Allow me to rejoice.

I now weigh what I did when I got married. It hasn't been that long, about 2 1/2 years, but between having a baby and simply not always watching what I ate, I ended up 11 lbs heavier. I realize, this isn't incredibly terrible, but it wasn't great either, considering I was overweight to begin with.
But let's get past the past. What does this mean for me now? I can fit into some of my favorite clothes again. I can shop for clothes at target again. (Cheap, but great place to get layering clothes.) I will need new jeans soon. (My current ones are slightly loose straight out of the dryer and get crazy loose by the end of the day.) I am simply more comfortable with myself, more confident. I don't feel guilty having the occasional high calorie or high fat meal as I always have before, because I know it's not the end of the world, it's one day, one meal.
I'm by no means stopping here. My doctor has challenged me to lose 20 more lbs by June. I will try to be open and honest along the way, and let you all know how I do. Until then, please excuse me as I go celebrate this mini victory!

Practicing Yoga.

I went to my first yoga class the morning I was to meet my parents to shop for my wedding dress.  The class was at 6 am, and I was to meet them in a town an hour away at 9. I wasn't sure what to expect out of our marathon shopping day ahead, but I knew I was going to need energy, and I wanted a quick tone up as well. 

Now, I am NOT a morning person. I will take any and every opportunity I can to sleep in, including hitting the snooze button as many times as I can possibly fit in without being late. (I'm usually late because of this!) On this morning, though, I was looking forward to a new class, a new experience. It was July, and the yoga studio was on the second floor of an gym with NO AIR CONDITIONING. At 6 am the room was already in the 90s. Nevertheless, I rolled out the mat in the back of the class, hoping to go unnoticed as I followed along with the more experienced members. Of course, it's rather difficult to go unnoticed in a class of six. The teacher was quite kind, making sure to show me modified moves so I could learn without straining myself, and even then, I got a great workout, much better than if I'd been on my own.

I stuck with the class through the summer, and partway into the fall, but when school started, as well as my job, I dropped out. I missed it, but I purchased my own mat and a book to work from and have been practicing yoga on my own ever since. I mostly stick to moves I learned in that class, as I don't want to injure myself trying something new with no supervision, (NOT a good idea, folks!) and I do enjoy myself, but, frankly, it gets a bit boring.

That's where yogajournal.com comes in. They offer 20 minute online 'classes', which show you new moves, and walk you through them slowly so that you're not in any danger of hurting yourself. I took my first class today, and, let me tell you, I got a workout! I did the abs & core routine, because now that I'm out of school, I don't have all the singing to keep them in shape! I didn't have all of the needed supplies (I need to buy some yoga blocks...) but I followed along anyway and improvised where I couldn't be exact. I had fun, and I will definitely be going back for more!

Happy New Year!

May your year be filled with joy, love, happiness, a bit of trials for strength, and a good dose of cheer!

Halloween musings.

It's Halloween, and I find myself looking forward to a day of random, mundane chores, and a bit of work to prepare for tomorrow.  Chris and I took Jonathan to a Halloween party last night, and so it really feels like the holiday has come and gone already, and this is just a normal Saturday.  At this point, I'm wondering if it's worth it to brave the crowds to find random things like a better high chair/booster seat for Jonathan, throw pillows for the couch, and groceries for the week. We don't really get any trick or treaters in our complex, so Chris and I have been slowly snacking away at our 'just in case' candy, and I don't even know if I should replenish...just in case...

Oh well, should be a nice, relaxing day!

And....I'm back.

Hello all. I've missed you! I've finally gotten myself organized and onto a type of schedule, so you can finally look forward to (semi) regular posts. Every friday by noon, I will do my best to have something yummy up for you to try out. As far as this area of the site, anything posted here will be bonus. A site redesign may be upcoming, but I haven't perfected anything yet, so we'll stay here for now.  Hope you enjoy!