Wow!!

Has it really been 3 1/2 months since I updated my blog?! I'll admit to slacking off in the blogosphere, but my life has been quite busy and fulfilled as of late. Here are a few highlights from the last few months:

• I survived "Credit File Assement". This was an extreme project deadline that was moved up on us and took blood, sweat, and tears to complete. No really there was blood...those files can give you a gnarly papercut!
• I turned 29. *sigh*. It was a wonderful celebration despite the age number. My sweet group of friends threw me a joint surprise birthday party, and my dear friend Janna and Shawn conspired to get me a surprise gift together!
• and.....
• Perhaps the biggest highlight since my last post is my weight loss. My friend Stacey (that I met through bookclub) has been acting as my personal trainer and nutritionist. In the last 15 weeks since we began working together, I have lost 46lbs!! I use the bodybugg (my surprise gift from Janna & Shawn) to track my calorie intake every day. Stacey and I work out 5 days a week, and the bodybugg tracks how many calories I burn. It's been very enlightening for me, as I've struggled with my weight for a number of years. I see things much more mathematically and logically, and I've had some pretty awesome success so far!

All in all, it's been a great couple of months. I'm feeling better than I've felt in years, and really enjoying all my blessings :) I promise to be better about blogging, even if it's just short little boring snippets.

Till next time...

"The Help"

I wish I had a gift for writing so I could do justice to my opinion of the movie :)

It was awesome. We had a great turn out from Book Club and there were no problems getting everyone into their seats. I think I had tears in my eyes (and trickling down my face, but that's beside the point) for the majority of the movie. Sometimes they were happy tears, and sometimes they were tears of heartache. I can't remember the last time I have felt so impacted by a movie. The actors chosen to portray the women I loved (and hated!) in the movie were phenomenal, and the flow of the movie was spot on. There were a few changes and things left out, but that's a given in any book to movie scenario.

I loved the movie, loved the book and look forward to seeing the movie again in a few months. If you haven't read the book yet I highly recommend it!

Only Two More Sleeps!

Wednesday Evening, 7:30 pm, I'll be watching a free screening of "The Help" (based on the novel of the same name) with members from my bookclub. I seriously am so excited! I loved this book, and hope the movie does it justice. I'll report asap with my thoughts :)

M.I.A.!

I realize I've been somewhat MIA in the blogosphere lately! There's been a lot going on the last month, including:

1. Moving (just a local move)
2. Having a sick puppy (he swallowed some chicken bones)
3. Worrying about my Grandma Blackham (she fell and cracked her pelvis)
4. Worrying about my Grandpa Blake (he's recently had surgery)
5. A conflict with my previous land lord, which took a week to resolve (water damage)
6. Worrying about my brother Matthew (wisdom teeth removal)
7. Worrying about my new friend Nancy (recently diagnosed with breast cancer)
8. Having a more involved role in the planning of our book club (due to #7)
9. Being super busy at work, partially due to taking days off because of 1-8 :)

But here I am, alive and well! In between all of those things, I've done a fair amount of reading which makes me unbelievably happy. I also bought myself an early birthday present:

I'm also in L-O-V-E with this new cup I bought. I've been eyeing one ever since Shawn bought one for himself a few months ago. He of course got a sports team (SF 49'ers), but I got a beautiful girly one!! It keeps my drinks cold for a long time, and I only need to get more ice twice a day (instead of like 4-5x)

So anyway...I'm still here, and according to Texas it's summertime! Hope all of you are doing well, and staying cool :)

Marvelous May Vlog

I feel brave for the second month in a row!! I had a blast doing the May Vlog with my good friend Janna.  Thank you Mamarazzi and Shawn for hosting, it's always so fun to see people's posts!

We're so sorry Emmy, Janna and I missed your question (my nerves always get the better of me). I'll answer below, sorry it's not part of the video. Emmy Mom @ One Day at a Time wants to know...

Is there a name you can't stand and why?  I hate being a hater...but I don't particularly care for the name Justin. I grew up with two different pervy Justins.
Do you like my your own name? Yes and no. Growing up I thought my name was boring and old fashioned. I wanted to have a cool name like Tiffany, Stephanie, or Rebecca. Now that I'm all mature, I like my name. It suits me :)

(As always, I apologize in advance for my super soft-spoken voice in the videos. I try to project, but it never comes across)

A few This or That questions:
Ocean or Mountains?
Sweet or Salty?
Early Bird or Night Owl?
Edward or Jacob?
Book or Kindle?
Manicure or Pedicure?
MAC or PC?

The third part of the VLOG was a bit of show and tell. Beth @ Living a Goddess Life wanted to know: What is in your handbag/purse?