Hello Weight Watchers

About a month ago I decided to make a life changing decision to get healthy. There are so many different ways to do it these days and so many of these diets that "claim" to work. But I chose one that I have personally seen work for others. I chose to join Weight Watchers. The couple I nanny for both started it after their new baby boy was born and I have definitely seen results with both of them. They both have very different body types; Tyson is a body builder, and Andrea is tall and slim and it has been working for both of them. My aunt also lost 30 pounds on it. So I thought, hey why not me too?

I have been at a weight that's uncomfortable probably since Jr. high. I've never had a huge issue with it because I have confidence and I've been told that I'm pretty my whole life. But recently I've been noticing it a lot more. I don't want to look like a stick, and I don't even want to be skinny. I want to be small and fit. This is something I know I can do.

The best thing I like about Weight Watchers is that it's not actually a diet. You really can eat whatever you want. This is something I love because I am a carb whore. I love my potatoes and my pasta. The program just teaches you to eat everything within reason. It allows you to eat all of the fruits and vegetable you want. They have no point value. This so far has taught me to choose healthier snacks when I'm hungry instead of choosing chips. So far I have lost ten pounds on the 2 and 1/2 weeks I was at it viciously. But since my surgery I haven't kept up with it until today. I'm back at it though, and I have no intention of giving it up. I'm purchasing a dress next week that's four sizes smaller than what i'm at now to hang on the back of my bedroom door. As soon as that dress fits I plan on doing it again with another dress that's even smaller. It's a great motivater.

Dear Crutches, I hate you.

13 days ago I had a new lovely experience called knee surgery. Wondering Why? Well, it's  basically another one of those ever so "graceful" moments that I seem to have daily.

Some friends and I were getting ready to go dancing sometime around the beginning of October. We were all heading to the car as Justine yells, "Shotgun". With her being back in the house and me being outside I decided to seize control of the situation and yelled, "Race ya!" I quickly ran down 3 steps and headed towards the garage only to be man handled by the driveway. Tripping on absolutely nothing as usual, I landed completely flat in the middle of the driveway. Also as usual I couldn't get up because I was laughing uncontrollably. And my dear friend Justine comes outside and what does she say ever so caringly? "I can't believe I missed it!" What a great friend, right? But let me be honest and tell you that this in not my first crash with her around. Once in 7th grade I cut open my ankle on absolutely nothing at her house and had to go get 13 stitches. She has bandaged me up more times than I can count. So I preceded to get up, let out a few choice words and headed towards the car. Only to realize that I was bleeding on the back of my knuckles and on my knee. I might add that the knuckles are a prime spot to get scraped up because of all of the white lie fight stories that could potentially surface. So Corinne, being so prepared busted out a first-aid kit our of her car and fixed me right up and we were off to dance the night away. About five hours later we headed home to get some sleep and I noticed the size of my knee. Four hours of dancing does a lot of good after a crash like I had.

The original surgical plan was to do a scope under my knee cap to remove the torn and cracked cartilage. My recovery time was supposed to be about a week, and then I'd be up and moving and back to boarding by January. Did things go as planned? You had better believe that they didn't. While my surgeon was doin' what he does he noticed how out of place my knee cap was. For some reason in wasn't noticed on my xrays. So he had to stretch out my ligaments to center that knee cap back up. I woke up in a huge brace, with an ice machine hooked up to my leg, and a promise of a longer recovery. I probably won't be snowboarding at all this season. I have become a walking pharmacy and I can't believe how much I miss being able to walk.

The Ultimate List

Everyone always talks about how great it would be to do so many amazing and spectacular things, but not everyone really takes the time to do them. Things like skydiving, climbing Everest, visiting another country, or even breaking through a personal barrier like asking a guy out, or finding a lost parent. Everyone has their own list, but this is mine. My list of things to do before I "kick the bucket". Things that I think will be influential, monumental, or adventurous to the life that I plan to live. Truth be told, I know they might not all get to be crossed off. But I planning on perusing this lists as long as I can. Because let's face it, there really isn't enough time for everything on this list to be done unless I learn to just shove them in. I can't imagine how big it's going to get -I might even need more than one bucket- or how much is actually going to get done. But I can't wait to try :)

Travel to Russia and see St. Basil's Cathedral  -  Get scuba certified  -  Go to a Superbowl  -  Go dog sledding  -  Go back to Fiji  -  Go to Nashville with my best friend  -  Be a mom  -  Write thank you notes to my teachers  -  Go Skydiving  -  Go kite-boarding  -  Have a family  -  Attend the sky lantern festival in Thailand  -  Have hair like Ariel  -  Attend a Steelers game in Pittsburgh  -  Go on 3 humanitarian trips 1. Fiji  -  Take a trip to Moab  -  Swim with dolphins  -  Grow old with someone I love  -  Snowboard in the Alps  -  Shower in a waterfall  -  Ride a bike along the Great Wall of China  -  Have a marriage more beautiful than my wedding  -  Fly a plane  -  Do five pull ups  -  Become a teacher  -  Road trip across the U.S.  -  Buy a trailer and be the manager of a campground for a summer  -  Go on a safari in Africa  -  Have abs  -  Be conversational in 3 languages 1. English 2. ASL 3. German  -  Own a motorcycle  -  Set foot on all seven continents  -  Say "I do "  -  Spend a semester abroad in New Zealand  -  Move out by myself  -  Buy something from Tiffany's  -  Wear a ridiculously large hat to the Kentucky Horse Derby  -  Have a front porch swing  - Celebrate Mardi Gras in New Orleans  -  Keep a journal everyday for a year  -  Have a walk in closet  -  Spend Easter in Italy and go to the Carnival of Venice  -  Adopt a child  -  Visit Harry Potter Land  -  Make at wish at Trevi Fountains  -  Own a husky  -  Own land  -  Stay in Cinderella's Castle  -  See a glacier  -  Live in the country  -  Loose weight, so much so that I feel confident enough to wear a bikini  -  Donate my hair to locks of love  -  Attend the Make A Wish Gala as a guest instead of a volunteer  -  Go spelunking  -  Visit Stonehenge  -  Drive Route 66  -  Send my grandparents on a limo ride  -  Meet Eric Church  -  Go to a Burlesque Lounge  -  Go to an Elvis impersonation show in Vegas  -  Find and ride the worlds largest roller coaster  -  Go skinny dipping  -  Ride on a camel  -  See the pyramids in Egypt at sunset  -  Stay in the ice hotel  -  stay in the underwater hotel  -  Learn to play the piano  -  Visit an active Volcano  -  Spend New Years in Times Square  - Watch the Macy's Thanksgiving day parade in New York -  Own a pair of Louboutins  -  Watch baby turtles hatch  -  Attend a sandcastle competition  -  Kiss under the Eiffel Tower  -  Learn to drive a stick shift  -  Fly first class  -  Provide Christmas for a needy family  -  See the Northern Lights  -  Visit Machu Pichu  -  Have a library in my house  -  Wear cowboy boots to my wedding  -  Drive the Autoban  -  Be on a game show  -  Run a marathon  -  Be an extra in a movie  -  Own a horse -  Eat at Hell's Kitchen  -  Own a pearl necklace  -  Own something by Betsey Johnson  -  Attend the winter Olympics  -  Go to a USA rugby game in another country  -  Ride on a sled through the mud behind a four wheeler  -  Own a meaningful charm bracelet - Go to the Route 66 festival in Illinois