A visit from the family

A few weeks back my Mom, Melyssa and niece Beckym came to visit! Josh and I hadn't seen Mel or B in 2 years. They were just here for a few days and it was nice to get to see them.

Beckym immediately fell in love with her Uncle Josh and anytime I tried to play with her or be near her she would cry and run to him. All the same, we did get to share a few minutes here and there together and she is one of the sweetest baby girls ever!

We cannot wait until we can see them again!!

Smooches with Uncle Josh!

Me setting a not so great example during church, but hey, I will take what I can get!

I know I've been slacking...

I know I have been slacking on this whole blogging thing, but I have a good excuse. Back in February, I found out I was no longer going to be working. With the end of school in sight we decided to use this chance to go ahead and move back to Kansas City.

I searched and searched and found a great job and so we decided to go ahead and just move. I cleared it with school to make sure I could still graduate in time and I can!! I am able to do my last four courses independently via email... Thank goodness!

We got back to Kansas City about 3 weeks ago and are still trying to get our footing. Things have started off a little shaking with renting, but we are excited for the new adventures that we face.

Now that we are slowly getting settled I promise I will try to be better!

Here is my final NYC pics from our lives out there!

I will miss it dearly, but new adventures await!

Montauk for the night!

This past week I have had a lot of time off so Josh and I decided to take a drive and spend the night in Montauk. It was gorgeous and quiet and so nice to be out of town, even if it was just for the night! Enjoy the pictures!

Our hotel from a distance.

The view from our room.

Lighthouse!

The next morning we got up and decided to drive through the Hamptons.

This house was the nicest one we saw!

It was so nice to get away for the night and especially to go somewhere quiet!

Dear Mr. Budget Truck

So last night as I was riding home on my bicycle, a budget truck hit me and took off. I am fine...totally fine. Here is the rest of the story for those of you wondering.

I was heading home from work about 7 (I was on a road that is about as busy as 291 hwy going through Lee's Summit for my KC friends). I went through a traffic light that turned red as I was in through the intersection. I could hear a truck speeding up behind me. The truck came through the light and hit my handle bar. I fell into a car and then into the road. Thank goodness that the light had just turned red because had there been cars coming I would have been run over.

I was so irritated and annoyed. I wasn't seriously hurt. I just took a hard landing on my hip, but not too hard. I was fine enough to keep riding so I kept on. I caught up to the driver a few lights up and tried to flag him down. His window was cracked and I was yelling at him to pull over... No such luck though. He took off through the traffic, cutting people off and driving crazily.

I made it home and called the precinct just down the street from where the accident happened. The lady said that I needed to go back to the scene and call 9-1-1. So that is what I did. 

I told the dispatcher I didn't need an ambulance and within 5 minutes there were 3. I told them I was fine but they still insisted on checking me out. They took my vitals and looked at my hip etc. They suggested I go to the hospital, however, it was already after 8:30 and I just wanted to get home and eat and go to bed. 

I answered what felt like a million questions and then they said I could go. We finally got home and ate dinner at about 9:30. My hip is still a little sore but not too bad. I was able to ride to work today without too much pain.

I hope they catch the guy. They asked if I would prosecute and I said possibly, but honestly I don't know. I am not seriously hurt and there was no real damage other than a scratch and a broken light on my bike. Should I press charges? I would hate for someone to go to jail because of this minor incident. I more or less want an apology and for him to replace my broken light. 

Thoughts and opinions would be great!

Well that is my story. See everyone, I am fine! Now you all can stop worrying!!

Christmas Bucket List

So this year being our first year in NYC, there are several things I want to do!! Here is our bucket list for this year's holiday season.


-Cut down our own tree (we are doing this next weekend in Connecticut)
- See the Storefront Christmas lights
-See the light display in Dyker Heights (suppose to be amazing)
-Go ice skating in Central Park
-Go to Rockefeller Center
-Go to Herald Square (Macys that is in Miracle on 34th st.)
-Go to the Union Square and Grand Central Holiday fair (we are doing this this weekend)
-Watch It's a Wonderful Life

and last but not least

Not to gain any weight!!

I am so excited for this holiday season!!! I am ready for it to get the show on the road though!

Weight Loss Competition

So my friend did a weight loss competition that just ended a couple of days ago. I, having gained a lot of weight since Josh and I got married, decided, heck why not. It was 12 weeks long and $50 to join and then the prizes were broken down dependent on how many participants there were. 

1st prize-$700

2nd-$200

3rd-$100

There were a hefty list of rules we had to follow (ie. no medical intervention etc). I was set for the challenge. From the beginning I was determined to win. One girl kicked everyone's trash from the beginning and lost almost 12 pounds the first week... WTH???

I learned a lot of new things about my body. I am super sensitive to sodium. If I have anything super salty one day, then the day after I will weigh at least a pound more due to water retention. My body is also very sensitive to foods that have fat in it... (you are thinking duh) I mean, if I have more than 10 grams of fat a day I'm screwed... Carbs, however, were my best friend. If I ate a lot of carbs one day then the next day I was always down.

This competition was a great experience for me. There were some weeks where it was difficult, but overall it was not as hard as I thought it would be.

My meal plan usually resembled something like this:

Breakfast: Flat Belly Smoothie (Kale, pineapple, frozen blueberries, greek yogurt and coconut water)

Lunch: Chicken Salad (Romaine, Broiled chicken, salad toppings (by McCormick), and fat-free Balsamic Vinaigrette and a Banana.

Dinner: Whole grain pasta with sauce and then either broccoli, corn, or baked potato

Dessert: Yes I had dessert almost every night still. I am a big sweet-a-holic. If I would have cut out dessert I am sure I would have ended up binging and failing at this. I would typically have one scoop of Vanilla (no sugar added type) and then a light Cookies n Cream. There is also this awesome mug cake from the paleo diet that I would have on the nights I was really craving something chocolate.

So as you can see, overall my diet was fairly simple and I still got to eat yummy foods!!! There were obviously nights where I had something other than this for dinner, however, the carbs/fat/sodium counts were generally about the same. Then there were nights where we went out with friends and I ate good food but just had the condiments on the side and ate about 1/3 of the plate. One rule I always followed was to start with the veggies first. Eat the most healthy and then eat the rest that way I was filling up on the good stuff.

It was pretty easy to follow this and I am very proud of myself. I did not win, however I did come in 3rd place! 3rd out of 20 women!!!!! Pretty awesome if you ask me!

Here are my stats:

Start-

Weight-186.2

Waist-41.5

Finish-

Weight-157.0

Waist-33

I lost 29.8 pounds and 8.5 inches! I am so proud of myself. I did very well! I am glad it is over. 12 weeks is about as long as I could go without going crazy. I exercised a lot. Everyday I ride my bike to work and home and then on the weekends I would ride along the shore for about an hour. I think that was also a big factor in my success!

And now the moment you all have been "weighting" for! (did you catch the pun?? I came up with that on my own ;) )

My before and afters!!!

 

My friend is also organizing a turbo challenge to do for the 3 weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas. It is only so we don't gain. It is $20 to enter and as long as you don't gain anything you get your money back. If you are interested let me know and I can hook you up with more details! After the first of the year we are doing another 12 weeker and I will definitely be doing that to keep the motivation to shed the last 17-20 pounds! If you want more info let me know!

Summer from H.E.double hockey sticks!

This summer has been really hot. Having lived in Texas I am used to the heat, but this was a whole new level. Having to walk to and from the subway in the heat makes this heat seem... well bleh! 

I saw this article on BuzzFeed and it was the total truth!

The article is titled "The 23 Worst Things About Living in New York City in the Summer"

You really need to read the article and see the pictures to get the full sense of it, but here is the general outline!

1. The various topnotes of the hot garbage smell…

Yes... Tuesdays and Fridays in our neighborhood are the worst. Everything reeks like spoiled, sour milk. It is awful. I usually end up walking around with my shirt pulled up over my nose... Can you say rank?

2. …exacerbated by the stench coming from the street puddles that never dry, even in 90-degree weather.

The stench is pretty bad. It smells very mildewy... It is very gross.

3. For ladies, the dreaded “boob sweat.”

The boob sweat isn't something I have really experienced yet. The back sweat however is another story.

4. FOMO from your friends’ beach Instagrams.

I am not a huge Instagrammer so I don't have this problem.

5. Having to wash your dirty feet in the sink after wearing flip-flops.

I have to wash my feet every time after wearing flip-flops. My feet are usually outlined in black gross lines.

6. Going to the park since it’s so nice out and realizing the whole city had the same idea.

This summer has been so hot that not that many are at the park. Plus, the mosquitos have been insane so I avoid the park like the plague.

7. Waiting for the subway and feeling like you are going to DIE.

There is no AC underground. None whatsoever. Sometimes it gets so bad down there I feel sick.

8. Then getting on the one subway car without air-conditioning and almost passing out against the pole.

Luckily the AC works pretty well on the trains I ride. Also, because of my hours I usually ride during the times that aren't busy.

9. Showing up to work with a sweat-stache.

Me? Sweat-stache? Nah... Just give me a towel... :)

10. Not being able to make any food because turning on your stove or oven turns your apartment into a burning hellscape.

Holy cow! We avoid turning the oven on in fear that we may shrivel up and die... Without central air it is super hot.

11. Stinky clouds of hot meat air wafting off the street carts.

Since I don't work downtown, I don't really get to experience this.

12. Rooftop bars are awesome, but insanely crowded.

Not my scene so I have not comment!

13. Having to wear next to nothing on your commute because it’s SO FREAKIN’ HOT…

I usually wear shorts and a t-shirt to work... it still seems like I am wearing too much though.

14. …but then freezing in the office because the AC is on the “arctic chill” setting.

I don't usually freeze at work but I have been in stores that I feel like it's wintertime!

15. Iced coffee is more expensive than hot coffee.

I don't drink coffee so I wouldn't know!

16. Soooo many tourists that make the heat seem worse.

Times Square is the worst. There are so many people that it seems like we are all baking together... Plus they are just stand still so it is hard to get anywhere.

17. Either having no air-conditioning at all…

We have 3 window units. One in the bedroom, in the living room and in the kitchen... it still doesn't seem like enough.

18. …or only having it in your bedroom, so the bathroom is like a sauna.

The bathroom does feel like a sauna and the mold grows 5 times as fast so we are constantly having to scrub the shower and shower curtain... Plus it stinks.

19. “Is that liquid that just dripped on me rain, air conditioner condensation, or pee?”

Ew! I know what this is like... the first time I had this happen I was so grossed out until I realized it was just the AC... still though, it is NASTY!

20. Not having the desire or money to go the Hamptons, but feeling weird pressure to go anyway.

I don't have the money or really the desire to go so since I don't have the time then we usually stay home!

21. Figuring out how to buy one of these (window AC unit) and get it to your apartment:

Luckily my husband rocks and did it all himself!!

22. …and then trying to install it without it falling out the window.

Like I said... he ROCKS!

23. B.O. on the subway, in cabs, and everywhere.

OMG! This is so bad.... people just stink so bad... Do they not wear deodorant? I mean come on now! 

But just when you think you’ve had enough of this sweaty dump, you catch one gorgeous view from a sunny rooftop, and suddenly it all seems worth it.

The view is beautiful in this city that when I think of all the horrible things it seems like they don't even matter