As Easy as ABC...RGIII

I've seen this around the blog-o-sphere lately so thought I would join in. Besides that I'm bored and trying to cut back on the munchies so I am distracting myself by talking about myself.

Age: 26, spent yesterday listening to a 24 year old tell me how scared she was to turn 25....

B. Bed size: Full - I really need to upgrade from my college bed but I love my bed frame.

C. Chore you hate:  Doing the dishes.

D. Dogs:  Tallie Wallie the amazing border collie.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee and checking the blogs.

F. Favorite color: Aqua Blue, Coral and Grey

G. Gold or Silver:  Usually silver but lately I have been loving gold but not it has to be simple.

H. Height: 5'7

I. Instruments you play:  Does the flute in 6th grade band count?

J. Job Title:  Fairy Godmother

K. Kids:  Does the Border Collie count?

L. Live: Lonestar State

M. Married: Bahahaha...No.

 N. Nicknames: Jay and Momma Jay

O. Overnight hospital stays: None, fingers crossed.

P. Pet peeve:  People who cut me off in traffic, people who breathe too loudly and stupidity.

Q. Quote:  You are enough.

R. Righty or Lefty:  Righty

S. Siblings: One brother and one sister-- three musketeers.

T. Time you wake up: 7:30 but I should wake up by 6:50

U. University attended: Baylor University....Sic' Em Bears

V. Vegetables you dislike:  None really. There are some weird fruits that I don't like.

W. What makes you run late: The snooze button.

X. X-rays you've had: My teeth and my knee.

Y. Yummy food:  Sushi, Pizza, Mac N Cheese, Bush's Chicken and Ice Cream.

Z. Zoo Animal : Giraffes, Monkeys and Elephants. Especially the elephants.

Well that didn't take as long as I thought it would. :(

New Year ...yada yada yada

First post of 2013.
It's a little late but it's better late than never.
I along with every other person in the universe have a list of ways to better myself this new year.
While I do believe in the power of goal setting and in being intentional I believe it is just as  important to look at how far you have come. It gives you the sustainability to reach your new goals.
I decided to not only look at what I wanted to change but what good habits I had developed in 2012 that I wanted to continue. Let's be honest 2012 was enough change to last an entire decade.
First new habit I want to keep is the fact that I have purposely worked on being less flakey. I use to be terrible at saying yeah I think I can come and then just not going...gold star friend there. Some how despite the lack of friend talent I was showing I managed to hold on to an amazing group of friends. I spent 2012 trying to be a better friend. I think I have improved. I think my word has become to have more of a value. If I say I am going to do something I at least try. I hope that they feel like more of a priority now. I want to continue trying to be a good friend because honestly I feel like it makes me a better person all around.

I have also gotten on a bit of a health kick. It's not even a health kick its a new me. I lost 47 lbs between May and December. I am freaking proud of that. Even more proud that I didn't gain it all back. My goals for 2013 are less of a weight goal although 15 -18 more lbs would be great. My goals are more to do a 10K, do a half marathon, become toned...be confident in a two piece. Be so confident in my two piece that that proof goes on Facebook. We all know if its not on Facebook it didn't happen. :)

I would also like to see my eating change to be more "clean". Everyone means something different when they say clean. My definition means that I am no longer depending on frozen meals for lunch and that I am eating less fast food. I would also love to kick my caffeine habit ( it is truly an addiction) but let's be honest...I don't think anyone could handle the bitch-fest that would result it.

I also have some professional goals as well as making new friends and trying new things...you know same old self improvement.

I decided to do Kassie's over at Southern Girl Gets Fit Red Bikni challenge. I needed something to make sure I didn't loss momentum.  My goal is to have such awesome legs like those of Ms. Noel over at Elle Noel ( check out her post from today...it's inspiring) that I don't have to wear a swim skirt. I can rock something like this

And so that I can go out downtown in something like this...and my thighs won't rub together ( nice image there, right?

I also decided to do a Valentine Blog Swap ... I know look at me being all involved in blog world.  I figured first single valentines in 5 years I better associate that day with something positive quickly before a cry fest and wine fest explodes everywhere.  Check it out over at Sealed With A Kiss!

That's more than enough for this entry.

-JElisse

Plateau

Weight Updates and Physical Progress

I am stuck at 45 lbs lost.
I went down to 47 lbs lost two weeks ago but even with watching calories I gained it back.
I have slacked on working out. I've done a 5k every weekend this month and counted on that for my gym time. Obviously that is not enough.
Being stuck is not fun.
I've got 20 more lbs that I want to lose.
I'm eating around 1200 calories a day. I'm thinking of taking it back up to 1300 and focus on strength training and cardio.
Good news is that my 5k time has improved. I'm under 40 minute now. My first 5k was 45 minutes in June.  When I get below 35 minutes I am treating myself to a massage. :)
My plank time has increased from 30 seconds to 1 minute 30 seconds.
There is improvement.
I also fit in a size 8 dress this weekend...granted it was an aline and we girls know those forgive a little bit more but I will take it.

Personal

I have met people.
I have made new friends.
I have a social calendar.
I no longer feel like I am alone in the big city.
I feel like I have become a better friend.I am more reliable and less flakey.
Now its time for me to look at what I really enjoy doing and what needs to go.

Professional

I love my extra job that I have.
I feel like I am making progress here as well.
I recently have felt the need to volunteer even more.
I feel like I am not being a good enough advocate for a group that is close to my heart. The question is where will I get the time to do this.

Love Life

It's coming along. :)

Well this post ended up being more of a catch up and review of what I have been doing. I needed it sometimes you just need to see your progress in black and white.

Holiday Bucket List

Holiday Bucket List 

1. Rooftop Ice Skating
   Downtown Whole Foods, Austin
   November 24 - January 6, 2013
   The rooftop of this Austin landmark transforms into an ice skating rink over the holidays!  Ages 6 and up are invited to skate daily from 11 am - 8 pm.
2. The Holiday Sing-Aong and Downtown Stroll
   Downtown Austin, TX
   December 1, 2012
   A free, family-fun event that starts with a group sing-along at the Capitol in Downtown Austin.  As that is wrapping up, the Capitol Holiday tree is lite and Congress Ave becomes alive with music, art, shopping, & more.
3.  Austin Trail of Lights
   Zilker Park 
   December 16 - 23, 2012
   One of Austin's most anticipated events is back this year!  Millions of holiday lights and displays line the trail, creating a fun experience for the whole family.  Each night will feature performances from local dance companies, bands, and singers. 
4.  Hot Cocoa
5. Lights on 37th St

6. Trail of Lights 5k

   
   Entertain your competitive streak at the Austin Trail of Lights 5K! Take in the sight of more than 180,000 Christmas lights under the watchful eye of the moon during this 3.2 mile run! Awards are given to the top 50 male and female entrants. Runners receive packets and long sleeve event t-shirts.
   
   7. 2nd District Window Walk

Just A Reminder

  1. Never looking at your budget and never making a budget is the exact same thing.
2.  The possibility for greatness and embarrassment both exist in the same space. If you’re not willing to be embarrassed, you’re probably not willing to be great.
3.  Feel no shame in seeking help from a counselor or therapist. We all have crap we try to wrap and hide under the Christmas tree. Get rid of it before it smells up your entire holiday.
4.  All job listings on Craigslist lead you to a warehouse in downtown LA “wearing something nice with shoes you can walk in”.
5.  Don’t ever, ever check Facebook when you’re:

A. Depressed

B.  Drinking.

C.  Depressed and Drinking.

D.  Unemployed.

E.  Anytime after 9:17 pm.

F.  Struggling with being blessed with singleness while all your friends seem to be blessed with 2.4 kids and that blazing white-picket-fence shining with the glory of Jesus Christ himself.

6.  All those amazing college friends you swore you’d never lose contact with after college yeah, well, you might lose contact. Moving all over the country, getting married, having kids, all make that forty-five minute conversation with your sophomore roommate a little more complicated than it used to be over a game of Mario Kart. Making and keeping friends in our twenties takes intentionality.
7.  Your twenties will produce more failures than you’ll choose to remember. The key is when you fail, don’t begin calling yourself a failure.
8.  Every break up has two break ups. I’m no physicist, but this is a law of physics, of this I am certain. Yes you’ll have the first tearful “It’s over” sitting in the front seat of your Honda or on a park swing. Then 1-2 months later after there’s “been talk”, you’ll have the “real breakup” because she forgets to call like she used to or he checks out the waitress like he’s a judge for Miss USA. And gird those loins because in the second breakup there will be a lot more breaking.
9.  The Freshman-Fifteen is nothing compared to the Cubicle-Cincuenta. Don’t sit at your computer perched like a Roman gargoyle. Don’t let office birthday cake be forced on you like a cigarette behind your middle school. Bust out before your butt does.
10.  And yes, cubicles don’t make sense to anybody other than upper-management. I would be willing to bet that only 3% of all “Cubicle Americans” actually have a positive outlook on life. And half of that 3% is stealing from their company.
11.  If at some point between 22 – 27 you feel like you’re six years old again, lost and alone at the San Diego Zoo (it’s a big-frickin-zoo), frantically searching for a familiar face – hold tight, you’re experiencing a bit of a Quarter-Life Crisis. Stay put. Pray a lot. And in no time someone will call your name across the loud speaker to tell you where you can be found.
12.  Reckless drinking and reckless flirting have a direct correlation. Friends don’t let friends drive, or flirt, drunk.
13.  If you grew up going to church, at some point in your 20′s you’ll probably stop going to church. If you grew up with faith as a central part of your life, at some point in your twenties faith might move to the outskirts of town next to the trailer park and three-legged squirrel refuge. Your twenties are a process of making faith your own apart from your parents and childhood. Sometimes that means staggering away so you know what you’re coming back to.
14.  Don’t ever begin dating someone you first met whilst in swimsuits. Doubly-don’t if you’re both in swimsuits whilst holding an alcoholic beverage.
15.  Obsessive Comparision Disorder is the smallpox of our generation. 9 out of 10 doctor’s agree this disorder is the leading cause to eating a whole sleeve of Oreo’s while watching Real Housewives of OC. Say no to obsessive comparison disorder before it starts. Remember everyone’s too busy putting a PR spin on their Facebook profile to care much about yours.
16.  Life will never feel like it’s “supposed to”. Being twentysomething can feel like death by unmet expectations. However, let me be so brash to say that you are right now, at this moment, exactly where you need to be. But you’ll only be able to see that five years and thirty-eight days from today.
17.  You might have your first kid and realize what it’s like to be young, a parent, and have no freaking clue what you’re doing. And for the first time in your life, you also might actually understand your parents for the first time.
18. Marriage WILL NOT fix any of your problems. No, instead marriage will put a magnifying glass on how many problems you really have. We grow up carrying bags with our insecurities, fears, bad relationships, problems with our parents — you name it. Begin to ditch these bags now. Newly married and living in a small apartment is no place to store a luggage set full of shiz.
19.  An assortment of crappy jobs are a twentysomething rite of passage. Figure out what you need to learn there and learn it. If you don’t, an assortment of crappy jobs might be your thirty, forty and fiftysomething rite of passage as well.
20.  Great ideas alone mean nothing. Your ability to persevere through 16 major setbacks, a lack of passion, forgetting why you started this great idea in the first place, and all the people who allude that your great idea is actually quite terrible — well, that means everything.
21.  The grass is always greener on the other side, until you get there and realize it’s because of all the manure.

Stolen completely and in its entirety from  http://allgroanup.com/adult/21-secrets-for-your-20s/

Progress

Progress...sometimes it is hard to see.  Its hard to notice when things change. I may just be unobservant but I didn't notice when my relationship ended and I didn't notice  the 25 plus pounds I gained since graduating college.  I've been working since May to lose the weight plus some. It's hard to notice the difference especially lately. Two weeks ago I injured my knee and lower back in a weight lifting class.  I wasn't cross training. I was just running and doing a heavy weight lifting class once a week.  I was forced to stay off my knee for a solid week. I spent every night with an ice pack on my knee and one on my lower back. I didn't realize how strongly I had come to depend on running to relieve my stress and to wipe away the day. It sucked. It was hard to sleep. I was grumpy. I was terrified that all my hard work was going to be washed away as I sat on that couch. Work I had yet to see when I looked at myself in the mirror. Friends had told me they could see a difference but that I had always hid the weight well so to them I looked the same...
Then I saw these pictures

  Last summer at my college roommate's rehearsal dinner.  I had weighed in at my highest the week before at my first session with a personal trainer. I was a good 25 lbs more than when I graduated college just 2 years before. The first time I ever looked at a picture and really felt fat.

 This was May, 4 days before my break up.  I had lost 10 lbs since March when I had really started working out for my ex's sister's wedding in Mexico.
I looked huge. I looked big. My arms were huge and my hips were wide.  I can't believe I was ever that big.
Depressing right? Why did these pictures make me feel better? Because I saw these...

  August after losing 30 lbs. The first time I could fit in a medium shirt and the running capris are a size smaller as well.

Then I saw this one taken this weekend at the Baylor/ UT game.  40 lbs lighter and the smallest I can ever remember being. This gave me the motivation to start watching what I eat to watch to replace all the calories I was burning running. I am FINALLY allowed to start working out now even if it is just a small amount. I am going to cross train and take the running slowly. The best part is that for the first time I can see that I really do look different.  My nightmare is that I will wake up looking like I did in the first picture one morning and have no idea how I got back there. 

I hope that I can become more observant and realize how I got here and how not to go back. I think the first step is just being aware of it. Knowing that I can't eat whatever I want and not eat out. Knowing that I can't even eat whatever I want even when I do work out. It's a different lifestyle but every time I see a picture of myself I love I know it's worth it.


- J

Fall Bucket List 2012

Fall Bucket List 2012

   Go to a Football Game

    Carve a Pumpkin

     Go to a haunted house

     Decorate the house and front door

     Dress up for Halloween

      Drink Cider

      Make pumpkin desserts

      Go camping

    Go on a Fall picnic

 Eat a Caramel apple

  Go to a Fair/ Rodeo

  Make Chili

  Buy cute sweaters