Why wait til next year...

I know many people make New Year resolutions to lose weight, and I not any different from those other people. But I figured why wait till next year- why not start today. So I went to the gym for the first time in months and I got on the scale to see what type of damage I done over the holidays.

I know I weighed less than this before and just after the wedding, but I'm not getting too down on myself because I'm the same weight as my last weight loss post. I'm basically starting off where I left off , so it could be worse.

So what I did at the gym:

• 32 minutes on the elliptical -which is the length of the "Weight Loss" workout setting.
• 100 crunches

I figured I would start off easy on myself, that way I don't get burned out my first week back to the gym.

Also with the new year here a few more things I hope to do:

• Workout on a regular basis
• Eat more healthy
• Keep up with my blogging
• Treat myself more often- if you know me, you'll understand this one

I hope everyone has a great New Year! See you in 2012!

Tis the Season...

Hi Everyone! I hope everyone is ready and enjoying this holiday season. This is the time of year my life gets a little crazy (hence why I haven't been a good blogger). So let me get you caught up with everything Stacy since my last post...

Tis the season... of my birthday!
I turned 26 last week... and with my birthday the husband always reminds me on how "old" I am. Words of wisdom: Never marry a younger man; he'll never let you live it down.

My birthday was nice and lazy. I slept in, worked on "Thank you" cards (yes- the one from the wedding. I've been busy- don't judge me), and then Sam took me out for dinner and movie. Dinner was nice, the movie (The Babysitter) sucked! Don't waste your money, even the dollar from Redbox when it goes to DVD.

Tis the season... of house hunting/ buying!
Last week Wednesday, Sam and I put an offer in on a house. I was completely freaking out, so much so that Sam took me out for a drink after we signed the paperwork. Now, I'm excited and we are just waiting to hear from the sellers.

I love the high ceilings and the cut out in the wall. This would be a great first home for us; however, I'm trying to not get my hopes up too high just in case the deal falls through. We'll see what happens. 

Tis the season… of the semester ending/ gradation!
Working at a college you often catch yourself measuring time in semesters, and my first semester at my new job has came and went. It’s crazy how time has a way of passing you by, and I heard it only goes by faster as you get older.

This last weekend I went to my brother-in-law’s college graduation. It was weird being back on my old campus. I can’t believe it’s been over a year since Sam and I moved home. So much has changed around campus in just that year we have been gone.

And of course- Tis the season…. of Christmas!
This year I had a hard time getting in the holiday spirit. I think it’s partly because these last few months have been crazy busy with wedding stuff that the holidays have just snuck up me. Also, I think it's because I’m still living out of a suit case. It’s hard to feel a connection to the holidays when you feel no connection to any place you’re living. The holidays are about being at home with your family. I have the family, just not the home (not yet anyway).  So when I got to Sam’s tonight he had a surprise for me…

He wanted to get me in the holiday spirit so he cleaned, hung Christmas lights, and had hot chocolate (with caramel Baileys) waiting for me.

 
Also, he bought me mix nuts. It has been a family tradition to have nuts around the holidays, so he bought a big bowl for us to have. He also bought some chocolate. Man who knows his way to a girl’s heart.

He also bought us our first Christmas pineapple which was decorated with our wedding cake topper and first family Christmas ornaments.

Sam got the idea of a Christmas pineapple from one of my friends at our Michigan wedding reception. She told us a story about a Christmas she had in college where she didn’t have a Christmas tree, so she decorated a pineapple instead. Well, Sam thought it was the coolest ideas he ever heard, so he made it happen. I can see our Christmas pineapple becoming our first family tradition together. (Thanks Amy for the idea!)

This surprise really has helped put me the holiday mood, and it makes me love my husband even more because he knows how to lift up spirits and make me smile.

How do you get in the holiday spirit?

Weekend Recap- Wedding, House Hunting, Party

I can't believe the weekend is almost over. It went by so quick. Here's a recap of highlights of my busy weekend.

Friday- Wedding!

Friday night I went with one of my bridesmaids, Jen, to her cousin's wedding. I have to say I think I like being a guest at the a wedding more then being the bride. You get to let your hair down, and just enjoy your night with friends and family.

I have to say this was the most beautiful wedding I had ever attended. It was in an old mansion and I love that it was a one party venue.

I used to work at places that were more like wedding factories. We could easily have 5 wedding going on at once. To me your wedding day is one of the most special days in your life, so I've always felt like it would seem less special if you knew you were sharing it with 4 other brides.

However, having your own personal venue often comes with a higher price tag. But can you can really put a price on a brides happiness? Sometimes it's ok to splurge for special occasions and this wedding defiantly did.  The best example- the 12 person band that played during their reception.

Very cool, but I'm glad I'm not paying that bill. All and all it was a great time, and I'm glad I got to spend it with some really great people.


Saturday- House Hunting!

Sam and I met up with our realtor, and we went and looked at five different house.

House #1-
3 bedroom, 2 bath, split level house, corner lot, tiny backyard.

House #2-
A big NO.  It had a lot of work still be done, and we aren't going to do it.

House #3-
Same as house #1, it had the best location, but a lot more updating that would need to be done

House  #4-
3 bedroom, 2 bath- just remodeled, just remodeled kitchen (so pretty!), but not a good location for Sam to go to work. (We are still keeping it on the "Maybe" list because I really liked it)

House #5-
3 bedroom, 1.5 bath, 2 story house, needed some updating, odd lay out.

Sorry no pictures to share from this trip, but our hunting adventures just begun. Sam will be going out again on Thursday (without me) to see a few more place. If he sees something he really likes, then I'll make a trip out to see it later. If that isn't trust- I don't know what is.


Sunday- Party!

December seems to be a big month for birthdays for my family. So today we had a combined birthday party for my brother (in-law) Jimmy and his cousin Josh.

It was nice to see some of the family again. I know I didn't even really get to talk to anyone at the wedding so it was nice to catch up with everyone.

Plus, the food was AWESOME! Did I mention I married into an Italian family. I had 3 helpings of pasta with pesto, shrimp, crab meat, and mushrooms. Also that cake was pretty tasty too.

I hope everyone had a nice weekend and has a good week ahead!