Give Thanks

Dude. This post is way over due. seeing as Thanksgiving is over and all...
but i couldn't let a year go by without writing down a few of the wonderful things i am thankful for.

10. A good job -- I love that i am able to help provide for my little family, and that i am able to do it doing something that i am good at and that i love. I have grown to love and adore the girls that i nanny, and i feel so blessed to be a part of their lives.

9. A new house -- I cannot even begin to explain how blessed i feel to be a homeowner at 21. i mean seriously  how many people in their early twenties are fortunate enough to say that they OWN a 4 bedroom, 2 story home! I love my house and can't wait to make so many amazing memories here!

8. A wonderful Choir family -- I am in an amazing Choir called Resonance. My sweet Mother-in-Law is the director, and there are 30 wonderful members of that choir who have become some of my closest friends. I go to rehearsal ever thursday and i know that no matter how my day was, that the next 2 hours  are going to make everything better. I love singing so much. Its my therapy. And i am so glad that I am able to share my talents and do it with people that i love to dearly.

7. Incredible In-Laws -- Okay, i don't care what anyone says. In-Laws are THE BEST! well, at least mine are! Seriously. My mother-in-law is the most caring, genuine, Christ-like person I have ever met. She is always looking out for me, checking in on me and Alex and doing all she can and then some to make sure we are taken care of. She is always willing to help us with anything and I know I can always talk to her about anything. My father-in-law is hilarious! He can always make me laugh, and is also always willing to help Alex and I with anything. He is full of good advice and spiritual guidance. I also adore all of my brothers and sisters in law. They are all just so accepting and loving. I honestly hit the jackpot when it comes to my second family.

6. My best friends -- I have learned so much from the women in life. They have helped me grow into the woman i am today. They have picked me up when i was at the lowest points in my life and they have celebrated with me when I was at the top. They have laughed with me, and they have cried with me. And i know that they will always be there for me, and i am so grateful for that!

5. Diet Dr. Pepper -- so this one is a little silly. but seriously, sometimes DDP is the only thing that gets me through a rough day! I just love it. :)

4. My Family -- I am so close to my family. I talk to my dad on the phone at least 3 times a week, and i go and visit my mom every chance I get. My sister is my dearest friend and my little brother is already such a huge pilliar in my life and he is only 15! I love that I have such strong relationships with my family.

3. Franklin -- our kitten. He's just so cute and cuddly. :)

2. The Gospel -- I'm so blessed to have been born into the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I love it and I do all I can to live it every day.

1. My Sweet Husband -- Guys, my husband is da bomb. He is hard working, dedicated, hilarious, sweet, caring, laid pack, patient, goofy, and so stinking handsome!!! There is so much i could say about him, but mostly i will just say that I love him, and he is so perfect for me.

Well there ya have it! my thankful list for 2012!

Quicky Update

Hi Lovelies.

I want to start off by saying THANK YOU!!!

Thanks to everyone who offered their sweet stories, and let me know that i am not alone in this struggle  and that I CAN DO THIS!

Alighty, so i promised updates on my progress, and any tips that i have been learning.

Well, i will be honest. it really hasn't been easy at all, even with all the wonderful motivation.

I feel like every time i start trying to eat healthy, all that sounds good in the world is pasta, ice cream and french fries. and that makes eating a salad the least enjoyable activity ever. So, i have really had to stretch to come up with healthy meals that aren't strictly made for rabbits. 

some meal examples:

breakfast--

lite yogurt with 1/2 cup granola

two eggs-scrambled

instant oatmeal

banana & whole wheat toast with jam

lunch--

cottage cheese, hot dog and a pear

1/2 cup brown rice, 1/2 an avodado, 15 tortilla chips and 1 cup grapes

4 oz fish fillet, carrots with hummus

dinner--

grilled chicken with brocolli and brown rice

2 oz pasta with shrimp and roasted tomatoes

swiss and mushroom burger (no bun) with green beans

okay, so they are so simple, but so tasty and i don't feel like i am dieting, which is amazing.

one other thing that has helped, is that i don't tell myself that i CAN NOT have any certain thing. i always allow myself to have an oreo, but instead of having 8 like i normally would, i have 2. Instead of eating 2 servings of pasta, i have one and save the other for lunch the next day. I still have ice cream at night, but i put it in a small dish, so it still looks like a lot cuz the small dish is full with one scoop of ice cream, so i still feel like i am getting my treats, but i still lose weight. i also allow myself one cheat meal a week, that way i can still enjoy my date nights with alex or enjoy my moms homemade sunday dinners :)

i have also started to ride my bike at night! huzzah for nice weather!

i just feel so excited for the future! 

I also have to comment on my weekend. 

I was lucky enough to be asked by my dear friend camille if i would take her engagement pictures! 

Of course i said YES PLEASE!

so i flew up to utah saturday morning and spent the day in utah visiting friends and family.

it was such a lovely little break from my normal routine.

But, friday night was also super special.

As many of you know, I am a nanny for a very wealthy family. 

well a few weeks ago, i had to stay over night with the girls for 5 days while the parents were out of town.

it was the longest i have ever had to babysit them, and the parents wanted to shoe their appreciation, so they gave alex and i a gift certificate to an amazing steakhouse in the valley. 

 It was so fun! and we ate way too much (refer to my earlier mentioned 'cheat meal') and it was so nice to be able to splurge and order what ever on earth we wanted because, hey, it wasn't our money!

I love being able to share this journey with you.

thank you again for all the love and support!

OH!! I almost forgot to mention! 

I am down 3 pounds! 

YAY!

Stay tuned for next weeks update! Hopefully i have more happy news! 

xoxo-al

the beginning of a new adventure.

I never thought I would be writing a post about this.
I have always believed that weight loss was a personal thing and that it didn't need to be shared with everyone.
But then I tried dieting and I realized that i am the type of person who needs people to hold me accountable for what i eat and how active i am.
So i figured, this blog is the perfect platform to do that.

The other day, i posted about my struggles on Facebook, and I was overwhelmed and touched by the support I got from my sweet friends! I am so thankful that I have such wonderful women in my life who understand my struggles and want so badly to help me succeed!

That support helped boost my self confidence and determination to do something about my weight issues.

But before we jump into my future plans-- a little back story.

I have always been "a fat kid".
I hit puberty early, and so by age 9, i was already much bigger than all the other little kids my age. Not to mention that at this time in my life i was living in Madrid, Spain. So i was surrounded by unfamiliar faces and a culture who didn't understand childhood obesity. I was teased and bullied for my size and i dealt with my hurt feelings the only way i knew how. i ate.

12 years old

Then when i was 12 I came home to Arizona and started 6th grade. I was still bullied and made fun of, but at least i had made some friends who were in the same situation that I was. That helped, but i still ate my feelings.

Junior high was a blur, and I luckily made some life long friends who accepted me for who i was, and i was able to feel more normal. So the emotion eating stopped a bit. I was still bigger, but i didn't feel like a bad person for being that way.

15 years old

In high school, things got better and better. I made more amazing friends, i was in amazing choirs, i was in weight training, and i felt like i was getting a handle on everything. Sure, i never had a boyfriend, and didn't even get asked on many dates, but i didn't blame that on my size.
but then Senior year, i overheard some boys talking about who they were going to ask to prom, and my name was mentioned. but then the words, "don't ask her, shes a fatty" were spoken.

lets just say that tears were shed.

16 years old

 i was angry and frustrated and for once in my life i turned to exercise and healthy eating instead of emotional overeating. in the last 6 month of my senior year i lost 25 pounds and I never felt to good. Granted i still wasn't a size 4, and i still didn't have dates. But i didn't care because I felt like for once i was in control of my life.

17 years old

25 pounds lost

At my thinnest. 18 years old.
i weighed 165lbs

i kept up this healthy eating through the first 2 years of college. right up until my first true heartbreak. as dramatic as it sounds, breaking up with my college boyfriend tore me up, and i immediately went back to my old habits. i quickly gained 10 pounds. and thus, the weight roller coaster began again.

A few months later, i met Alex, (now my husband). He loved me for me, and in return i was able to love myself again and begin to eat right again and slowly those 10 pounds of breakup weight went away.

19 years old

fast forward 2 years into our marriage, and here i am. writing this blog. Marriage is great, Alex still loves me for me, and that's wonderful. but somewhere in these last two years I have gained back those 25 pounds.

20 years old

21 years old

I feel like i am back in my senior year, and i can still hear those boys' evil words.

 "She's. A. Fatty."

And i don't want to be that sad girl anymore who hates what she sees in the mirror.
I don't want to feel like my husband doesn't want to look at me.
I mean heck, I don't like looking at myself, so why would he.
i don't want to be the girl that cries in the dressing room at old Navy because her usual size jeans are now too small.
I don't want to be the girl who turns to food if she had a bad day.

So I'm beginning this new phase.
Eating healthy.
being Active.
No more emotional eating.

You might have to read more sad, venting posts though, because instead of eating, i'll be here.

I hope i will have your support and encouragement and that you will want to experience this weight loss journey with me.

 i will keep posting photos of my journey, as i don't care about a number on a scale, the size of my jeans or the measurements of my hips. but rather, i just want to feel happy in my body.

Thank you, thank you.
:)

Cha-Cha-Cha-Changes

I sit here in a bit of a stupor, a little bit hazy and a lot bit frightened.
I sit here with butterflies in my stomach.
I sit here, looking over at my husband of 1.5 years, wondering how we got to this point in life so quickly.
I sit here, a little sad to be closing a chapter in our book.
I sit here, so excited for what lies ahead.

Tonight is the last night in our apartment.
Tomorrow we move into our house.
We move into a big house, with lots of big responsibilities.
We move to a new town.
We are leaving behind everything that is familiar.
Diving head first into something totally foreign.

It's fun to look back on the last 16 months spent in Playa Palms Apartments.
So many firsts.
But it is so fun, to be able to look forward to life in this new house.
Imagining all the first we will have there?
It's so wonderful to have new beginnings.

A chance to start over.
To resolve to change for the better.
To want to study more, love more, grow more.
To be more patient.
To have better relationships.
To step out of my comfort zone.

I think that this new chapter will be such a wonderful opportunity for my relationship with my husband to blossom more than it ever has. 
We get to make so many new decisions in this house.
What to do after Alex graduates.
When to have kids.
What color to paint the kitchen.
(not all the decisions need to be life altering ;)

All in all, i would say i'm excited.
Scared, but very excited.
We have been working so hard to be able to do this.
And we are so fortunate.

I love my husband.
I love my new house.
I love my Heavenly Father.

Here goes nothing.

;)

LA Baby

I don't know why it takes me so long to blog about things...
Well yes i do, it's my insane schedule that makes it kinda hard, but still, you'd think i would have a little motivation.
Anyway, a few weeks back Alex and I were able to go on our one and only Summer Vacation! We saved up for about 3 months and finally had enough to make the drive out to LA for 3 days!
Planning this trip was so fun, and so different. Usually there is always someone else involved in the decision making. My mom, my best friend, my grandma... But this time it was just Alex and I. We picked out whatever hotel we wanted, we chose what restaurants we wanted to try, we made up our schedule! This was the first trip that we had alone since our honeymoon, so needless to say, we were pretty excited!

Finally Saturday morning rolled around and I was just itching to get on the open road. We packed up our bags, a few snacks and some games and we were on our way. The trip there was fun, driving in the early morning, no traffic. But no traffic means no need to go slow. And no need to go slow means that you go 84 in a 65 zone. And going 84 in a 65 zone means that you get pulled over. Haha, Alex was freaking out, he was so worried that we wouldn't' be able to make it to LA in time after talking to the officer. But lucky for us, the officer was so super nice and asked us where we were headed, and when we said, LA to see a dodgers game, he let us go with just a warning! Thank the Heavens for baseball ;)

The rest of the drive went off without a hitch. I loved driving through Palm Springs and seeing all the windmills.

It look us a little over 5 hours to make the trip, and we immediately went to our hotel to wash up and get ready to go to the LA Temple. I cant remember the last time i was SO excited to do a session! I couldn't wait to see inside a different temple besides the other 2 i have been in, Mesa and Jordan River :) And let me just tell you that the LA temple did NOT disappoint! I couldn't believe how gorgeous it was! And it was so so huge! I was in awe the whole time. 

I love that we started off our trip at the temple. It kinda set the stage for the most wonderful vacation ever. 

After the session, we just decided to walk around downtown LA and find a place to eat.

We were so lucky to come across Pomodoro. This small little italian restaurant right on Santa Monica Blvd. It was gorgeous. We walked in and they went to seat us, and they offered us two different tables. The first was a large 6 seater in the middle of the crowded room, and the second was a secluded little table for 2 off in the corner right by the window. We obviously chose the secluded table. and enjoyed our incredibly romantic dinner. The food was amazing and the company wasn't half bad either ;)

After dinner we hurried back to the hotel to rest up, since in the morning we headed to Knott's Berry Farm! I was so excited to go since I had never been before. And Alex was so excited to take me since it is his favorite theme park. Plus it's not very often that we do something that I haven't already done... so Alex owned the day, showing me around and telling me all about the rides. I LOVED the whole day. It was a gorgeous day, not too hot with a nice breeze. And there were hardly any people at the park. We never waited in line longer than about 20 minutes. So amazing! I am so glad I married someone who loves thrill rides as much as me. And I was even surprised that on a few rides I was more afraid than he was. I loved the old wooden roller coaster, Ghostrider! But my all time favorite was the Silver Bullet. it's one of those coasters that you hang from and your feet are dangling and it's so crazy scary, but so amazingly fun at the same time! I think we rode that one at least 7 times. 

We rode every single ride in the park, well besides the kiddie rides, but we even rode the water ride! We stayed bone dry for the whole ride, until the very last drop that takes you back to were you get off... This huge tidal wave comes and just lands in my lap... haha it was so funny! 

It was such a great day. We ended the day by going back to the hotel and ordering a pizza and watching cable. I honestly can't think of a better way to end a day :)

The next morning we took it easy and had a late breakfast, then headed out the LA's Fashion District to do a little shopping. It was so fun to just walk around with alex and shop and barter and eat street hot dogs. plus Alex is the best husband and said that we couldn't leave until i have bought something. No complaining here. So we shopped until i found the most perfect purse ever. Bonus, it was only $12. I love it so much! 

After we left the fashion district we still had a little bit of time to kill, so we went to the Grove mall... now mind you this isn't just any mall. This is the most fancy outdoor mall i have ever seen! There was a beautiful courtyard with a pond and fountains and bridges and street bands and people dancing and sitting at outdoor cafes. It seriously looked like something straight out of a movie. 

They had the most magnificent movie theater i had ever seen, and we were so impressed that we decided to go see The Dark Knight Rises. it was phenomenal and it was extra fun seeing it in such an amazing theater. After the movie we just walked around and window shopped at stores that we could never afford anything in. :) 

^^ see what I mean, that mall is incredible.

Okay, and now this was my favorite part of our trip! 

THE BASEBALL GAME!!!!

okay and back story real fast in case you don't know, alex and i LOVE baseball and we have a goal to see a MLB game in every stadium across America (Plus the one stadium in Toronto Canada)

We were so pumped for this game, and we planned the trip around it so that we would be in LA while the DBacks were playing the Dodgers! How perfect is that! We rushed to the stadium and took a bunch of pictures and bought our traditional souvenir (a Logo pin from the Home team) and bought some dinner. Then found our seats. We had great seat on the first base line, about 15 rows back! so awesome. 

We wore our Dbacks shirts, so all the surrounding LA fans kinda joked that we were in the wrong place, but everyone was really really nice and we even sat by an older man and his wife who are doing the same thing we are. They are ahead of us though, and they have been to 18 stadiums! So it was really fun to talk to them! 

The Game was amazing, and it was even better because we totally creamed the Dodgers! :) That's always fun to do, especially at an away game! 

We took some more pictures after the game, but then sadly we had to head straight home. 

It was a super long drive, and a lot less fun this time. We were both so sleepy, but we did make it home safe and sound and took Tuesday off work to just stay home and recoup :)

It was a great trip! :) 

What has been your favorite Summer Vacation??

xoxo