Sunday, September 26, 2010

Weight Watchers Update

It's officially week 2 of the Weight Watchers plan and it seems to be going pretty well! I'm down 5 pounds, my sister is down 6. Our daily email conversations involve talking about what we had for dinner the night before, what we're having for lunch, and what foods we've found out have 1 point. It's like a little game.


Last weekend was bad because I consumed a lot of alcohol, which is fine in moderation on WW, however I wouldn't say that I really used "moderation." I only gained 1 pound back, so it could have been worse.


I just got home from the grocery store and I decided to buy some Boca burgers. For those of you that don't know, these are veggie/soy meatless burgers. I tried some of the sausage at my sister's place this morning and it actually tasted like meat. I figured I might as well give it a try because each burger is 1 point! Woohoo! It better be good. 


I also came home from my sister's today with an ironing board. Ew. I didn't buy it...because that would be silly. My sister gave it to me because she had an extra. Obviously, she got the "I like to iron my underpants" gene. Really...she and my mom iron things like pillow cases. WHO HAS TIME FOR THAT? I obviously don't take after my mom because my definition of ironing is throwing everything in the dryer for 10 minutes. It works perfectly fine. Takes much less time. But, the ironing board was free...and if it's free, it's for me.


Anyway, I'm wrapping up my weekend watching brain-rotting reality TV. A Bridezillas marathon is on. Obviously, I have to go immerse myself in the drama. 



Friday, September 10, 2010

Cancer Doesn't Care

Tonight, I was channel surfing and stumbled upon the Stand Up to Cancer telethon.


Now, I'm not one for telethons. They usually bore me. But as you all know, cancer is close to my heart. The theme of the telethon is "Cancer doesn't care." It went through all the reasons that cancer doesn't care who you are. It doesn't care what you have going on with your life or what you have planned. 


Cancer didn't care that Nana had grandchildren to watch grow. Great grandchildren to hold. Weddings to attend. It didn't care that we cried on her shoulder, laughed at her quirks, or shared gossip from around town. Instead, it took her life...and didn't care who it left behind. Sometimes, I still pick up the phone and almost dial her number. If it wasn't for cancer, she'd still be here. 


Someone dies from cancer every minute. How scary is that? The cure has eluded the smartest scientists and physicians in the world. It requires research, time and most of all, money. I'm proud to say that my family and I have raised almost $1,000 since January for cancer research and awareness. We're ready to raise more. 


I miss my Nana. It makes me sad that she won't be around for my sister's wedding, or the birth of my children. It's not fair. But it's time to stand up and fight. And that's what I intend to do. 

Homemade BBQ Potatoes

I love potatoes. In any form, really. French fries are one of my weaknesses. But with the new Weight Watchers plan, French fries are obviously not on the menu. So I came up with this little recipe to satisfy my craving.


Heather's Homemade BBQ Potatoes


1 medium baking potato, thinly sliced into chips
1/2 tablespoon, olive oil
1 tablespoon, McCormick BBQ seasoning
1 teaspoon, salt


Preheat oven to 400. Toss potatoes in oil and place in a single layer on a baking sheet. Sprinkle with seasoning and salt. Bake for 20 minutes until crisp.


Points Value: 4...for the whole serving! 

Weight Watchers

After a few months of not having any kind of weight loss success, I've decided that it's time to give Weight Watchers a try. 


I'm doing it with my mom and sister. Since her wedding will be in 6 months-ish, it's probably a good idea to start now. First thing I did was made an Excel spreadsheet with foods I eat and the Points values attached to them. Yes, I did. And yes, it's hanging on my fridge. It's totally amazing how many points are in some foods that I would qualify as healthy! 


It will most likely be easier to do without hubs around. He is a really bad influence on my eating habits. Maybe by the time he comes home, I'll be all skinny! Wouldn't that be something! It's really sad how excited I get right now when I find out something is 1 point. It's like discovering buried treasure. 


I started on Tuesday, and I'm sure y'all will be hearing all about this process. I know so many people that have done it and lost a lot of weight, so I need to keep my eye on the prize and stick to it!


I also need to revamp my workout. I need to try something new because I'm getting bored. Running did not work out for me. Besides the fact that I'd rather poke a fork in my eye than run a mile, I'm having some ankle issues that I should probably get checked out. Perhaps it's time to throw Spinning and Yoga back into the mix. I miss my spandex wearing instructor Tom anyway. We should really rekindle our Spinning love affair. 



Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Slacker

I realize that, as of late, I've been a total blog slacker. My posts have been few and far between, which I can only contribute to my oddly busy schedule. 


Let's get some life updates, shall we?


Fitness: Ugh. I've been working out, yes, but nothing seems to be happening. Looks like I need to switch things up. I'm thinking about embarking on the P90X journey. We'll see. Something's gotta give because I'm losing motivation.


Family: My baby sister got engaged this weekend. Pretty funny that someone so against marriage..."I'll never get married. I'm going to live in mom and dad's attic..." is now planning a wedding for Summer 2011! Holy crap!


Hubs: He's been everywhere but here! We're dealing though. Skype has become my friend. For some reason, his communication skills vastly improve when he's not holding a cell phone. Who knew? I thought he was hopeless.


This past weekend, I went on the annual family vacay to Ocean City, Maryland. We had some good times. This is when my sister got engaged (on the beach). Hurricane Earl, unfortunately, gave us a late start, rough waves, and ridiculous hoards of flies on the beach, but all in all, I can't complain. 


Some photo evidence:


My sister, Momma and me at the beach house before our celebration dinner.


Newly engaged couple


Momma and Dad. Yes, he dyed his hair and beard. It's a midlife crisis thing I think.


Sunset over the bay

This weekend should be a calm one, but next weekend is Seiler/Lewis wedding extravaganza!  Stay tuned. I'm sure there will be many stories/photos to be shared. 

Monday, August 30, 2010

Go Team Nana!

This weekend, my family and I participated in the inaugural Free to Breathe 5K Run/Walk in Harrisburg in honor of Nana. All the proceeds from the walk and the funds we raised go to awareness, education and prevention of lung cancer in Pennsylvania. 


It was a great way for my family to get together and honor Nana. We stuck out pretty well...we all had bright yellow Team Nana t shirts on...and Natalie and I sported sweet bandannas. 


The walk was around the riverfront on City Island in Harrisburg. It brought out some serious runners, like the guy who finished the race in 17 minutes. He was about to cross the finish line before we were finished with mile 1! 


As you recall, I was supposed to run in this thing. However, along my running journey, I discovered one thing. I hate running. I'm perfectly fine sticking with my elliptical, bike and Jillian Michaels routine, thank you very much. 


We all walked, except for my Uncle Kevin and cousin Ryan, who happened to take 2nd place in his age division! Here are some photos of Team Nana:


Team Nana (Left to Right, starting in the back):
Nat's boyfriend, Anthony, Natalie, Aunt Wendy, Aunt Chris, Uncle Kevin, Cousin Kaylin, Cousin Ryan, Yours Truly (and Team Captain), Cousin Keenan


Sisters with braids and bandannas. We've got lots of team spirit. 


Memorial board with Nana's name :)


Heading over the Walnut Street Bridge


My favorite shirt: Pop Pop Loves Mimi...melts my heart


Big winner! Ryan with his medal and new backpack. 

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

The Year of the Wedding

I've deemed this year, the Year of the Wedding. It seems like all my friends have decided to tie the knot in 2010. 


This past weekend, the SU crew made our way to North Jersey to watch another one of our own take the walk down the aisle. 


It may have been one of the best weddings I've ever been to...and a lot of it had to do with the amazing food. I walked in, saw the sushi bar, and questioned whether I'd made my way to Heaven. 


But then, I saw more. Shrimp, pasta, calamari, roasted meats, cheeses, a GREY GOOSE MARTINI BAR. And that, my friends, was only the cocktail hour. Yes, there was a dinner to be served after we consumed this massive amount of appetizers. 


Richard sampling portions of the feast.


Monogrammed ice sculpture surrounded by fine meats and cheeses.


Hubs and I before stuffing our faces.

We consumed many martinis during cocktail hour, then took several lovely photos of ourselves.


Awkward prom photo with Julie and Funk...it just seemed right.

Super awkward prom photo with me and Funk. 

Then, we went in to eat more...because we clearly didn't get enough food at the first feast.


Grumpy Chris...probably before throwing tantrum #26 of the day.


Rich's weapon of choice? Butter knife.

Anywayyyyy, we ate, drank and were certainly merry dancing to the band and DJ. Everyone was out on the dance floor, sweating out all the alcohol and food. 

Then, we woke up the next day, ready to head home and crisis struck. Rich (seen above) had Julie's car keys. Fine, we'll just walk to his room and grab them. WRONG-O! Rich is in the middle of Pennsyltucky, 4 hours from NJ, when we call him at 10:00 AM. With the keys. Joy.

Triple A had no locksmith on call...everyone else had a $500 charge. So, what did we do? Piled into Funk's SUV for a super fun family road trip back to MD. 

After about 5.5 hours navigating the Jersey Turnpike and sitting in God awful traffic in Delaware (or Hellaware as Chris calls it), we made it home. 

Too bad Chris and Julie had to turn around the next day and go back to pick up the car. I was way happier to be at work than drive back up 95. 

All in all? Success! We had a joyous time celebrating Ashley and Wat's nuptials. 

Next wedding? The Seiler Wedding Extravaganza!!!!