Positive Thought through Amazing People

"Life isn't about weathering the storm, it's about learning to dance in the rain..."

I was determined to blog each night this week...but it obviously did not happen, for reasons that will be discussed at a later date....but I am going to do my best to pick it up from now on! So, on to tonight's blog! The power of positive thought and amazing people. Over the past few days the idea of positive thought has taken on a huge meaning, we all know that when it rains it pours, and often times we have no umbrella, but I have learned that positive thought, as well as those around you, can make any situation seem better. Am I saying to hide all emotions, and never cry, yell, scream, or just emotionally breakdown for a few minutes? Absolutely not! I am just saying after the breakdown happens pick yourself up and move forward! There is no use holding anger inside or thinking negatively about the future. I am a big believer in thinking positively and sticking to the fact that everything, does in fact, happen for a reason.

I had the absolute best, most motivating comment last night. I was at the learning center and one of my co-workers told me that I was beaming positive energy, or something similar, I dont remember the exact wording. This made me extremely happy, knowing that even though I have had an awful week that I have still be able to think positively and impact those around me in a positive, not negative way. On the subject of co-workers, I love mine, from both of my jobs, and I have to take the time to mention them. I do not know where I would be without them. My co-workers are amazing, talented, and extremely caring individuals...every single one of them. A few of them I even call my friends over calling them my co-workers, they know who they are and they are truly inspirational and fantastic individuals. You know you have great people in your life when something negative happens..and you don't even have time to be upset because everyone is already upset for you and taking some of the burden off your shoulders. It is a wonderful moment when you realize you have the support of not just one, but many who love and care for you, and remind you just how fantastic and wonderful you are. So, to all my co-workers, friends, husband, and family...thank you, it is because of you that I can pick myself up and be as positive as can be.

...not only should we all learn to dance in the rain, but we should "dance like no one is watching"

Looking back...breaking point

I was reading a friend's blog today about her weight loss journey and it made me think "what was my breaking point?" When did I realize that I truly needed to change, and once I started thinking back, my wedding comes to mind. July 9th 2011 was nothing short of everything I expected it to be, I was surrounded by my amazing friends and married my best friend. The one thing I didn't expect was all of the questions and comments while walking around to all the tables. "How did IAN lose all that weight?" and "Wow! Look at IAN!! How much weight did he lose?" I kept smiling the whole time, but inside it really knocked me down, between the stress of my job, planning the wedding, and Ian going through academy I was not able to drop nearly as much weight as I wanted for the wedding, now Ian on the other hand had, due to mandatory workouts during academy. It hit me then and then looking at our Aruba pictures from our honeymoon, that I did not like how I looked and the, then two years, of working from home as online teacher had really added on the pounds. I now realize that I basically used every excuse in the book for my weight, and lack of motivation to do something about it.

I didn't start working out or even eating better right away, I would run here and there on our treadmill, but kept eating out multiple times a week and not caring how bad anything was. I began to notice a lot of people around me losing weight and I realized I wanted to be one of those people too, not to mention I am in two weddings this year. In addition, we planned a return trip to Aruba and I realized that I wanted to look awesome in my bathing suit and not have the "everyone is staring at me because I look fat and gross" feeling as I walk down the beach or stroll through the resort.

I finally got my butt in gear when I joined a weight loss challenge group. I found it through a friend from high school who had lost a ton of weight, as mentioned in a prior post. I began drinking shakeology for breakfast (and still do), eating clean (at least most of the time), and actually sticking to my workouts, who are we kidding I actually STARTED to work out. I have by no means been perfect, I still cheat and go out for Mexican and a margarita, but I'm okay with that. I also miss workouts, but instead of giving up like I used to in the past, I just jump back on the next day. It is an empowering feeling to gain a lot of my self confidence back! Not a lot of people besides family have noticed a difference so far, and I realized I'm okay with that. I know the changes are happening. My jeans that were tight in January are now too big. I fit into dress pants that I haven't worn for at least 3 years. I was able to buy a size 10 Rerock jeans at Express and they fit comfortably. And,I just ordered a new bathing suit and am actually looking forward to putting it on. I still have a long journey to go, I'm not sure how long, as I haven't decided my goal weight yet...but right now I'm working towards 155 by May 1st, once I accomplish that I will set my new goal.

Hearing everyone comment about Ian's weight loss was really hard and initially brought me down and frustrated me, but now it just fuels my fire to continue to lose weight and become the best possible version of myself that I can be. And, no it is not all about weight loss, but instead it is about looking and feeling my best....and a reason to buy new clothes (in smaller sizes) is just an added bonus!

New Year's Resolutions Revisited

It has only been a little over 4 months since 2012 started, and by this time many of us have forgotten about the resolutions we made back in January; so I wanted to take some time to revisit those that I made.

2012 will be the year that I do not visit a tanning bed. I have actually stuck to this resolution 100%. My thought behind this was the harmful effects of tanning beds, and also a way to save some extra money. The closer we get to summer days the harder this resolution will be to keep, I hate being pale, but I will try to resist and hopefully have the chance to get a real tan by actually making the time to go outside, weather permitting.

2012 will be the year I lose at least 30 pounds. Well I am not even close to the 30 pound mark, but I have taken giant leaps towards this resolution. I have started drinking shakeology for breakfast, eating clean (most of the time), and working out on a regular basis. I am determined to stick to this resolution, and so far so good! Still about 20 pounds to go, but I will accomplish this!

2012 will be the year I give up fast food. I didn't eat a lot of fast food to begin with, but the random Wendy's spicy chicken sandwich and fries wasn't doing me any good either. I am happy to say I have stuck to this one 100%, I did not even have one of my niece's fries when we took her to MacDonald's on the way to preschool. This resolution has actually been the eaisest to follow.

2012 will be the year I pay off my credit cards. This is a huge resolution, and I have been making excellent progress. I know almost everyone has a little bit of credit card debt, but I was just sick of mine, so pay it off I will!

2012 will be the year Ian and I buy a house. This is huge, and we have been unsuccessful in our search so far, but we continue to look, search for houses and plan for it. We are determined and will not settle until we find our house.

As you can see I've done surprisingly well on my resolutions, this is because they are clear and measurable. They were written down and I try to revisit them ever so often. Are you on track with your resolutions? If not, ask yourself why, try to refocus or rewrite them, because that is the great part about your personal goals you can refocus them at any point. As you change and grow your goals should change and grow as well. When you accomplish one goal, create another one and keep pushing forward!

Going Local

I love trying new restaurants and going out to eat, it can be such a nice change of pace from cooking at home, or eating dinner with a barking dog right next to me. I especially love local businesses and my husband and I try to avoid chain restaurants as much as possible. This post is a shout out to my current favorites, and a big thank you for making delicious food, my husband and I will continue to support your businesses every chance we get.

Bartram House Bakery- Don't let the name bakery fool you, this place has everything; homemade soups, breakfast sandwiches, pepperoni rolls, salads, crepes, and everything in between and beyond. My personal favorite (at least until my next visit) is their breakfast sandwich - you get to choose your bread, type of egg(I went with egg whites), cheese, meat, and as many fresh veggies as you want to put on it. The best part?-the bread is soft and not covered in any butter-it was a healthy choice and delicious. One point of advice though-make sure you are either super hungry, have someone to share it with, or plan to take half home because the size of this sandwich is no joke.

I do have to mention the bakery items(it is a bakery after all) the pain au chocolate is my favorite, second to only the red velvet cupcake, it is flaky and has just the right amount of semi sweet chocolate pressed in the middle-so good!

Franklin Inn-in the mood for Mexican and near Rochchester Road? Then you will want to go here, the Franklin Inn wins without a question as my favorite local Mexican place. The salsa and guacamole are great to start and my favorite dish is the chicken mole enchiladas. The chicken is moist and the mole sauce is thick and just to die for. They also have an awesome black bean and corn salad as a side- which I highly recommend, I do not even like corn and I love this salad; it is served cold and has a great tangy taste. Another unexpected favorite at the Franklin Inn is actually not a Mexican dish at all...but it is their hot wings. They are crispy, made on the grill, and super spicy! They only come one way,and they are perfect.

What is a Mexican Resturant without margaritas!? Well they are excellent here too! They come in a Mason jar and there are tons of favors to choose from including mango, strawberry, peach, and traditional. I recommend sharing a 32 oz, or drinking it all yourself if you don't mind stumbling on your way out. BUT before you do that, make sure you save room for some ice cream! It is homemade and they have awesome Mexican hot fudge ...just the right amount of spice to go with your chocolate.

One last favorite for this post is Cenci's in Wexford, not only do I know many people who work here, but I love the fact that they are open every day and serve food until 2am. This is perfect for when my husband gets off work at midnight and we still want to go out and grab something to eat. Cenci's has your typical Italian dishes, along with hoagies, pizza, and a variety of appetizers. They have the best Sicilian pizza, which can be ordered in a variety of sizes inducing a two cut, which is perfect for a midnight snack. They also make homemade ranch dressing which I dip everything in-it is really that good! In addition to the pizza the hot garlic wings, Roma puffs (fried pizza dough), house salads (which yes, I put ranch on!)and fried ravioli are some of my favorites. They also have craft beers on draft and by bottle, and six packs to go which makes this place perfect.

I hope that this post will inspire many of you to visit one of these local restaurants, or a local restaurant near you. This is only a start to my favorite local places, expect to see more in future posts. Enjoy!

The Book is ALWAYS Better

"Happy Hunger Games! May the odds ever be in your favor..."

My husband and I finally went and saw The Hunger Games movie, now I don't want to say it was a disappointment, because they did do a great job with many parts, but it just wasn't the book. If you did not read the book you would be lost in terms of many of the relationships between characters and overall character development was lacking. The biggest example being the relationship between Rue and Katniss. It was there and a very dramatic part of the movie (I am trying to avoid any big spoilers for those of you who have not yet read the book), however the connection between Rue and Prim was not made clear at all. Another disappointment, for me, was president Snow ...I am not sure what it was, but he was nothing like what I pictured, maybe I was thinking someone younger? I'm not sure.

The biggest plot difference was the role of Gamemaker. He had a very prominent role in the movie, that was not expressed in the book. I am going to assume this was done to further explain the games and how they are extremly controlled by the government. Along with the Gamemaker's role, Haymitch's relationship with the Gamemaker was very odd as well, and not all developed in the book as it was in the movie. (Again I apologize for the vague references...doing my best not to spoil the book or movie).

Enough with the negative, because I do have to give the movie some credit for some very positive aspects that were done very well; the actual games were depicted very well in the movie. The violence was very much brought to life and there were a few times I jumped out of my seat. The violence was done in such a way that it did not seem gruesome or over the top; the audience saw a good amount, but some was also left implied, which created a great balance. The way in which the Humger Games section was filmed made you feel as though you were experiencing the same feelings and events as Katniss, for example when she is hallucinating due to the Tracker Jackers you feel as though you are having the hallucination right there along with her. Overall, the movie does hone in on the emotions felt by Katniss throughout the story; and truly made you feel, at times, that you were her. -This, to me, was the best accomplishment of the movie.

Overall, am I glad I saw the movie? Yes. Does it make me as excited to see Catching Fire brought to life, as before? Sadly, no. I found the book far more developed (as it usually is) and just an overall a better indicator of the thoughts, feelings, and relationships between the characters. The hissing cat at the beginning, I clearly knew it to be Buttercup and laughed...didn't read the book? You would have no idea.

Putting it all in perspective

Lately, I have come to the realization that I work a ton. A normal work week for me has become 55 hours+ which isn't awful, but after a while it is super exhausting; however I am determined to keep a positive perspective and push through even in the toughest of weeks. This week started off with an awful case of the Mondays, I was 100% doubting that I wanted to be Beachbody coach, and just all around had a Monday day! The power of good, not good but great friends/co-workers pulled me right out of that rut, and made me realize that there is no need to stress out. Sometimes we all need to be reminded of our positive attributes, and not just the negatives.
I'm bringing that same no stress attitude into today, even though I woke up and thought it was Wednesday, only to quickly realize it was still only Tuesday. We have to make sure that we keep in mind the things we do well, and the things we don't we need to set goals for and improve. I love goal setting, but only since I've learned to make short term goals that are attainable. Once you continuously set and reach your goals, you will see your happiness and overall confidence increase. I want to push you all to set one goal that you can reach by May 1st. Mine is to lose 10 more pounds, I know I have eat well, push hard each day to work out and stay focused....it is a challenging goal, but attainable.
To wrap up the idea of putting it all in perspective make sure you are reaching out to those friends and family who make you feel the happiest, you know the ones who you know will put a smile on your face. Call them! - don't sit around waiting for the phone to ring make it happen. I know everyone gets busy, myself included, but it is important to reach out and surround yourself with those who support you and make you an all around better person.
Also don't forget to take a few moments for yourself each day, trust me it makes all the difference for your happiness. No one wants to feel like all they do is work, sleep, eat, and clean! Talk a walk, run, play catch with the dog, read, write, call a friend, watch an awful tv show (Jersey Shore or Dance Moms, anyone?), and just enjoy each day as much as you can! Oh, and one more thing, don't forget to let those you love know it!