So, as you know, I decided to try starting weight watchers in order to get rid of some extra poundage… well, its been four weeks and I have lost 6.8 pounds! Yes…not a huge loss; but, Im averaging a loss of 1.7 pounds a week, which is considered a good, healthy, consistent weight loss and less likely to come back. The thing I am really happy about is that I managed to get through Halloween and Thanksgiving without gaining any weight and actually losing some!

So, I just got a dress in the mail from my friend Heidi to borrow for the campus safety dinner and am hoping that it will both fit and look great. This is my first minor goal: to look good at the Campus Safety dinner. Then, second goal is to look good for Jason and Jenny’s wedding (hopefully even get a new dress!) and finally, to look even better for our trip to Scotland. =) So, little milestones.

The weird thing is that I have been eating a LOT of vegetables, which I normally do not. And I have been measuring stuff to get an idea of how much of things I am intaking…wow. Anyways, it has been super helpful also now I know what my favorites foods cost me and can happily eat them without guilt. =)

Anyways, I haven’t updated in a while cause work is insane…also this is finals week (ouch) but after tomorrow, we will have two blessings: the semester will be over and Ben will be staying at our place! yay! We will probably try to get our Christmas tree with him or something and have a couple of Christmas parties this weekend. So, hopefully, later I will have more updates. But, for now, I am going to sneak off and have some lunch! =)

The minute i begin a diet (sorry…not diet, lifestyle change…) I would be berated by all sorts of good food. Now, Justin and I normally eat pizza MAYBE once every month or so. Don’t get me wrong, we’re fans, we just don’t order out very often and if we do, it will more than likely be from the mom and pop Chinese place next to our dry cleaners. But, no….as soon as we start this weight watchers thing, the world turns upside down and starts lavishing us with pizza parties.

Last week, my office threw an after audit pizza party, then there was a pot luck party as well at the office the next day or so. Then this past weekend was the metathon with Geier (more on that later) during which there were donuts, a pizza party, and then more pizza for dinner with Tim and Hope. This week, tomorrow actually, we are having yes ANOTHER pizza party with our neighbors to commemorate the year anniversary of the flood.

God help me.

The kinda cool thing though has been that even with all of this additional junk food…I’m losing weight! =) We’ll see what the official is on Wednesday; but, counting points and keeping track really has been helping. I get to eat bad food and still keep my goals. Anyways, I was pleasantly excited. Though, I have been good by filling up on lots and lots of salad before even touching my first slice, which has been limiting me to one or two slices when I would normally have much…much more. =)

So, not that you wanted a rant on weight loss or pizza….but, yeah, I was kinda impressed.

So, a while back Timothy Carrol and Naomi Geier had a wine in bowls party. At said party, there was lots of wine in large bowls from which people drank. I have to admit…I have never been a germaphobe before. I have always had to mindset that you should submit yourself to germs in order to boost your immune system. People who walk around with little cases of hand sanitizer drive me crazy. We had a couple come in to work a bit ago with a 2 month baby. . .she would not let anyone touch her child unless they scrubbed their hands and arms with sanitizer first and she was not very nice about it either….. Anyways, stuff like that bugs me. Maybe I will change my mind when I have a kid….but I kinda doubt it.

Anyways, wine and bowls. . . I also keep a bowl of loose candy on my desk that I make people reach into to get their candy. Partly to creepy our the germaphobes in the office and party cause I really don’t care. So….not a germaphobe! But. . . between finding out that a good number of our dear friends have communicable diseases ranging from bad to mono…(yes, for some reason I thought everyone I know who is not married is a virgin…stupid me..actually…I only thought all the guys were, I figured the girls weren’t…wonder what that says about me…. I still refuse to believe Ben or Buddy have ever even kissed anyone…) anyways…. so that, and something about sharing liquids rather than solids like candy or pizza or something…I freaked out. I mean not literally, just wow….I was suddenly acutely  aware of all the germs passing around through those bowls and just could not partake. So, I got my own undefiled bowl. They are suprisingly hard to drink from without spilling all over yourself….

It was through this evening that we ran into Granite and his wife Stephanie. Wow, long story to get to us running into them. So, we decided that we should get together. Well, we have not had a chance to do as such until last Saturday. It was lots of fun though I had to figure out how to cook since Granite is not vegetarian. . . For some reason when I have to cook without meat I freeze up a little and it just never comes out all that great; but no matter. It was nice to see them and get some time to hang out and eat food. They brought some super yummy garlic bread too!

The only thing that was odd, was the conversation kept getting either really gross or really sad…. dead pets, toilets, etc. So, not sure if that was just the dynamic or if it was just an off night. But, other than that motif, it was lots of fun to hang out with them and to see them. She apparently is a great baker and they want to have us over this Christmas, so hopefully, lots of baked goodies. =)

This weekend also kicks off the Williams’ metathon! Al invited us to go out to dinner at The Olde Ship on Friday and then class starts and goes all the way through Sunday night. So, hopefully, I can live blog some of it for you and I will definitely let you know how he is doing. I always give him updates on all of you. So, let me know anything specific you want me to pass on or to ask. Anyways, I think that is all the updates for now.

So, you probably have all seen the pics I posted on facebook from Halloween. I find it is a lot easier to post them there than trying to upload them all here….. So, read here and reference there.

Anyways, it was a lot of fun! We had a small group this year for two reasons: 1) everyone has deserted us… and 2) we were just exhausted. School has been kicking our butt this semester with projects and papers galore! I will be soo happy to be done with it all and not soon enough! So, we had three options this year for halloween: 1) cancel it; 2) have it open house style with all the new couples we have met (about 6 or so couples); or 3) keep it small and do a dinner party. So, we went with option three and invited the Bartels, Buddy & Ashely, and our friends Tad and Tanya Davis. I have mentioned them before I believe. Tad is going to Talbot and Tanya is in our MBA program. Both are delightfully wonderful and fit very well with our friends. =)

So, people came over and Hope and Tanya set the table while I finished cooking. In all we had:

• Tad and Tanya’s AMAZING bruschetta ( I am seriously addicted to the stuff) and homemade bread
• Black Eye Pea soup with Ham and Bacon
• Bone-in Ribeye roast (Vons had a sale…yay!)
• Maple/soy glazed winter squashes
• Seared carrots with red pepper flakes
• Brussle sprouts with almonds
• Rosemary and Sea Salt crusted potato slices
• Hope’s very yummy apple crisp. =)

It was all super good and we were all very, very full. We have almost finished eating all the left overs in the fridge.

In the midst of getting prepared for this, we also rearranged our downstairs furniture. We like it but, it does need some work. So, we might keep moving things around till we get a good Qi flowing. Other than that, we are still working on getting the house prepared for Justin’s parents coming this Christmas. We just need to sort out and clean two more closets and get the library finished up. We also want to brace the bookcases cause I would hate to have them stay in there and there be an earthquake and have all those bookcases fall on them. =(

As far as the Halloween decorations are concerned, we took most of them down; but, have been working on Thanksgiving decorations, which we have not done before. We bought some cool colored maple leaves and have been putting boughs all around the house and kept the orange lights up; but, took down the black garland and the pumpkin lights. We also took the cobwebs down. Justin wants me to make Indian and turkey silhouettes to put up but we will see how inspired I get. . . .

So, after reading Kelly’s post, I got inspired and decided to look at shoes again. After scrolling through www.zappos.com I actually came across two shoes I like! First, the boot:

how adorable are these?

I love them! admittedly, I think these are out of my price range….. but, I still love them. =)

And then, one of the main problems I have with snow is walking. First, being short (shorter than most people realize cause I always wear heels) I HATE wearing flat shoes. I love heels because they make me taller. But, in general snow shoes and heels do not match…at least that I have found. But, I saw these, which do have a mild heel and I think I actually like them. =)

Would I prefer a higher heel? yes, can I survive with this? Yeah, I think so. =) Anyways, those are my shoe inspirations for the moment. =) Still trying to find rain boots with heels. . . .

So, I realized since none of you are here and since I am epically terrible on the phone….I have not updated you on my parents and their house. Basically, there is no way they can keep the house. They owe way too much on it. They also cannot sell it because it just could not sell for more than what they owe on it. Also, while the salsa has been gaining a lot of attention (winning each contest it is put in, and even given a great review on ABC 7) apparently it is just not making any money yet. My mom, works pure commission and while she is a great photographer, she is no salesperson. The average income of the two is about $800 a month.

So, my mom was offered the transfer to another jurisdiction for her company under a  boss she likes and who would give her $100 minimum payment a day as well as partner her with an actual salesman with whom she would share commission. When she has been put with this person before she has made up to $3,000 a day in sales. The only thing is that the job is in the Bay area. So after taking some time to think it through, they have decided to move to the Bay area and take the job. My mom is moving there in the next week or so to start working and find a place to live that they can afford and my dad will move up once the bank short sells the house which will be January 20.

So until then, we are just collecting moving boxes and looking for places for them to live. Her area looks like it will be mostly below San Fransisco focusing on Santa Cruz and Monterrey counties.  They are pretty sad about this, not wanting to leave Los Angeles and move away from their parents and brothers and sisters. I think this will be great for them and am happy about the change.

Things you could pray for are that the job will pan out and be as good as it sounds, that they find a good place to move, and that the holidays do not turn out the be the complete disaster I have a feeling they will turn into. Before all of this happened, Justin and I invited his family out for Christmas. His family had wanted my parents to come up to AK but knowing that they could not afford it, and wanting to show our house to his family, etc., we invited them down. Well…..my parents are not happy about it and that added on top of them losing their house, having to move, and feeling depressed and embarrassed about everything could just erupt into a nightmare. I just want a nice Christmas with the whole family and for some reason my parents refuse to see Justin’s family as a part of their own family.

So, at the moment, I am surrounded by some very understandably depressed people and am trying to stay positive and pray that everything works out. On a side note, I could also use some prayer about anxiety. I have been worried about all the family stuff a lot lately; but, the thing that keeps bogging me down is the fear of flying. I am not entirely sure what is going on in my brain….but, I just can’t seem to shake the fear I have felt since our trip to Houston. I mean, the next flight we will take is not until next summer when we plan to visit Scotland and see Ben; but, I almost feel overwhelmed by that. Its just weird and disconcerting and has really been messing with me and I would like it gone. Rationally, there is no reason for this, but, apparently my emotional subconscious is not ruled by reason…I also have just been weirded out that something bad is going to happen to someone else I love. Probably just residual fears from all the things that happened to friends in the past year; but, just a pending sense of foreboding that has been hanging over me and that I would very much like to see disappear.

So yeah, if you are praying people, which I know you are ,  I would appreciate a prayer and maybe a lit candle too.

So, on Wednesday, I went to my first Weight Watchers meeting. Wow…I felt two things immediately: out of place and very vain. I was surrounded by people whose goals were on average 50 pounds more than I currently weigh and I am trying to lose a lot more from there. So, yeah….I felt awkward and had to listen to people saying I didn’t have to lose weight. Which made me think, I am really that vain? Am I too weight conscious? Has western culture snared me? I am within the normal BMI range for my height, albeit barely. So why am I here?

Do I just have that poor of a body image that I want to fit in a bikini and not worry about picking clothes that look good because I can be skinny enough that everything looks good no matter what way I sit? Its odd to see people who are bigger than me and who even I can admit look beautiful; but, also know that if it were me with the same body and looks I would be horribly depressed and think I was fat.

So why does it matter? I am healthy, no health problems (weight related at least), a husband who likes me the way I am and is paranoid of me losing boob sizes and friends who (I hope) don’t think I am fat or ugly.

I’m really not sure I have a good answer yet, other than I want to do this for myself so I like myself better, which, probably shows in itself that I have a bad mindset about weight and self. I’m not sure that it will change any time soon, but eventually, I will be at least a plump old lady and will have to deal with self image before there is nothing I can do to appease my own critical self. Thankfully, I have decades before I get there; but, I think I would like to be free from such self tyranny sooner rather than later. . .

Other things I noticed is that the meeting are in fact horrendously cheery. In general I hate cheery things…its a big reason I don’t like gyms…everyone is too happy and smiley. Also cheerleaders…too peppy.

Oh, and yeah….I’m HUNGRY! The coffee is helping a bit right now. When I went on Tuesday it was lunch time and when I calculated my points (before lunch) I realized I only had 6 points left for the entire day…. Apparently I don’t eat a lot…just little things with lots of points. So I tried to be better today and am saving points for dinner tonight but wow…that means sitting here….hungry… *sigh*  =(

We are starting school! Yes, we have in fact been in school since last Fall; but, we are starting a new school. =) Due to previously mentioned issues with a certain professor, we have decided to transfer in as many classes as we can to our program at Biola. After Kelly’s recommendation, we have decided to take two classes through Ashford University. This has worked out soooo perfectly! Our Biola classes end Dec. 4th and our Ashford class begins Dec. 8th. We were a little worried about taking an online course while Justin’s parents were in town (Christmas to New Years); but, perfectly, the class takes a two week break from Dec. 22 till Jan 4th in observance of holidays! How perfect is this!>!>!> Yeah, I am stoked. =) Thanks Kelly!  (can I send you the bill too?)

So…*deep breath* I think I am going to take the plunge…next week that is…into the world of Weight Watchers.

Yes, I am a little late on the whole bandwagon thing…by a couple of years and probably should have gone when all of you were talking about it when you actually lived here and I would have had people to go with…but, well, yeah… Mostly, my pride was hurt that I was invited cause that would be admitting a problem…which I am still mostly loathe to admit (especially publicly!!!).

But, Courtney has been an inspiration, as well as my weight scale. Though, to be fair, I have successfully kept off six pounds for four months! I just have not be able to get anything else off. =( So, I thought trying this might help get me back to where I was pre-birth control. Though, humorously, Justin seems paranoid about me losing cup sizes.

So, I have two ladies at work who will be doing this with me. One has been doing it for 16 months and has maintained her goal weight for two months now. =) She lost nearly 50 pounds!!! She is actually my inspiration to try Weight Watchers since her loss has been so dramatic and visible to me. And then a lady in my office is working towards getting her second knee replaced but needs to lose weight first. She and I are bad influences on each other when it comes to food and snacks so I think if we are both doing this we can keep each other accountable all day.

So, I have two goals: one which I think is moderate and reasonable and then my dream goal. First the reasonable one: lose 25 pounds. This would put me at my original college weight (pre-Justin). I think this would be reasonable–not super skinny, still with curves; but, able to fit back into all my clothes. The other goal is my dream weight–the weight I always wanted to be growing up surrounded by skinny waifs. That would require losing 35 pounds. Technically, still in the healthy BMI range, but definitely at the bottom end of it. Having never been there, I am not sure that I would actually like it (I don’t want to be too skinny and flat); but, it has always been the number I wanted….so who knows. If I can reach the reasonable goal and think I can still afford to lose some more, then I will try to; but, we will just have to see what actually looks good. =)

So….there you go. Hopefully, by Christmas, I will be at a better place than I am currently and able to fit back into some of my Christmas sweaters. =)

Fall is here! And with it, lots and lots of mulled cider. =) Now, I love mulled cider, absolutely love it; but, Justin and I have noticed over the past couple of years that something in the recipe causes extreme awakeness. Basically, if you drink it, you are not going to sleep for a long time. You won’t be tired, which is great for staying awake in class…but you also won’t fall asleep when its midnight and you have to be at work the next morning. So, I’ve put the recipe below and would love to hear any thoughts as to where the caffeine is coming from. =)

Mulled Cider Chelsea’s way for two:

five cups (i think, i mostly just pour it in…) of apple juice

one cup of pineapple juice

1/4 cup of cranberry juice or red wine

2 tablespoons of following mixture:

• Whole allspice
• Whole black peppercorns
• dried orange peel
• dried ginger (or fresh ginger)
• whole cloves
• cardamom pod
• cinnamon sticks

Put the spices in cheesecloth or a tea strainer and drop in the juice in the pot. Bring to boil for a minute or two then simmer until the aroma fills the air. Then drink! =) But, yeah, if you see the caffeinated element in there…let me know!