Mmmm....some of my favorite things

So I saw this on quite a few people's blogs including Emily and I had her send me a letter so could do a list of my ten favorite things. And she chose the letter
1. Money
I'm not greedy but I love when I have money because most of the time, I don't. It just makes my life much less stressful than it usually is. I'll be honest, its nice to be able to splurge once in awhile on a really cute outfit. But I've come to realize that with the career I'm going into (teaching), I never will have a lot of money.2. Mashed Potatoes
Ever since I was a little girl, I have loved mashed potatoes (or "mash" as we use to call it in my house). But it has to be homemade. When it comes from a box I can clearly tell and it is not nearly as yummy. I am also very picky and I believe that after 22 years, my dad still makes the best ones! And they are not complete until they are topped with brown gravy!3. My Man
Yes, I love my boyfriend of almost six months Chaz. He makes me so happy and always knows how to make me laugh. He is always so supportive of me and I am just so madly in love with him. He has taught me how to love again and to not hold up any walls. People told me to not wear my heart on my sleeve, so I tried that the first two months. Then I realized, that's just not me and I just need to risk putting my heart out there. And I am really glad that I did!4. McDonald's Breakfast
As unhealthy as it is, nothing can beat a McDonald's breakfast. My two favorite things there are the Breakfast Burritos (the smaller ones) and the Sausage Egg McMuffin. Mmmm.....mmmmm.....mmmmm!!!!! Good!!! Their breakfast is totally my downfall since I work so early in the morning that I'm to lazy to cook my own breakfast. I also get off at 9:15am and I pass two McDonald's on the way to school. I need to practice self control!!5. My Mommy
Everyone who knows me was expecting to see this one on there. I absolutely love and adore my mother!!! She is one of the most amazing women in my life. What she has been through and how she has handled it always amazes me. Sure we get in our little tiffs here and there, but what mother and daughter doesn't? She is always there for me to lean on and just talk life with. I seriously do not know what I would do without her!6. Music Downloading
I have this obsession with putting tons and tons and TONS of music on my iPod. I listen to all kinds of music and it truly shows on my playlist. I have everything from country to rap to christian to alternative to classical. I love hearing new songs on the radio or old ones that I forgot and then just putting them onto my iPod so I can listen to them again and again and again. Chaz kind of makes fun of me for my obsession, but oh well. What can ya do?7. Movie Theater
There is nothing better than sitting down and watching that movie you've been waiting so long for with the surround sound and the base so high that your seat rumbles. Other than the highway robbery prices, I love going to the movie theater. Don't you love how you get that chance to be a movie critic whenever the previews are on. C'mon you know your one of those people that turn to the person next to you, "Ooo that movie looks really good. I really want to see that!!" And you can't forget that buttery popcorn that they give you!! Sure you might pay an arm and a leg for it, but it is yummy! My only pet peeve about the movie theater is going on a Friday or Saturday night when it is full of prostitots who think they are so cool cussing with their mini skirts on and jeans hanging below their butt. But that in itself is also entertainment to think back on how much of an idiot I was at their age. LOL8. M&M's
Everybody knows how yummy M&M's are. Do I have a favorite kind? I'd like to say no. It all depends on what I am in the mood for. I love putting M&Ms in my mouth and then just letting them melt before I start chewing. Do you remember the Crispy M&M's in the blue bag that they had out for awhile? Those were good but I can see why they are not around anymore. And c'mon, who doesn't like those cute commercials?
9. Macadamia Nut Cookies
I love these things!!! Especially when they have white chocolate chunks in them. The best ones that I have had surprisingly came from Subway!!! They are just ssssoooooo incredibly yummy!! I think I'd actually be pretty upset if all of a sudden nobody was making them anymore. It'd be a sad day in America!!10. Markers
I love coloring with markers!!! Brand new markers!! Colored pencils get dull really quickly and crayons came sometimes just get messy. Also what about dry erase markers?? Working at an elementary school has made me love these things. Not only are they good for drawing cute pictures that can be erased in seconds, but the kiddos seem to think math and spelling are fun when they get to use dry erase markers. I'd say that the best markers out there are Crayola. Rose Art markers just get dried out way too quickly!
So now that you know 10 of my favorite M things, I want to find out more about you. Leave a comment asking for a letter and I'll give you one!

Muffin top.....I prefer NOT

So after talking with Chaz about how we are going to lose weight, I am finally in. This is it, and we are both very serious about losing this weight. From June of 2008 to September of 2008 I lost a total of 35 pounds. I was on Weight Watchers and attending weekly meetings and my progress was wonderful. At the time, my motivation was my wedding dress. More specifically, my motivation was my wedding pictures. I told myself that I did not want to look at those pictures 20 years from now just to see how fat I was. Well in Sept, my engagement broke off and I slowly began to gain the weight back. I truly did not have that 100% motivation anymore to reach my goal weight. Chaz and I got together near the end of October and since then we both have gained about 20 pounds each and we both hate it. I am still 15 pounds away from where I started in June, but I hate seeing these pounds creep back on. And I know that if I continue doing what I'm doing, I will gain all of my weight back plus some. So I have decided that it is time for me to start eating healthy again. Due to financial reasons, I will not be going back to Weight Watchers but I will be following that basic plan at home.

One thing that I feel will keep me motivated is if Chaz and I learn new healthy recipes together. I wouldnt mind eating something new at least twice a week just to keep things "fresh." I am also going to the YMCA tonight to see if I qualify for financial assistance, and if I do, how much my monthly fee would be. The Y is so close to Chaz's house that I can easily walk there when the weather is nice. I am also using the site Spark People for motivation and advice on weight loss. It is completly free and is a great site!!

My weight right now is 185. My goal is to lose at least 1.5 pounds a week to eventually go down to 130. I don't want to "crash-diet" because first of all that is unhealthy, and second of all my chances of gaining all that weight back greatly increase. I want to be at 130 pounds by Christmas. I will keep you all posted on how it goes. Wish me luck!

From giddy little girls to a mommy

Where does the time go? I know saying that I probably sound like a 65 year old Grandma, but it's true. Where does the time truly go? It goes by so fast that once you blink, it's gone. Let's go back just over 9 years ago. I was in 7th grade and she was in 6th grade. Melvin made her sit down next to me on the bus, and all I could think is she took another kids seat. I never thought I would become friends with this girl. I just figured she shared my bus seat. We talked a little but it was more just to make it not so awkward. And then she reached out to me with a Valentine's card and an invite to play at her house one day. And then, a friendship began with Monica Goldberg. We spent our time in middle school by gushing over boys, saying how "mean" our parents were, being upset when we were rejected when "we asked a boy out", and riding our bikes back and forth down the street from where our crushes lived. We loved sleepovers and chatting on the internet, and just trying to be "cool." And yes, we were boycrazy. In high school, we would get grounded for staying out all night after homecoming, and we would take "walks" at 1 in the morning to meet up with the "hot guys" from St. Dominic. And we even thought we were hot stuff with our ciggarettes and beer with ice in it. Yes, you could say, we were a bunch of idiots. But it wasn't all just fun that we had, when our parents divorced, we leaned on eachother for comfort and support. We shared secrets with eachother and had this bond that could never be broken. And as expected, we did have a few fights which left us not talking to eachother for a few days. But we were "sisters." Nothing could ever seperate us.

We would always talk about becoming mothers. It was something that me and Monica both wanted so badly. We would always speak about the rules we would have for our kids and the fun things we would do with them. We talked about how we wanted to be pregnant together and try and deliever on the same day and in the same hospital. We became so excited when we spoke about our children becoming best friends with one another. And then one day, reality hit. Monica called me up on August 5, 2008 to tell me that she was pregnant. The day we had spoken about would soon be here. It was the neatest experience to watch my best friend grow with her baby and become a mother. Everytime I would see her, I would always need to touch her stomach and ask her a million questions about the baby. This was the little girl I would sit up on the roof with and just be silly with. The transformation she has made not only physically but emotionally from August until now has been amazing! I have watched my best friend, move her needs to second place and put her daughter's needs first. I have seen the light in her eyes and nervousness when she talks about becoming a mother. Finally, on April 3, 2008 at 11:35pm, Kaylee MacKenzie Lamb was born weighing 6 lbs 12 ozs and 21 inches long. I was able to see her yesterday and she was perfect. I got to hold my "sister's" baby. She was the cutest thing I had ever seen and Monica was in love. The day we had spoken about since we were in middle school, was finally here. Monica was a mother. It was just amazing to hold her and relive those memories that her mother and I shared growing up. So again I say, where has the time gone? It seems like yesterday, she was in my bus seat and looked at me and said, "Hi. My name is Monica." And nine short years later, here we are.