Tuesday, April 2, 2013

Coffee and a Blog Post

Good Tuesday morning to you! It's day 2 of my lifestyle change, and yesterday was ok. I went to the gym and busted my ass... I ate pretty well, but I DID break my rule about eating past 6:30pm. I had some carrots and light popcorn (which I split with Jason). So, "technically" yesterday I was 169.8. Today, I woke up, and I am 169.2. Progress, right? And I'm a little sore today, which is a great feeling:)

In order to do this right, my plan is to lose 1.5lbs per week until July 4th (my 30th birthday). That will get me back to my comfy weight that I love being at. What that means is by this coming Monday, I need to be at 168.3. I've got this!

As far as my other goals, I rocked those yesterday, too. I increased productivity in my market compared to last year, and I got an email from my boss saying how great I'm doing. Chalk another win up for Kristin!

My attitude was SUPER tested yesterday when my mom-in-law did a "pop-in" during my work hours. Normally, I could care less. I love her to death. But I had a meeting starting, and I told her that. She kept talking about her divorce and bills, etc... Both Jason and I are just sick of hearing about it. This has been going on since before our wedding (we'll be married two years), and enough is enough already. BUT, I remembered my goals, and I put myself in her shoes. She has nothing, and she's scared. So I calmed myself down and talked to her until my meeting started. I told her she was more than welcome to turn on some trash tv and relax by us, but she was out of cigarettes, so she left to go get some. Crisis averted. 

I'm taking things ONE DAY AT A TIME. That's really all I can do. I'm pleased with my .7lb weight loss since yesterday, and it's motivating me to get my ass back to the gym today!

I hope everyone has an AMAZING Tuesday! And if life is getting you down, or you need to vent, feel free to comment!! XOXOXOXO

Monday, April 1, 2013

It Starts Now.

So, here it is. April 1st, and it's a Monday. What a great "clean slate" to start a new lifestyle. Right? Right. I have a few things in my life that I want to change, so I'm going to change them.

1. I want to lose weight. And it's not just about losing weight. It's about feeling better than I do now. I'm sluggish, my clothes fit weird and I used to run everyday. I need to get back into my routine. As of this morning, I weigh 169lbs, and I am 5'10". I'm not overweight by any means, but I'm not in my "comfortable weight zone" like I used to be. That weight was around 145-150. That means I need to lose between 19-24lbs. I need to set concrete numbers, do it in a healthy way. Lifestyle change is the name of the game.

2. I want to go above and beyond with my job. I love it, and I just had my review. I'm doing great, but one can always do better. I will do my absolute best. I will also set concrete goals that I can measure and work towards so I know that I'm moving in the right direction.

3. I want to make a conscious effort to have a positive attitude and outlook on a daily basis. I am the only one has control over how I react to situations and how I feel day to day. I want to make sure that I'm happy on a daily basis, and I need to stop sweating the small stuff!

4. I want to sign up for a 10k (even if I run it by myself) and accomplish that. It will give me something to work towards, and I will feel like I have accomplished a small goal on my way towards my larger, life goal.

Why am I so focused, you ask? Well, I'm sick of feeling this way. You only get one shot at this life, and I'M the only one who can get off my ass to change what I don't like. This blog is going to be documenting my journey throughout this ride. The good, the bad, and the ugly. I will document my ups and downs, and I will celebrate my successes. I encourage anyone to leave words of encouragement, tips for me, and if you want to join me, feel free!

So, I read a book by Brian Tracy entitled Goals: How to Get Everything You Want - Faster Than You Ever Thought Possible. It's amazing. He tells you his story on how he went from nothing to having everything he wanted, simply by setting measurable goals and sticking to them.

I will be writing my goals down in a physical journal that I bought. I feel like I can add notes, feelings, etc along the way. But I'm using this blog to check in daily and let you know how my journey is going!

So far, today is going well. I've had a lot of energy and drive to get things done, and it's not even noon! I'm going to be heading to the gym shortly - today is going to be elliptical and treadmill with some light weights.

I will also be done eating by 6:30pm, since I usually go to bed by 10pm during the week. I want to sleep with an empty tummy :)

As the weather gets nicer, I will be taking my dogs on walks outside (they have wee legs, so they can't go far, but I'm determined to get them back in shape, too!!).

Well, thank you for listening and for your support, and I will check in tomorrow! I'm going to try to weigh in once a week (on Monday's), but I tend to like seeing progress daily, so I might weigh in tomorrow.

Wednesday, January 16, 2013

Anyone else feel.... meh??

I'm back again. I can't seem to stick to a steady routine of posting on this. But I guess it gives me more to say when I do post.... 

Work is going well - since it's January, all of my campuses are back to school after winter break. I'm on campus today at Wheaton College, and by the looks of these college "kids" they're in no mood to be back to school. Man, if they only knew the alternative. I want to grab them by the face and be like "CHERISH THIS TIME" Billy Madison style. College was great, and I think it's because I went to St. Joe. In fact, I know it was. I miss it, but I'm glad for the experience. I made some great friends and received a great education. I also made some big fuck ups along the way and learned from them :)

Anyway, snap your shit back to reality, Kris. You're a 29 year old, married mother of two fur kids with a mortgage and adult responsibilities. Weird. But I love my life. As I get older, I am realizing what's important and what doesn't really matter. Family and TRUE friends are my top priority. There are a lot of poser ass bitch friends out there, which I do not need. 

I just want to run off a list of bitches I have, to get them off my chest. Feel free to comment/agree/disagree/whatever...

1. Ignorant people. You're idiots.
2. No snow. Part of my excitement to be working from home was to waive bye bye to Jason as he drives off in a blizzard while I sip coffee in my jams. No luck yet.
3. I have to get my tonsils taken out next week. This should have been done when I was little. Thanks for nothing, Dr. Lin (my pediatrician).
4. I feel really blah lately. I'm always tired - for really no reason - and I need a dye job/haircut. I seriously feel like getting my hair done makes me feel like a whole new woman.
5. I'm sick of being broke. I have a good job and make good money - Jason makes amazing money - and I feel like we're always behind. I need to get myself on a budget and stick to it. I don't even know where to start. Help.

In other news - THE BLACKHAWKS ARE BACK, BABY! I'm SO happy that hockey is back, it's unreal. Last season, we would get together with awesome friends, order food and watch the games. I SO looked forward to that. At least we'll get around 50 games out of the deal. And the regular season is supposed to go until the end of April - Jason's birthday is 4/27, so being the awesome wife I am, I'm going to TRY to get Pat Foley to say Happy Birthday to him on air. 

Ok, that's all I've got. Happy Hump Day.


Monday, December 3, 2012

Looks like I'm not getting any work done today...

So, Jason is home "sick" today... I just think he's exhausted and needs a break, which I can totally understand. He goes 1000mph all of the time, whereas I take breaks throughout the day to watch my fave shows and nap with the pups. Slow and steady for this girl...

I've already made him TWO big cups of hot tea (the first one went south when he fell asleep instead of drinking it, so I made a replacement cup), a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and I've given him two doses of medicine (secretly hoping it knocks his ass out). Seriously, who needs kids?? All I hear coming out of the other room is his snoring and DVR'd episodes of Ghost Adventures and Duck Dynasty playing (which, by the way, I am in love with Jase from DD...).

Besides that, the weekend, as usual, went by too fast. I can't complain, though. I'm sitting here in my jams and glasses because I'm lucky enough to not have to go anywhere for work. But still. We had a great time on Saturday. We went to my cousin's AMAZINGLY large home in Lakewood for an early Christmas get together. With everyone's schedules and growing families, it's hard to connect. As always, too much food, great company & a nice kickoff to the holiday season.

P.S. I'm pretty sure my sister's man friend and my husband are secret lovers. They are SO similar, it's not even funny, and every time we have a family function, these two are off in the corner talking about God knows what or judging people (I'm assuming - I'm not allowed to listen lol).

Here are some photos of the fabulous event..........

The kitchen/food center



Yes, this is my cousin's basement... Complete with popcorn maker and a movie theater... My older nephew, Jake is in the front row all the way to the left with the blue striped shirt. UGH. Love him.



Here's what I'm talking about. My sister's boyfriend Tarek on the left, and my husband Jason on the right. Sharing an ottoman and whispering sweet nothings. After I took this, I promptly dismissed myself, as to not interrupt...


My awesome brother Ryan and his younger son, Josh


Another shot of my cousin's home (Tarek and Kelley are actually sitting together... for now...)


He's my squishy, and I love him.


Tarek and my sister, Kelley


Look at the movie theater ceiling... 


So that was that. A great time was had by all. OH!! I CANNOT forget the dessert I made. Holy shit. I got the recipe off Pinterest (I love that site), and it turned out AMAZING. Ready for this? 

Smoosh cookie dough on the bottom of a muffin pan. Take a Reece's peanut butter cup and place on top of the cookie dough. Make brownie batter and pour on top of it all to cover. Bake at 350* for 18 minutes. 

BOOM. It's the best thing I've ever eaten EVER. And it was SO easy!!



Sunday, we watched the Bears lose and cleaned the house. Nothing to report there. But all of my laundry is done, and the house is spotless, which is nice.

I've gotta say - sometimes I miss the hustle and bustle of being in an office. I miss taking extra long coffee breaks (which reminds me, I haven't had a cup yet... need to get on that), gossiping with my cube mates and dressing up. I feel like half the time, I get into the shower right before Jason comes home so I don't gross him out with my smelliness. Such is life. 

I'm going to try to get into a routine of getting up and hopping in the shower immediately. At least that way, when I look at the clock and see that it's already 2pm, I'm dressed and ready to go. We'll see. So far, it's 10:30am, and I'm blogging... sans shower.

Ok, well I'm going to get back to work. Mr. Sick Pants just got up and is walking around the kitchen... I hope he lays back down because I do have a lot of work to get done today. We'll see.

Happy Monday!










Thursday, November 29, 2012

Pretty Nice Little 4 Month Break...

Well, it's been awhile... I'm going to try to get back into posting on here regularly for anyone who actually reads this thing :)

So - what's happened since I last wrote...? Hmm... I no longer work at Westwood "The Shittiest School Ever" College. I got laid off, and I'm telling you, things happen for a reason. That was literally one of the worst weeks of my life. I lost my job, and my wiener puppy, Gus, fell down the stairs & almost broke his back. I was a crying mess for weeks, but I now have a new, AWESOME, work from home career with Kaplan Test Prep, and Gus is running around like a bat out of hell, just like he used to. It makes me very happy.

Also since July, Jason and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary... It went by really fast. I'm not going to bullshit you, it was a somewhat hard year with the normal ups and downs of any relationship. We really didn't have a "newlywed" stage, just because we've lived together since 2009... it felt awesome to call him my husband finally, but other than that (and the giant bling on my finger), nothing changed. It's true what they say though... marriage is hard work. But I'd say the majority of the time (like 98%), I would rather snuggle Jason than strangle him. I like those odds.

Other than that, I'm pretty sure life is functioning as normal. Thanksgiving was good - ate too much, as per usual - and Christmas is right around the corner, which is always a fun time of year. And then it's the new year, which I always look forward to. It feels like the slate is clean, and you have a brand new year to make all new fuck ups... :)

In my new found career, some days are WAY slower than others (like watching ALL of the Judge Judy's in a row) or using Google maps to look at your house from an aerial shot... This was my day yesterday - As you can see, this must be pretty recent. My car is in the driveway because I'm most likely "busy working" at my desk:) Jason is not home, as he gets to drive from Romeoville to Addison everyday. Suck fest.



Peace out, bitches.

Saturday, July 28, 2012

New Endeavor! Please support!!

I just recently started selling crafts that I make - I have a Facebook page for my things called Kristin's Krafts - Please spread the word and tell your friends about it!!


I want to use the money I make from this to help put myself through nursing school!! Any help will be greatly appreciated!!!


Thank you friends!!


https://www.facebook.com/pages/Kristins-Krafts/507207552628179

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Cha-cha-changesssss!

Lots of changes going on with my life... It's fun :) I registered for school last week, so I will be starting the end of August. I'm going to a bachelors to BSN program to get my nursing license! I'm nervous/excited/can't believe I actually pulled the trigger!


In other, minor, news, I'm getting my hair done tonight - going as dark as possible and getting some layers put in. Love it. And tomorrow after work, I'm treating myself to a pedi and a nail fill. I need some relaxing "me" time.


I also joined Weight Watchers today. I've done it before, and it worked great. I lost around 20-25lbs the last time I was on it (and I've maintained it pretty much), but I'm looking to drop another 10-15lbs and REALLY knock my husband's socks off! He loves me the way I am, of course, but I always want to look hotter for myself and for him. I'm only 29 - I'm going to dress in tight pencil skirts and figure flattering tops (and feel confident doing it)!


So wish me luck! I'm ready! My weigh in days are Thursdays (since I started today), which is good. It's not weighing myself right after the weekends, etc. I hope I see results by next week - I'm very impatient! The last time I was on WW, I dropped 6lbs my first week. Granted, I had more to lose then, but I'm still hoping to see the scale go down a bit and get some energy back!

So that's that! I'm declaring this "The Year of Kristin" and fuck people who get in my way!! Classy :)

By my 30th birthday next July 4th, I will be a sexy vixen who is almost done with her nursing degree. Mark my words, people!!!

Side note - I got my period today. Cramp city. Sucks.