Motivation & Mini-Goals!

Just had my weekly weigh-in and meeting... I tracked everything and used all my daily points, FlexPoints, and most of my activity points, but still lost 2 pounds over Thanksgiving week -- YAY!  The WW app was "upgraded," and whatever changes they've made messed it up pretty badly, so I'm having to re-track several things and keep better mental notes of it all.  (By the sound of the 400+ negative reviews on the app store, I'm not the only one unhappy with their update, so hopefully the next upgrade will fix it.)

My total loss is now at 13 pounds, which means that if I was able to lose another 12 pounds over the month of December, it would bring my total to 25 before starting the new year!  I would really love that!!  I'm sticking with the program either way, but that is a mini-goal for me - so I'll ramp up the activity and tone down the going out to eat just a bit, and we'll see if I can get there! =)

This morning, I also signed up for the Sweetheart Run 5k in February - it was only $20 on CyberMonday, so I figured why not!?  I'll probably start the Couch to 5K app this week so that I can repeat a couple weeks as I go along.  Yay for mini-goals and yay for progress!!

Done. ^^ I feel happy with the progress I've made so far, and excited to keep it going!

MM ~ Ice, Ice, Baby!

Happy Monday!  Getting back into a normal routine after 5 days off work actually feels kinda nice. So far. lol

Today's Memory Monday post is inspired by the colder weather that's finally beginning to come in. YAY! Some ice and snow memories that make me happy... first off, this 2007 trip to the outdoor ice skating rink in Tulsa... me being pulled along pretty much the entire time. :)  I need to go ice skating again soon, despite my fear of actually skating.  It's just such a fun, cute thing to do!

Wintery cuteness with Marcy and Natalie in our scarves, hats, and coats!

Tara Lynn, me, Bobbi, and K-Lamb (at the time - now K-Fost). :)

Group pic!!
Paul, Tara, Ingrid, Christi, Kristin, me, and Bobbi!

:)

Cheddars (I think) after our ice skating fun!

The major Ice Storm of 2007... also known as Bourne Trilogy night!!  Cassie lost power so she and Duke went to Bobbi's house, then Bobbi lost power so they all came over to stay with me that night, then Mark thought Natalie was gonna be there for the movies, so he came over too (then Natalie changed her mind, but joined us all for Los Cabos lunch the next day). lol  We threw in a Blockbuster trip for me to buy the 3rd movie, and we watched all three movies straight through that night!  :)  Then got this lovely self-timer shot of all the girls around Mark in my living room. lol

This was December 2006 in the front yard at 9121 -- Rach and I wanted some fun snow day pictures, and this became one of my favorites, especially since google+ enhanced it with the falling snow gif. :)

"Skate Date" at the BOK with LG friends, February 2009!  Again being pulled along while ice skating with Robert and Chettles!  Also, I feel like I need to bring back turtlenecks this winter - I've stopped wearing them for whatever reason, but they're always cute and cozy!

Rach with Rylee and me with Reagan out by the garages at Mom and Dad's during the Christmas snow of 2009!!

The Parrish fam in that same spot in 2011 (aww, T&C were so little)!

Snowball to the face! lol

T-man so happy in his snow fort! :)

One final gif image of a snowy day, taken from my front porch!

No snow here yet, but hopefully sometime soon!

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In other news, I would like someone who knows Adele to remind her that she's an internationally beloved multiple-Grammy-winning singer with a very mature voice, but she is only 25 years old!!  She writes her own lyrics, and you would really think she was 70+ and depressed when listening to them...

Some lyrics from this new album:

"I'm in California dreaming about who we used to be when we were younger and free... It's no secret that the both of us are running out of time."

"We've gotta let go of all of our ghosts; we both know we ain't kids no more."

"Let me photograph you in this light in case it is the last time that we might be exactly like we were before we realized we were scared of getting old. It made us restless. I'm so mad I'm getting old; it makes me reckless. It was just like a movie. It was just like a song, when we were young."

"I know I'm not the only one who regrets the things they've done. Sometimes I just feel it's only me who never became who they thought they'd be. I wish I could live a little more; look up to the sky, not just the floor. I feel like my life is flashing by, and all I can do is watch and cry. I miss the air; I miss my friends; I miss my mother; I miss it when life was a party to be thrown. But that was a million years ago."

"It matters how this ends, 'cause what if I never love again?"

Intense, right?  So very melancholy.  (If you're curious what depression feels like, just listen to A Million Years Ago on her new album.  Irrational hopelessness that feels rational to the person experiencing it.)  ...Great CD and awesome, powerful voice, but I'm going to be careful how much I listen to it.  I'll throw in some happy T-Swift for good measure to keep the lighter, expressive side of me going strong! lol

That's all for today.  Make it a great week! ;)

"These mashed potatoes are so creamy!"

And now, a lil' Thanksgiving recap. :)

Josh invited a couple friends from work over to have lunch with their fam, and Mom and I went to JoBug's (it's been years since I've seen her side of the fam on Thanksgiving day).  Mom and I talked a bit and then listened to a Matt Chandler sermon on the way there and back (she'd never heard him, so I figured it was a good opportunity).  I got to play with the dogs, talk to Grandad for a few minutes, admire the awesome fall trees in JB's backyard, look through the Parrish pictures with Babah, try some new tasty foods, laugh a lot, and have a glass of Chardonnay (which made me think of the "Now watch me sip...my Chardon-nay-nay!" video). lol  Sometimes I worry about the conversation going in certain directions, but for the brief time that me being single was discussed, it went more along the lines of that I'm doing great in life and I'm smart to wait for the right person, so that made me happy.  ...And when the CHK layoffs came up, well, that conversation was memorable and made me laugh also!  JB and Babah are ready to throw down with anyone who messes with me, and I kinda like that.

Anywho, Babah made lemon pie and brought a pumpkin and cherry pie from Virginia...

JB got some Thanksgiving-themed GiGi's Cupcakes... I had the mini-chocolate one with sprinkles. :)

Here's Mom and Grandad looking through the pics we'd taken the day before. :)

Blake smoked a turkey for us... it was good, but I felt bad for him having to be out in the rain back and forth!

Cranberry sauce and sweet potatoes with marshmallows!

Grandad making mac n' cheese for me and Emily... Uncle Mike cutting the turkey... and Babah telling Izzy, "I don't wanna pet you. You're wet, dumbass!"  Aww, fun times! lol

Babah made us some peanut butter fudge to take home -- yummers!!  Back at Mom and Dad's, here's Missy K having her very own Thanksgiving feast! ;)

And here she is crawling on me to check out my earrings.

(Reminded me of this moment in 2013 - what a little presh!) 

After hanging out at home with Jace and Kyndal for a bit, we all went to Nancy's for Thanksgiving dinner!  Georgia made these cute little turkey cupcakes - the one that's missing was eaten by me. lol  But it was my only dessert that night! :)  *Full disclosure - I went 4 points over the line that day, which honestly wasn't that bad.  And I made up for it today with exercise - yay for activity points!

It was Eden's 3rd Birthday, so here's everyone singing to her, and Jace seriously contemplating blowing out her candle. lol

Here's a family shot of all the cousins!

(Note to self: Wear dark/neutral colors on obvious picture days. lol)

This is J&K in their PJs later that night.  I don't know why kids are so much cuter to me in onesie pajamas, but they really are!!  Ahhhhh, so cozy and huggable!

All in all, a very Happy Thanksgiving Day with both sides of the family!  This morning, I went to Hobby Lobby with Rach and J&K, then me and the girlfranz headed back to Tulsa before they started naptime.  Weather permitting, I'm probably having some friends over for pizza and the bedlam game tomorrow night! #getexcited

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And in totally random news, I've learned that Sandra Bullock is currently 51... which means that when she made While You Were Sleeping, she was MY AGE!! (31)

Then Miss Congeniality was another 7 years after that... which means I have 7 years to get to this level:

 Totally JK.  But knowing that fact is interesting/encouraging to me!!

And now I wanna watch While You Were Sleeping.  Such a fantastic and Christmasy movie! :)

Thankful Thursday! =) (72)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!

Today, I'm thanking God for:

His protective presence.

His saving grace.

My family.

My friends.

His mercy being new every day.

Strengthening me through hard times.

My health.

Freedom.

My job.

Purpose.

His trustworthy Word.

Beauty for ashes.

Fun memories.

Relaxing days.

Music and movies.

Real and lasting HOPE.

Love, Joy, and Peace.

Laughter and Fun times.

Good food.

Pictures.

...and everything else! :)

Mom and I are heading to JoBug's (aka "JuneBug's") for Thanksgiving lunch with them and Babah and Grandad.  Then going to Nancy's for dinner later tonight!  It should be a fun day!  Here are a few of my favorite pics from yesterday... we went to Will Rogers Park to take Christmas card pics for the Parrish fam!!

It was a fun day, and full of so much cuteness!!

And here's one last shot of a preshface Missy K helping us clean up.

I can't even handle it.  She was sweeping away in the kitchen when I came in for breakfast.  And so proud of herself when Rach asked her to pose for a picture. :)

And she came in here as I was typing this for me to hold her a few minutes ago.  She is literally the cutest thing ever!! :)  I just LOVE her and all my nephews!  It's mass chaos at this house, but often cute and very entertaining. lol

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!! =)

Happy Friendsgiving!!

Well, the Italian Friendsgiving dinner was a great success... Karli made homemade butterbeer and the Pioneer Woman lasagna (#yummers), the Myers brought fettuccine alfredo, Laura brought Red Lobster cheddar biscuits (I assured her  it was the right choice and no one would mourn the absence of the green beans ;)), Kelly brought salad, Mindi brought bruschetta, JEM brought coffee, TK brought several drinks, Jenna brought Italian cream cake, Sarah brought lemon "crownies," and I brought chocolate sheet cake!  (In Sheldon's words, "Unless you're planning to run a marathon, that meal is a starch-filled redundancy." lol)  Carbo-licious! :)

Sarah brought her "Happy Friendsgiving" potholder at my request, so we had to get a picture!  She had that and I had her cute owl one, so to keep us all even, I grabbed three of the Wilsons' potholders to complete our super-random Friendsgiving picture above!!  We heart potholders. lol

With all that food, a good amount of the sheet cake was leftover.  Chettles wrote me a note on it to keep me strong, and it cracked me up. :)  I'm gonna box up a couple pieces to take home, then I'm coating the rest of it in garlic and throwing it out... because garlic sheet cake sounds awful and throwing it out won't make me sad! lol

Anywayzzzz, I'm thankful for a fun night with awesome friends, great food, ghetto dancing, and a "dark potpourri" of interesting conversations with Sarah, Mindi, and Laura!  Happy Friendsgiving, and now that it's 1:00 AM, happy Thanksgiving Eve! :)