WOW! OMG!

I kind of can't believe it! I've lost 11 lbs in two weeks! That's really more then expected. That's really impressive considering the Special K challenge is to lost 6lbs in 2 weeks! (I haven't tried on a smaller pair of jeans yet but I don't think I lost enough inches to have lost a jeans size) It's even more impressive considering that my exercise regiment was hampered by the huge blister on my heel, which still hasn't completely healed but at least is not painful anymore. I wonder how much I would have lost if I wasn't limited by my heel? It doesn't matter though because I did better then I thought/hoped and I have a good start to my year. Now I only have like 50-60 more pounds go to before next year. haha I hope the weather holds up so I can continue to walk to work. I really like doing that when I can. It's such a simple way to get exercise and I really don't live that far. I'm so excited about this!

New Year New You

I have survived another holiday season at Barnes and Noble. Good for me. We are still dealing with the aftermath of the season with all of the returns. So many people got some really crappy gifts this year and some how this is my fault. Hey! It's not my fault that your Uncle doesn't know what you like but whatever. After January it'll be too late! haha

Anyway, so 2009 is so over. In 2010, I'm making some changes. The first being my weight. I have long wanted to lose weight and have had some success in the past but I have gotten no where near my goal. Right now, I'm doing the Special K Challenge. The Challenge includes eating a bowl of cereal for breakfast. A meal bar, a protein shake or another bowl of cereal for lunch. A snack bar or fruit in between meals and then a sensible meal for dinner for two weeks. In those two weeks, you are supposedly going to lose 1 jeans size or six pounds. (depends on which box you read, I guess they are backing off the jeans goal) So far, I have been doing very well. Since Sunday, I have lost 5 lbs! I do wonder though if it has more to do with the walking and exercising I've started doing this week then the Special K but I really don't care. I've feel good. (Well, except for the monster blister I have on my heel right now) The problem I have now is what am I am going to do after this two weeks are over. I'm going to have to find another meal plan to follow because Special K alone is going to get me to my final goal. I want to be at least 60 lbs by the beginning of 2011. Now I only have 55 lbs to go! Any suggestions on healthy and easy cookbooks I should be looking at?

And other news the Australian Open starts tomorrow (Australian time) I'm so excited! How I do love tennis! A lot of late nights coming up.

oh that time of the year

I'm sitting in my living room flipping back and forth from whatever is on HBO and the Iowa Game. I can't take this pressure.

I can't believe that it's November already. The holiday season is here. blah. It's not that I don't like Thanksgiving and Christmas, it's just I work in retail. So the holiday's are our busiest time of the year. So that's good. It does make the work go faster but it's also the pressure filled. We are expected to have and know everything and we don't this is somehow our fault. The holidays really bring out the worse in people. The best too but you only really you only remember the bad things. It also makes me miss my family more. At least, that won't be a problem. Next weekend, I'm meeting Mom in Minneapolis for our annual Christmas shopping. Even though, we really don't do that much actual Christmas shopping. I'm actually thinking of taking my big suitcase because I want to look for a new winter coat. My coat is fine but it ends at my waist. It doens't get that cold here in New York or at least not as cold as Iowa but I do seem to spend more time outside then I did before. So I want a coat that is a little bit longer. Covering more of my legs because that's what was really cold last year. I also want to look for new work pants because mine are getting kind of warn But mostly, I'm going to spend time with my Mom. I haven't seen her since August.

For Thanksgiving, Dad and Kat are coming here like last year. I am determined to get more time off from work so I can actually spend more time with them. I felt like I spent their entire visit at work and they really didn't do much. They both had work to do so I don't think they minded it as much as I did but still, I felt bad. So this year, I've asked for strategic days off to maximize our time. Kat and I are going to see New Moon, together (I guess another tradtion). I hear good things about it. If anything, it should be a good laugh. What else we will do besides Thanksgiving, is still up in the air but I'm really not concerned about that.

And then finally, Christmas. I can't believe that my store is letting me have time off! I guess that's what you get when you ask six months in advance. Unfortunatley, I will miss Christmas morning because my flight doesn't come until noon but I will still be with my family on Christmas. What could be better? I'm only going to be home for a week but I really couldn't ask for more time. You don't want to push your luck. So any plans over the Holidays?

So this is what I'm doing to get myself through the holidays. I wish I can spend more time with my family but the little nibbles I get is just going to have to be enough.

My 1 year anniversary

A year ago, yesterday, I moved to New York. It's kind of hard to believe that has gone by so fast! I kind of feel like I just got here. I'm such a newbie. I really like it here. I like the people (for the most part) I like where I work (for the most part). I still get excited when I get to go to city and just walk around. I love it when people come and visit me and I can show them around. Now if only, I could get them to move here and then I wouldn't have to miss them. So now that I have lived her a year, can I call myself a New Yorker?

Pretty Excited!!

My mom is coming tomorrow and I have been cleaning like a mad woman. I fully admit it. I am not the neatest person. I tend to have things pile up. I once told my mom that I knew I could find anything I needed because I knew it would be somewhere on the floor. She really didn't like that answer. Well, I have picked up around my living, I've swept and mopped the floors. I've washed my dishes, cleared out my fridge. I still have to wipe down my shower but I'll tackle that after work. You want to really see how dirty this city is, take a shower and see the dirt come off. Yeah, it's gross. I'm not a big fan of that aspect of living here but it's kind of a minor thing. So, I am almost done with everything I need to do before she gets here tomorrow afternoon! I'm so pumped! I can't wait for her to get here. We have some loose plans for the weekend. I think we are mostly going to explore some areas of the Brooklyn/Manhattan that we are not the familiar with. It's pretty sad, that I have lived in Brooklyn for almost a year but haven't really explored it much. I think, when I first moved here, I was still just getting my bearings and wasn't really all that confident. and then the winter came and I really didn't want to be outside anymore then I had to be. (Even though this winter wasn't as bad as post winter's I have experienced) Now, that it's warmer out and I am a bit more confident in my city navigational skills, I want to see more of the my new city. So, I think we are going to see more of Brooklyn and more of downtown Manhattan. I haven't walked across the Brooklyn Bridge yet either so we are going to do that. I'm working Monday and then Tuesday, we will walk around Soho and Greenwich before heading uptown to listen to the NY Philharmonic in Central Park and then Wednesday is HARRY POTTER! I already bought out tickets for the first IMAX 3D showing at 10am! We have to go Lincoln Center, which is a bit of a trek so it's going to be an early morning but so worth it! And since we are going to be midtown anyway, I think we will do a bit of shopping! That's the tentative plan for now. I'm super excited!