good ol' virginia beach.

yes, my blog really needs updated. but i'll be honest it has kind of lost it's zeal for me! although i feel that way here are a few pictures of our virginia beach happenings:

pie in the face at work.

minor league baseball game on the 3rd! lots of fireworks and hotdogs! and the home team won!

sweet adeline! she makes me so happy!

add and brit

we had a grand ol' time

for the 4th we enjoyed a lovely {ok terrible weather} day at the beach with some of our newest friends! our bishop is building this MASSIVE/AMAZING home on the beach front and invited us to come and party! besides the ridiculous amount of rain that happened it was a splendid day! no fireworks though!

yes thats the house behind us!

and i cant recall if i promised i wouldnt post these pictures on here, but i think everyone looks pretty good... minus decker who looks like a creeper! he does that in every picture i take of him! we were so sad that derek and breanne left us! we miss you guys!

we celebrated addies birthday on the 5th. she is amazing. so kind and soooo beautiful. im so lucky that i get to be around her all day everyday! :) i love you!

last weekend we spent the evening enjoying the beach and jelly fish and dolphins again! i love the beach sooo much! and these new friends of ours!

and for a few days addies mom jonas came to visit. she is beautiful and it was lovely having her here. even if it was just for a day!

life is good. my family is coming on wednesday!!!! EEEEEK! i cant wait to show them all of the amazing places around virginia beach that i have grown to love so much!

xoxo

the diary of a 'working on it' dieter.

well its been a month since i posted about my new commitment to a healthier lifestyle.

although it has been a TOUGH journey for me, i really feel like i am doing good!

the rules that i said seemed so 'simple' to follow may not be as simple as i'd hoped, but for the most part i feel like i truly am feeling and looking better.

lets start with rule number one:

-you get one free day a week where you can break all the rules! :)-YES IVE DONE VERY WELL at making this happen every week! i definitely enjoy my free day!

-eat 1800 (or less) calories a day- this hasnt been a problem for me. its been pretty easy eating less than 1800 calories. my cousin addie however taught me that calories arent the only thing i should be looking at. if you are trying to loose weight the sugar intake in certain foods can really stunt your progress.

ive been eating a lot of raw foods. fruits veggies nuts etc. i eat lots of cottage cheese and yogurt too. i was drinking some 'weight loss shakes' but have discovered they are more unhealthy for you than anything else i was eating. i think those will be substituted with whole wheat english muffins from now on.

- no sugar. no white sugar or honey- OH MY HECK! this is my biggest weakness! especially when everyone around me wants ICE CREAM or FROZEN YOGURT EVERY. SINGLE. NIGHT!!! and its soo hard because i love me a good treat after i have finished dinner. blah.

-exercise at least an hour a day- although some days it isnt a full hour, i can honestly say i have WORKED OUT EVERY SINGLE DAY {besides sundays} since I started this challenge! it feels so great!!!

-get at least 7 hours of sleep a night- this isnt a problem for me! i could sleep all day long if i wanted!

-drink at least 3 liters of water a day- this can be a problem... our tap water is DISGUSTING here so we go through water bottles like you wouldnt believe! but i am still drinking lots and lots of water!

-for the 8 weeks, take one bad habit and drop it for a good habit.- this one is yes and no! i am trying to read my scriptures and an ensign article or conference talk every morning before i do anything else. sometimes it waits all day long but its happening.

-list 100 things you are grateful for each day- keep a gratitude journal- this has also been kind of hard for me. i am grateful for lots of things, but writing 100 things everyday gets hard. i always think, 'didnt i just write that?'

all in all i think i am doing pretty well. i am down 5 pounds, feel better, am eating better and exercising more than i ever have in my life! i cant be mad about that!

i havent had mountain dew in over 7 weeks! and seriously that is an accomplishment for me. in fact i havent had ANY soda except for a sip of root beer in that time either!

i hope everyone else out there who is trying to create a healthier lifestyle will help me with some tips! i find its really easy to get discouraged, but i just keep thinking how i dont want to get back into the habits that i was so far in! its so much harder to loose weight than it is to gain it thats for sure!