Over did it..

So we made it through W2D3 Sunday, but we over did it. We were in TOO much pain. Scale of 1-10 for us was roughly 9 EACH that night! We are taking time off from street running, but still exercising. We bought new shoes, I got Brooks and Nicole got Asics - we don't want to get out of them, esp. 250 bucks later. We did the elliptical a couple nights ago and were going to "take it easy" but we didn't.. so we had to take yesterday off and tonight we're going to attempt to "take it easy" on the elliptical again. We're hoping to start up street running by the end of the week or early next! Heating, Massages, Icing, Ace Bandage, Resting, New Shoes.. I think we've got it all covered, something's gotta work!

Yesterday when I got home, our Hunky boy was itching his eyes and sure enough they were all poofy! We started him right up on Benedryl and thank goodness we had some leftover steriods, so far it has already started to improve, poor baby.

Welp, off for 2 days together, looking forward to the New Year!

Happy New Year Everyone, hope it's a great one!!

The Holidays are here!

Good morning!

Couple things to update about. First of all, what a month it's been!

Dress Shopping went GREAT! It was AMAZING to see Nicole in a wedding dress! I totally got butterflies and it just really brought everything we've been planning together for me, like it's HERE!! :) Fortunately, the dresses she tried on really helped to narrow down her search by style. She looked beautiful in all of them! The bridesmaids dresses were quite the success as well. The girls tried on about 4 different styles, that we like, but it's just a matter of making it work for everyone! We still have some shopping to do there.

We're 99% done with our Christmas shopping, thank goodness! I just have maybe a couple more stocking stuffers left to get for both Duncan and Nicole. Most presents are wrapped and under the tree! We're really looking forward to Christmas with our families!

Duncan is doing great! Lazy Dunc as always, except when we take him to play! Yesterday, as I was leaving to come back to work after my lunch break, I realized I left my messenger bag upstairs in the house. It wasn't even 2 minutes that had passed that I ran back upstairs to get it, walked into the house and there was no Dunc insight! He was on our BED!!! You see, when we leave him out, we make him get on his spot, throw a treat to him and tell him to be a good boy... just like we do if we crate him... but really, he doesn't stay on his spot or even anywhere else, but our bed I'm sure! Keeps it nice a warm for us!! LOL It's the cutest damn thing ever! Love him!

Nicole, Tammy and I are doing Couch 2 5k and we're on Week 2, just plugging right along! We all have heart rate monitors and enjoy at the end of it sharing our numbers! Nicole and I have encountered some pretty bad shin splits. They're a little different though. Nicole's are REALLY bad during our run, but fortunately for her go away the next day. For me, they're just bad. My left shin is worse than my right, but it hasn't gone away. We're thinking new shoes (poss. inserts for Nicole) might just do the trick. Week 2 Day 2 is tonight. Even though the pain is there, we're still enjoying it and do look forward to it. Along with that, we've been calorie-counting and have been pretty successful there as well! I'm down 5lbs today and Nicole is down 6lbs (little shit lol).

At it again!

Good morning everyone!

We're on a roll; like butter HA! Nicole and I have been back to calorie counting for the last 8 days and already results! I've lost 4lbs and Nicole has lost 5lbs! We're pretty happy with that, but like I always say consistency is key! One of the main factors that got us motivated again was our dress appt on Sunday. Even though I won't be trying on, it's been nice to be motivated for her and with her for my own good as well. Plus, we have a cruise coming up in February, so we gotta get on it.. and what better timing, I mean our wedding is like 8 months away! EEK! LOL jk!

I have been working a ton and when I say that I mean it! Not only have I been working like 6-7 days in row before 1 or 2 off, but I've been working OT as well. I just can't seem to get everything I want done in an 8 hr shift, but I'm not complaining, I love it! Nicole's job has been keeping her on her toes as well, she's busy and glad to be off edocs doing new things!

Duncan... poor baby boy! Last week he was a mess, this week he's better. I made a big mistake and tossed a treat up in the air near the railing and when he jumped up to get it he hit his chin on it and chipped a front tooth. Took him to the vet, it's gonna be alright as long as it doesn't get infected... the pulp was exposed and he was in some pain (was drinking water differently and moving his mouth like it hurt), but that seems to have subsided. Also, he had a minor ear infection we were able to catch and treat with some medicine, that's gotten better as well. I also made the mistake in talking to the vet about his weight! I was so excited he reached 79.4lbs cause he was 77 for 2 years, but the vet wasn't happy with that. Duncan has been getting fed 4 cups of food a day and he challenged us to feeding him 3, we have been and so far it hasn't seemed to phase him any; even tho this Mama loves to feed her boy!

Tonight we have wine\hanging out plans with Bobi our neighbor friend after work! Then Nicole and I have tomorrow and Saturday off to plan and prepare for Bake day! We're really looking forward to it!

All for now; I'm gonna go work out for 30 mins before I have to be @ work @ 11!

~ Jen

I can't believe its Dec. 1st!!

This year has gone by so quickly, we are so close to 2010 and that blows me AWAY!! LOL

We have had such a great (but insanely busy) holiday season already and there is so much more to come!! The Wednesday before Thanksgiving we started a new tradition in the Kimpel-Sheldon household. Baking and Bellini's!!! We made yummy Bellini's and baked for the coming day. We made a Pumpkin Pecan quick bread, 4 dozen chocolate chip cookies and a Paradise Pumpkin pie. The timer for the oven we off at exactly 11:59! Woo Hoo!!

Thanksgiving we had breakfast and a Black Friday planning meeting at my parents house, it was so yummy and I think is a great start to the off years where we won't all be together for Thanksgiving!!

Jen and I then went over to her Mom and Russ's house for Thanksgiving and cooked together and had a great day. Our feast was SO good!!

Friday Morning at 2:45 am brought Black Friday!! Danielle, Janae, Krista and I met at Kohls at 3:30 for their 4am opening!! We hit 8 stores in 5 1/2 hours, it was insane and SUPER fun!!! I have named us the Crazy Black Friday Sisters!!!

Friday night we went over to Jen's mom's house to visit with cousins, Brad and Lacey. They came in from Utah for Thanksgiving and it was great to visit with them and the rest of the family!


Saturday morning through the afternoon was preparing for Kim's surprise 50th birthday party. Jen and I met Russ at Costco and Party City and got all the goods. Jen then took her mom for a pedicure and shopping to get her out of the house. The party went off without a hitch and we all had a great time!!

Sunday we spent some time around the house in the morning and decorated for Christmas in the evening!! We LOVE our tree and are totally in the Christmas spirit!! I don't have any pictures yet but they will be up on FB soon.

For our Christmas gifts to each other we booked ourselves on a CRUISE!!!! We are really looking forward to it, its a 7 day Mexican Riviera with stops in Cabo, Mazatlan and Puerto Vallarta in Feb. We will be going with my Mom and Dad and Sister, Danielle, and her husband Jason. Janae has graciously decided to stay home and be the dog watcher for the week and then she will get to do something fun on her spring break. We are all really excited and can't wait till it gets here!

Around April - June we are looking to get pre-qualified to buy another property (so if anyone is or will be looking to rent a 1 bed/bath let us know). We really want something with another bedroom/bathroom and a yard for our Duncan!!

And something we are really excited for right now......DRESS SHOPPING for the bridesmaids and possibly me on Dec. 13th! So Exciting!!

Thanks for reading....hope you enjoyed the update!! :)

Nicole

Why is it that??

Why is it that? I find myself asking this all the time, but especially right now! Why is it that Nicole found a new way to get motivated and that in turn motivated me, but not 4 days later I come down with the flu?? Last week I was practically dead to the world, ALL WEEK. This doesn't make for easy dieting on anyone! I couldn't eat really for 3 days, but that means Nicole wasn't making herself dinner.. once I got my appetite back I wanted everything in sight! This didn't help either of us. We haven't really worked out in about a month to be honest. We were back to "Let's lose some weight before gaining muscle!"... because losing weight I don't care who you are makes all the difference in attitude above and beyond gaining muscle (aka weight)!!

Nicole said yesterday "I guess I'll just be a fat bride.." but I just don't even think she is fat. When I look at her all I see is a sexy beautiful woman! This doesn't help her.. lol and we're just not helping each other because we're weak. We have lost some strength and most of our motivation.. at least for today and the last week or so, but we'll get it back.

It was funny because a couple days ago I said.. let's go (insert bad place) and we'll be good after that! Or how about this one.. "At least we keep saying, we'll have a good month, EVERY MONTH!" We haven't given up all the way, every day dieting and being good is on our minds, but actions speak louder than words (even when they're in your head!) I do know... Anyhow, some encouraging words would be much appreciated!!!

PS - I'm starving right now!

Empire State of Mind

Some of you may know what happened with my little brother Jonathan, but I wanted to update you and let you know things are looking up. He will be going to Full Circle Treatment Center very soon as well as get back in school! My Mom and Russ have shown tremendous strength and patience with him and I have faith they will be able to overcome this with Jon. It's been really nice watching them unite during this tough time. A lot is really coming around for our family.

Work couldn't be better for me. I had the best review yet. I have really worked hard to get where I am and I'm not stopping yet! I love my job and it's obvious, I know, but I really am grateful for it. In my review my manager and I discussed my roles and upcoming promotion. Currently, I'm "transitioning" into the Senior Analyst role and she said when the money is available she will give it to me. I love this new role, even though I'm just getting a taste. I'm able to monitor and escalate within the senior ticket queue as well as send out our one minute meetings. I love taking on more responsibility! On top of that, I had a review with my sup. and he wants me to be sort of the "moral specialist" because we can really use it around here. We have a few guys burned out and just really in a slump. I hope I can help with that!

Nicole's work is going good too. She's starting to become more involved with large projects, testing, etc.. this has been really good for her. I'll let her elaborate next time she blogs or something! I just know what a difference it has made in her attitude with work and her self-esteem and it's all good!

Duncan has been the best boy. For awhile we've been on the "we want another puppy" kick, but that seems to have subsided, at least for now. He's just REALLY good, REALLY happy, and loves his life and we love it with him! Not sure the risk is worth it for our household...

Working out - we've been very consistent with it, but we're not dropping weight. I can definitely feel a difference in my jeans, Nicole says she can't really, but I can on her! I feel better all around. I've had a lot of back and right leg pain and working out has definitely strengthened me and taken some of that pain away. I actually enjoy cardio, I really get into the treadmill and am just starting to get into the elliptical - you burn SO many more calories on the elliptical! We're 2 days away from measuring and I'm really hoping to see some results!

All for now, gotta get back to work.

~ Jen

PS - love the new JAY-Z album Blueprint 3 - favorites are Empire State of Mind, Venus vs. Mars, and On to the next one

An evening @ home..

Often times I find myself wondering where the time goes after I get off work... I seem to hardly ever have time to relax, but I'm okay with that. Yesterday I was thinking about this and sorta watched how my evening @ home went. Here it goes..

Got off work 3pm, Nicole needed a new shirt (so I went to Old Navy and bought us a few new shirts...) grabbed us an Iced Coffee from Starbucks and brought it all to her. Got home about 4pm, took Duncan potty and played Frisbee! for a little bit. Jumped on the laptop for a few mins before I knew it Nicole came home from work, I now was on the phone with my oldest sister Lisa.. We both got ready to go work out, went to work out about 6pm and got back around 7pm. Fed our Duncan. Made us dinner, unloaded and loaded the dishwasher while Nicole ran Duncan down.. ate dinner. Cleaned up our mess, walked down to the garden to pick some tomatoes and bell peppers. Got back home, started a load of laundry and switched the other. Both took showers, switched the loads, folded a load while Nicole was watching TV, blow dried hair.. took Duncan out again, watched SYTYCD and it was bed time @ 10:30pm.

See it's never ending I tell ya! I wouldn't have it any other way because we are WAY productive!

Some updates for ya!

Gosh, so much has been happening for us! All kinds of good stuff! I'm not going to focus on the bad stuff, that's just not my nature! :)

Okay, so first of all, Gelato Thursday was a hit! We officially have our wedding party! I will have Kerrie (Sister), Dana (Brother), Jon (Brother), Christie (Cousin) and Kara (Longest Best Friend) stand up with me and Nicole will have Tammy (Mom), Danielle (Sister), Janae (Sister) stand up with her. This is SO exciting and we couldn't be any more proud and ecstatic to have such important and amazing people stand up for and support us!

Secondly, we're changing up our diet! We haven't been too successful with just calorie counting. We've been doing it for a LONG time and have just plateaued I think. We're going to start adding more protein to our diet as well as working out. So far we've accomplished working out 3 days this week and it's not even over yet! Pretty optimistic, but we realize it's consistancy that is key which of course is the hardest part.

Lastly, our boy Duncan is 99% better. Just has a little healing around his eyes where he needs to grow some hair back, but is doing great otherwise! He has been playful again, drinking more normal amounts of water and just looks SO much better.

Happy Friday everyone! We actually have this whole weekend off together and are really looking forward to it.

RCWilley BABY!

Real quick updates:

1. We paid off our RCWilley credit card 1 month early and avoided ALL Interest in doing so! We're so happy for this moment, now onto the next debt! :)

2. Week 15 we were both within 1lb of our lows. Week 16 will be better!

3. Had dinner with Christie and Bogdan last night and it was great! Who wants to come over for dinner next? First one to comment wins!!!

4. Excited for the Hyatt visit with Nicole's family on Monday night to check it out and get more ideas. Deposit was officially put down 8/12!

5. Looking forward to Gelato Thursday, it's a big one!!! ;)

Hi, Nicole here!

Last time I blogged I didn’t get any comments, not nice people! I expect some love this time. ;)

So, the last couple weeks have been kind of a whirlwind and I have So much to tell you all about!! Here is kind of a Table of Contents: School, Cupcakes, and Wedding.

First, big things on the school front. So Jen’s cousin Christie was telling us about her adventures in transferring from a JC to a university, she mentioned that there were 2 classes that she would have to retake because they were over 7 years old and that anything over 7 years EXPIRES. I almost choked on my lunch. You see I started school right after High School and yes folks I just had my 10 YEAR REUNION!!! So I called Sac State and found out that it is true. :( So I called some private online schools (Chapman, Heald, Phoenix etc..) and they will take credits over 7 years old. BUT none of them had a program that would satisfy the prerequisites for the masters in midwifery program and they were all over $400 per unit!! So I weighed out all my options, #1 start over and retake everything, which would put me out of school in 2016ish (NO THANKS!) #2 Get a Bach. Degree at a private online college and retake all the classes I need (and be in major debt) or #3 end that chapter of my life and move onto bigger and better things. I chose, with Jen’s awesome support and some input from my family, to move on. Jen and I want to have a family and going to school for a longer period of time and racking up major debt is not conducive to that dream. One thing really made the decision for me, if someone asked me choose one and only one right now, what would it be family or degree…easy decision…no hesitation…family. So right now we are living without a plan, just living and enjoying all the new found free time. We are loving our time together!! Babies are in the future (relax people and read the rest) but we will have our wedding first and we want to be in a house before we start our family. Living in a one bedroom condo with a Lab and a baby just isn’t what we have in mind. So when the market turns around and we are able to either sell this place or rent it out, we will buy a house. If that’s tomorrow GREAT, if it’s in a year GREAT. We’ll see.

Another path we have started out on is the cupcake industry. After making the cakes for my Dad’s 50th birthday party a friend of ours and a great artist (check out her amazing pieces at http://www.michellebrunmier.com/) asked if we would make mini cupcakes for her next show. So we did and we LOVED every minute of it!! People have always complimented my baking and I have always loved baking and creating desserts. Together Jen and I make a great team and we are hoping to start a little side business. The last two things we have done, Dad’s b-day and the art show, Jen has done the baking part and I have done the frosting/decorating part. Who knows where it will lead us, we might have our own bakery some day! We think we would call it Cupcake Co. (with a ♥ for the o) and our slogan would be “For The ♥ Of Frosting!” Cute huh! :) We had business cards out at her show and of the 20 we left, 12 were taken!! Michelle said she heard people raving about them all night and saying “these would be perfect for my ______” so we are really optimistic. This makes me rethink making cupcakes for our wedding….I think it’s do-able! But we’ll see! LOL So, if anyone needs cupcakes for an event….let us know! We would be happy to be of service!!

About the wedding, as of tomorrow our deposit and contract are finalized with the Hyatt Regency in downtown Sacramento. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our venue and can’t wait to dive deeper into the planning! We have so many ideas and thoughts, it will be nice when it all starts coming together and when things are being checked off the list. There will be lots more blogs about wedding stuff as it gets closer! I know you are all so excited! ;)

So that’s it….currently Jen is laying on the bed on the laptop and Dunc is laying up on the other pillow! LOL Just thought I would give you all a little glimpse into life at our house at this very moment!!!

Thanks for reading!

Nicole

Up and Down!

It's been awhile since either of us have posted, so here it goes.

Week 11 - I was up 3lbs and Nicole up 2.5lbs (Excuse (LOL): VACATION BABY! :) Keep in mind we had to eat out every single meal. (Lisa and Chad cooked us steak dinner one night and it was amazing) Dad's fridge wasn't working among many other things...)

Week 12 - I was up another 2lbs and Nicole just .5 (Excuse: she doesn't eat baked goods and chocolate like I do, she's a good girl when it's that time of the month!)

Week 13 - YAY, we're actually down from Week 12. Jen - 1.5lbs and Nicole - 1lb. We started to get back on track and are anticipating a better Week 14, but more importantly a better August! We don't have TOO many plans in August that would contribute to weight gain, so stay tuned! We're not too far away from our lows and can't wait to drop some more!

As you have probably seen on our Facebook we had a great time in So. Cal of course with some exceptions. Let's just say my Dad is going through some changes and definitely needs some prayer in his life and sent his way! Seeing Lisa (my sister) and her family was amazing. They are doing so well and it was so great to get in as much time as we did with them. We're hopeful they will make a trip up here soon!

I will let Nicole post when she is ready about some changes headed our way.. So nobody freaks, it's about school vs. family planning.. Timing is everything and don't we all wish we could predict the future sometimes!!! :)

Week 10 and workin' hard!

Okay, wow so I turned over blogging rights to Nicole for the last two weeks and she just hasn't had time, so here it is!

Last two weeks have been busy, stressful, good, fun, among many other things! We have really just been trying to maintain and that we have been able to do. Today, Week 10 weigh in we're both just up .5lbs from our lows. I've got -14.5lbs and Nicole has -15.5lbs under her belt! Still household total of 30lbs! Our weight is fluctuating quite a bit week to week, but we always manage to stay on track and work hard to get it back! I say we're living a healthy lifestyle with exceptions!

Nicole got an A in her Group Communications class and has started Psychology of Social Processes which she feels comfortable about! Lots of test and quiz taking, but she's good at that! :)

Work has been the same and steady for both of us; we're so grateful. Last month we were able to pay 800 on our RC Willey and have just 900 left! 500 this month and 400 next and we're done! I'm so proud of us! The no Starbucks has really contributed along with dieting because we just rarely dine out. I can say now that Starbucks daily is a thing of the past for me. Last time I filled my Starbucks card up was in April! Hard to believe, but now I can't believe I didn't do it sooner!

August will be an exciting month for us! We're going to put our first deposit down @ the Hyatt and take Nicole's family to check it out with us! Good news about that also... we don't have to use our Savings\Emergency Fund for it. We can afford it!

Hard work is paying off and things are just amazing in this household. We are so blessed!

Eating Right pays off for Week 7

Great results for Week 7! Jen -4.5lbs (-15total) Nic -3.5lbs (-14total) for a combined of 29lbs!! We rocked this week! We had a bad weekend, but we're pretty sure it makes our metabolism work extra hard during the good part of the week! At least it proved true for this week!

Nicole shared something with me yesterday. She had an epiphany about food. She doesn't feel like she's getting jipped if the portion or flavor of what we're eating isn't exactly the best AND food isn't the first thing on her mind! This is a huge step for her, I can't say it's the same for me yet, but it will definitely help both of us!

We've been eating Eating Right dinners about 3 nights a week. For lunches we have a tuna or chicken sammies. We're big fans of Orowheat Sandwich thins! You oughta try them! We haven't had much time for working out or wii fitting to be honest, but the weight loss is priority anyhow. Not to say we're not going to work out, we just haven't been! :)

Starbucks is completely gone from my daily routine. No more habit\addiction whatsoever. In fact, I just went to Starbucks with Christie yesterday and got a Black Tea because the mocha's and coffee's don't quite do it for me anymore! I like the ones I make better! It has saved us SO much money. 1lb of coffee a week @ 10bucks, Half\Half @ 4bucks and Sweetener @ 5bucks (lasts about 2 weeks or so) - based on our usage we spend about 15-18 per week making them at home vs. 50-70 going to Starbucks!! YES!

That's all for now! Hope everyone has a great weekend!

Nicole did awesome in Week 6!

The scale was pretty good to me, but even better to Nicole! We had a GREAT weekend last weekend which consisted of wine and mexican food among other things. We poured our hearts out this week and it really paid off!

Running Totals are:

Nicole - 11.5lbs and broke a HUGE barrier, now she has to hold on tight to it! ;)
Jen - 10.5lbs which is up .5 from last week, but I'm stickin' to it!
Household total - 22lbs, so we had a net loss because Nicole did GREAT!

I'm just about to go get ready for work, I work 11-8 today, which is nice since Nicole doesn't get home until about 9. We do Gelato Thursdays, so we're looking forward to that! Then I have two days in a row off and 1 with Nicole, Life is good!

Oh and I do need to mention how awesome Nicole is just one more time, she got an A on her mid-term!!!

Hope everyone has a great weekend. We are attending Second Saturday in Downtown and a wine party that night. It's gonna be a great weekend!

Barriers for Week 5!

Week 5 has ended on a positive note! We both lost, bringing our total to 21lbs combined! I broke a big barrier and Nicole is 1lb from breaking her big one! I'm down 11lbs and Nicole is down 10lbs! We are so happy with our progress and cannot help but look forward to the next weeks to come! We want it so bad and we're working so hard!

On the Starbucks note.. it has been 25 days since I purchased one and before today it had been 20 since I had one! This morning my cousin Christie and I had plans to go to my (old hehe) Starbucks! Would you believe it if I told you the Store Manager called me this morning to make sure Nicole and I were okay because they hadn't seen us in over 3 weeks!!! LOL The timing is funny to me since I had plans to go today! When Christie and I met there the Store Manager ran up and gave me a hug! Everyone else said hi and asked how we were doing, it was awesome! I'm so proud of myself for breaking this expensive habit! We both are REALLY enjoying our Faux Bucks! Savings = roughly $150 so far!

Nicole's class is going really good! She got 39/40 on her presentation last week and is taking her mid-term today! I'm so proud of her!

Hope everyone has a Happy Friday tomorrow and enjoys the weekend. We're going wine tasting on Sunday with some GREAT friends for the first time in Apple Hill and really looking forward to it!

"Live your life!"

Gosh, time flies when you're having fun and boy have we have been having fun! From Birthday parties to Family BBQ's all the way to tanning and playing with Duncan (AKA TenderPaw, its his Indian name)! Life is just really amazing and Nicole and I are very grateful.

This is Nicole's second week of school and so far so good. She is doing her first presentation tonight and is a little nervous. I helped her make her visual and practice last night and she did excellent, I know she's going to do just as good in class! Can't wait to hear how it went.

Work has been really busy for Nicole and I. In these times it's a blessing! Especially because of the financial goals we have been working towards. Our plan to pay off our RC Willey debt by Aug\Sept is on track and that feels really good. We've only got 1700 to go and in June can make a 700 payment. Can't wait to be done with it! Along with that, NO STARBUCKS STILL! I'm very proud of myself and us. It has been 19 days now! They say after 21 days a habit is broken, well I'm right there! HUGE savings and I know we'll really start seeing the figures in the next month or so. Plus, we RARELY eat out, not even once a week sometimes. To give you an idea of how bad it used to be... BOTH MEALS OUT EVERY DAY! That's a lot of dough and calories!! LOL Glad we're done with that too!

Week 4 has officially weighed in and we're down!
Nicole lost 1.5lbs - 9lbs total
Jen lost 1lb - 9lbs total
Grand Total 18lbs! We didn't meet our goal of 20, but next week we will! We splurged quite a bit this weekend and practically starved and worked our tails off to accomplish what we had gained and then lose a little more on top of it! I hate that, but it's worth it at the same time! I look forward to next weeks results!

My Dad got his own apartment in Huntington Beach and we just planned a trip to go see him in July. We're going July 17th-July 20th. We haven't been down in some time, so it'll be nice. I hardly ever get to spend time with the Sheldon side of the family (Dad and Sister) mostly due to distance, so this will be great. I'm hoping to see my Sister Lisa and her fiance Chad along with my niece Kayla and nephews Ricky and Jake! I wish they were closer so it wouldn't have to be so far and few in between visits! Anyway, we're really looking forward to that.

Gonna call it a night now! Hope you all enjoyed the update!

PS - Just talked to Nicole, she's on her way home from school and she thinks she DID REALLY GOOD on her presentation\speech! YES!

Ohh yeah Week 3!

I'm off today and should be sleeping in, but the excitement got to me this morning! Nicole was giving me kisses bye before she left for work and I uttered the dreadful words, "Did you go down?" She responded with "Yes, 1lb!" We gave each other a high five and she left and I had my alarm set for 9am... I tossed and turned and my stomach told me I was hungry and my abs were hurting from the Wii Fit kicking my butt and suddenly I got excited and anxious to weigh myself. I rolled out of bed, boy did that hurt, weighed and sure enough down 1lb too! We have gotten our lows back and dropped below them!

Week 3 Jen -1.5lbs = Total 8lbs
Week 3 Nicole -1lbs = Total 7.5lbs
Kimpel - Sheldon Grand Total - 15.5lbs

We're kicking butt and taking no names! (That's for you Tammy!)

I've been tanning a little bit here and there and that sun sure does make me feel good! Nicole has been going to school in the evening which makes her feel good and we're just really on track! I hope we have a bigger loss next week! That's what we're working towards! A household grand total of 20lbs would be awesome!

Another great thing - Nicole won her American Idol pool at work ($125.00)! First place! Oh yeah! Go Kris! We're so glad he won!

Please keep up with encouragement and tough love, we really do need and appreciate it! ;)

PS - No Starbucks purchase for 12 days!!!! 5/9 is still the last time! I love making them at home and Nicole does too! Saved us over 100 so far!

Week 2, I'm not lovin' you!

Another week has passed and we didn't lose, but it's okay because we maintained our big drop last week. We're still working very hard and it seems as though one bad day (Mother's Day) makes you really pay for it. It's a very hard balance between not feeling deprived and being good. At least I find it difficult. I have been walking a LOT and have my pedometer on my side to track my steps. I walked about 6k steps Tues, 10k steps Wed and today I'm at 5k, but the night isn't over. Walking on my breaks and walking Duncan HAS really helped and I actually enjoy it. Nicole and I went for a walk last night and it was perfect out! We are going to try to do that more which will be harder since she starts school next week. She'll be in school 6pm-9pm Tues thru Thurs for the next 7 weeks, but we will still find time.

Update on the Starbucks habit that was... LOL!! I can say WAS! WOW. I haven't purchased a Starbucks since Saturday morning 5/9 and that was only because we were out of half and half. Nicole went to the store that very afternoon and got it for us. I've made them all week! I actually can't believe it.. I almost went today because I've been craving cold... and chocolate... and thought I could convince myself of a mocha light frappucino, but I actually just went home and had a weight watchers ice cream instead... :) It's saving us a ton of dough!

Work has been good for me. I met with my Director yesterday, for the first time, and it was awesome! What a neat woman; so easy to talk to! Her name is Jenn too and she worked for Gap for 18yrs... pretty much everyone at Williams-Sonoma has worked at Gap, including myself! We talked about some really neat things.. about my skills, weaknesses, development, what's working, etc.. it was GREAT! I can't wait to see what is in store for me there! I seriously love my job and the company I work for. I am grateful for it every day! The last two weeks I've been helping to train the Corp. side on our group, Store Support. It's fun and I think it's pretty neat that I get to take part in the training, esp since I've just about got a year under my belt. I must be doing something right! ;)

Duncan, well he's pretty much perfect... except for the fact he threw up bile @ 4am this morning. Poor Nicole, but I always thank her, she always just gets up and takes care of business... probably mostly because she wants to get back to bed! LOL No really, it sucks when that happen and Nicole really is awesome! He has been doing pretty good on our walks actually. We've walked the whole Gibson Drive (it's a loop kinda) twice, just he and I, and I really enjoyed it! His walking has gotten 100% better already!

Well, I'm outa here. Done with the computer for now and Nicole is about to come home and make us amazing apple garlic chicken for dinner! I'm looking forward to having these next two days off, I've had split days for the last 3 weeks, so it'll be nice. Plus, we've got some fun stuff goin' on!

~ Jen

Results!

Week 1 has officially weighed in and Nicole and I each lost 6.5lbs! I love it! We're kicking butt and working hard! Nicole said today, "It's worth the hunger this time!" and I agree! We're working so hard at shrinking our stomachs so that we can eat the right portions! We usually have a salad a day and are staying away from a ton of bread.. potato's and baked goods! It's not easy, but we're getting results, thus making it easier! OH and we're not drinking soda, period.

This is the first time ever in Jen-Starbucks history that I haven't gone to Starbucks every morning and every afternoon each day. I have been making my iced coffee at home! Since Sunday I have only gone to Starbucks TWICE! Once was paid for by Nicole's amazing job she does @ work. Someone sent her a thank you gift card. :) The other was today because I met my cousin Christie for Starbucks and it was my turn to treat (we trade every other time). In fact, we're going to pick up more half and half so I can keep on with this trend. I'm saving us TONS of money, roughly 50 a week to be exact, by cutting out this habit! I'm very excited and proud of myself and hope I can keep it up!

That's all for now!

~ Jen

Here I am....

Okay so I am a horrible blogger! I love to read em but posting them is another story!

So Jen is making us Killer Artichokes for dinner again! MMMM I am officially fired from making them....TOTALLY screwed them up when I tried! LOL Oh well, I don't mind!! :)

This weekend on Sat. while Jen was at work I did some gardening on our beautiful patio! I planted a dahlia, replant and staked our Freesia and planted two trailing petunia's or "blue million bells" in our basket that will go at the top of our trellis. It is soooo nice having all these gorgeous plants and a wonderful bench (thanks Dad) out on our patio!! I look out the window every morning when I wake up now! I never knew how therapeutic gardening was, I sat outside and planted and watered and all that for an hour and came back into feeling so accomplished and relaxed. Now I just want to keep buying plants! LOL We are going to have a jungle!!

I have been searching high and low for a wedding venue with no luck. Either the ambiance isn't right, or the price is too high. We compare everything to the Hyatt Downtown. Nothing beats the view so far. The prices are ridiculous (one place I found was 7500 JUST for the facility rental) but still a bit out of our budget. So we have been bummed and have been on the lookout for somewhere else. Last night we sat down ans added up what we want and how much it would cost and how much we need it to cost. When we went and toured the Hyatt, the event planner there mentioned that it never hurts to ask for something so today I sent an email to her with our "offer." We are hoping to hear back soon and are trying to stay optimistic that they can make it work. We are hoping that a Friday night in Aug. is slow enough that if we didn't book no one else would. That would definitely help us out! If they accept it would be perfect and I think we would officially book with them and put our deposit down. Then comes the fun stuff!!! Look out family and friends.....we will be recruiting help for all the projects and idea we have in our heads! :)

I don't want to get anyone hopes up but here is a picture of the Hyatt's City View Room! Cross your fingers that we get an answer back...and soon...before I go crazy!!

Determination has finally struck!

Sooooo we TOTALLY fell off the wagon last month, but we're putting it behind us. Today is a new day - May 1st and we're both focused and determined to SHED Pounds! We can do this. We have before. We're completely starting over. Not referring to our previous weight loss or doing what we did before because it hasn't worked for us since the first of the year. We weighed in this morning and are going to measure eachother tonight.

We've got a GREAT month ahead of us! We're going to pour our drive and motivation into this - so watch closely because it's on! We will lose weight this month and the next, etc.. Among eating right, we're going to Wii-Fit and Exercise like no other!! We bought our first 3lb dumb bells. :)

Nicole starts school at the end of May, so it's good timing to get us on track and eating light meals and snacks throughout the day. Work is going to really start picking up for me (hard to imagine considering I'm slammed everyday right now) so I can really focus on that and not FOOD. I figure it will be easier, but nonetheless, we're prepared. Root us on and be a good influence to us! Danielle, that means no invites to get "burrito's" and you know what I mean! LOL No Red Robin nights, it's completely out until we get this under control! :)


PS - Nicole hasn't blogged in awhile, I'll have to talk to her about that!

~ Jen

Verdict, Changes, Plans

So as stated below we were going to break our plateau and Wii 4x during the week... we both weighed in on Friday and Nicole DID break her plateau and is at a total loss of 5.5lbs and I am exactly the same I was last week; total loss 4.5lbs. Not up, or down, the freakin' same! I worked out REALLY good 4x last week and at a salad for at least 1 meal a day for 4 days and my other meals were very light (we calorie count)... I couldn't believe it, but it is better than going up I guess. Nicole worked out 2x last week, but did SO much walking yesterday and will be working out today so that will total her at 4x. I did start taking my Fiber pills again and we're going to repeat this plan, so hopefully something happens. Not to mention my Starbucks drink has completely changed and is SOOO much better for me. I was drinking a Venti-Iced-Mocha which the way I loved it was 305 cals.. sometimes I'd have this twice a day. NOW, I am hooked on a Venti-Iced-Coffee w/5 splenda and light cream.. roughly 170 cals (hard to determine cals for half and half, but we do our best). So, there are plenty of things we're both doing to help cut our calories, but our bodies are stubborn! We're going to keep at it!

The last few days have been Free days aka bad days or eat anything you want days lol...Friday we went to the Hyatt Regency in Downtown Sac and fell in love with the place, just not the price, but we're still trying to find a way to a.) Make it work b.) Barter the price and\or c.) Look at other locations... lots of good stuff on the Ceremony front! :) Danielle's suggestion to shoot for a Friday night is definitely a hit! We've got a couple dates in mind.. for lunch we went to Azul - highly recommended Mexican place! (We skipped dinner b/c we were still full after the late mexican lunch)

Yesterday, we woke up at 6am and drove down to SF for the WSI Sample Sale - had a ball and didn't spend too much dough! Nicole is adorable at these things, I just love it. She can't get enough and gets all into it! We went to our favorite Toaster Oven for lunch - best sandwiches EVER. Drove home and took a little nap.. then we went to B\C's for dinner - amazing home cooked lasagna (my favorite home cooked meal) - and the best chocolate cake for dessert too! (BAD BAD, but so GOOD GOOD) We watched the fights and got home about 1230am. I had way too much on my mind after such a busy, go go go, fun weekend that I wasn't ready to sleep although I was tired. We watched SNL - hilarious and about 115am I got smart and took a half dose of NyQuil so I could sleep knowing I'd be waking up at 6am for work today! Needless to say, I'm exhausted today, but HAD A GREAT WEEKEND! Luckily, Duncan was at his other house this whole day! Both he and us are very lucky and grateful to have such an amazing family!

Today, Nicole is being a lovely housewife! She's got a lot of work to do and I'm working away! Hope everyone is doing well and has had a great weekend too!

~ Jen

Weekend plans!

So far Nicole and I have both done Wii Fit two nights in a row and we're taking a night off tonight; However we're going to go for a nice walk together after dinner so that will still be exercise. We plan on doing the other two nights (we committed to 4 this week) Thurs and Friday so we can have the weekend off. I like our plan. :) Oh and we're weighing in on Friday to check our progress! I'm sure it will be good.

We have a very busy weekend coming up! It starts on Friday when we'll be going for the first time to check out a potential Wedding location!! I'm SO excited. When she confirmed the date and time I totally got butterflies! Can't wait! Hopefully it works out for us. On Saturday we're going to the WSI Sample Sale - seriously, be jealous! It's in SF @ the Cow Palace so we have a little driving to do, but it'll be well worth it! Then that night we're going to my cousins for Dinner and UFC and of course Wine and a GREAT TIME! On Sunday, I work at 7am and I'm sure Nicole will clean the house like she usually does on Sunday! So, as you can see, we'll be busy, but it will be so much fun!

Hope everyone is having as great a week, if not better, as us!

~ Jen

Kimpel-Sheldon household update...

We're planning on breaking our plateau's!! We have been the same weight for about 6 weeks now and are desperate to drop pounds! We are planning on a soup or salad for at least one meal a day and LOTS OF FRUITS. We went grocery shopping for tons of veggies last night and also got a ton of fruits at Costco the day before.

Along with that, we're going to try to Wii fit 4 days this week! We can do it!

Nothing else new over here in the Kimpel-Sheldon household. Although we're starting wedding plans....... :) Very exciting! We both want it to be here already! We are looking at a few different places and a couple different dates, 8/28/10 and 8/20/10 - so we shall see! We are planning on nailing that down soon!

~ all for now, gotta get back to work!
Jen

Fun day tomorrow!

Jen and I are both off work tomorrow!!! Yay!!! We are going to sleep in and then head to San Francisco for the day. We are going to attend a seminar at the University of San Francisco about the midwife program that I want to get into. It a few years off but I want to get all the info early to make sure that I get all the qualifications done. Plus I would like to know how competitive it is, should I start doing volunteer work to up my application, that kind of thing. Hopefully its informative and inspiring! Its in the evening so during the day we are going to just hang out in sf and NOT go shopping in Union Square! LOL

Jen is making us "Killer Artichokes" for dinner right now and they smell sooooo amazing! I took some pictues of the chokes when she cut them. They are a very pretty food. LOL Dinner is almost ready so I am outta here! More tomorrow about our SF adventure!

~Nicole

Nicole is taking a shower and I'm crest whitestripping it up so I have a few minutes to write and there are some things on my mind.

This weekend and today work has just been nuts. I absolutely love my job and the challenges it gives me on a daily basis, no really, daily basis. Every call is different, every tone in everyones voice is different and every situation has it's own set of rules and policies in place. I take calls everywhere from "I can't login to my benefits!" to "My stores network is completely down, we're not getting credit auth!" It's nuts. I could go on and on.. anyhow, this weekend, Saturday in particular was a special event for me LOL! Literally, Severity 1 Event! It was my first Severity 1 event that I did solo (No Seniors or Supervisor working at the time)! The only other time I did one was with my Supervisor guiding me through it, so this was a huge test. I followed the entire process, from Escalating the call, to putting up the Bulletin (my voice is on the 866 number before the phone options eek!) to sending a voicemail to all the "big wigs" on a Saturday afternoon. In the moment, my cheeks were red, but I actually stayed calm by talking myself through it. At one point we had 15 calls in the queue and two guys answering phones, but I had to get this stuff done so I couldn't jump in to help out (not like me, but it's what has to be done). It was INTENSE! Once it was all resolved I felt relieved and then I just felt like I nailed it! Last night was a different story. We went to bed after doing finances and watching a little TV say around 1030 and I had to get up at 5am. All of the sudden the fears and bad thoughts start.. "Oh my god, I forgot to update it, or I missed something; I had convinced myself I did. What is Tamara (MGR) gonna say as far as feedback is concerned!" FREAKING OUT, my heart is pacing and I cannot get comfortable.. Meanwhile, Nicole is OUT like the lights in our bedroom. I toss, turn, doze off, wake up and do it all over again... I look at my phone as the frustration starts to wear on me and it's 1230.. Okay, Jen you have to wake up in like 4.5 hours, SLEEP! Another hour passes, my heart is ready to jump out of my chest! Finally 1:24am I gently wake Nicole up and tell her I can't sleep, she rubs my arm a little and then I got some Aleve because I don't know what I was thinking and as I walk in the room she asked me "Did you take a half dose?" I said "of what?" she said "Nyquil.." I said.. "I hadn't thought of that, but I will now" so I did and then my alarm went off at 5am and off to work I went.

Bet you're wondering what kind of feedback I got today... LOL Tamara emailed me and CC'd my Supervisor and it said, " Jen, Great job with this Severity 1 event! Your notifications were timely, well stated and complete. Keep up the great work!" I friggen lost sleep for nothing. I guess my worry-wort perfectionist-self got the best of me last night.

Tonight I'm going to bed at 10, in hopes of drifting off to sleep by 1030, cause I don't need to wake up until 6am tomorrow!

Well, these strips have got to come off and Nicole just got outa the shower, so I'm done for the night!

~ Jen

Stay true to yourself...

I went to Starbucks and spent about 3 solid hours with my Cousin Christie. We do this often and I cherish each and every time we do. This time it was particularly special. We both had a LOT to talk about. Our conversations are amazing and both so good for each other. This time she asked me, "What about you and your mom??" and so it went... I think this part of the conversation was about 1.5 hours long or so it felt. She asked the whole "God forbid something happen, but if it did how would you feel??" I quickly responded with "Well that would suck, but I'm okay today and today is what matters!" I thought I knew what I was talking about, but then suddenly I wanted to take it all back. It's not okay. I'm not okay with being on "not speaking terms". It's ridiculous and it's just not me. Another thing she said that really made the decision for me was "Just stay true to yourself, you're the loving, giving, caring, happy person...". That hit me. Ya know why? Well I'm not the fighting, hateful, resentful type. I'm a lover, not a fighter and it took this situation for me to realize I was being someone I'm not.

Christie has instilled in me how to handle these types of situations. To be submissive and to just be myself. I'm generally not one to attack and I truly believe the reason I did was because it directly affected my family (Nicole and I) and my sister (Kerrie). I think it's human nature to respond in the manner we all did, but I realize now I'm cannot change who I am nor will I change who I am because of someone elses beliefs even if that includes my parents. Just because our "Engagement" became a "REALITY" for them doesn't mean it became a "REALITY" for me or us. It has always been this way from us, since day one. I used to be fearful that someone or something could change us, but this situation is a true test of our relationship and we sailed through it with flying colors. So now, I'm way more confident in who we are as a couple and who I am as a person. What other people think doesn't matter, not even my parents. We all want affirmation and approval from our parents, but sometimes we don't get it right away or ever; Or in my case, we had it and then they reniged; however we're still the same. We're moving forward with our life in a positive direction and I choose to include them in that.

Getting back on topic here... after my coffee time with Christie I didn't stop thinking about it. I came home and I told myself without looking at the schedule, if Jon had a game tonight we were going to go. Sure enough, he did. So I respectfully sent a text to my Mom to ask if it were alright and she responded nicely back and said Wow, Jen he'd really like that and we went. It was weird at first, but Dana was there to soften the tension if you will. Plus, I had a 3rd Starbucks which was my crutch!! haha Midway through the game my Mom got up to go to the snack bar and Nicole and I had to use the restroom. So, she went and it was about 5-7 mins later we followed, not thinking we'd see eachother, but not really thinking about it all. Then I wanted BBQ seeds and Nicole wanted a hot chocolate and there she was at the counter with 2 hot chocolates, a pretzel and a hot dog. I said "How are you planning on carrying all of that back by yourself? Do you know if they take ATM/VISA?" She said.. "YOU CAME! (meaning I could help her) and no I don't think so, but what do you want?" She bought us our stuff and we started walking back......... She said... "Nicole honey, can you hold this?" Set some of her stuff on the ground and gave Nicole another hot chocolate to hold and Hugged me for a good 3 mins.... kissed me on the cheek and I could feel her starting to cry. I said "It's good to see you, don't cry" and she said "good too see you too" but not able to hold it back... then she said.. " You too, Nicole - come here honey" and gave her a good hug also. It was peaceful and nice. Just the way I had hoped it to be, but not the way I expected it to be. I had completely shattered all of my expectations and told myself whatever happens, happens.

It was amazing and I'm sure there's plenty more moments to come through this healing process, but we got the first step over with. It had been 5 full months, almost to the day, since I had seen my Mom and I hope it doesn't have to be that long again.

Earth Hour and a busy day!

I worked 11-8 in fact I'm just about outa here... I'm really pleased to say that Nicole and I are going to participate in Earth Hour tonight! When I get home, we're gonna eat something really quick, I'm gonna shower and we're going to enjoy one hour in quiet by candlelight. I'm really looking forward to it. It's not only going to help the Earth, but help us too! We can talk, read, and just spend quality time together with no distractions (the tv or computers etc..). It's gonna be great!

Work was pretty dang busy today believe it or not! I'm not complaining though because it helps the time fly by and boy do I need that working a Saturday 11-8 shift! :)

As for that Internal War, it's mellowed out a bit and I'm fine.... gosh my emotion was all over the place that day! LOL

Currently, I'm thinking about going to college while Nicole does too. Perhaps get my Associates or something in Technology to further expand my IT career. I have a review this week with my boss (Wish me luck) and I'm going to ask if WSI is still doing education reimbursement and if so, I may go. Since I started this job here in Store Support I've learned a great deal of both Hardware and Software and it's really peaked my interest, so I think I'm just going to run with it! We'll see what happens!

Anyhow, I'm outa here for the night and going home to participate in Earth Hour with my Amazing Fiance and Gorgeous (Clean) House!!

Have a great weekend everyone!

~ Jen

My First Blog!

Good Morning faithful readers! LOL Do we even have any?!

Yesterday was my day off without pay! Yay! (Sarcastic) So we decided to take Duncan to the snow for the first time. We have been wanting to for awhile and yesterday was the perfect day. Barely any other snow goers on a Wed. afternoon. We packed a lunch and headed up the hill. We stopped at the Snow park at Yuba Gap and it was the PERFECT spot. We went off to the camping area so we didn’t bother anyone sledding and found a little open spot with a picnic table. Duncan LOVED the snow, but hated his booties, they didn’t stay on long. His feet did pretty good. (For those that don’t know, Dunc is an indoor dog and is SUCH a tenderfoot, his paws get raw when running around outside a lot) I took a TON of pictures and will be posting them to Facebook and Myspace shortly! But here is a preview:


















Jen and I having been working out on our WiiFit like crazy. It’s has been really fun and very good for us. The yoga is so fun!!! I am seriously addicted, just when I think I am done I unlock another yoga pose or strength exercise and I just can’t get off until I try it! LOL The weight loss has been pretty slow and steady for both of us, but it’s been going down so that’s good. (I would like it to be fast and easy but it turns out its sooo much harder to take off than put on.) I am trying to have patience and remember one of my favorite quotes “If you want the rainbow you have to put up with the rain” But if I could wake up tomorrow and be a size 8 I would really appreciate it. Can someone just make that happen! Miracles can happen right!

School/Future Career has been at the front of my mind lately and a topic of many conversations between Jen and I. I want school to be over and to be a midwife already, well actually I can’t wait till the midwife program, I think I will really enjoy it! Jen keeps having to remind me to take one step at a time. Hmmmm I think the title of this blog should be “Nicole needs to learn some patience” LOL I have about 5 yearsish left to go, depending on how many classes I can take and when. I am hoping to have Sierra college done in 3 semesters and then hopefully be able to work part time and go to Sac State full time. But we will see where life leads us.

Ok that’s my blog for the day! Hope it was enjoyable! :)

~Nicole

Internal War

Most of you know my family has been uprooted since Prop HATE happened. My Mom and I have talked on 2 occasions for less than 5 mins total time and those occasions were Christmas and my birthday or as my Mom said in my voicemail "it's your 25th birthday if I'm not mistaken?!"... yeah.

So, I've been thinking about Mother's Day... what I'm going to do or not do, still up in the air about all that... I really want to write her a letter or a book rather... but I just don't think it will help anything. I mean, I guess if I tried to pour my heart out (cause that's what I do naturally) it could give her the chance to respond on her own time, but I'm sure she'll be influenced by Russ or her Church cause she can't seem to think for herself these days... or so this is how it seems to me. I'm just not sure how I'm going to go about this issue. I will definitely pray about it because God answers my prayers just like he does for "straight people". I guess my only saving grace is that I will remain true to myself and stay optimistic. I'm trying internally to fight this little war going on to be honest, I'm sure I'll find my way. How's that for being optimistic?

Not to mention the part of me that is still angry and slightly selfish. I mean, how many people can say they've had more bad times then they have had good with their Mother? I can and do I want to welcome this back into my life or how do I avoid it in a nice way? I suppose it's slightly hypocritical of me to not want her and Russ in my life because I choose not to support the way her treats her and she chooses not to support my relationship as a whole, who the heck knows, but this is how I'm feeling today...

She emailed Kerrie today to see if she could spend time with her Granddaughter so it sorta just surfaced these feelings, sorry for the rant, but I really do feel much better. A little weight has been lifted and hopefully God will provide some gentle guidance, cause he's amazing.

On a lighter note ~ Nicole and I are possibly taking Duncan to the Snow for the first time tomorrow!! He gets to wear his booties! LOL

3 day weekend

Had a lovely 3 days off with Nicole. Something we don't get too often because my work schedule is pretty much all over the place! That's retail for you! It was relaxing, productive and fun all at the same time!

On Friday we didn't do much really.. just hung around the house, cleaned, cooked, did finances, went grocery shopping and spent time together. Love those days! On Saturday we went to Daffodil Hill with her family and had a blast! It was gorgeous.. the surrounding trees and thousands of Daffodils everywhere were just beautiful! We had a little picnic and walked around while most everyone was busy taking pictures! That's really why we went cause Danielle got a new killer camera and wanted to put it to good use! Janae made a good model too; the pics are posted. When we got home we actually watched a movie, something we rarely do because I can't sit still, but we actually watched The Family Stone from beginning to end, where is the applause??!! (I dosed off for 5 mins though) On Sunday, after we got out of bed at 1PM, we decided to clean the house again! It's literally spotless and we love it that way, but gosh it's a lot of work! Plus, I got this wild idea to iron all of my button up shirts and some jeans, yeah not as easy as it seemed, but it's done and they look nice! Now, all I need to do is wear/wash and iron as I go, instead of wear/wash and iron ALL AT THE SAME TIME! haha!

Tonight, we're having Fajitas for dinner and we're both gonna Wii Fit it up! Duncan is so cute when Nicole does all her crazy Yoga poses! He can't stand it when she's on the floor and not playing with him so he literally lays on her like, "What, you're not down here for me?".. it's really funny and so cute.

We still haven't broken our plan to not eat out the month of March ~ we're kicking butt and it's so nice to know we really do have some discipline, we just needed that confidence!

That's all for now!

Jen

First time for everything...

First time for everything, right?

How in the world does one start a blog? It's not that easy. I've been sitting here wondering just how I'm gonna start, so I'm going to by doing just that, start by asking myself that question, but then I answered my own question! Well heck ~ I'm just going for it!

Today, I worked and am currently working, but I can't resist the urge to write and get this thing started. I'm sorry if you know too much about me or us after reading this or any blog we post, but this is what this is for, at least I think it is. To vent, to get it all out, to show the world what you're going through in your life. Nicole stayed home and was quite the busy-bee! She woke up ALL BY HERSELF at 845am, I was so proud (not normally a morning person for those that don't know her)! She started picking up the house and signed on to chat with me... kept me company and helped me start my lovely work day. We started talking and I started realizing.. I tend to do this every so often.. that I'm not happy with myself.. weight being the biggest issue. She was totally there for me and so understanding which I'm so grateful for. As my break approached I stepped outside to talk to her and did 2 laps around the parking lot.. felt really good by the way. Nicole decided she was going to Wii Fit! She went to the gym and did elliptical for 10 mins to get her heart rate up and then came back home to kick some serious butt on the Wii Fit for 1 hour or so! Again, so proud of her.

You see, here's our problem. We're amazing together; we just lack in one area. LOL Consistency = Discipline - yeah we don't have that!!!

Maybe writing about it will help? Being held accountable and accepting responsibility for our actions, well we've got that in the bag in most areas! We do it with our friends and family and in the work place; just aren't able to with ourselves! How ironic. I want to know if anyone else struggles with this? How do you tackle it?

On another note ~ work has been great for me, but scary for Nicole. That's a whole other stress and I can't wait til this economy turns around. I really really can't and I know I'm not alone on this one!!! Oh yeah and some exciting news is that Nicole signed up for summer classes at Sierra! Totally stoked for her and we're both so ready for her to be done already! (She still has about 5 yrs)

I'm all done for now considering I need to leave something for Nicole to write about soon! Hope whoever read this enjoyed it.

~ Jen