Quick Post

Just a quick post to share a photo that I took last week- this is the view from our balcony and I just looooove this photo! Every time I wake up and the weather is not so great, I remember that at the end of a rainy day you can often see things like this.

I'm a Slacker

It's been a little bit since I posted! I have been trying to keep up with my journaling so instead of writing  on this blog I've filled my 2012 journal. But I will try to keep up with both from now on!

Things I'm looking forward to this autumn:
-baking cookies
-painting a pumpkin(i've never done one so I'm going to try to take it on)
-attending one of my oldest friend's wedding this weekend
-going through a corn maze
-trying some new low calorie recipes
-going to Belterra Casino with my in-laws next weekend
-getting some GREAT fall pictures of the leaves and sunset

I'm a Real Photographer!

This past weekend I got the opportunity to start working with a friend of mine. She has been photographing weddings for a while now and she was in need of a second shooter so she called me up!  I was beyond excited- I spent the three days before the wedding looking up ideas for photos and trying to figure out the best way to get to the site :)

To make it short- I loved it. I was so nervous that once I actually got to work a wedding that I would find out that this isn't what I wanted to do after all. I have a hard time committing to things and finishing projects, so my biggest fear was that I would FINALLY get to start doing my dream job only to find out that this was not it for me. I was wrong. It was so exciting and I felt so privileged that this couple let me share in their special day. I was a little timid about telling people what to do and jumping in with my camera, but I'll get over that.

Now I can not wait to get back to work. I have another wedding this weekend and I wish it was here already! I am trying to book some sessions for families/engagement photos/senior portraits over the next few weeks so that I can continue building my portfolio and get comfortable directing people. Wish me luck!

Puppy Searching

My husband is definitely a dog person. He loves them and they always seem to be naturally drawn to him. I never had a dog growing up, but I always wanted a cute furry one. Well now that we have been married for over a year, the search has begun for a new addition to our little family. No, we do not plan on having children any time soon. We have both said since we started dating that although we love kids and plan on having them one day, we want to be married for a while and be more established in our careers before we start worrying about diapers and preschools.

So here is our dog dilemma- Ethan is obsessed with the idea of getting a pug and I have always wanted a dachshund. I love all small dogs but for some reason I just can't get my mind off of those cute little old-man looking dogs! I feel like I may lose this time though. Ethan has taken to looking up pictures of pug puppies whenever we are together at home and i have to say- they are pretty darn cute.

I guess we will just have to see what we can find. Either way I know that it will still be at least a couple of months before I am ready to fully take on the responsibility. One major decision that we have agreed on is the name for our puppy- Dr. Archibald Morris. Archie for short :) (We are both big E.R. fans and we love the idea of naming a dog after a surgeon) Wish us luck in our search!

Healthy Snacking

I'm back from Vegas! we had such a wonderful time- we renewed our vows, gambled a lot and drank plenty of margaritas. I gained 5 pounds while we were on our trip but I managed to lose that extra weight the week we got home. Now I am focusing on losing my last 7 pounds to make it an even 30! My most recent accomplishment has been cutting out on mindless snacking. For some reason it's hard for me to stay out of the kitchen in between meals so I have been coming up with some snacks that won't completely ruin my efforts-

*celery with low fat cream cheese
*rice cakes with Better N'Peanut Butter
*individual string cheese
*frozen strawberries
*banana blended with 1 cup of low fat chocolate milk to make a shake
*light yogurt
*coffee or other hot drinks (they curb the urge to eat more)
*Blow Pops- can't eat anything else when you're chewing gum!

These are just some of the things that have worked for me :)

New Goals

I have decided to become a runner. Well, I guess right now I have decided to become a jogger who needs to take a walking break every half mile, but I am working to become a runner! I have done pretty well with my weight loss but it seems that my body has hit a plateau at -19.6 pounds. I simply can not get the scale to budge from this number! My original weight loss goal was to lose 30 pounds by my first wedding anniversary, but seeing as that date is in 4 days, I don't think I can quite accomplish it.

I'm not discouraged in the slightest though! For the first time in my life I have lost weight and kept it off for a considerable amount of time, I have been exercising regularly, and I have tracked my food consistently since I started Weight Watchers on January 1st of this year. Yes, I would have liked to be another 10 pounds lighter right now, but that doesn't mean that I'm going to give up- I simply need to extend my deadline :)

One of my new goals is to train for a 5K run coming up in September. It's called Color Me Rad and I will be running it with my little sister in Indianapolis. Knowing that I have someone else counting on me to be ready for this race is definitely a good motivator. I have never been a big fan of running or any kind of exercise, but I have found that forcing myself to go for a jog in the 90 degree weather makes me feel like I'm working toward my goal and I always feel good when I come home sweaty and disgusting.

Wish me luck as I train for the race! And if you want to check it out for yourself, the link can be found here: Color Me Rad 5K

Motivational Tunes

I have never liked exercise. I don't run, I don't enjoy being competitive and I am one of the least coordinated people you will ever meet. However, since I have been trying to lose weight I've come to the conclusion that I need to get motivated to get up and MOVE! I'm finding ways to exercise that I actually enjoy now- zumba, going for long walks in my neighborhood, etc.

So here is my playlist that keeps me going when I don't want to make myself leave the house-
"The Party Song" by Emery
"Shake It Off" by Florence + the Machine
"Revolver" by Madonna (featuring Lil Wayne)
"Life Is Beautiful" by Sixx AM
"Under Pressure" by David Bowie and Freddie Mercury
"The Feel Good Drag" by Anberlin
"Only" by Nine Inch Nails

In a couple of weeks my husband and I will be sealing up our wedding time capsule and I decided it would be fun to make a cd of all the songs that we love together/he loves but I hate/I love but he hates. Some of these will definitely be on that list!