Meet Me On Monday!

From Never Growing Old it's Meet Me on Monday. Where we answer 5 questions to get to know each other better. This week's questions:
1. My current weather is _______? Cold and snow on the ground :(

2. What is your favorite sound? Music.

3. What is the worst flavor of ice cream? I don't think there is one, ice cream is my weakness :(

4. What magazine do you look for when you are stuck in the waiting room? Cosmopolitian, Glamour, ect.

5. What is your favorite condiment? A1 for sure!

Official letter!

Versatile Blogger!

Versatile: ver-sa-tile [vur-suh-tl] or, especially British, [vur-suh-tahyl]: capable of, or adapted for, turning easily from one to another various tasks, fields of endeavor, etc.: a versatile writer.
Word information source: www.dictionary.com
Here is how the award works:
1. You thank the person who presented you with the award.
2. You tell 7 things about yourself.
3. You award 15 other newly discovered bloggers.

I would love to thank Cat for nominating me for this award, my first one ever! I met Cat at our monthly support group 2 months ago. She introduced herself to me and I also met her BFF Robyn at support group as well. I think it's great that I was able to meet these 2 inspirational women before my journey begins, even though in my head, it's been going on forever. Love reading her blog and can't wait to share in my successes with her.

7 things about me....

1. I love the 80's! Everything about the decade fascinates me. The fashions, the music, the language, ect. ect. I believe I was def. born in the wrong decade.

2. I am 26, but feel older, not much, but I want to feel 26 and I want to live my life how I always saw fit. Being me, being confident, being happy and just doing me, with my love. A huge reason I'm doing this for myself (lap band).

3. I LOVE music. I listen mostly to dance, techno, trance, dubstep, pop, pop-rock, r&b, some rap, VERY little country (like 5 songs), jazz and alternative.

4. I enjoy reading. I love mysteries, real crime, magazines, vampires, fantasy, ect.

5. I can't wait to start my lap band journey!!! :)

6. I love to write, but I feel like I've lost a bit of that this year, just a lot going on and lost focus. Would love to work for a paper, magazine or TV station, but most won't take only a 2 year degree with slim experience. I was working on a poetry book, but it's still not finished...someday.

7. I love doing my nails, in fact, in the past year, I've become rather obsessed with nail polish, nail art, nails in general. Would love to go to school for this, but can't find anything close enough.

Now the fun part, other bloggers to nominate. From the rules, it's supposed to be blogs that I have recently discovered.

Amy @ Amy's Quest
Sandy @ Losing Pounds and Gaining...Me
Keelie @ REAL FAT
Rockband Barbie
Laura @ Beer, Dogs, and Getting Healthier
Leslie @ Band Sweet Band
Angela @ Repair and Renovation
Rhonda @ The Cozy Coconut

BYOC

It’s Friday and time for BYOC – Bring Your Own Crazy! A couple of questions we answer to get to know each other better and to give our blogging brains a break. Copy to your own blog and enjoy!


1. When did you begin blogging? Do you plan to do it a long time or do you think you’ll stop after a while?

I've been blogging for years, I had an old livejournal, then a xanga and now a blogger. :)

2. What do you enjoy more - blogging yourself or reading other’s blogs?

Both, but more so reading others.

3. What’s the biggest thing blogging has taught you? Biggest surprise about blogging?

To be real, just let it all out. I don't think there's any real surprise for me.

4. Have you met any other bloggers in real life – solely because of your blog or theirs?

Well, technically that's how I met by awesome love Brian, through Xanga, but I would love to meet fellow bandsters.

5. Does your blog have a general theme as in one topic or do you cover everything and anything?

Mostly for lap band, but does cover pretty much every aspect of my life.

6. Are you public or anonymous? Whichever you are – do you ever wish you were the other?

Public, no shame and nothing to hide. Never really wish I was private.

7. What’s your best blogging advice for a new blogger?

Just be honest.

8. Does anyone in your real life read your blog/know it’s address? Do you wish they would or wouldn’t?

I know people know about it, whether or not they read it, no idea.

9. Do you enjoy blogging or do you view it as a chore? How often do you blog?

Def enjoy it! I try to do at least once a week, but sometimes more just comes out.

10. Do you tell people in your real life that you blog? Or keep it a secret?

Yes, occasionally.

WooHoo!!!!

I'm approved!!!!!!

Last nutritionist appointment before surgery next Thursday at 10am. I will get my surgery date that day!!!

I'm so excited!!

*dances around*

*scream*

I really hates doctors, not the dr's themselves, but the whole time I'm there, i feel like a complete failure.

Had an allergist/asthma apptointment today, first the scale says I'm 3 lbs. heavier than I thought, then my bp says like 160/104! I literally said said outloud 'holy shit!'

So frustrated.

Oh yeah and yesterday I stepped on some sort of hole/dip in our yard and I'm pretty sure I have a slight sprain and then went to zumba on it. Yeah, I'm smart like that.

Still waiting...

I haven't been feeling much like myself lately. Still not eating the greatest, but trying really hard to. I spoke with my surgeon's office last week (Thurs or Fri) and the insurance coordinator said Highmark is dragging their feet for all lap band patients, ugh! She said they told her 4-8 weeks, after I just spoke to someone the week before that said 4-6 weeks. How frustrating!

This Friday will be 6 weeks, I think I will give Highmark a call myself and see.

Blah. I'm just ready to get this journey started and to feel like a normal person for once in my life. I'm fluctuating between 269-271 the past week, driving me nuts! I want to stay under 270, but I always do something to sabotage it. This week will be tough though, so I HAVE to try harder. I did Zumba tonight, tomorrow = Halloween parade, but I should be able to hit Zumba before that (this a maybe), if not I will go to Wed nights Zumba at 8, Thursday is trick-r-treat from 6-8, so no gym that day at all. I will have to make up for this Friday most likely.

I'm trying sooooo hard, but I feel like it's not hard enough.

Yesterday Brian and I went to my BFF's mom's birthday/breast cancer awareness party. Had a good time. Got to hold my BFF's 4 month old baby, love her!! I held her for a while, fed her, loved her up and MAN, my arms are killing me!! But in a good way, so I told my BFF that I need a baby now. haha. NOT...until I lose this excess weight, I insist.

Not much else going on, took a personal day today, so did Brian, just had some stuff to get done, so it was nice. Back to work tomorrow, ugh! Not feeling it this week, but I have to save my time, just in case.

Ciao! Til next time...

Another day...

Still nothing from Highmark, ugh!!

Going out to dinner tonight for work with a law firm at an authentic Italian restaraunt called Gabriella's. Yummy!

I'm super frustrated with myself though. :( I told myself to eat light today because of this outing (and no working out today)...I failed. So frustrating.

Then tomorrow is our dinner/dancing gathering for work at the Hershey Lodge, so, once again, no gym tmrw. However, there will be a good band tmrw, so I will dance my ass off!! I will try harder to do light eating tmrw, ugh.

I want to get my lap band now! :P

I think I'm stress eating and probably overloading myself just because.

Ciao!

Disgusted.

Yesterday was food day at work. My original plan was to not bring anything, so I didn't eat anything. But my lovely BF convinced me to bring something so he could eat. So, I made a veggie pizza and everyone loved it.

Well, I ended up eating pretty bad. Not a lot of food, but what I ate was pretty terrible. Let's see, 2 kinds of buffalo dip, diet pepsi, meatballs, pasta salad(s), hashbrown casserole, ect. ect. THEN we had all kinds of yummy desserts (my weakness), I had red velvet cake, pumpkin whoopie pie, angel food cake with chocolate sauce, dirt pudding...

I don't know what my freakin' deal is! Then today, this lady at work who has been taking cake decorating classes, made another one of her delicious cakes (with fondant, which I have a new love for) and I decided I was going to have a piece, and not a real small one either. :(

Why do we do this to ourselves? So frustrating. I need to do something about the mental part of this, I know things will change once I actually have the band, but I can't keep eating like this every now and then. I hit the gym after work today for zumba, love it! I need to start back up on the strength training though too.

I have been looking into the body bugg and various other calorie trackers, preferably something accurate. However, I didn't realize there's a monthly membership to pay for. So, now the body bugg is out as an option. Anyone have any ideas for something that accurately counts calories burned that I can wear that isn't bulky or uncomfortable? Thanks ahead of time.

This is week 4 of waiting for approval/denial. I'm still going insane, but hiding it a bit better. I have to say, I have been pretty much been wishing the days away, one at a time.

Ciao for now!

Fekkai/BzzAgent

So I recently signed up for a site called BzzAgent (www.bzzagent.com). It's free to sign up, you take surveys to start, answer questions about yourself. Then, at some point you will be invited to join a "bzzcampaign", you can up your chances by being a social media butterfly (FB, Twitter, blogger, ect.) and also by checking back often on your BzzAgent page for new surveys. It took about 3-4 weeks for me to get my first invitation, which is a lovely samples/perks for Fekkai hair products.

What I received.

I received 8 oz. bottles of the Glossing Shampoo and Glossing conditioner, as well as a DVD/guide on Fekkai (history, ect) and samples to hand out for the Glossing cream (for frizz free hair!). 

After my workout tonight, which was a lovely hour of Zumba with Lisa at the Y, I was sweating and ready for a shower and excited to try some new shampoo/conditioner. First, the texture of the shampoo is thick and feels so luxurious. Next, the application was perfect, didn't need too much of the product to get a decent lather (this is essential, since I have super thick hair). And can I say, the smell! Whew! Love it! And this is no exaggeration, it's like a lime mojito, delish! The conditioner was just as awesome as well, it's a very light texture and went on silky smooth and smelled so yummy! I usually leave my conditioner on for a few minutes while I bathe/shave. 

Once I got out of the shower, dried off and dressed, I could not stop running my fingers through my wet glistening hair, with no tangles, may I add. 

I give this product an A+. 

BYOC

1. If you were given $1,000,000 that you had to spend ONLY ON YOURSELF....how would you spend the money?
A nice modest house, a  trip to Europe for 2, a puppy, a new car, and probably some nail polish. Then I would save the rest.

2. Who would you say is the one person that's had the most influence on your life? By that, I mean the person that has molded you in to the person you are today?

My mom, for sure. I am a part of her and she is a part of me, and we've def. have become closer as I grow older.

3. What is your normal morning routine? Are you a bear in the morning, or is the morning your favorite part of the day?
Wake up between 7-710, throw on clothes, take pills, grab lunch, grab milk for cereal, leave for work at 720. Work is at 730. :) I love living so close , some days.  

4. If you're a Facebook and Twitter user, which do you prefer and why? If you're just a Facebook user, what do you think of the new changes? 

Def. Facebook over Twitter, their both completely different from each other, but I like keeping in contact with friends/family through Facebook better.

5. Repeat question....how was your week in real life and in blog land this week? 
Real life: Last week was not so great, very stressful at work and in general. I didn't do very well with eating and didn't exercise as much as I would have liked, ended up sick in the stomach 4 days in a row. :( Guess that would explain why I came home from support group and had cramps and my TOM arrived.

Blog life: Trying to keep up with reading everyone's posts, including old ones so I can see more experiences, makes me feel not as alone as I sometimes do. 

Hey

I don't really have much to say right now, I think my nerves are truly getting to me lately. Didn't get to exercise as much as I usually do this week, thanks to some crap stomach bug and just being busy in general. I went earlier today and man, I'm hurtin'! We did a whole song of nothing buy squats/side thingies and wooo! I felt the burn, it's so strange how it can make you so out of breath and your barely moving. Craziness!

Not much else going on, maybe going out to dinner with my mom/nephew/Brian tomorrow for my nephew's 14th birthday, hopefully we do, I feel like I don't get to spend that much time with them. If not, probably hit the gym and a craft store. We got free Penn State tickets for Saturday's game against Iowa and a free parking pass (courtesy of my mom's boss), so we'll be making a day of that. :) So, that's where the craft store comes in, going to get blue/white ribbons for my pig tails.

Work was crazy this week, felt nuts every single day, reports, reports and more reports. It especially sucks when your program is super slow and your not yet 100% comfortable with the reports. Ugh. And just busy in general at work, I felt very overwhelmed this week, but tomorrow = FRIDAY! Yay! Can't wait for 4pm tmrw! That's for sure.

I'm down to 270 as of today, although I'm still having major issues with weighing myself every single day, sometimes 3-4x a day. Oh well. Watched some youtube videos tonight of the surgery, came across bad ones too, but that's life and no surgery is a guarantee, well aware of that. Also, stumbled across an amazing inspiring vlog, so I'll probably watch that quite a bit coming up.

Next week, it will have been one month since they submitted to Highmark, so yeah, I'm pretty much going nuts about it. I'm praying all goes well and I get accepted next week. Driving me nuts!!

Off to sleepland. Ciao!

Ugh.

I hate when I make stupid decisions, especially when it comes to food. Blah.

Heading out!

Going to see my HR managers band "The Thrives" and 2 other bands. Been a while since I've gone out. :)

Something I've noticed and I know I need to stop, but how can the scale move SO much in one day?! Ugh! I need to stop checking every day, craziness!

Ciao!

Country girl (shake it for me)

Okay, that title is from a song we did in Zumba today and it's just stuck in my head and I love it!

I have lost another 2-3 lbs., which is really cool and I've been working really hard at what I put in my body (food) and the energy I put into exercise. It's been about 2 weeks since the doctors submitted to Highmark, so between now and 2 more weeks, I should know! Can't wait!! I've been doing decently well at keeping my mind off of it, but of course it's the weekend now and my brain is back to it's usual craziness of thoughts.

Not much else going on, it's finally fall and I love it, getting all snuggly and warm and watching movies. :D

We were going to go to the Ren Faire today, but decided it's too rainy for that. Then we are going to the Penn State/Iowa game next Saturday, free! Can't wait for that!

Can't think of much else, I'm kind of in my sleepy/comfy mood and spacing out. :P

Ciao! Til next time...