Operation TONE up and LOSE weight!

This is how I used to feel... but not anymore.

The month after Brett left, I started this "weight loss journey"...

7 Months later, I have lost 25 pounds!!

(every time I say that out loud it is still hard for me to believe)

Every day I see myself in the mirror...

and because of that, it is hard for me to notice some changes (big or small).

That is... until I see a picture of myself, reminding me of what I used to look like. 

THEN I see what everyone else sees!

So, here it is... the before and after picture's that I promised.

(you should know that it was VERY hard for me to decide to put these online for EVERYONE to see BUT because I should probably be more PROUD then embarrassed... here they are.)

GEH, THAT DOESN'T EVEN LOOK LIKE ME!!!!

Every single time I look at these before picture's

I seriously shake my head in disbelief and think to myself,

Wow... is that REALLY what I looked like!?!?

The thing is, I honestly never thought I was FAT

and maybe I was, maybe I wasn't...

(I knew I wasn't skinny but never thought I could lose 25lbs!)

but seeing these picture's... losing that weight, definitely did not hurt!

Today, I am just SO GLAD that I did this!!

Not only am I 25 lbs. lighter,

I am also HEALTHIER, happier, and more confident in myself then ever before.

I feel like a different person, not only on the outside but on the inside as well.

These last 7 months weren't easy

(and for more reasons then one)

Working out at least 5 days a week and being more conscious of what I ate, was a HUGE change for me!

I seriously thank God that I had the motivation that I did, to keep going and that I never gave up!!

I know I have said this before,

But I have never been so proud of myself, EVER.

I have tried many different "diets," "tricks," and "programs" and NEVER got the results I was looking for...

This time I did it the right way and look what happened :)

(who would have thought I just needed to eat better and exercise lol)

I am SO EXCITED for Brett to see my transformation!

It's crazy to have changed this much and my husband has yet to physically see me...

the anticipation is KILLING me!!! :)

He is going to be SO surprised (& proud as well)!!

So now comes the hardest part (in my opinion)

-Keeping the weight OFF and not going back to my old ways and bad habits!

That is obviously the LAST thing I would want, after all of the hard work I have put in and the changes I have made!

The truth is, if I want to stay the way I am today

I am going to have to work out for the rest of my life and continue to eat right...

(I know there are days where that is just going to sound awful)

but that is what I AM going to have to do.

I will NEVER let myself go back to that "before" picture.

No way.

*sigh*

I.DID.IT.

Project 365 - Day 153

Day 153

September 27, 2011

TGIGD
-Thank God It's Garbage Night-
I even had to use my neighbor's garbage bins...
That's how much cleaning I've done this week!



Project 365 - Day 152

Day 152

September 26, 2011

These came in the mail today from
our favorite people in UTAH :)
Thank you guys!!! We love you!!!



Project 365 - Day 151

Day 151

September 25, 2011

Did some remodeling before Brett gets home ;)
Kiddding... just getting the carpets cleaned!



Project 365 - Day 150

Day 150

September 24, 2011

Just finished hanging up my Homecoming signs!!!
SO happy and excited :)



Project 365 - Day 149



Day 149

September 23, 2011

The light at the end of the tunnel

is getting very BRIGHT!! :)

Project 365 - Day 148

Day 148

September 22, 2011

Last night @ the Market before Brett gets back :)
and I decided to try an entire Vegan meal...
"chicken" sandwich was amazing, the rest... ehhh not so much.



Project 365 - Day 147

Day 147

September 21, 2011

Our water heater...
On the side of the street, not heating our water lol
Thankfully we have a new one & hot water!!



Project 365 - Day 146

Day 146

September 20, 2011

Happy Birthday to Kayla!! :)

Anoher fun night with friends.



Project 365 - Day 145

Day 145

September 19, 2011

A "welcome home" package came in the mail for Brett today (from my mom!) annnd there was a little something in there for meee :)
Of course the card made me cry lol... She always knows the right things to say and do!! ♥



Project 365 - Day 144

Day 144

September 18, 2011

Gee... What flavor oatmeal should I eat tonight?

Trying to put off getting groceries until next week,
so I'm cleaning out the pantry :) yum...



Project 365 - Day 143

Day 143

September 17, 2011

My new Scentsy warmer :)

My house smells sooooo good!!



7 Months... OVER... already?!

It's really hard for me to grasp the idea that this picture was taken 7 months ago...

BUT

we all know what that means!!!!

We are just days away from our HOMECOMING!

Going into this deployment, I knew that it was going to be a different experience then the last. However... I was expecting this time around to be harder.  I thought since I was here, away from my family, alone in our home, that I was going to be a mopey mess!!

I was so wrong.

This deployment was actually easier for me then the last!  I can honestly say that I only had one BAD (want to stay in bed all day, maybe cry a little and feel sorry for myself) day and it wasn't even really that dramatic lol.

Even without being up at school or having a job to keep my busy, these 7 months actually went by faster then when I had an extremely busy schedule.

I can't explain it really, I don't know why this time around worked out better for me, I am just glad it did.

So...

After counting down by months, days, hours, minutes, and seconds

garbage days, True Blood episodes, and by all of my wonderful visitors...

here we are, x amount of days until the countdown is FINISHED.

Now come the sleepless nights due to excitement and anticipation,

the extensive house cleaning and errand running, to make sure I have all of his favorite foods & drinks and to restock up on his toiletry items that he packed up to take with him.

If I don't keep busy, this last week will feel as if it is going by slower then the past 7 months!

Luckily for me, I am a procrastinator... and I have waited until the last minute to do all the cleaning and shopping so I would be sure to keep busy these last few days ;)

AHHHHHHHHHH!
(I have so much to do)

In reality, we all know that time doesn't actually go by faster or slower...

each minute of every day is 60 seconds, no matter how fast or slow the day may seem.

So with that being said, this last week... compared to the last 7 months, is NOTHING.

Brett will be here before I know it :)

*HUGE sigh of relief*

We did it!

That.is.beautiful. ^^

Thank you to ALL of our family and friends for being there, sending care packages, & always checking in to see how things are going.

Thank you to everyone who came to VISIT... I don't think you understand how much that really means to me or how much easier you all made this deployment on BOTH Brett and I. Thank you to the few great friends I have here, that kept me SO busy and made it hard for me to spend any night alone... I couldn't even imagine what this deployment would have been like without you all.

Lastly, thank you to Brett... for making these last 7 months go as smoothly and as easy as possible. I love you!



Project 365 - Day 142

Day 142

September 16, 2011

Making HOMECOMING SIGNS!!! :)

I am getting way too excited!!



Project 365 - Day 141

Day 141

September 15, 2011

FINALLY... I found the perfect shoes to go
w. the homecoming outfit :)
This was not an easy task (considering I bought my dress 2 months ago) BUT it is done... another thing to check off the list!!!



Project 365 - Day 140

Day 140

September 15, 2011

Watching the sunset at the beach

I ♥ him.



Project 365 - Day 139

Day 139

September 13, 2011

Cook-out at Christina's :)

Oh.what.a.night.



Project 365 - Day 138

Day 138

September 12, 2011

Passion Party at Kayla's :)
This was as "clean" of a picture as I could get...
sorry.



Project 365 - Day 137



Day 137

September 11, 2011

We will always remember.

Project 365 - Day 136

Day 136

September 10, 2011

Homecoming Brief!!

I didn't receive any new information BUT it did make me even more exited!

"They are almost home!"



Project 365 - Day 135

Day 135

September 9, 2011

Christina, Jason, and Beth (who are not Michigan fans)
bought these plates for the Michigan Game...
and the next day during the game, they cheered them on with me as if they were the biggest fans EVER :) Thannnks guys!! (side note: Hail!)



Project 365 - Day 134

Day 134

September 8, 2011

2 of my best friends last night, thanks to the power outage :) haha

(please excuse the crappy picture... it was DARK.)



Project 365 - Day 133

Day 133

September 7, 2011

Just got back from a walk!! :)

Nice way to end they day.



Project 365 - Day 132

Day 132

September 6, 2011

Sushi date @ Riptide!!

SO FREAKING GOOD!!



Project 365 - Day 131

Day 131

September 5, 2011

Onnnne little red leaf...

Fall is on it's way :)



Deployment Visitors 6

My last visitor's of this deployment :)

which means it is coming to an end.

My Aunt Jodi (from Florida), Grandma (from Michigan), Mom (from Indiana), and cousin Lindsey (also from Michigan) all came to visit me in July.

We have never had a "girls trip" like this before and needless to say, I think we just started a new tradition.
It was one of the BEST TIMES I have ever had and we made so many great memories.

They were all supposed to get in on a Thursday night but unfortunately, my mom's flight got canceled (thanks to a freak hail storm in the middle of Summer). So we started out the first night, minus one.

It was a late night but we couldn't stop talking and were running on the adrenaline of our excitement for the week to come.

Our first day together we went to lunch on the pier. This was something that my mom had already gotten the chance to see, so we knew she wouldn't be missing out.

We had some of Ruby's famous burgers and fries and took a nice walk on the pier before we had to head to San Diego to pick up my mom.

After we successfully picked up my mom, we came back to the house to get ready for a night out at The Derby Piano Bar!!

All dolled up and ready for a night on the town!

This was one of my favorite nights of the week...

Everyone had a great time and we shared LOTS and lots of laughs, from the moment we arrived and the whole car ride home... my stomach hurt from laughing so hard.

Beautiful ladies.

"I should have never got that vodka and lemon... those lemon's always do this to me."

I hope when I am her age, that I have a smile like that... she can light up a room :)

We found out that Lindsey is VERY talented with a tambourine!

The next day we decided to take it easy and spend some time at the beach.

We took a tour of base and went to the Commissary for some groceries to make dinner together that night. We all were in the Kitchen cooking, eating, drinking, and enjoying the quality time together... another fabulous night.

Sunday was my Aunt Jodi's last day in California so we decided to spend the entire afternoon in San Diego. The original plan was to stop at Seaport Village and Old Town but Seaport Village was tourist city that day (fanny packs included) and we couldn't even find parking... so we made it a full day at Old Town San Diego instead.

We enjoyed looking around at the all the little shops...

and of course indulged in some Mexican cuisine and margaritas!!

The next day, we were back to only 4 of us and we decided to go shopping at the Irvine Spectrum.  Lindsey and I bought some clothes and my family helped me pick out THEE homecoming outfit, then we ate a great dinner at The Yard House.

Another fun and successful day!

I was so sad for our time together to come and go so quickly but knew that this is how it usually works when I have company... it always goes by too fast!!

I am so grateful that I have such an amazing family :)

I am so happy that we got to share that time together and that we all have such close, strong relationships!! I can't wait until we plan our next girls weekend!!

"To us, family means putting your arms around each other and being there." 

Project 365 - Day 130

Day 130

September 4, 2011

Sweet little Madi playing with bubbles :)

Sooooo cute.



Project 365 - Day 129

Day 129

August 3, 2011

After having such a fun and exciting day...
this is the ONLY picture that I took!?

This would be my neighbors porch
(that connects to mine)
I'm sure you can imagine how that smells...



Project 365 - Day 128

Day 128

August 2, 2011

12 inches GONE :)



Project 365 - Day 127

Day 127

September 1, 2011

Flowers at the Market :)

Project 365 - Day 126

Day 126

August 31, 2011

I will try to explain this in as few words as possible...

There was a Sears give away online this morning for military families... (I've never done anything like this before and I was kind of excited, hoping I would win!)

After refreshing my computer for 10mins straight like a crazy person and it not working, I go next door to Christina's and use her computer (she already signed up and entered the contest) I fill out all the info needed and it kept saying Brett was under 18yrs of age!! Come to find out there was a glitch in the system for any AUGUST BIRTHDAYS (go figure!) lol
So I call the number to sign up over the phone... on hold for an hour and I get hung up on LOL!

So, I hope all my frrrriends get their giftcards ;)



Project 365 - Day 125

Day 125

August 30, 2011

I can NOT even BEGIN to tell you
how EXCITED I am to get my hair CHOPPED off...
Friday cannot come soon enough.
What.a.mess!

(and don't judge my "taking a picture of myself in the mirror with my cell phone" picture... this is a one time thing.)