Why yes that is a picture of me in a bathroom...

I didn't like any of the (4) pictures we took of my outfit Wednesday morning so I decided to see if the bathroom at work was long enough to fit my whole body.  It is!  I realize it's not the most fantastic of pictures but it's SO much better then the others.  I decided to wear one of the new dresses I got at Ann Taylor Loft on Sunday, I can't find it on their website anymore but the sleeves have a lace patch which is kind of different.  I paired it with opaque brown tights and brown Naturalizer boots.  I'm also wearing a sort of funky gold necklace that you can't really see and my awesome badge for work (it's so annoying how it totally ruins my style every day).

Now let's rewind back to before I left the house.  For breakfast I had a bowl of oatmeal w/banana = 321 calories.  Funny story, the other day Nicole was looking for something new to make Jack for breakfast and thought, "I'll make him some oatmeal".  When she got to her cabinet she realized she didn't have any but assumed she did because she'd been seeing it on my blog so often, lol.

Work was uneventful.  Everyone is still getting used to the new set up & preparing for the second round of moves.  It's going to be so weird, I'll be separated from pretty much every person I've been sitting near since I started here a year and a 1/2 ago. 

I had my usual lunch except that we are out of 100 calorie candy bars so I had to switch back to cookies, blah.  When I went to get my lunch from the fridge my boss and another coworker were eating so I joined them, unfortunately they left for a meeting a few minutes later so I grabbed what was left and headed back to my desk.

Angela and I had a 4 mile run scheduled for after work.  The weather forecast was for rain so we were on the fence about where we'd be running.  After looking at the radar I decided we should go for it and run outside.  Well that all changed when I walked out of work, it was a little chillier then I expected and there was total cloud cover.  I picked up my phone and texted Angela to meet me at the gym instead and as I pulled out of the parking lot a light rain started.  When I went to the locker room to get changed I noticed I didn't have any socks in my bag!  I texted Angela about my problem but she was already on her way; then I remembered there's store right next to the gym called Sammy's Sock Outlet, lol.  I crossed my fingers they'd still be open and ran to my car to grab my wallet.  I was in luck they were open until 6!  I purchased a 3 pack of athletic style socks for $3 & now I have 2 pairs of back up in case I ever forget again.  It was pretty hot in the gym and the run really just kicked my ass, it was hard, I wanted to quit.  But I persevered and managed an 11 min per mile time.  Bottle of low calorie Gatorade = 45 calories.

Joe was scheduled out of work at 6pm and told me he was going to make grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.  I was surprised to see that he wasn't home when I got there around 6:45.  No worries I was sure he'd be home soon so I changed and went to visit Nicole since I wasn't in charge of dinner.  Time ticked by and still no Joe, turns out he was stuck at work with a customer.  I was fine with waiting for him to get home to eat but this plate of pasta magically appeared in front of me while Lou & Nicole were sitting down to dinner = 379 calories.  They had plenty left over and since we were coming up on 8pm it was decided that Joe would just eat at their place too.

I should really eat tiny portions more often because it left room for Rita's!  The boys aren't huge fans of water ice and told us to enjoy while they stayed home.  We decided to surprise them and stopped at the Custard Hut to get them ice cream before going to Rita's for ourselves.  I really wish I would have taken some pictures but it would have been too obvious, these teenage girls at the ice cream place were so, I don't know, poorly behaved...I totally sound like a old person but we couldn't believe the way they were acting, like kicking the boys they were with and such.  I'm not saying I never acted that way but definitely not in front of adults.  Anyway, I got a chocolate soft serve & sugar free cherry ice gelati = 305 calories.

We got back to the house and gave the boys their ice cream, they were less thankful then we'd hoped but oh well.  Joe & I hung out until just after 9 then headed home after all we hadn't been there all night.  We went straight up to bed and were asleep in no time.

How did I do on my March goals?
1. Read 2 books:  nope

2. Burn at least 750 calories a day for at least 25 days: 2410 burned - 1361 eaten = 1049 burned, 23 days total
3. 1200 fitness minutes: 50 minutes today, 1373 total for month (goal complete)
4. Eat 1 fruit or veggie with each meal for at least 20 days:  banana w/breakfast, apple w/lunch & nothing w/dinner, 19 days total
5. 15 spend free days - stupid $3 socks...9 days total...

I'm wearing size 8 pants!

I'm really intrigued and thinking about going over to NY & Co sometime soon to try on more size 8 pants.  Part of me really thinks they must be mislabeled, I mean every other pair I have or have tried on is a 10 and fits fine.  I'm just having a hard time computing that I could fit in single digit sized clothing.  I haven't been this small since high school.  Of course I had to wear the only size 8s in my possession the day after buying them!  My OOTD is: a brown ruffle sweater from Ann Taylor Loft, brown (size 8) NY & Co dress pants from Burlington and brown ballet flats from The Gap.

Our bananas only have a few days left in them and I wanted to squeeze in at least one more bowl of oatmeal = 321 calories.  Although I'm not sure why I feel so much pressure to use them, I could just use some other kind of fruit, lol.

Work was fine, nothing exciting.  I got a lot accomplished and just tried to lay low.  It seems like everyone is a little stressed out with all the changes so I figure it's easiest to stay out of the way.  For lunch I had my usual 311 calories at my desk.

Angela is back from her trip to Texas but had a lot to take care of so I was on my own for my 3 mile run.  I started with the treadmill set at 6.0 but that only lasted about 1/4 mile before I realized I couldn't maintain that pace.  I turned it down to 5.7 and stayed there the rest of the time.  I'm pretty proud of myself! 

I had taken some chicken out for dinner so I baked it with some shake n' bake glaze.  We had a lot of broccoli in the fridge so I steamed some of that as well.  I couldn't decide what to do for starch, while I was cruising the pantry I came across a box Tastefully Simple cornbread mix, I decided to give it a try.  Dinner = 586 calories. 

The chicken was very good, I didn't put anything on the broccoli so it was pretty bland and the cornbread was a little dry.  I had about 6 servings of cornbread left so I brought some over to Nicole & Lou because Joe & I would never finish it all.  Poor Jack has croup so he's been a little hard to get along with, he was little whiny when I was visiting but I'm whiny when I don't feel good and I can tell you what's wrong with me so who can blame him?  I hung out for about a 1/2 hour then went home figuring Joe would be home soon.  I was surprised to see him sitting on the couch when I walked in the door!  Apparently he'd been home almost a half an hour watching hockey.  I joined him on the couch but after a few minutes I was feeling pretty sore and couldn't hold still so I went upstairs, took care of a couple loads of laundry and watched an episode of Dexter.  I really wanted a snack, something terrible for me, but I used all of my willpower to only make a bag of popcorn = 75 calories.

Joe's game was over about the same time, Flyers won!  We watched little Biggest Loser and passed out a little after 10.  Wow, not a very interesting day...

How did I do on my March goals?
1. Read 2 books:  didn't turn a page

2. Burn at least 750 calories a day for at least 25 days: 2405 burned - 1393 eaten = 1012 burned, 22 days total
3. 1200 fitness minutes: 40 minutes today, 1323 total for month (goal complete)
4. Eat 1 fruit or veggie with each meal for at least 20 days:  banana w/breakfast, apple w/lunch & broccoli w/dinner, 19 days total
5. 15 spend free days - didn't buy anything...9 days total...

Did you order pants pants?

That title is only funny if you're aware that Joe sometimes calls me pants...lol.  It's kind of like a pet name but there's usually another word attached like "skinny pants" or "crappy pants."  Anyway he asked me that question on Monday afternoon because I really need some new pants.  I realized that morning while trying to get dressed that I only have 5 work appropriate pairs of pants that fit me.  It didn't help that 3 of them were in the wash.  I changed clothes at least 3 times before work and it was legitimately because nothing fit not because I didn't like my outfit.  I told Joe I was going to buy some new pants and he couldn't stop me; he mentioned something about a $50 limit and I said I'd do my best.  What, you're wondering what I ended up wearing?  Here it is: Ann Taylor Loft turtleneck sweater with skinny black dress pants from The Gap, fishnet knee highs and black Naturalizer pumps.  No worries I have a hair appointment for Thursday, those bangs will be tamed soon.

I was running late because of all the clothing drama so I quickly made us some protein shakes = 392 calories.

Work is a little bit of a disaster right now, there's a lot of moving going on this week so it's difficult to get anything done.  I packed up a lot of my promotional stuff in the morning and threw out some catalogs that I won't need.  I don't move until Friday so hopefully the rest of the week will be a little quieter.  Good news, I actually managed to eat lunch with other people!  When I started to get hungry around 1ish I went to grab my lunch bag and a few ladies were just sitting down to eat & asked me to join them, so I did.  Nothing very interesting to report but it was nice to get away from my desk.

At some point during the afternoon Joe asked how the great pants search was going.  I let him know I had ordered 3 pairs of size 10 petite pants from Ann Taylor Loft for $127.  He joked that I had gone over budget and that set me off.  I typed an easily 3 page text message about how I'm not even sure they'll fit when they get here (I measured myself but I'm an 8 or 10 or somewhere in between depending on the store) and it's so unfair that all women's pants fit differently and I have no time to spend at a store trying things on, etc.  He suggested I try Burlington Coat Factory or Boscov's because he has luck there.  I'm not opposed to looking but I don't usually have much luck in the petite section because wasists are usually cut too high, I like them below my belly button.  After I finished my rant he offered to meet me for dinner & to help find pants after work/the gym.


I was excited to use my Garmin Forerunner 405cx for the first time during group power that night!  The only problem was that I had no idea how to use it!  Once I got changed and set up my equipment it was time to figure it out.  I called Angela and she walked me through what she does.  Because there are only settings for running & cycling you have to use one of them while your exercising then update it on your computer after it uploads.  She had me set a simple workout with 3 mile distance, because I wasn't actually moving a distance I wouldn't run out of time.  When I got home I synced it and it said I only burned 232 calories!  I asked Angela if that was normal and she realized she forgot to tell me to turn off the GPS.  Oh well, I'll try again some other day this week.

I called Joe when I got to the car after class.  He was walking out of work at the exact same time!  We decided to meet a Burlington first then see what happened from there.  I put on a happy face and gave myself a pep talk on the way over that this could go well, I could find pants that fit me in a store.  The gym is much closer to the store so I started looking around while waiting for Joe.  I asked one of the people stocking if they had a designated petite pants area and she pointed me to these 2 racks.  That's right, 2 racks...

I grabbed every pair of dress pants they had in a size 8 or 10 (about 6 pairs) then headed to the dressing room.  I ended up buying two, one is a size 8(!) from NY & Co and the other is a 10 by a Raffaelo.  The second pair came up a little higher then I normally like but there's something about them and for $11.99 it couldn't hurt to get them.  My grand total was $19.24!  That's crazy!  Next we tried Boscov's, they had a much larger selection but the prices were higher.  I only tried on 3 pairs and 2 were too high waisted, but I did buy one pair for $21.34.  I told Joe we'll have to come back when we have more time to try on and figure out which brands have the cuts I like.  Overall, not a bad experience!  By this point it was after 8pm and we were starving.  We have a friend that bar tends at TGI Friday's at this mall so we decided to see if she was there.  They were having a special 3 course dinner for $12.99, Joe ordered that and I just got a regular entree but we split his appetizer and dessert.  We started with an order of Pan Seared Pot Stickers (pork dumplings are steamed, pan-seared and served with a Szechwan dipping sauce), I had 3 = 240 calories.

I ordered the Sizzling Chicken & Cheese (two garlic-marinated chicken breasts sauteed on a sizzling skillet of onions, peppers and melted american and mexican cheeses, served with creamy mashed potatoes).  I was pleasantly surprised to see that it's only 620 calories!  Plus I was full about 2/3 of the way through so I'm tracking at 409 calories.

And for dessert Oreo Madness.  Luckily our special only came with one ice cream cookie instead of 2 which I only ate 1/2 of = 150 calories. 

By the time we finished dinner it was about 9:30 and we were ready for bed.  I hadn't been home since 8am!  We walked into the house and straight upstairs to bed.  I checked on Facebook while Joe watched a couple shows and then we were out.

How did I do on my March goals?
1. Read 2 books:  read a little before the gym, I'm about 1/2 way through

2. Burn at least 750 calories a day for at least 25 days: 2347 burned - 1502 eaten = 845 burned, 21 days total
3. 1200 fitness minutes: 60 minutes today, 1283 total for month (goal complete)
4. Eat 1 fruit or veggie with each meal for at least 20 days:  banana w/breakfast, apple w/lunch & onions and peppers w/dinner, 18 days total
5. 15 spend free days - pants pants pants pants...8 days total... 

Whoever said money can't buy happiness simply didn't know where to go shopping. ~BD

We had a pretty busy Sunday!  My plan was to get up early and go for a 3 mile run with Joe so I could try out my new garmin.  That didn't work out though because it was 27 degrees at 8am!  We decided we would go to breakfast first then run some errands and keep our fingers crossed that the weather would warm up enough to go for a run in the afternoon (that didn't happen either).  We were pretty hungry so we hurried to shower and get dressed then went next door see if Nicole, Lou & Jack wanted to join us.  I forgot to take a picture of my outfit on Saturday but you didn't miss anything; it was just comfy clothes that were easy to move stuff in.  But on Sunday I actually made myself presentable, I went with a yellow & tan striped sweater from The Gap, a brown tank from NY & Co, denim leggings from Express and Shana's classic tall chocolate brown Uggs.  I also tried not straightening my hair over the weekend, it's not terrible but still not long enough that I think it looks ok all wild like.

Our neighbors did decide to join us for breakfast.  We just went across the street to the Somers Point Cafe so there was no time wasted with driving...straight to the food.

I ordered a short stack of whole wheat banana pancakes = 531 calories.  It was delicious as usual.  I really don't order pancakes anywhere else, Mike's are so light & fluffy that nothing else can really compete.

It was nice to see the girls that were working, we spent a few minutes catching up before I left.  I guess one of them needs some time off for college visits sometime soon so I may be getting a call to work one of these weekends.  I hope they give me enough notice if they ask, my weekends are booking up pretty fast lately.

After breakfast Jack was ready for a nap so we parted ways.  Joe and I, well mostly I, had a bunch of errands to run.  We needed to get my sister a birthday present and get Joe's sister a bridal shower present.  I needed to do a few more weddings related errands like stopping at AC Moore to get some card stock and checking out a pair of shoes Janey is thinking of having the bridal party wear.  I was also pretty excited to maybe do some shopping for myself :-)

We parked by JC Penney so I could check out the shoes on the way in then make our way to Macy's.  I found the shoes pretty quickly and texted Janey that I wasn't sure they're the right style for her Sunday afternoon wedding.  She let me know she hadn't made a decision yet so I shouldn't buy them.  I offered to meet her for a shoe shopping extravaganza sometime soon.

Next, we stopped in Ann Taylor Loft and looked through their sale racks for a few minutes.  I picked up two new dresses, another pair of black jeans for work on Fridays and a sweater.  On to Macy's where we looked for gifts for the sisters and a new purse for me, we didn't find anything special so we left the mall and headed to TJ Maxx.

I was on the hunt for a new purse that could handle the weight of all the crap I carry around with me every day.  I found a lot of nice bags but was shocked by the prices!  I left Macy's because I didn't want to spend $100+ on a bag but at least 1/2 the bags I liked at TJ Maxx were close to if not higher then that price.  I guess they've branched out into selling more designer items now.  I totally get that a purse that normally costs $350 is a great deal for $170 but when I go to stores like TJ Maxx, Ross & Marshall's I'm looking to buy something cute for under $50 not fall in love with something I can't afford.  I ended up finding a big blue Nine West bag that's pretty perfect for what I need.  Actually, Joe found it :-)

When we finished up our shopping it was about 2pm and we were ready for some lunch.  We couldn't agree on what to eat and eventually ended up at home and still hungry.  We finally decided to go over to Fitzpatrick's for a sandwich; I stuck my head in next door and invited our buddies to join us for another meal.  Unfortunately the deli had closed just a few minutes before we got there.  Next up, Primo Pizza, we drove across town and got a table immediately.  I had a BBQ Chicken Wrap and a few of Joe's mozzarella cheese fries = 642 calories.

I really had to get my butt in gear when we got home.  I wanted to get everything done for the shower so I wouldn't have to worry about it during the week and the following weekend which was packed too.  Nicole is a my favorite crafting buddy and offered to come over and help.  Lou & Joe went to work in the back yard and we ladies cleaned up the house a little before getting out the glue sticks.

I checked most of the items for the day off my to do list although I always manage to find a few more the minute I cross a few off.  There really just isn't enough time for everything I want to do, still haven't studied for the GMAT btw...  Anyway, I was pretty full from our super late lunch but the boys were getting hungry again.  Nicole & I pretty much ignored them, just got out some snack foods and let them have at it.  One snack we did indulge in though was strawberries with whipped cream = 56 calories.

Everyone hung out until the Flyers game was over and then Joe and I tried to watch a little tv.  Before we knew it it was after 10 and I was ready for bed.

How did I do on my March goals?
1. Read 2 books:  totally not going to finish it...

2. Burn at least 750 calories a day for at least 25 days: 2093 burned - 1229 eaten = 864 burned, 20 days total
3. 1200 fitness minutes: 0 minutes today, 1223 total for month (goal complete)
4. Eat 1 fruit or veggie with each meal for at least 20 days:  banana w/breakfast, nothing w/lunch & strawberry w/dinner, 17 days total
5. 15 spend free days - bought some stuffs...8 days total... 

Moving Day

No we aren't moving anywhere!  Shana & Bill's lease was up and it was time to move them across Brigantine to their new house.  Joe had the weekend off so it worked out well that he was able to help with the heavy lifting.  We were up bright and early, making our way to their old duplex right on the boulevard at the entrance to the island.

They had lived in the apartment with Shana's longtime friend Kelli for 3 years.  Once they got married it was time to buy a house and all that jazz.  It was the greatest place on the 4th of July because the fireworks were shot for the casino just across the bay.

Thankfully, she had bagels waiting for us when we got there, we were starving!  I had a yummy blueberry one with cream cheese = 478 calories.  All together we had my Element with the back totally cleaned out, my dad's mini van with the seats removed, Bill's dad's pick up truck and Bill's explorer all ready to go.

The first trip went very smoothly, we loaded most of the furniture and boxes into the cars and made the 10 minute drive across the island to their new home. 

Shana stayed behind to pack up more stuff so I made sure to take pictures of the boys working hard. 

We made 4 trips total and got pretty much everything moved in about 6 hours.  I'm sure they'll have a few more trips during the week to clean and grab anything that might be left but they're pretty set for now.  There were a few tense moments as with any move but we all got along very well.  Joe even found this lovely do rag amongst Shana's things (Bill put it in her easter basket one year as a joke).

When the final item had been removed from the final car we were ready to eat!  It was about 3 pm and we hadn't eaten since breakfast.  They ordered a few pizzas for lunch, one veggie & one plain.  I had a slice of each = 479 calories.

Once we were sufficiently full of food & rested from all that manual labor it was time to head home.  But first we had to load a present for Jack into my car.  The previous owner of Shana & Bill's home had left a plastic jungle gym in the yard.  All it needed was a good scrub down and it would be perfect for someone Jack's age.  It didn't fit perfectly but we managed to jam it in.

Needless to say Jack was very excited when we pulled up and Joe unloaded a brand new toy for him.  We didn't want him to play on it until it was clean but he kept glancing back over the fence to make sure it was still there.

We were so close to going inside and relaxing on the couch for the rest of the evening.  But then Joe suggested we go over to Home Depot and pick up some wood he needed for building our backyard flower beds since the seats were already up.  The posts were a little bigger then we thought and made for an interesting ride home.

After we unloaded the car it was finally time to chill out.  We decided to move as little as possible the rest of the evening, just laid on the couch watching tv and playing with the computer.  Because we had eaten lunch so late we weren't hungry for dinner until close to 9pm.  Since it was late we didn't want to eat anything big.  I made myself a ham & cheese sandwich = 346 calories. 

I also had a Jell-o Temptations Cheesecake cup = 150 calories.  It was ok, basically just strawberry jello on top of mediocre cheesecake.  I'll definitely eat the 2 left in the pack but I probably won't buy them again.

We were so exhausted we decided to go up to bed right after we finished eating.  I stayed up a little while playing on the computer and watching the latest season of Dexter On Demand before finally calling it a night a little before midnight.

How did I do on my March goals?
1. Read 2 books:  there's no way i'm finishing this book by the end of the month

2. Burn at least 750 calories a day for at least 25 days: 2873 burned - 1453 eaten = 1420 burned, 19 days total
3. 1200 fitness minutes: 0 minutes today, 1223 total for month (goal complete)
4. Eat 1 fruit or veggie with each meal for at least 20 days:  nothing w/breakfast, nothing w/lunch & nothing w/dinner, 17 days total
5. 15 spend free days - didn't pay for anything...8 days total... 

I'm leaving on a jet plane!

I finally lost another pound!  I was so happy when I weighed myself Friday morning and the scale read 145!  This is a new low for me!  The only bummer is that it reinforced what I already knew, I have to keep my calorie differential around -1000 to lose weight; I guess I'll be eating more salad for a while.  I really can't wait to reach my goal weight and finally just work on maintaining; it seems so easy to stay under 2000 calories now that I'm aware of what's in everything.

I really don't understand why some mornings it's totally easy for me to get dressed and others it's a complete disaster.  Luckily, Friday was an easy day.  Who knows why but I very easily picked this out: pink cardigan from Old Navy with a white cami from NY & Co and a chunky beaded necklace from Anthropologie (am I the only one who starts singing that Moto Moto song from Madagascar 2 whenever I hear the word chunky), navy dress pants from The Limited and wine colored booties from Naturalizer.

I had been checking airline pricing for our trip earlier in the week and found a non-stop Delta flight from PHL-SLC for $369.  During our dinner date on Thursday night I asked Chris how that pricing compared to what he usually pays.  He was pretty shocked and said we should book right away because he hasn't seen pricing that low in a long time.  So before I went downstairs to make breakfast Joe & I booked our flight, it's official we're going to Utah!

I was in a pretty good mood by this point, I lost weight, my wardrobe choices were easy, we were definitely going on vacation and it was Friday!  I made myself a bowl of oatmeal with my new fail safe recipe (= 321 calories) and headed off to work.

My morning flew by, mostly because my meeting was off site and lasted almost 2 hours!  It was pretty interesting so I didn't realize how long we were in there.  By the time I got back to the office it was almost lunch.  I ate at my desk again = 311 calories.  I might as well get used to it too because when phase 2 of construction starts next week we'll all be eating at our desks since both kitchens are being worked on.

After work I was off to the gym for group power.  I didn't realize until I was in the locker room changing that I could have worn my new garmin watch to calculate my calories!  I was so bummed I had left it at home.  The class went alright, I was just ready to be done for the week so I didn't try as hard as usual. 

Joe went to see Pee Wee's Big Adventure at the movie theater's retro night with a few friends so I was on my own for dinner.  I decided to use my Chido Burrito coupon/gift card.  Unfortunately they wouldn't break it and I would have to buy $20 worth of food.  So I gave Nicole a quick call and let her know I was bringing her & Jack some dinner.  I had my usual burrito plus chips & cheese = 1084 calories.

We spent the rest of the evening watching tv while stuffing ourselves full of Mexican food.  It was delicious!

How did I do on my March goals?
1. Read 2 books:  knocked out a few more pages before class

2. Burn at least 750 calories a day for at least 25 days: 2256 burned - 1716 eaten = 540 burned, 18 days total
3. 1200 fitness minutes: 60 minutes today, 1223 total for month (goal complete)
4. Eat 1 fruit or veggie with each meal for at least 20 days:  banana w/breakfast, apple w/lunch & lettuce, tomato & corn for dinner, 17 days total
5. 15 spend free days - plane tickets are expensive...7 days total...