Lent

This post *should* have gone up  yesterday but I had a fabulous Fat Tuesday feast at Zach's last night and came home and slept into a food coma. YUM! Anyway. With everyone trying to figure out what to give up for lent, or talking about what good thing they're going to start "doing" for lent (going to church more, being nicer) I started thinking what *I* wanted to do. I've come up with something that I think will work for me pretty well, although it is really not the least bit traditional.

I've decided I'm going to take the season of Lent to alter my life-style. Now I know what you're thinking, 'isn't that what New Years resolutions' are for? Well kind of, but with new years resolutions there's no real sense of accountability. You don't have to keep them, no one else does, but people keep their Lent promises normally. Plus, here's the way I see it; if after forty days I don't like the changes, I can stop. But I have to do them for at least forty days because I know they're things I need to do. Theoretically, after forty days I either won't need to do them anymore, or I'll be so used to doing them (what is it, it takes 3 weeks to make or break a habit) that it won't matter.

If I don't do things, there will be consequences. Most people for example, would say "I'll put a quarter in a jar for the church" but where I'm doing so many things, I might go poor, so each task will have individual consequences. Also, reading some of these things you might think I'm going "light" on myself, but keep in mind you can't change over night and things happen over time.

Ready? Let's get started!

" I can do all things through him who strengthens me." - Philipians 4:13 That by the way, was my randomly generated Bible verse for yesterday. Yep, even God wants me to kick Lent's butt :P.

Fitness

#1- I have to exercise 30 minutes, 5 times a week. Normally I exercise more than thirty minutes when I do, but I'm pretty bad about only doing it three days a week.

Consequence: If I don't get five days (unless I have a good excuse, like you know, I got hit by a car) I have give up my weeks dessert.

#2- In reference to #1's consequence; I get only one 'dessert' per week. By this I mean that I get one guilt-free dessert, so I can get sapapias (spelling!!) from Plaza guilt free. However, I am still allowing myself to keep chocolate on hand and have a few pieces (not the whole box) at night. When you deprive yourself you over compensate by eating something else, been there, done that.

Consequence: If I decide that I want to eat a substantial dessert more than once a week, that's fine, but that means I don't get a one of my two "off" days for exercising.

#3- I have to do three sets of 15 sit-ups either in the morning or at night, each day.

Consequence: Okay, maybe I "need" a day off. That's cool- but t he next day I have to do that day's three sets of 15, followed by 2 sets of 50. Yep, won't be breaking this one much!

#4- I have to do 10 minutes of free-weight exercise a day, every day.

Consequence: I've decided that for this one since I don't want to have really sore arms if I mess up (because for some reason if my arm muscles/shoulders ache I feel like a zombie) it will have the same consequence as missing a day of sit-ups.

Life-style 

#5- No more staying up late. I get one night a week where I can stay up as late as I want.
But otherwise my week-day bedtime is 10:30 (I have to get up at 5:30-6:30 most days so that's not as early as it sounds). My weekend 'bedtime' is 11:30. Exceptions will be made in extenuating circumstances. For example if my apartment burns down at 11:15 on Saturday, I don't have to use my "free-night" that night. Another is that if I have an exam the next day I can stay up "up to" my weekend curfew without a consequence. However, getting a good-nights sleep is normally beneficial so I'm not sure I'll exercise that one.

Consequence: Oh, this consequence is so mean. So say I break my weekday curfew but I don't want to use my "free" day and it's 11:30 before I get to bed. That's fine. But if I was planning on getting up at 5:30, I now I have to get up at 4:30.

#6- I have to drink 64oz of water a day.

Consequence: I have to give up my "sodas" for the next three days.

#7- Limited to "one" soda a day. I'm not limiting myself to a size here because I don't get ones 'that' big. But I get one, that's it. Refills are permitted to 'top off' my cups if I got it at a meal.

Consequence: If I have a 2nd soda (not a refill but it's 3 hours later and a separate occurrence) I lose my soda's for the next three days.

#8- No more dwelling. If I'm upset I got 10 minutes to be sad, cry, pout, or simmer. After ten minutes though, it's time to let go. Holding on to anger or sadness isn't going to fix things. Solutions are normally found when you're back to being rational and level headed anyway.

Consequence: I'm still trying to think of one on this one... I'm not really sure how to 'punish' myself. If you have suggestions let me know.

#9- Only a few people know this (because to be honest, it's embarrassing)  but I've been really lonely lately. I've kind of grown apart from most of the people I was ever close with, and part of me can't decide whether or not that's for the best. But I've realized I've been putting all of my eggs in one basket so each week of lent I have to ask someone "new" or kind of "outside my safety zone" to do something. It doesn't have to *happen* during that week because sometimes people are busy but there has to be intent to follow through.

***I've asked two people outside my "comfort zone" to do something today alone. GO ME!

Consequence: Not sure how to punish myself on this one either. Although it seems logical to say, well next week you have to ask "two" people, but at the same time- there's only so many days in a week. If you have suggestions let me know!

#10- I have to prepare meals more often. I've gotten into a bad habit of never making myself dinner anymore. I'll just wait for Zach to stop by and ask if we can go to Subway, or just eat something small every couple of hours at night. I just need to take the time to feed myself, really, I mean a four year old could do it, I'm just being lazy. So I've decided that I have to "make" dinner (I mean it can be a sandwich but I have to do it) 4 out of 7 nights.

Consequence: No Plaza (or okay... anywhere) on Friday night!


Here's how my weeks are going to work, since this week is a short week I'm just going to kind of half things (I get one day off of running, I only have to make myself dinner twice, etc). It will run Wednesday through Saturday, then each subsequent week will run Sunday through Saturday.

Wish me luck!!

So um....

#1- I am obsessed with www.lifeneedsedits.com and she has gotten some fancy, smancy, new job is hardly updating anymore. Which for some reason has only made me frequent her blog more. But seriously, she loves food, good wines, dogs, and the Phillies. She's basically my idol.

#2- I hate the black eyed peas. Seriously, most obnoxious band in the world.

#3- I really hate Seagulls.

#4- Zach and I started watching criminal minds and I have no idea what season it is because its on channel 43, and I don't know what channel that is. But anyway he suggested that this woman who was maybe a "3" on the attractive scale wanted to get with this guy who was at least an 8.94. I guess it infuriated me because I kept insulting her asking what woman who wore fuchsia lipstick and nasty unflattering eyeglasses had the audacity to try and get with Mr. 8.94. Learn your number woman!! (I swear I'm not shallow...)

 #5- I have junior mints in the fridge and every time I eat one I can't help but think of the episode from Seinfeld where Kramer drops on inside a man (or woman??) being operated on.

#6- Last week I remembered a yahoo email address I had and logged in just to see what had been sent there. I had 15,000 unread emails.... soooo I just peaced out..

#7- I don't understand it, but I swear sometimes when I stretch my sternum cracks. What? There's not even a joint there.

#8- I used to know all the major bones (tibia, fibia, ulna, radius, scapula) because I learned them one summer "for fun".

#9- I might be the only person in the world who "overuses" (not my  opinion) the word odoriferous.

#10- I love Michael Bolton, I don't care if it probably is a cardinal sin. "I'll be there some day, I can go the distance. I will find my way, if I can be strong, I know every mile, will be worth my while. When I go the distance I'll be right where I belong"

Is it spring yet?

It's cold, again. It's been so warm lately that I was growing accustomed to not getting a brain freeze on my walk to school in the morning, butttt apparently Jack Frost is back, at least for a few days.

I'm in a cmoputer lab on campus waiting, huddling near a heater, pretending its actually warm, so I thought I'd do a post with some of my favorite things about spring.

Flip flops!!! In case you didn't know I have a love/hate relationship with shoes. In that I love them on their own, but I feel like they make or break the outfit so if you don't have "just" the right pair.. the whole outfits messed up. So I love flip flops for a few reasons. 1) They're so cheap, and available pretty much anywhere. 2) They come in literally every color of the rainbow 3) They're so easy to just slip on and you hardly have to think about WHICH pair to buy.

Oh a nd it doesn't hurt that they show off your newly painted toenails too :)

The Phillies (and most notably Cliff Lee) come back into my life.

The sun is out until later than 5:30 at night. This means that when I get off from work I can go on a walk or a run without the fear of being attacked by vagabonds or criminals. Yep, I just used the word vagabond, you know you're impressed.

Instead of dead leaves or dirty snow, you see wildflowers along the side of the road.

Although it is more typical for summer, starting in spring all of the fresh produce starts to become available. My favorite is when the road side stands start to pop back up.

Things I've Learned

22 Things for 22 Years

#1- Water is good for you.

#2- Be nice to people and treat them with respect. You don't know what their life is like, so don't assume you do.

#3- Black dress pants can anger you in two ways. First, they have an undying need to fade to gray, it's like they're in high-school and the gray crowd is the "in crowd" that they have just got to be in. Second, they're best friends with lint.

#4- Murphy called it; anything that can go wrong, probably will. Especially if you're already running late.

#5-Some of the most famous people in the world are famous not for all the things they've done right, but for their mistakes.

#6-  There is absolutely no better ab workout than laughing really, really, really hard.

#7- No one thinks clowns are funny; it is mutually understood that they're terrifying.

#8- Everyone has a cross to bear. Some are bigger than others, but no one has one that is more than they can handle.

#9- I'm absolutely never going to like mushy carrots, peas, or cucumbers.

#10- No matter how bad of a day today has been, the world keeps spinning and tomorrow is always a new day.

#11- True friends are once in a lifetime. If a friendship fades, don't mourn it. Sometimes people come and go. Take it at what it was, move on.

#12- The things you do as a child are more telling than our parents realized. For example, I used to count and organize money. I also took great joy in tabulating bills, and figuring out how much change I should get back. (Yeah, okay, raise your hand if you're surprised.)

#13- When your mom tells you, "Don't do that, you're going to wish you hadn't later." She is always right.

#14- When you're fighting with someone ask yourself, "Will this argument matter in 5, hours, 5 days, 5 weeks, or 5 years?" If you can eventually answer, "No" try and move on.

#15- I will probably never out grow my affinity for boy-bands. "Baby when you finally get to love somebody, guess what, it's gonna be me" (If you can tell me who sings that without googling it, well... I'm sure we're already best friends.)

#16- Eventually we all turn into our parents.

#17- I have a paradoxical personality. I'm painfully shy and a drama queen. In other words, I don't want to bother you and interfere in your life, but if you wouldn't mind paying attention to me I'd greatly appreciate it.

#18- There's absolutely always an excuse that can be made, it doesn't mean you should always take it.

#19- I read a quote by Elizabeth Gilbert (Author of Eat, Pray, Love) where she suggested that the only things that people ever argued about were "whose in charge" and "God". Think about it, she has a point.

#20- Sometimes all it takes to turn a bad day around is smiling at nothing, and no one in particular.

#21- I'll let Bryan Adams say this one for me, "When you love someone - you'll sacrifice , you'd give it everything you got and, you won't think twice, you'd risk it all - no matter what may com, when you love someone."

#22- I've sat here for so long trying to figure out just how exactly to word #22. I guess what I want to say is that I've learned that sometimes you're going to meet really great people, and they'll only be part of your life for a short while. And I find its hard to accept that, and I've found that I think it's unfair. But I'm trying to learn that no matter how short the stay, the time spent with them is worth missing them later on.  But to be honest, the five-year old girl in me is still saying, "What if they don't miss me too?"

Reasons I Love February

Roses

Candy Hearts

Valentine's from my parents

 

 Birthday & Valentine's Day Cards

Thoughts for Thursday

Hello, hello. Wow two blog posts in one week? I guess I'm quietly revolting from school because I didn't do any homework Tuesday or Wednesday night either. Helloooo senioritus! But in my defense, I started college my senior year of high school, and have had about three really intense years, so I don't feel too bad. PLUS, I just got back a 97 on my first History test! Hah!!

Anyway today I just thought I'd tell you some thigns. Nothing particularly important, just sharing some facts.

#1- I am fascinated by colonial America. 100%. I always forget how interesting I find it until someone is telling me about it. It's just SO interesting. And I don't just mean one perspective is interesting, I enjoy hearing ab out the Indians, I enjoy hearing about the colonist, and I enjoy hearing about the English history of the time. And I almost always wish that I could go back to the 1600s and just see it. I know its not glamerous and there were no iPods or Android phones, but I still really like it.

#2- I've been better this week about getting up when my alarm goes off (mainly because I haven't been doing homework so I've gone to bed at relatively decent hours). As such I've been able to turn the enws on for a few minutes and I'm really at a loss for things to say about what's going on in the middle east. I can't imagine living in an area where there was such dramatic political instablity. Plus once again I find myself frustrated because they always find a way to bring gas prices intot his. Seriously, it's like when you're 14 and everytime yous tart to get smart with you parents, or you get a bad grade, and they threaten to take away your computer or phone. I mean seriously, can we come up with a new threat already.

#3- I've been trying to drink more teas lately because I can't drink coffee without the creamer and I know that the creamer can add a ton of calories and fats to it... so I've started up on tea. And so far there are two lipton varieties that I really like. The first is a white tea (which sucks because it totally has no caffiene and I didn't know that right away so of course I got 'the headache') which is called "Island Mango and Peach." It is so yummy- more of an afternoon tea to sip on while you're reading a book or doing something more pleasant than say, waking up at 5AM to study for the aforementioned aced history exam. I've also really liked their black tea (can I get a heck yeah, for caffiene- even though its only about 1/10th of whats in my coffee) which is in the Bavarian Wild Berry flavor. I'm going to look into finding teas with a bit stronger caffiene content but I think as a general rule of thumb they are all going to have less than my dear old friend, coffee.

#4- I took some pictures of some flowers for you. Later tonight I am going to put up a pretty picture post of all the reasons I love February.

#5- Sooo, I've kind of been loving baskets for the last year or so. I haev two on my bathroom counter one holds things like hairspray, body lotion, body wash (I have about 5 body washes because bath and body works always sucks mei n), and just random things like that. The other holds hair stuff like my blow dryer, my straightener, and hairpins, brushes, and elastic bands. HOWEVER, I have been on the hunt for a basket that I can envision but I can't quite find. I want it to hold my makeup. I want it to be about 8-10 inches tall and about a foot long,a nd I want it to have 4-6 sections that I can throw various products like blush, eyemakeup, and lip products in. But, I'm pretty sure it doesn't exist.

Oh hey there...

So I kind of failed on that thirty day challenge thing, huh? Sorry! The enticing world of Law & Order dragged me in, then my fun new Kindle came, and then well the semester started... but alas the excuses could go on for days... so I'll try and get on to the fun stuff.

So, here's 'what's up'.

1- I've come the the conclusion that whenever Daivd Schwimmer will always be Ross. I mean literally, he is never going to be any other character to me. A few weeks ago I was at the gym, and he popped up on some strange movie, and in season two (I believe) of 30 Rock he pops up as Greenzo (please youtube this if you haven't seen it, priceless) but every time I see him I think, "Oh hey, what's Ross doing here?" and not, "Oh hey, it's David Schwimmer!". Sorry Dave, you'll always be Ross to me.

2- This Saturday Zach and I went to see "Just Go With It" which had tons of famous lovelies in it including (but not limited to): Jennifer Aniston, Adam Sandler, and Dave Matthews. Such a cute movie! I was a little sketpical because to be honest I find A. Sandler to be a little weird and crude, but he actually toned down his vulgar personality a little in this movie so I really liked it. Plus um... there's a very interesting scene involving Dave Matthews and a coconut that you won't want to miss... just saying

3- I, Emily, have pretty much given up coffee as a necessity. Now, let's not mistake this for me saying I don't LIKE coffee. I absolutely adore coffee and we're still the best of friends, but I couldn't get myself to drink it without needing creamer and so I kind of started to feel guilty. I'm gradually switching over to tea or to diet coke (which was my original drug of choice) and saving coffee for special occasions so I don't feel guilty about all the creamer (half n half really) that I put in it.

4- So um, I have been toying with confessing with this for a while- and this is number four on my list so you must really like me if you've read this far. But um, I have a secret twitter and talk to some friends who live in various parts of the country whom I've never met on it. I actually received birthday presents and cards from three of them. I know it sounds totally weird, but it's actually really kind of convienent. One, because since I had the whole world at my disposal we actually have things in common. Two, since they're pretty much scattered up & down the east coast with the closest one being I believe seven hours away, I don't have to feel guilty for not ever having time to hang out with them. Alright- go ahead and judge, but I love their friendship and wouldn't trade it for the world.


Oh- and no duh I am not telling you the user name if you ask. One person knows it because their a sneaky little fox, but I'd prefer that they keep it private because sometimes its best that things stay the way they are. Okay I lied, one person, and then Zach- but he doesn't even completely know what a twitter is so I think my secrets safe. But seriously, please don't try and find it- sometimes privacy is nice.

5-  A few weeks ago I read the first book in the Pretty Little Liars series, and I'm not going to lie, I plan on reading the whole series. So interesting! Plus I'm a sucker for anything charm-schooley and New England-y. I know they're kind f 'below my reading level' but if you had to read the 'scholarly textbooks' that I do for my accounting classes, you'd understand what a nice retreat it is from that stuff. You know, sometimes it's nice to read something without hearing words like 'interest', 'materiality', 'assertion', 'financial statements' etc.

Anyway- since 1-5 have been a lot of words I am going to end now with pictures of stuff I like because let's be honest, it'll probably be another month before I update this again.

This yummy tea- Lipton White Tea with Island Mango and Peach Flavor! Add two splenda- YUM!

Pink flowers- and the color pink in general

My fun new Kindle- even though I've hardly been able to use it lately! :(

That spring training has begun!! Phillies time!! So happy that I will be getting to see some of my favorite me back in white and red. (Cliff, I'm not sure if I've told you but I am SO happy to have yo back)

Puppies :o) (like always!) This one is a Westie.

Little Things I've Been Lovin'

Below are some of the little things that I've been loving recently  What have you been loving lately?

Purple-y Nails

So I'm not 100% sure that I feel comfortable enough wearing bright purple nails to work, something about it just screams "This  newbie is unprofessional" but I've had a few days off and painted my nails Orly's "Velvet Rope" on Friday and I adore it. I picked it up a few months ago- for about $6 (cheaper than the OPI and Essie). I figure for the next few days this will be a fun finger color but I'll probably have to accept that for most of the time, it'll be just a toe color. However, last night I was out picking up some Cetaphil cream (my skin has been SO dry lately.. definitely not a "like") and I saw that Sally Hansen had some spring colors and I really liked the lilac color. I bought my friend Amy an OPI in "Do you Lilac It?" for Christmas and this color seemed similar enough and I thought that maybe where it was so pastel I could feel comfortable wearing that color to work. I haven't tried ti out... but I've been leaning towards the purple-y hues for the last month or so. 

iPod Docking Station

Now, you'll have to ignore the nasty smudges on the screen of my iPod, but I've really been loving my iPod docking station lately. I've had my iPod since my birthday last year and rarely used it except for when I was at the gym, and on the rare occasion at work (our office allows you to listen to iPods while you're working). However, on 'Black-Friday' my family went to the Tanger Outlets in Rehoboth, Delaware and Dad and I went in the Sony store to look around because I'd mentioned wanting something to dock my iPod on. We ended up picking out this one, I forget the exact price but it was I think $70ish dollars.. but a part of me thinks it was on sale and we got it for $50... Anyway, that much isn't relavent. I've really been liking this. I find myself turning in my iPod more, and having music on in the background. I also think it's pretty neat that it has two alarms on it. Alarm A and Alarm B which I think is cool because if two share a room, they can use this as an alarm and it'll work for both people.

Yankee Candle 3.7oz Candles

 

Zach's sister, Kate, bought me this little candle for Christmas. Normally I don't buy this size of Yankee Candles (normally because I don't buy Yankee because they're so expensive, but if I splurge I buy the bigger size). That being said, I really like this size... it has really good throw still (how far the scent carries) but it's not bulky, and it look really cute when it's lit. I also  really enjoy the scent of this. I bought the Slatkin & Co. "Twisted Peppermint" back in November which is like a sweet/vanilla peppermint scent. This candle is similar in the 'idea' of the smell in that its sweet and minty but it also smells kind of fresh and not sickeningly sweet. It smells more like a mint after-dinner mint. Overall, I just really like these little candles. They burn 25-40 hours, which is pretty decent, and you can pick up 2-3 scents for the price of one of the large jar candles, which for people who like a bit of variety (me) that's really nice. It's the same reason I love tarts so much. (Thanks Matt & Tara!!) 

Adorable Office Supplies

I picked up these cute pencils at Wal-Mart recently because I always find myself with 1,000 pens and no pencils. I love how cute the colors are! Also for Christmas, my mom got me this cute red/orange zebra large post-it note pad and I'm kind of in lurve. I love adorable office supplies. Maybe it's weird but they just make me happy. I know that sounds ridiculous but they're the little things in day-to-day life that make it fun. 

Weights

  

Again for Christmas, my sister got these 5lb weights for me because I'd mentioned that I wanted to try and tone up my arms more. I've really been liking having them around. What I like most about these particular weights is that instead of being plastic on the outside they're more of a rubber-esque material so they're not slick (which could be a problem if your hands are sweaty!) And yes- that's right. I lift 5lbs.... I fully admit that my arm strength is pathetic.

Pretty Flowers

Not much to say about these except for, who DOESN'T enjoy having fresh pretty flowers around. I'm convinced that having fresh colorful flowers can brighten anyone's day :).

The Little Things

Let your imagination wander and assume what you want as far as the main subject matter (I personally plead my fifth amendment right). But it's moments like these where you remember life's too short and just have to have fun and laugh a little. :) Thought I'd share... Happy Monday everyone!

PS- I suggest turning on something funky like "Cupid Shuffle" while reading this. Much more fun... 

Project Slim Down

Cliche timing as ever, my project slim down started a few days after new years day. I said in my resolutions blog that I wanted to lose some weight because again, I have NO idea what happened this fall, but I just kind of let my general well being go. I was sick all the time, I gained 10lbs, and just in general... was not healthy. So its a new dawn, a new day, it's a new life for me..... just kidding (but do you get the reference?) but tomorrow's always a new day to fresh start if you're unhappy. =I decided it was time to get back on track. I wasn't feeling very confident about myself  and in general I'm just not feeling good in my skin lately. So I have teamed up with my twitter-friend Jill and we're on a mission to lose some pounds and get in shape again!

Goals:
Short-term (5-6 weeks depending on when you count my "start" date)

- I want to lose 5-6lbs by Valentine's Day. I honestly think its pretty doable if I do enough cardio (meaning that I run 4-5 days a week). I mean many people will try to do that in 4 weeks, and I got an extra two weeks on that.
- Drink more water.
- Keep sweets down to ONE small-moderate portion per day (one handful of M&Ms)

Long-term (May 19th, or 18 weeks from yesterday)

-Lose 12lbs
-Drink more water
-Work on toning up arm muscles

Method:
- For the next few weeks until the semester starts I am going to try and run three days during the week, and at least one weekend day.
- When the semester starts I want to run about three days of the "work week" (I know every day probably won't happen so by planning on not getting to the gym every day, I won't be disappointed). And one on the weekend. Okay... so I guess semester and non-semester cardio plans are the same... woops!
- On my days "off" from running I am going to spend approximately 30 minutes using my little dumbbells to work on getting some arm weight, doing a moderate amount of sit ups (nothing crazy, I don't care about having abs), stretching, and yoga type exercise. I am also considering getting some 'exercise dvds' just to mix it up!
- I also want to "plan" on taking one day a week off. My body needs a day to relax, and I need to have a day where I won't feel guilty for wanting to sleep in, or I don't feel like going to the gym!

Ideas to make it fun & interesting

- I've gone ahead and bought theeee cutest food journal in the world (see below). I plan on writing down everything I eat each day, and monitoring my water intake each day.... I also just want to jot down what I do as far as physical activity. As bad as it sounds... I think buying a cute journal to do it in will make me way more likely to do it. I mean- seriously who wouldn't want to whip this cute journal out every day?

2-  My dad bought my mom, sister, and I the most adorable Tervis Tumblers for Christmas (see below) and I think that having a cute cup to carry around will encourage me to drink more water. Plus, this has a straw and I drink a lot more when I drink from a straw. This might sound strange but I swear I get less "full" when I drink from a straw (like I can drink more water- because I dont feel as filled up to capacity). Anyway... I think if this works I'll treat myself to a second tumbler along this journey... because using this same one every day might wear it out! But ONLY if I'm good and do what I say, other wise I'm just buying junk I don't need! (I mean its still really cute- but my theory is that I'm using it for water, so if it's not being used for that purpose, I don't need another one)

 

3- Setting a mid-way goal "treat". My friend Jill (who as I mentioned earlier, I'm doing this with via emailing, thank god for smart phones) suggested that if she had a "treat" at the end she'd feel more motivated. I completely agree, especially if you specifically say that no, if I don't do this I can have that. For example, my treat is that if I lose 5-6lbs by Valentine's day I am allowed to buy myself a cute dress or a new top/sweater for whatever "date" Zach and I plan on going on. If I don't meet it? Tough luck. It's good motivation to get there, because my goal is attainable and reasonable. (Hers, if your curious, is some of the pretty new makeup in MACs new collection or something for Valentine's day too ;)) 

4- Speaking of Jill- my last suggestion, find someone to hold you accountable... and honestly I don't think it should be your husband/boyfriend/fiance (or wife/girlfriend/fiancee). This is kind of for a few reasons. One being that these people sincerely worry about you (and sometimes a little bit too much) and they think that oh you're having a bad day, you should take the day off (which is fine every once in a while, but I think Zach would suggest if I was stressed every day that I take EVERY DAY off :P). Also, I think you might find it 'nagging' if they were constantly asking you if you worked out that day (I'm really guilty of this...). Plus all around I just think it's more fun with a girlfriend (or your buddy) it's a good excuse to chit chat during the day... and I mean you're friends so if you slip up and eat a whole bag of M&Ms (and I don't mean the cute kind you can get at the grocery store... I mean like 1lb bags... lol) they won't judge you and be like oh you're AWFUL, but they'll help you find solutions. 

Alright, this is kind of long but it's something I really wanted to talk about. I just am really excited about this. I have no idea what my big "treat" will be when I lose all 12lbs because it can't be anything that requires too much commitment in advance (for example, a trip on a certain date). Anyway- if you read all this you are absolutely awesome and I really do applaud you!