Never ending struggle.

You know that thing called metabolism? Well mine sucks. It has since I was like 12 years old. So it is seriously a never ending struggle to remain at a weight I am comfortable with and unfortunately, I am not perfect. I fall off the wagon and gain weight and hate it. I inherited the Watznauer genes and am doomed to deal with this the rest of my life. Since I have been dealing with it for so long, though, I joke that when I'm 40+ and my metabolism dips even lower, I'll already know how to control my weight because I've been doing it for SO long.

In January I made the decision to join Farrell's because I was absolutely not happy with my weight and appearance and wanted to get fit and healthy again. It was also a motivating factor (but not the main factor) that we are going to Hawaii in June and I didn't want to feel like a beached whale while lounging in a two piece swim suit. It is now May and while the scale has not moved substantially, I have lost inches and can actually fit into clothes that I haven't been able to squeeze into in almost a year and a half. That feels fantastic!

I am still a ways away from where I want to be. I am about 3-4 dress sizes (depending on the day) away from where I want to be, but I am working hard to get there!

Another motivating factor in all of this was finding out that I am fructose intolerant.  I had to change my eating habits if I didn't want to feel like junk anymore. That means cutting out sweets (which I struggle with a lot - and pay for a lot when I give into cravings), processed foods, fast food, etc. I also have dairy sensitivities (common among those who are fructose intolerant) and so regular trips to DQ are a no-no. These eliminations from my diet have had an impact on my size as well. I am still trying to figure out what I can and cannot eat since it is different for everyone, but I'm proud of my progress.

To document my progress, here are a couple photos from late August of 2014:

And here is a photo from April 27, 2015:

Look at how much thinner my face is?! Part of the body slimness in that photo is due to the fact that that mirror is AWESOME. A $10 Wal-Mart purchase that always makes you look thin. :) BUT most of that is due to my hard work. I purchased that dress in November of 2014 thinking that when I lost weight I could wear it. It was too cute to pass up at the 2nd hand store! I couldn't come close to buttoning it when I purchased it. Basically from the T-cross up was open and the arms were so tight that if I flexed (or pretended to flex [non-existent muscles]), it would rip Hulk style.

Honesty I struggle to see any difference and don't feel as though I have made progress, but that dress proves that I am strides ahead of where I was previously. I plan to continue in Farrell's as a fit member and also have the 21 Day Fit Extreme that I follow sporadically. I am determined to get to where I am comfortable and feel good in my own skin!

Stuff to work on

There are things in my life that I need to improve upon. 

First off, I am awesome at procrastination. I have had two semesters to complete an independent study and with 2 weeks until everything is due, I am scrambling to get it all completed.  That is 7 assignments and 2 exams. Why do I do this to myself?!

I would also like to improve upon managing finances. I think that Ben and I have gotten a lot better, but we still struggle to put money into savings and keep it there. We do not have any credit cards besides essentials (i.e. needed a fridge for our new house and financed it.). We are working on paying off these essential store credit cards and becoming "debt free". In my mind, mortgages, cars, and student loans do not count. Those are going to be a part of our lives no matter what. At least car loans take a heck of a lot less time to pay off than the other two.

These are simply two things that are punching me in the face right now, so I thought I would share. 

FOREVER

Our beautiful wreath. . . that I made. :)

As the title of this particular post points out, I have not written a post in FOREVER.  Why? Because I'm friggin' busy, that's why. Although that is not really a great excuse because my sister-in-law is able to maintain her family blog regularly and she has 2 kids. But I digress. . . 

Ben & me at a friend's wedding.

Much has happened since my last post. . . like 9 months ago.  Ben has continued to do well at school and build the music program at Prairie. He has begun to take on singing gigs at weddings, which is really exciting! He first sang at our bff Marc's wedding in October of 2014 and has since been asked to play in about 3 or 4 others. I will be joining him in one coming up in the next year and a half or so. :):):) Ben has also begun to do a bit of research on where he may want to apply for Ph.D. programs and what it is that he really wants to do. If you want to know more, ask him. 

I was promoted at work at the beginning of this year from legal secretary to legal assistant which has been an excellent thing. The legal assistant position uses my skills and talents a lot more effectively and challenges me on a daily basis. I have to do a lot more legal research and analysis which is great prep work for law school! I continue to work on completing my bachelors and plan to graduate in Spring of 2016. I am SO EXCITED to be able to walk across that stage and get my diploma and be an OFFICIAL Hawkeye! :) It has been a huge uphill battle for me to get my bachelors, and it is going to be like gold to me! I am going to sign up for the LSAT in October and begin applying to law schools in the fall. Fingers crossed all goes well.

Precious prince. <3

Ben and I recently added a new puppy to our household. Grover loathed him at first, but I think that has changed into just "dislike". Growth. 

Here is our Odin:

Odin is 3 months and 2 days old as of today. We often call him "Odie" for short. He is doing well with potty training and has begun to sleep through the night.  

See - growth. 

As anyone who talks to me on a regular basis knows, Ben and I are traveling to Hawaii at the beginning of June for a 13 day vacation! We are going with Ben's parents, siblings, significant others, and nieces to celebrate Bill and Glenda's 40th wedding anniversary (which is today - April 12). That is such an amazing accomplishment and I am blessed to be able to celebrate with them.

Bill and Glenda on their wedding day. (Photo stolen from Jamie).

Ben and I commonly reflect on our time spent in Dubai and most of what we miss (besides the AMAZING people) is the food and experiences. This Friday I declared that we needed a date night and so we decided to try an Indian restaurant not far from our house. It was stinking delicious and the aroma of that place made me long for more days in Dubai!

Doesn't that photograph just make your mouth water?! We ordered samosas (which were promptly downed and therefore did not make the picture), naan, chicken biriyani, and butter chicken to share.  It was all delicious! We will be returning to Taste of India more regularly.

Other things we have done this year: 

We saw Phantom of the Opera, We Will Rock You, and Book of Mormon (BofM with Ma & Clif) at the Des Moines Civic Center. We will be attending Lion King in May

We saw Mannheim Steamroller at the US Cellular Center with Ben's parents.

We traveled to Lanesboro, MN where we camped, rode bikes, ate delicious pie, and went to see a play at the local theater. We did this as an anniversary trip.

We purchased 2 kayaks and are PUMPED to get to use them soon!

We've continued working on our house and are having carpet put in later this week. We've painted, decorated the guest bedroom, done yard work. . . 

We went to Spring Green in the fall last year and saw Much Ado About Nothing at the American Players Theater. We made our usual stop in Galena to pick up fine cheeses, meats, and wine for our picnic before the play. 

We traveled to Nebraska, Minnesota, and south to visit friends and family. (We are still working on getting out to Colorado to visit family. We never get to see Ben's brother Jon and his fiance, Bri. AND I've never actually met Ben's extended family.)

I found out I am fructose intolerant with a dairy sensitivity, so we have been eating a lot better than we used to in order to accommodate that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . 

We already have a busy summer ahead of us and are looking forward to what summer has to offer!

little bit of life

It has been nearly 2 MONTHS since I posted a "Coming Soon" post.  I guess I'm awesome on follow up. . . ha.

We have had such a busy summer with family/friends visiting our home or us visiting theirs, weddings, and other shenanigans, that my blogging has really fallen by the wayside.  I'm actually fairly disappointed in myself for this because I do very much enjoy writing posts.  It's a nice creative outlet and/or hobby.

Another time consumer this summer has been the sweet new updates for our home.  I finally feel like it is becoming ours instead of just . . . ours.  Our own personalities and such are coming out in our home and it makes it feel a bit more cozy.  We actually have BEDS to fill our spare bedrooms and have finished painting a large majority of the areas we wanted to change.  The challenge now is deciding where to hang things.  We patched all of the nail holes prior to painting, so driving a nail into the wall breaks my soul a bit.  Mistakes cannot be made and we need to know for sure we want something there FOREVER.  Maybe it isn't that serious. . . 

Speaking of decor, I recently had a yard sale and disposed of most of my Hobby Lobby style decorations.  Ben and I both agree that we want to decorate our home with things that are meaningful to us and not just pretty.  Or not pretty at all, but are full of meaning! So far we have hung a poster from the American Players Theater because that is where we went on our mini-honeymoon, and a pencil drawing of an old man without teeth in that looks strikingly like my Grampaw Sparrow.  As we save up a bit more money and get a few more things framed, our home will be a reflection of who we are and what we have done. I love it!

Once we have all of the house painted and things hung and what not, I will post before and after pictures.  It is already wowing when you see the transformation of just the living room! (I think).

Before

After
(Plus I have some cute, gauzy white curtains hanging now - and no pictures sitting on the floor)

For life as of now, Ben has started his 2nd school year at Prairie Crest Elementary as their k-4 music teacher and I am staring my 2nd semester at Iowa AND I am no longer on probation for being a horrible student!!!  YAY!

Life is good.

Neglect

It is evident by looking at the date of my last blog post that I have severely neglected the blog.  Sorry blog.  

We have been running around so much on the weekends that I just haven't gotten a chance to really sit down and type about life. I would actually have to go back and read the last post in order to know where, exactly, I left off! 

This post is not going to be anything other than a "Coming Soon" message.  

So. . . 

COMING SOON!  MORE POSTS!