times two

Right now I'm in two sets of classes: morning and afternoon culinary labs. That means two weeks of class from 7 am to 1 pm and 1:45 pm to 7:45 pm. Day one happened today. Day two is tomorrow. It's 9:22 pm and I can barely keep my eyes open.

I'm here. I have pictures to upload. Maybe tomorrow? Probably not.

Oh, and I highly doubt that I'm going to the gym for the next two weeks. So just ignore the last conversation we had. But I am still eating 5 small healthy meals a day and maybe I will drag my hopefully-shrinking-behind to the gym tomorrow? Probably not.

I'll be back again (that is if I have the energy to type).

xoxo,
Meredith

Heavy.

I'm trying to lose some weight right now. I want my BMI (Body Mass Index) to be at a healthier number but I was getting bogged down by the actual numbers on the scale-- it feels like it's never going to be possible to get where I want just because the numbers are so far apart.

So, seeing the anxiety the scale was bringing Chris had the genius idea that he would hide the scale and that a month later we'll check and see where we are. That means 5 weeks of killer workouts and healthy eating for the sheer sake of killer workouts and healthy eating. But I am excited to get on the scale in a month but also scared-- what if nothing changes? What if that terrible number pops right back up?

When Chris and I first got together I was 10 pounds heavier than I am now. The heaviest I've ever been in my life. And forgive me for getting all mushy on you for a minute but there is such great comfort and acceptance knowing that he fell for me when I was a little tubby. So this weight loss really is for me. I'm happy the way I look but I want to be healthier.

We've been working out 6 times a week and eating REALLY healthy since January 8th and I can feel a little difference in my jeans. We're doing the big weigh-in on February 17th-- I'll let you know how it goes!

Now... it's time to hit the gym. Again.

Old...

About 6 months ago I was waiting in the car for Chris and was randomly looking at the follicles of the stray hairs that had shed on my jacket (why? I have no idea. I'm a girl. We do strange things like look at the roots of our hair. mmkay?) And I got a vicious shock-- a gray root! My first gray hair! However, I was successfully able to dive straight into denial and tell myself that because it wasn't actually growing out of my head it didn't count.

But now, tragedy has struck, I have found grays growing out my head. Yes, my actual head. sob. Chris and I were out to dinner when I spotted them in the bathroom mirror.

I'm not sure how I feel about them. The drama queen in me says,

"gahhhhhh! I'm too young for gray hairs. Woe is me, I am only 25!"

While the much more mature rational side says,

"meh. no biggie. Because of the way I part my hair the grays don't show."
 
I'm feeling very old.  I never thought the day would come when I had actual gray hairs (oh look, denial again).

I'm not planning on dying it right now for a variety of reasons (mainly because I'm cheap and I wear a stupid hat to school everyday.)

But, every time my mind wanders back to my new grays (which happens often-- I'm vain like that) I have a conflicting battle of two songs-- I Am Beautiful and The Old Grey Mare.
 
What do you do about grey hairs? Or am I the only one sprouting the vile traitorous follicles?  Lord help us when I start to get wrinkles!





And Christina Aguilera's "I Am Beautiful"

In honor of MLK day

Your Christ                           A Jew
 Your car                             Japanese
 Your curry                             Indian
Your democracy                   Greek
Your coffee                     Brazilian
Your holiday                    Spanish
Your numbers                    Arabic
Your alphabet                      Latin

and your neighbor is just a foreigner? 


four, quatre, quatro, vier

Kalee at Une Vie Chic tagged to answer a few questions about myself; the perfect post for a Monday morning.  Chris and I had a wonderful weekend full full of the mundane-- grocery shopping, long walks, seeing a movie, working out-- it was exactly what we needed to rejuvenate before a busy week of school and work. 

4 Shows I Watch
Chris and I don't have cable in the house and in fact I haven't had cable the entire 2 years we have been dating.  However, we do have a regularly used Netflix account and we watch movies and TV on the computer.

Here's what we and I have watched in the last year on Netflix:

1. The Tutors (just me! I went on a Tutors kick while Chris was traveling so much for work)

2. Californication

3. Robin Hood (We're watching this BBC series right now but last night we decided that we were bored with it and wanted to start something new)

4. Lots and lots and LOTS of movies.  We just watched The Lost Boy-- a great 80's class with both Corey Feldman AND Corey Haim!

4 Things I Am Passionate About:

1. Childhood nutrition 

2. Cooking

3. Healthy and happy lives for myself, my family, and my friends

4. Open and healthy discussion (I have no patience for arguing for the sake of arguing.  I love having healthy discourse but when insulting or attacking starts I am done.)
4 Phrases (or words) I Say A Lot:

1. Shut up! No way!

2. Okay! Plus okay hand signal.  (When you are scuba diving you check in with okay signals a lot.  And since we came back from Hondura six months ago I can't shake the okay habit!)

3. I curse a lot so a well placed F-bomb happens usually once a day (If you know us in real life sometime ask Chris about the time I fell in a river while camping and I had 4 f-bombs in one sentence.  It was a thing of glory.)

4. I love you (awwww mushy.... But I do say this a lot to Chris.)

4 Things I Have Learned From The Past:

1. Keep my temper in check.  I have a hot streak and it can come out easily with a lot of fire.  In the past, I've definitely flown into a blind rage and made some ridiculous scenes.  Now, when I'm boiling I ask myself if it's worth it to make a scene. Every once and a while it is, but usually it's better not to throw the nearest items or start yelling.

2. I've learned to let go of a lot of insecurity.  When I was a child my mom used to tell me:
You will always be smarter than some people
Someone will always be smarter than you...
You will always be faster that some people
Someone will always be faster than you...
You will always be prettier than some people
Someone will always be prettier than you...
You will always be more talented than some people
Someone will always be more talented than you...
So love what you have and be your best

It's taken years, okay decades, to realize how true this really is and to embrace the idea that what I have and who I am is wonderful.

3. Never. Ever. EVER eat processed foods.  My body just can't handle it. Even if forced to eat dinner from a gas station do NOT have the lunchable-- it's not worth it!

4. I don't need as much sleep as I think I do.  I can push my limits if needed.  But, I have learned that I will never ever wake up early and I will always hit the snooze button if possible!

4 Things I Did Yesterday (Friday):

1. Went to class.  It is my only academic class this semester, nutrition.  I really love the class. It makes me wonder if I should go back to school and get my masters in nutrition.  But I guess I should actually work at some point....

2. Laundry, washed dishes.  I feel like we do these every single day.

3. Celebrated that it was Friday!

4. Went and saw Tron in 3D.  The movie was visually stunning, especially in 3D, but the plot was basically nonexistent and I was and still am confused about the un-shown plot background.

4 Places I'd Like To Go:

1. India

2. South-east Asia

3. Jordan, especially Petra

4. Paris-- I have a hankering to go back to my old hometown!

4 Things I Am Looking Forward To:

1. Spring!

2. Seeing where we'll be in a year.  I feel in limbo right now.  Not staying, but definitely not going.  i'm so excited to move forward in one way or another.

3.  Attending 3 weddings in the next 6 months! I love weddings! Congratulations Kendall and Will, Dori and John, and Shaunelle and Abe!

4. The Mother's Day trip to Napa that I am taking with my momma!

4 Things I Love About Winter:

1.  The way my cheeks turn pink after a long walk in the cold.

2. Snowball fights

3. Squirreling away inside under blankets and enjoying the warmth, hot tea, and board games.

4. Soup! Soup! Soup!

4 Things On My Wish List:

1. The determination to keep on working out daily.

2. The inspiration to cook dinner at home 6 nights a week.

3. The moderation needed to save money.

4.  The serenity to handle all of life's challenges.



Happy Monday y'all!!

New Year-- New Start

Did you know that 60 percent of people have broken their New Years resolutions by Valentines Day?  I like making New Years resolutions, but I also think that you have to be practical and be sure that you aren't setting yourself up for failure-- there is no way that I want to start a new year with the guilt of already failing hanging over my head.  Looking back, 2010 has been a crazy year.  Had you asked me where I thought we would be when the clock struck last year I would have never guessed that we would be living in Charlotte and I would be going to culinary school.  But, I do think that I have taken what has come our way and make sure that I/we am/are having the best life possible.

So, with that said, I have made some resolutions for 2011.  But instead of resolutions I like to think of them as improvements, or maybe adjustments?

1. Live a smaller life in Charlotte.  Chris and I want to start supporting our local community with our shopping choices.  There is an amazing bakery and an awesome local fish market right around the corner from us but we want to start buying our veggies and meats from small local vendors too.  My great-grandfather was a grocer in Fort Worth, Texas until he was put out of business by large chain groceries;  he literally could not get good for as cheap as they were selling them in larger stores. 

(This is a little fruit store in Paris... but you get the idea)

2.  Work out 5 times a week.  This was my mom's goal last year and except for two weeks she accomplished it! Chris and I have signed up for a 5k in the beginning of March so I have to hit the gym or my behind will be dragging.


(Hiking counts! This was over Thanksgiving at Pilot Mountain, NC)

3. Stay in better touch with my friends.  Since starting culinary school I haven't been as good about making phone calls or sending out emails just to say hello.  I need to be better!

4. Be healthier all around.  There is a slew of things I would like to work on from lowering my BMI to upping my daily veggie intake-- this year I'm going to focus on making sure that I am healthy inside and out!


What about y'all?  Did you make resolutions?  Or are there parts of your life that you see fit to change?