Today was a great day!

I woke up this morning and I decided I was going to work out both before and after school... then I fell asleep. (Aahhh, sleep...) I woke up way too late to have enough time to go to the gym and make it to school on time so I ended up scratching the double-work-out idea almost instantly. :(

After classes ended (I was on campus until 12:45-ish) I decided to go straight to the gym to work out. I used the elliptical for an hour, did 30 bicep lifts, 30 tricep lifts, an 50 crunches. Normally, I would go home at this point, but I realized it was still early and Hubby wouldn't be home until about 4:30... so I ran again! For another hour. I did 30 more biceps, 30 more triceps, and 50 more crunches!
That equals 2 hours on the elliptical, 60 biceps, 60 triceps, and 100 crunches!
Yay!

It was a HUGE accomplishment for me! The second hour was soo much easier than the first, FYI! :) I felt a huge sense of accomplishment! I "lost/burned" over 1,100 calories (almost the number of calories I am allowing myself to eat every day!!). Because of this huge number, I decided to splurge and allow myself a treat!

IN-N-OUT!!
I wanted In-N-Out really bad and decided it was ok, since I was waaaay below my allotted caloric intake! Hubby agreed I deserved it and took me to the nearest In-N-Out! Woo-Hoo!
I was a happy camper and am still way under my alloted caloric intake after eating some yummy grub! :)

P.S. I absolutely LOVE to workout! I really hope this turns into a true lifestyle change!

=]

Week 1: Update

So today marks a week that I've been working out and eating better and, let me tell you, I am feeling soooo much better!! Any, by eating better I just mean less calories during the day. (I think I mentioned this before but I am using the iPhone App called "Lose It" and I just enter the food I eat and the exercises I do and it tracks everything for me. I mean, I ate at Denny's yesterday morning with Hubby and was still under my calories at the end of the day!)

Anyway, I had to work out this morning instead of later today because I have class until 9 or 10 PM and I will be very tired by the end of the day, so at 8:30 this morning you could have founf me running at the gym! PLUS, God blessed me with a very light drizzle when I was finished to cool me off! Isn't life great! :)

Well, to update you and (hopefully) convince you to start working out (or to continue if you've already started) I want to show my progress. I will NOT tell you how much I weigh but I will tell you how much I have lost. In one week, I have lost a total of 4.6 pounds! I am so pleased with this number because, though it is not a very big number I still eat brownies and eat out when I want to and I still lose weight! It's so exciting! Can't wait until a month from now! Woo-Hoo!
Don't give up guys! Anything is possible!

Another Update

For those of you that don't talk to me every day or don't know me on a personal level, I am just going to tell you what I tell everyone I see or talk to every day: I am so sore!!! I almost feel like I'm limping when I walk, lol.

Anyway, I am so excited to say that I have stuck to my exercise routine to-a-T! I have gone to the gym every day since I started! I know, I know: 4 days isn't all that much, but it's a huge step for me and I am so glad I have stuck to it so well! My secret is to go right when I get home.

I walk in, change, and walk out.

I DO NOT sit down nor do I turn the T.V. on
(because then I'll never get back up, haha).

I am enjoying this whole work-out routine because I am feeling a lot better and I have a lot more energy. Though I am still very sore, I love the feeling. I feel like if it hurts, it works. Maybe I'm just crazy but I like it and I hope I keep liking it. I don't want this to just be a week-long-stint either, I want it to be a lifestyle change.

My next thing to overcome is the weekend... oh dear.
The Weekend.

Wish me luck! :)
(I'll keep you posted on that weekend thing, lol)

And because no post is good without a picture I am going to include a picture of my cousins and I after dinner at Tahoe Joe's (one of my favorite restaurants ever) in Bakersfield last weekend:


Love you girlies!

President's Day

For President's Day/Valentines Day, Hubby and I decided to go visit our parents and see how they were doing since we last saw them (last week, lol).

As the weekend went by, the weather changed from ugly, to beautiful, back to ugly again. When we were finally supposed to go home, we found out that the I-5 was snowed in! Uh-Oh! Luckily, we have a back-up route that goes all the way around. It took us 3 hours, as opposed to the usual 1.5 hours. The drive we took let us see some amazingly beautiful landscapes.

I am going to show a few pictures: some of the kids back home and some of the beautiful mountains, snow, and clouds we encountered. Enjoy!
P.S. Please remember, these are all SOOTC.
Click to enlarge!

Victoria Grace:

Vicky driving:

Jonathan:

The beautiful weather in Arvin, CA:

Driving towards Tehachapi, CA:

You can even see the city way in the background:

I happen to really like trees:

Some amazing colors in the sky:

Some snow-capped mountains:

Really cool looking windmills in Tehachapi, CA:

More Windmills:

Even more windmills, so pretty:

Thanks for looking!
:)

Work-Out Update

Today, I decided to go workout right after classes ended. I was so excited and went straight to the gym here at my apartment complex. Straight to the stationary bicycle I went. I told myself I was going to be there for at least an hour. Well, I didn't realize an hour would go by so slowly and be so painful, lol. It felt so good though. I am the kind of person that thinks: "If I feel it, it must be working!" Well, I don't really want to wake up tomorrow and feel the pain. My bum was sore after getting off the bicycle immediately afterwards... tomorrow is going to be a painful day. At least I can stay in bed and sleep in since I don't have classes on Wednesdays! After the hour, I did 2 reps of 25 arm exercises (one rep for triceps and 1 rep for biceps). I wanted to start low and work my way up over the weeks. Hopefully I can keep to this new work-out routine, unlike the last time I tried it, haha. Hopefully this will help me with my losing weight goals! :)

Wish me luck!

101 in 1001: #18 - Check!

Yay!

I finished our taxes (all by myself) last night! I did the free e-file (through turbotax.com) and both the Federal and State taxes were accepted before I woke up the next morning! Amazing!


I am also happy because with the direct deposit option, I get my money in our account before the end of the month!

Yay!


So I finished my taxes Early, just like I wanted! Woo-Hoo!


#018 - CHECK!

Valentine's Day Cupcakes

Valentine's Day is around the corner and I just had to make some cupcakes for my friends! I always seem to make cupcakes because they are so easy and they're a blast to decorate! I'm going to keep the writing short because I have quite a few pictures to post!

Here goes:

A bunch of Cupcakes:


A Close Up:








All packed ready to take to school:





A Heart!
(Corny, I know, lol)






Little Packages!

For our Neighbors:


Guess what's Inside:


Mini Cupcakes!!
(Duh!)

Thanks for looking!

Hope you all have a
Happy Valentine's Day!

FYI: Just because I make cupcakes doesn't mean I am eating them!
I am sticking to my aforementioned diet and am still on track!

Weight Loss: START!

I just decided to start another one of my goals!
I entered this contest for a free photo-shoot by this amazing photographer and, though I didn't win the contest itself, she is giving me a photo-shoot as an early graduation gift!! How amazing is she!
(I can't really say who she is right now, but maybe sometime in the future)


Anyway, I am determined to lose weight for the shoot and for the Senior Ball (which will be around the same time)! I was so excited when she emailed me to tell me about the shoot that I couldn't sleep! I will track all of my workout and everything I eat with you guys here to keep me on track, so expect a new post just about daily! To help me with this I am using an iPhone App called "Lose It" which tracks all of the calories you eat and the workouts you do. I am super excited and can't wait for April!


This also helps me with my 101 in 1001 because I have a few that include losing weight. Yay! Can't wait! Time to see a new, healthier me!

Job Hunt

I have been counting down the days to graduation since I started school here at Pepperdine way back in August of 2005! Well, I checked my calendar and realized that (since I have Wednesdays off) I only have 37 School Days left of my college career!!
THIRTY-SEVEN! Wow!


Graduation is right around the corner, a little less than three months away, and that means I have to figure out what I am going to do after I graduate, like so many of my classmates! ;)


I was thinking, maybe take a month off, but I think I wouldn't want to ever go back and actually start working, lol. Then I thought, what if I am forced to take a "vacation" for longer than I would want because there are no jobs out there... it's a tough time right now and this recession is not going to help all of the graduating students across the nation! If anyone knows of someone that it hiring and you think I would be a good match (in SoCal please!) let me know. I just started looking for jobs and it's tough... Wish me luck everyone!


Silver lining: GRADUATION IS MAY 2nd 2009!!! YAY!

Movies in 3-D!

Hubby and I went to the movies last weekend and we couldn't decide which movie to watch. Considering we got there pretty late, we had a limited list of movies to choose from. Well, after a few minutes, we decided to watch the movie called "My Bloody Valentine, 3-D" because my photography teacher said that 3-D movies are getting better and better every day.


Wow, was he right!!

It was such an amazing experience! I could not believe how creepy the movie was and how realistic it all seemed. You could almost reach out and touch the bloody pick or the barn door... It was crazy! I have vowed to watch all movies possible in 3-D! Even the preview for the movie Coraline was in 3-D and I want to watch it as well, lol!


If you get a chance to see a 3-D movie, please do so! It is worth the extra $2 you have to pay for the glasses! (At least they're not the kind of cardboard glasses with red/blue plastic taped into the holes. :) -->


Here are some pictures of Hubby and I in our cool, new, advanced 3-d Glasses! They're fun to wear! =]

Aahhh..... so much fun! :)

If you ever watch a 3-D movie, let me know what you think!

Photo Shoot: Brenda R.

A few weeks ago, I took pictures of my cousin, Brenda, and was so happy with how the pictures turned out SOOTC (Straight Out Of The Camera). Once I edited them, I fell in love with them all over again! I am posting the originals as well as the edited versions so you can see what I can do!

Please let me know what you think about them. I hope to do more shoots in the near future!
Thanks for all of the support! :)




P.S. The last one is my absolute favorite! =]

Confessions of a Shopaholic!

OK... so this book was great! I read it very quickly because I couldn't put it down. I remember I stopped reading it to help Hubby wax his car (I know, I'm an amazing wife aren't I!? =]) and I told him, "I keep thinking commercials are going to end and the movie is going to start again, but it's a book and it's waiting for me to finish it!" Haha. Can you believe it!? It was that catchy!
Anyway, I absolutely loved this book and am now convinced that I have to read the rest of Sophie Kinsella's books. I am so excited for the movie to come out and am going to plan a little something with a bunch of friends to watch it together. **(Remember, this was one of my 101 in 1001?!?!)** Look at how amazing the outfits are for this movie! How elaborate! I wish I could spend the money to dress like this... I sooooo would sport 'em! (Ugh stupid money!) Well, hope you decide to read it if you haven't done so yet. I aways thought I was somewhat of a shopaholic, but now I realize I really am not, especially not compared to Rebecca Bloomwood, lol.