New Idea

OK so posting the morning of the day AFTER is DEFINITELY going to work better.  So far, school is awesome!  I love it so much!  And the only class I was dreading - my 3 hour biology night class - one of my BEST friends from the music program is in it, and so it goes much faster!  Not to mention the professor ROCKS and it was only 2 hours long last night!  Indeed - I am excited.  The only downside is waking up while still tired - but I'm sure I can fix that eventually.  I need to do laundry - which is another bettering myself goal - do it before it needs to be done!  Haha! 

The Bento Box idea was GREAT!  I just took a 'summer sausage' and cheese for my 'main dish' (I know - lots of sodium - but low calories), and pretzels (the recommended amount) and veggies with dip! YUM!  I even rode my bike to class in the near or below freezing temperatures - and loved it!  PLUS I'm keeping up with my practicing - and actually doing the reading for my classes!  It's going to be a good year - already starting out well!  I'm just trying to get into a good routine now - and hoping I see results!

Quick Catch Up

Sorry I didn't post yesterday I was busy with church and seeg Johnny.  Just a quick check up - I'm still alive.  today's my first day of school (SO excited! my first class is Billiards) so expect more missed days!  My lunch is packed and ready!  I'll see ya'll later!

Its not tomorrow yet!

So since it's not yet midnight I am still posting TODAY!  Haha!  Today's been sorta not productive.  Met my mom 1/2 way between our towns for lunch at a diner.  I rested and got ready for school and cleaned house somemore.  Had a pep band game today.  Our ladies won.   Oh yeah - you better believe it!  Then I went to a local brewery to hear my good friend's band, Somewhere in the Middle.  They SO rock!  And now - I'm about to pass out!  G'night!

Rockin it out!

In case you didn't gather it from the title - I am kicking serious butt today! Oh yeah!  Woke up around 9 ish this morning and after getting ready for the day I had some Rice Chex for breakfast.  Last night I went to the grocery store so I have a bunch of really healthy food in apartment now.  Question though - can you guys all chip in with yoru favorite types of apples?  I bought Granny Smith because I like that they're 'crunchy' and tart - Red Delicious are too mushy for me, and sorta too sweet.  BUt what are like Fuji Apples, Jazz Apples, Etc?  I like Chex - but it was a hard decision at the store between Rice, Whole Wheat, and Corn.  Rice had the least amount of calories, but also the least amount of Fiber and Protein.  Anyone have a take on calories vs. other nutrients?

Anyway after breakfast I rode my bike to the campus post office to mail some packages I sold on Half.com and pick up my package - which happened to be my BRAND NEW BENTO BOX! I'm so excited because it is SO awesome!  I cannot wait to start taking cold lunches so  I could use it.  For a snack I used my brand new apple corer and 1/2 of one of these cool personal caramel packets (Low-fat).  I'm allergic to fruit (it used to be much worse but I'm growing out of it) so having it with caramel helped the tingle go down a bit.  What are your favorite fruits to snack on raw - or maybe with a little additive - and also your favorite veggies.  I bought celery and broccoli, as well as some yummy salad.

After my snack and watching my favorite TV show (King of Queens) I went to the gym to work out for 50 minutes.  20 of those were spent on the Eliptical and then the other 30 on a bike.  I burned over 450 calories!  Yeah!  Now I am going through my iPod and creating a work out play list - because I can tell that I get unmotivated as I go through to find a better song. I'm pretty beat now - so no strength training for me - perhaps some lunch...

Thanks again for your support everyone!  It really does mean more than you can imagine!

A day of thoughts

Today - since it's my last day of break - I'm writing to you with a Double Chocolately Chip Frappuccino from Starbucks.  Oh yeah, you better believe it!  Though I have to blame one of the writers of the blogs I follow - 'Spee' - who has been making me crave these since he writes from Starbucks all the time!  His blog is hilarious - check it out http://spee2010.blogspot.com.  No caffiene - I don't drink coffee due to religious reasons, but it's amazing!  I have to admit though - all I've been doing today is thinking, so I thought I'd express some of my thoughts!

OK so for one, I'm sick and tired of these diet products trying to make you believe that you cannot lose weight on your own - just by living your lift.  You don't need to spend hundreds of dollars on overpriced - under flavored diet foods or on useless and dangerous diet pills just to lose weight.  In my mind, we're sort of ruining the original 'American Dream' by trying to achieve the new 'American Dream' of looking perfect.  I have always imagined the American dream (or maybe just my dream) is marrying an amazing guy (I have one in mind...) and having a happy life with him and your kids and cooking them meals - not serving them some frozen dinner that you bought from the TV to keep your family fit.  Then you sit at the dinner table and discussing your day - and you get exercise by going for family walks or whatever.  I'm going to lose weight by cooking my own dinners - eating smaller portions - and yeah - working out.  Take that Nutrisystem, Atkins, and Slimquick!

Another thought: which is worse?  Juices that have 0% juice and God knows how many calories/fat/sugar/etc.  or Diet Sodas that have guaranteed 0 Calories, but are carbonated.  And on top of that - why do people always associate a Diet Soda with dieting?  You know why I drink Diet Coke?  Because I despise the overly sugary taste of regular Coke.  I hate how people try to joke about the irony of eating say - anything but a salad and Diet Coke, it's ridiculous!  Take that America!

Have you ever wished you could live your life to the lyrics of a musical?  I honest to goodness have - and the musical of choice?  The Fantasticks!  I LOVE that show beyond belief, and the fact that when I saw it in the Off-Broadway Production on Broadway that starred Nick from The Amazing Race doesn't hurt (the soundtrack I have also features him).  I love that show - it is the perfect love story with humor and irony.  Listening to the song 'Soon It's Gonna Rain' today made me giddy and twitterpated and reminded me of Johnny.  It's one of those plays that with the songs I cannot help but sing along to - and then listen to again and again and again!

Speaking of Johnny, I am SO confused right now!  Like ok - we have been going on dates for well over a month and I think he likes me.  Like on our last date he picked me up and even though we went because I had 2 free tickets, he paid for both.  YEah - we haven't ever held hands - but I just don't think he's a hand holding guy!  I mean he's very secluded - we know each other from church and I'm the only one in the congregation besides his brother and a select few guy friends that even knows him.  And yet he always saves me a seat - stays late to talk to me - teases me all the time - and (yes I know this sounds weird) but makes cute faces at me whenever I walk into a room or walk pass him. Of course I always stick my tongue out at him (as my heart flutters).  He is honest with me - whenever I go to his house for whatever reason he invites me in and I end up staying and talking for at least 30 minutes.  I dreamt about him last night - except we were really dating and totally able to kiss and stuff - which isn't how it is now.  HELP ME!  Even if you lie when you're telling me that he likes me - but I REALLY want him to like me!  Why would he talk to me and no other girls in the ward if there weren't remote feelings, right?  I know he wants to move slow - and I can't blame him since I'm shy too and guys who move too fast scare the crap out of me.  I think of him all the time.  Ok not ALL the time - but often - but not creepy stalkerish often.  Sorry - it may just be a mixture of low self-esteem and afraid of misinterpretting things because of being desperate - but it's also frustrating that I don't know.  Haha - I'm not usually this odd - I'm just thinking.. and needing to vent - and thats one of the reasons for blogging right?  Awaiting your comments!

Oops! Missed one!

OKOK I know - I didn't post yesterday - but that's because I didn't want to admit my laziness (which includes sleeping in well past 10 and working on my online job for a while).  But - I did eat Lean Cuisines for my meals, which helped lower the calorie intake!  And at work - I worked the oven most of the time, which is basically like a sauna.  You get the heat of the oven and the pizza warmers (they keep the pizza warm while the drivers get ready to get it or we wait for the in stores to get there).  Plus you're picking up pizzas from the ovens, and they aren't exactly light, and then you're cutting them, and you're sweating the entire time.  I actually have to go outside when we slow down for a 'smoke break' (I don't actually smoke, so I go out with my Nalgene and rehydrate).  You know it's hot in your work place (and you live in Idaho) when you go out into below freezing weather in a short sleeved shirt and it feels good.

Speaking of my Nalgene, I mine as well tell you about it, since it's my best friend ever!  I'm sure you've heard of Nalgenes, they're awesome water bottles that are usually used by like mountain climbers or campers.  They hold 32 ounces of liquid.  It is perfect for a clutz like me because they're basically unbreakable.  Seriously - I had a bored friend run over it with a car, and it didn't break until the 2nd time he ran over it.  Awesome huh?  I have dropped mine so many times from so many different heights I can attest to it.  It's great because I live in a desert, so it is definitely helpful for keeping hydrated (and as a musician it's VERY imporant to keep hydrated).

So I won't lie, I will probably be lazy again today- just because I want to get some flute practicing in and I have to work at the pizza place again toda.  The good news is - today is the last lazy day!  I get to move home to my college town tomorrow!  So moving in will be quite the work out, since I live on the second floor with no elevator or anythying.  I'll get to do some grocery shopping and real cooking starting tomorrow too!  Plus I get free access to an awesome gym there - so I can hit the college gym and really get some sweating with cardio and weights! 

Thanks for your support!  For the record - I do not skip breakfast on purpose, I just end up sleeping in and I have to eat an early lunch because I have to eat an early dinner so I'm not starving at work.  The really healthy eating will start next week - when school starts!

Saving Gas!

Hey everyone!  Today I took another trip to my college town to check my mail and do some work in my job at the college as the Band Librarian.  I love that job - I love being an important part of my department, and also having my department fund my schooling!  I love it!   Today I spent my time cleaning up after last semester.  After collecting most of the students music I spent today sorting it out into pieces, then putting the individual parts in score order, and then putting the pieces in their folders.  Since I still haven't collected everyone's music I'm waiting to put the music away so I can avoid having to pull out all the pieces again over and over as people slowly hand back their music.  I already have all the music copied for next semester, and mostly handed out.  Yay!

I also got to check my mail and such - one package down, 5 more to go.  I ate at 5 Guys Burgers - probably the only meal I'll get today so I don't mind about the extra calories - especially since they're SOOO amazing right!  Check them out if you haven't already (www.fiveguys.com), and I will happily admit that I shamelessly dunked my fries in the goodness Idahoans and Utahns call Fry Sauce (1/2 mayo 1/2 ketchup), delish.  So perhaps you guys have seen the men or women that walk around in their church clothes with tags on their lapel and backpacks on your back.  That's right - the 'dreaded' Mormon Missionaries.  I am not ashamed to admit that I belong to the Mormon Religion - and I actually ran into a group of 4 Elders (male missionaries) at the burger joint.  We have a family rule to buy missionaries food whenever we can (especially because my twin brother is currently serving a mission in Mexico), so I paid for their meal.  It was a great feeling to do another little bit of service.

Since the drive from my college town to my mom's town is only around 45 miles, I decided to try something that my boy Johnny (remember Johnny?) filled me in on.  Driving at 65 MPH gives you maximum gas mileage.  Let me tell you - it works!  I drove 65 the entire way home and it increased my gas mileage around 10 MPG, getting an average of 40 MPG in my little Honda Fit.  I know what you're thinking - I can't afford to waste my time driving that slow!  WRONG!  Going 65 MPH VS 75 MPH only adds  6 seconds a mile, which means 1 minute every 10 miles, and only 10 minutes every 100 miles!  10 minutes for 100 miles?  That wouldn't even make a difference in most people's travel plans!  Bathroom breaks take longer than 10 minutes!  Trust me - if you are planning any trips - it's totally worth it!  (For the record - it would take about 144,000 miles to add an entire day to your trip - and I don't know many people who drive that distance on a regular basis).  Try it if you commute to work, leave 5 minutes early or skip the drive thru and save money from gas and wear on your car!

Thanks for your comments everyone - keep them coming! And Ca88andra - according to Self.com toasting lowers calories - but only around 10 calories a piece.