That might not seem like something to brag about, but if you knew how much I hate water you'd be proud, too. Josh is still cooking up a storm and trying new, healthy dishes. You can check out his blog for the details.

I've been doing my wimpy push-ups and crunches every night. I was determined to get some actual excercise in over the weekend, and Sunday we went swimming. Unfortunately I kicked the ladder and practically broke my freaking foot, so I haven't been walking since. Maybe another day or two and I can put a shoe back on.

Yesterday was weigh-in. I dropped another 2.5lbs and am now at 172.5. Yay! Making progress.

Diet: Days 10 & 11

I didn't get a chance to post last night because things have been a little crazy, but more on that later...

Wednesday:

Weight : 175lbs*
Breakfast : one everything bagel with 1tbsp margarine
Snack : nada
Lunch : leftovers
Snack : honeydew, grapes, cherries
Dinner : Beef Bourguinon (link to follow)
Drink : about 1/2 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass V8 Splash, Crystal Light tea
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

Thursday:

Weight : 175lbs*
Breakfast : nada
Snack : 100 calorie pack Cheezits
Lunch : Lean Cuisine Cheese Ravioli (surprising pretty good!)
Snack : nada
Dinner : chicken (link to follow)
Drink : about 1/2 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass V8 Splash
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

First of all, I must add that I did two sets of crunches and ten push-ups Tuesday night.

Recently, Josh's aunt decided she wants to learn to cook and she wants Josh to teach her. So, last night was the first of probably many lessons. Josh cooked a Beef Bourguinon that was absolutely to die for. TO DIE FOR! He hasn't updated his blog yet, but I'll update this post with links as soon as he does. We didn't get home until close to 11pm and I stayed up until 2:30am working. Bleck. I'm about tired of this work crap. I really have no desire to become one of those famous bloggers who end up writing books and making movies, but sometimes I wish people would start reading the stupid shit I blog about so I can sell it and sit on my ass for a while. Hmmm... a girl can dream.

Anyway, back to reality, I skipped breakfast this morning because I literally woke up 10 minutes before I had to leave. I also skipped my afternoon snack because I got so busy I lost track of time. Josh cooked some chicken stuff tonight. I'll add the link once he updates his blog, but I'm going to be honest and say I didn't like it. I really felt bad telling him. He's been working so hard to find healthy recipes to cook every night so we don't end up picking up crap. I did eat it anyway, though. I do hope there are no leftovers because I don't think I could suck it up a second time.

Can I just say thank God it's Thursday already?! This week has been farking ridiculous, and I am so ready for it to be over. There is a bottle of wine with my name on it and a tub calling for bubbles. I am coming home and chilling the eff out. I definitely need it. But, I swear, I will be doing some sort of excercise over the weekend. I got an email from one of my friends suggesting that she, another friend, and I walk/do Pilates together. We all live within about a mile from one another, so it's really convenient. Looking forward to a great weekend; hope everyone else has a great weekend, too!

*This is what I weighed Monday. I only weigh myself once a week. I'm down a total of 2lbs.

Diet: Day 9

Here are the facts for the day:

Weight : 175lbs*
Breakfast : nada
Snack : granola and blueberries
Lunch : Lean Cuisine French Bread pepperoni pizza
Snack : honeydew, grapes, cherries
Dinner : grilled chicken salad
Drink : about 1/2 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass V8 Splash
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

I've been working late the past two nights, so I haven't been able to exercise and I had to skip breakfast this morning. I did eat regularly throughout the day, so that was a plus. I also only drank one diet coke; it's practically killing me, but I'm trying really hard to limit them. Because we got home late Josh didn't have time to cook what was originally on the menu, but he did throw some grilled chicken and salad together. For only taking ten minutes it was really really good. The link is above - check it out! I do have to add to yesterday's blog by saying I did two sets of 15 rep crunches and 10 push-ups last night. I feel pretty wimpy for not doing more, but the whole point of this is to take small steps in creating a healthier lifestyle. I'm trying really hard to not discourage myself.

*This is what I weighed Monday. I only weigh myself once a week. I'm down a total of 2lbs.

Diet: Day 8

Weight : 175lbs
Breakfast : nada
Snack : granola
Lunch : grilled chicken salad
Snack : honeydew, grapes, cherries
Dinner : leftovers
Drink : 1/2 bottle water, two cans diet coke, one beer
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

Well, I weighed myself first thing this morning, and I'm down two pounds. Yay! It's not much in the grand scheme of things, but it's definitely a start! I was up really late last night and overslept, so I didn't have time for breakfast, but I otherwise ate pretty well today. The drinking wasn't so good. Josh and I rode together today, got a flat tire on the way home, had to get my car towed because my stupid rim is totally effed and we couldn't get the freaking tire off. Erg. Anyway, that's where the second can of diet coke and the beer came in. The sleeping late and getting home late and pissed off kept me from exercising, but hopefully I'll do better tomorrow. Josh is finally working on updating his blog! We're such nerds. Oh, and we picked out a few options for reception venues over the weekend, but more on that later. My brain is way too fried to get into that now. 'Til tomorrow!

Diet: Days 6 & 7

Saturday:

Weight : 177lbs*
Breakfast : one everything bagel with 1tbsp margarine, orange juice
Snack : granola
Lunch : leftover sushi
Snack : apple
Dinner : quiznos
Drink : one can diet coke, two glasses of iced tea
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

Sunday:

Weight : 177lbs*
Breakfast : nada
Snack : granola
Lunch : nada
Snack : honeydew
Dinner : shhh... it's a surprise!
Drink : one can diet coke, one glass of iced tea, two beers
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!


Saturday morning Josh had a walk to attend. It was only a mile and I would have really liked to go, except being there for 7am on a Saturday morning is just not my cup of tea. So, I caught up on some much needed sleep and had the morning to myself. So nice. My snacks were a little skimpy compared to what I'd been eating during the week, but overall it was a pretty good day. Today was not. I was pretty much hungry all day because a) we didn't have much in the house and b) there was some work drama that went down and I was too annoyed to eat. This afternoon Josh and I went grocery shopping for the week. We stocked up on more healthy snacks and got everything for our weekly meal plan. We picked up sandwiches last night, but tonight Josh cooked a really great meal. I'd love to tell you all about it, but he'll be adding it to his blog later and I don't want to steal his thunder. I will tell you that it was really delicious, and I've been trying to get him to make it for weeks. I'll edit this post with the link as soon as he puts it up. Tomorrow morning is weigh-in. I'm a little nervous about it. I really feel like I've been trying this week to eat healthier and be more active. I know I can't expect overnight results, but if there's not the slightest difference I know I'll be very dissappointed. Well, I guess we'll see how it goes! I'm keeping my fingers crossed.

Diet: Day 5

Here are the facts for the day:

Weight : 177lbs*
Breakfast : one everything bagel with 1tbsp margarine, orange juice
Snack : granola and blueberries
Lunch : nada
Snack : raw veggies and lite ranch
Dinner : sushi
Drink : about 1/2 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass of iced tea, 2 glasses of diet coke at dinner
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

I was by myself at work today, so I didn't really have time to eat the way I should. It was pretty much a bite here and there all day. And, I didn't realize we were going out to eat, so I drank my daily diet coke at work. I probably should have gotten water with dinner, but I friggen love fountain diet coke. Sushi tonight was definitely a surprise. We only went because Josh didn't feel like cooking after such a long day and we had a gift card, but still - surprises are nice.

Josh posted his first blog today. I am so proud! I've been pushing him to do it because I really think it'll make him branch out and be more creative. He's really talented, and his cooking is already great, but I think if he had the pressure of having to post everything he cooks for people to see then he'll really try to up his game. I can't wait to eat and read about what he comes up with first! Here's the link, go check it out!

Oh, and for all of you who are wondering why I haven't talked about wedding planning in what was supposed to be my wedding planning blog, I just haven't had the time to think much about it this week. But, I promise to annoy the crud out of Josh all weekend! I'll let you know what we come up with!

*This is what I weighed Monday. I plan on weighing myself only once a week.

Diet: Day 4

Here are the facts for the day:

Weight : 177lbs*
Breakfast : one everything bagel with 1tbsp margarine, orange juice
Snack : about two bites of granola and blueberries
Lunch : nada
Snack : nada
Dinner : leftover pasta and tilapia
Drink : about 1/4 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass of pomegranate lemonade
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - walk for 30min

Today was not a good food day for me. Apparently, I am a mawmaw and need to be in bed before 10pm. I didn't get to bed until around 1am this morning and was tired and nauseated all day. I forced myself to eat breakfast, and I started to eat my 10:30am snack, but I couldn't bring myself to eat anything else all day. Josh picked up some fresh fish on the way home and fixed it with the leftover pasta. It was very yummy. I would definitely recommend the link from yesterday. I had high hopes for the Chicken Piccata from Monday, but it really fell short for me. Speaking of cooking and recipes, Josh finally decided to start up a cooking blog. As soon as he gets the ball rolling I'll post the link. But back to me - I yelled at Josh after dinner and finally got his butt out of the house to walk with me. I think I walked a little longer than I had earlier in the week, and I jogged a little even though I almost died. I just got out of the shower and feel so much better! Accomplished if nothing else. Maybe this whole diet and exercise thing isn't so bad ;)

*This is what I weighed Monday. I plan on weighing myself only once a week.

Diet: Day 3

Here's the facts for the day:

Weight : 177lbs*
Breakfast : Special K with nonfat milk, orange juice
Snack : granola and blueberries
Lunch : I forgot to bring something so I ate raw veggies with lite ranch
Snack : peach
Dinner : Zucchini Ribbon Pasta (very good!)
Drink : about 1/2 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass of pomegranate lemonade
Dessert : small Sonic root beer float and two glasses of wine
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - FAIL!

I did get up with enough time to eat breakfast, straighten my hair, and dress up for work. Just doing that in the morning has made me feel much better throughout the day, so I know if I could just get up a few minutes earlier to go for a walk it would make all the more difference. I met up with a few friends for free root beer floats at Sonic and then hung out and had a few glasses of wine, which is why I'm late posting Day 3's info. I had a ton of fun, a ton of laughs, and a ton of tips from my married friends, but I am totally dragging ass today. I didn't go to bed until around 1am, so I obviously didn't get up again this morning. Erg. Oh, and Josh has not walked with me once this week - not once - and he says he's lost 3 pounds. If I haven't lost at least 2-3 by Monday, I am going to be 20 different kinds of pissed.

*This is what I weighed Monday. I plan on weighing myself only once a week.

Diet: Day 2

So again I failed to get up early enough for my morning walk. But hey, I never claimed to be a morning person. I did have breakfast, packed snacks for the day, and wore a nice top and heels to work. Here's the facts for the day:

Weight : 177lbs*
Breakfast : Special K with nonfat milk, orange juice
Snack : granola and blueberries
Lunch : Lean Cuisine Cheese French Bread Pizza
Snack : a few baby carrots, apple slices, peach slices
Dinner : leftovers
Desert : small slice of apple tart
Drink : only about 1/4 bottle of water, one can diet coke, one glass of pomegranate lemonade
Exercise : am - FAIL!
pm - walk for 20min

Josh decided he wanted to use his stand mixer by making an apple tart. Gee, thanks. I had a small piece before my walk. I had to cut it a little short because it was really dark, and I was getting eaten alive despite the half bottle of OFF I had on. Again, I was all by my lonesome. Josh started to walk with me, but he took the girls in after only a few minutes because he didn't want them running through puddles. Humph! Hopefully I can drag my lazy ass out of bed in the morning. Wish me luck!!

*This is what I weighed Monday. I plan on weighing myself only once a week.

Flab to Fab!

I have been needing to lose weight for a long time, but I freaking refuse to be a fat bride. So, today was Day 1 of my new diet/exercise regime. Josh and I went grocery shopping last night and got healthy snacks, drinks, and planned a healthy menu for the week. We planned to get up earlier so we can take a walk with the girls and eat breakfast. We also planned on walking in the evenings after dinner. We didn't make the walk this morning, but I did get up early enough to eat breakfast and fix my hair and dress nicely (I normally wear a tshirt and jeans to work). Just doing that made me feel a lot better. Josh had a migraine tonight, so I walked with the girls by myself. Here's my info for the day:


Weight: 177 lbs (Eep!)

Breakfast: Special K cereal with nonfat milk, orange juice

Snack: granola and blueberries

Lunch: nada (I brought a Lean Cuisine, but I never had time to eat it =/)

Snack: raw veggies with light ranch

Dinner: Chicken Piccata

Snack: half an apple

Drinks: half a bottle of water at work, one can of diet coke with dinner (I hate water and love diet coke, so this is actually really good for me.)

Exercise: am- FAIL!
pm - walk for 30min


I'm going to really try to update this daily. Not to bore you, but so I can be accountable to "someone." Heeeerrrrree we go!

Here's the story...

I'm engaged! Eek! It's scary and exciting and my head is just spinning. I feel like I've been waiting forever for Josh to ask me, and now that he has I can't believe it. It's just surreal. I know that sounds totally cliche, but I don't care because it's totally true.

My mom's mother and aunt flew in from California last week to see my sister graduate from high school. My aunt's never been to Louisiana, so my mom planned to do a lot of sight-seeing while she was here. Last week they visited several plantation homes, checked out the Rural Life Museum, and ate a ton of great food. My sister's graduation was Saturday, and Sunday we spent the day in New Orleans. We planned to stop by Cafe du Monde, walk around Jackson Square and the rest of the French Quarter, and eat at the Court of Two Sisters. My grandma and aunt are both Catholic, so I wanted them to see St. Louis Cathedral before making our way to the Court of Two Sisters. There was a baptism going on when we got there, but we snuck in the back of the church so they could look around for a bit.

As we were leaving, I was the first to get through the doors and I ran straight into Josh's parents. I was really confused and said, "What are you guys doing here?" Josh's mom said I should ask Josh. So I turn around and Josh grabs my hands and says, "I asked them to come because I have something important to ask you." Then I think I asked him if he was serious, and he got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! I have no idea what I said or did then, but apparently it was "yes" because he put the ring on my finger and kissed me. I was completely shocked, and I was so happy that both of our families were there to be a part of our special moment.

Josh and I have been talking about getting married for a while, and I've already been planning our wedding for months. One of the things I've had my heart set on is to be married at St. Louis Cathedral, so when Josh asked me on its front steps, it was truly a perfect moment.

-Jamie