long time no see

Sorry for the radio silence all week...I had jury duty and haven't spent much time in front of a computer therefore no time for blogging...  Here's what's been going on with me...

Friday: We invited Joe's parents, his sister & her husband, my mom and Shana & Bill over for a fried turkey dinner.  In an effort to keep my caloric intake low I made a bunch of vegetable side dishes including Roasted Acorn Squash with Brown Sugar, Roasted Broccoli with Smashed Garlic, Oven Roasted Cauliflower & Mashed Sweet Potatoes Brulee.  This plan would have worked out wonderfully if I hadn't also decided to drink a 1/2 a bottle of Red Velvet Cupcake wine...  

We also decided to ask Janey & Bernie to be in the wedding while they were over so now our party is complete!

Saturday:  I did a little work on our wedding website in the morning.  We're including a QR code on our save the dates so I wanted to be sure it was presentable before we send them out.

In an effort to get my steps in after a sedentary morning I went out to the mall to exchange a couple of items at Old Navy.  That of course turned into a shopping trip where I picked up a couple pairs of colored jeans and a new dress.  Not this dress though, Joe & Nicole deemed it more weird then cute so I left it on the rack.

Joe suggested we get sushi for dinner but Carol & Chris were busy so we decided to head over to Tokyo Mandarin just the 2 of us!  I was freezing, as I always seem to be lately, so I ordered a cup on wonton soup to start.  We followed that up by splitting 4 rolls, Snow White Maki, Mango Lobster, Angry Girl and I can't remember the name of the last one...

 

Sunday: I ran a 5K around a local park to support the school my mom works at & I attended.  It was close to the worst race I've run to date.  Not only was the path rocky and hard to navigate in spots but I could feel exactly how out of shape I am.  I'm trying to convince Nicole to do C25K again with me in hopes of building my endurance back up.

After the race I had breakfast with my mom at a local bagel place.  The service wasn't great but I was very impressed with the food, my coffee even came with a cookie (that I didn't eat)!  I was pleasantly surprised to see that my ham, egg white & cheese on a bagel wasn't enormous, it had 1 slice of cheese & 2 slices of ham, just like I would have made at home!  I hate when I order a sandwich and there's so much meat & cheese that it blows my calories out of whack for the day.

I know I've talked about my bib & medal racks before but I took a picture to convince my friend Michele that she needs to order a set and I liked it so much I wanted to share it.

 

Monday: I had jury duty and then we headed up to a Phillies game.  Our seats were so good that I almost paid attention to the game.  I did a number on my calories with those $1 hot dogs though.

Tuesday:  I was back at work while the judge & lawyers reviewed the questionnaires we filled out on Monday and decided if we had to go back to serve on Tuesday.  I got stuck late at the office and missed boot camp because my boss needed to do my year end review.  It went well but I was bummed to have missed another work out.  On the bright side Joe made a yummy florentine turkey meatloaf for dinner.

Wednesday:  I was back at jury duty again, I guess I was too open minded on my questionnaire.  Luckily I was dismissed after being questioned by the judge & lawyers for a few minutes.  The trail was estimated to last 2 months!  My boss would have had a nervous breakdown if I was out that long!

It was also time to draw the winning comment for my J Crew Bubble Necklace giveaway!  I used a random number generator and the winner is Estelle!  Please shoot me an email at fields(dot)lauren(at)gmail(dot)com with your address and I will get the necklace out to you this weekend.  Congrats!

 

Thursday:  I was actually happy to be back at work yesterday, sitting in a courtroom unable to do anything but stare at the wall all day was torture

I was excited to learn that my friend Anne & her boyfriend have decided to attend the gala this year!  I'm so excited that my department is going to have a presence, normally it's just me hanging out with my friends from marketing!  Anyway, she asked me to help her find a dress after work so we went over to David's Bridal.  She loved the first one she tried on and is now calling me the "dress whisperer."  LOL

While I was chatting with Nicole on my way home from shopping I mentioned I was starving and wasn't sure I would make it until Joe got home around 8pm.  She said they were getting ready to head to Fitzpatrick's for dinner and invited me to join them!  I asked for my chicken salad on rye and it came on white but I was too hungry to send it back...

After dinner I still needed more then 6000 steps so Nicole and I went for a walk.  I made her download the munzee app so we could grab a bunch of them that my mom deployed a few weeks ago.  We had a nice time wandering around and scanning the QR codes plus I got all my steps!

Joe & Tim were at the house watching the Flyers game when we got back so I headed upstairs to set up my fancy new birthday present.  My mom got me with fitbit aria wifi scale!  I'm feeling slightly more motivated now that my scale syncs with my apps, there's no rounding up or down anymore!

And with that you're caught up on my week!  Most of my weekend plans are still up in the air but they consist of:

Friday - work, boot camp, wait for guy to come take our old couches, maybe go to AC or out on Chris & Carol's boat.

Saturday - hang with Jack in the morning then entertain myself all afternoon & evening while Joe's at work which may be difficult to do with no furniture in our living room...

Sunday - set up our registries in the morning, hang with Tammy in the afternoon while the boys are seeing the Avengers, then shop for a gala necklace with Tammy while the boys watch the Flyers.

Five for Friday ~ 5/4/12

1. You refused to ask me to skip the gym and help with our big turkey dinner.

2. We went out for sushi, just the 2 of us.

3. You came to the NEF 5K before work.

4. You finally caved and we're getting new couches!

5. You drove me to jury duty.

 April 2012

rome wasn't built in a day

I gained a pound.  Seriously, I gained one and I'm really angry about it.  I've been counting every morsel I put in my mouth all week, I've been under my calorie goal consistently, I've been walking, I've been working out, I haven't eaten out...and...nothing...actually worse then nothing although I don't know the word for it...

I get that I've only really been back on the wagon for a few days but I had hoped that if I didn't lose I would at least stay the same; gaining was never an option!  As I stood there on the scale this morning I went through every excuse possible in my head...the scale must be broken...I had a lot of sodium yesterday, I must be retaining water...I lifted more then usual this week so my muscles are making me weigh more...  But at the end they're all just excuses and the truth is I need to stay on track and give it time...which blows because I am NOT a patient person...  

Here's how my Thursday went...(I actually told a friend I was feeling skinny that morning)...

1. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day.  3896 steps.  I tried to wander around as much as possible at work because I knew I wouldn't get many steps that evening.  I had a thirty-one party scheduled and most people find it odd when you pace for no reason.  2 days accomplished.

My boss actually just got a Fitbit and we're "friends" so I'm hoping that watching how much she runs around will inspire me to get up more often.

2. Workout at least 5 times.  I didn't workout.  The thirty-one party took up the majority of my evening and by the time I got home I was just too darn tired to work up a sweat.  I should really try to exercise in the morning sometime.  2 workouts complete.

3. Eat out less then 5 times.  I did not eat out again!  In fact I stopped home in between work and the thirty-one show to make myself a quick taco from Wednesday nights leftovers.  1 meal out. 

4. Have a total burn of at least 3500 calories.  Per Angela's theory, I'm at a 3457 total burn for the week.  Per my previous way of thinking I'm at 1457 total burn for the week.

Don't forget about my giveaway!   Just comment on the post and get a chance to win this pretty J Crew Bubble Necklace!

Five for Friday ~ 4/27/12

1. You didn't complain once about going to my work event during a Flyers playoff game.

2. You enjoyed my "alcoholic" weekend.

3. You're always happy to hear I'm going/went to the gym.

4. You're super supportive of my thirty-one endeavor.

5. Every time I bitch about my weight you tell me not to worry "we're going to start eating better."

 April 2012

thursday things

I had a bunch of pictures in my blog folder to write about but none of them really warranted their own post.  So instead of holding on to them for a few more weeks I put together this post of random thoughts & events :-)

1.  Way back on Sunday 4/15 we went to the buffet at Harrah's for Bill's birthday.  It's a little pricey at $30+ a person without alcohol but for the amount of crab legs those boys eat it's worth it.  We had a lovely evening and there isn't a whole lot to say, mostly I just wanted to share this picture of Bill on I believe plate 4 of crab legs.

2.  I download a new app to my iPhone called PicFrame and I love it!  I've been making collages of all our events lately.  It's a great way to display photos without having to upload them all one by one!

4.  Last weekend was the employee awards dinner for my company.  It's not quite as fancy as the gala but everyone gets dressed up and has a nice dinner while watching co-workers be honored for years of service and what not.  It was held at the Borgata so once everything wrapped up a bunch of us headed over to Gypsy Bar for a few more drinks and dancing to the Amish Outlaws.

6.  My 31st birthday was also last week.  I used to love my birthday and really look forward to celebrating but for some reason this year I was sort of blah about it.  I wasn't upset or anything but I just didn't really care either way...weird.  Anyway, the 17th fell on a Tuesday so there was no ruckus partying that day.  Joe delivered an edible arrangement to my work (he really is the best), which I am now using as a planter, and we went to Steve & Cookie's for dinner.  It is by far my favorite restaurant and I always have the ragout of beef short rib however after trying Joe's double-cut stuffed pork chop I may have to switch it up next time.  Seriously it was out of this world delicious!

We celebrated with my friends that Saturday at Clancy's By the Bay.  Apparently it's the new place to be and be seen in our area because it was packed!  Luckily we snagged an alcove off the bar with couches and chairs because there was no way we'd have gotten seats at the bar.  I know Shana took a bunch of pictures but I have seen them yet so you'll have to settle for this one of Angela & I doing a shot for now.  It was a really great night and I'm thankful I have so many great friends because a bunch of them came out to celebrate.

7.  I've been seeing the J Crew Bubble Necklace pop up on a bunch of my favorite fashion blogs lately.  I thought it was super cute but there's no way I could justify $150 on costume jewelry with all the big wedding purchases happening around here.  Then one day one of those lovely ladies mentioned getting theirs on eBay.  I was intrigued and hopped over to check it out, low and behold there they were in tons of different colors and all for around $20!  I couldn't believe my eyes and immediately snatched one up in white!  It came the other day and I love it!  I told the ladies at work I hope they like it too because they're going to be seeing a lot of it!  I'm trying to decide if I should get another one in cobalt for pre-wedding events?!?!

 And... I've decided to do my first giveaway here at Dimples Does It!  I'm giving away one pink J Crew Bubble Necklace (purchased on eBay)!  All you need to do to enter is post a comment below on what you'd wear this super cute statement piece with and you're in!  I'll randomly choose a winner on Tuesday May 1st.

mmmmmmmm...tacos

1. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day.  10,067 steps!  It's crazy how easily I fell out of my healthy habits, I'm really having a hard time getting these steps!  I was at 7000 when I got home last night, Joe was at work & Nicole was out to dinner so I didn't have any walking buddies.  I paced my house for those last 3000 and it was tough!  I'm really hoping we get a speaker for TV upstairs soon so I'll be able to hear it over the treadmill because that would make this walking slightly more entertaining.  2 days accomplished.

2. Workout at least 5 times.  I met Mandy at the gym for Cardio-Kick-N-Step and it was tough.  I was red faced in no time and my legs are pretty sore today.  2 workouts complete.

3. Eat out less then 5 times.  I didn't eat out again!  In fact I cooked tacos for dinner!  It's pretty sad how rarely that happens lately, it seems like either Joe's cooking because he's off, we're eating out or I'm having leftovers because I'm on my own.  We're planning to sit down and meal plan this Sunday in hopes of cleaning out the pantry and increasing our weight loss.  I'll let you know how it goes.  1 meal out.


4. Have a total burn of at least 3500 calories.  I learned something interesting from Angela yesterday, apparently on MyFitnessPal when I'm hitting my daily goal for calories I'm still getting a burn of 500 because they do the calculations for you!  That means that with yesterdays burn of 646(+500) I'm actually at 2724 total burn for the week!  I'm a little sad that I know the secret now though because I could have been burning a lot more since I was shooting to have 500-1000 in my remaining total...maybe I can convince myself Angela's wrong...lol

that's more like it

1. Walk at least 10,000 steps a day.  10,039 steps, wahoo!  It definitely helped that I had a class over at the hospital in the middle of the day so I had to walk more then usual.  And we ran almost a mile during boot camp!  Then Nicole, Lou & Jack offered to walk to Rita's & ShopRite with me which got put me over.  1 day accomplished.

2. Workout at least 5 times.  As stated above, I went to boot camp!  It's so much easier to get my butt over there when I know Mandy is waiting.  Our normal instructor (Bryan) is out for the week so Diane (the step instructor) took over, she didn't yell quite as much but definitely made a run a lot more.  1 workout complete.

3. Eat out less then 5 times.  I had lunch in the cafeteria with Thea before our class.  While I could have just brought my bagged lunch to the hospital I decided the 420 calories of chef salad wrap was worth it!  1 meal out.
 
4. Have a total burn of at least 3500 calories.  I really tried to keep it under control and ended up with a 669 calorie burn for the day.  I just tried to remember my old way of thinking, when I'm out of calories I'm done eating...  Too bad Nicole had to twist my arm into that red velvet cream ice or I totally would have kept it at 1200 for the day.  578 total burn for the week.