One Month Down

Remember this post? Well here is my one month update.......
Between February 1st and February 28th I lost 14 pounds!! Yay! So far I have not really been able to tell a difference, but I am hoping that changes soon!!
I have been spending a lot of time at Gold's Gym taking some of their fitness classes. My favorite by far is Zumba!! The class is Saturday mornings and I literally count down to it every week. I LOVE it!!
I have also been watching what I eat! I have been eating lots of Smart One's for lunch and 100 Calorie packs for snacks!! I also discovered some fantastic fruit rolls!! The only place I can find them is at Smiths!! They seriously are awesome and I am pretty sure I'm addicted!!
I try to be really really good during the week so I can splurge a little on the weekends!!

It was hard at the beginning, trying to get used to a new lifestyle, but it's getting easier!! I look forward to my workout classes (which is SO weird for me) and I am more conscious of what I eat!!
So, one month down...... quite a few months to go!!

My Pretty Kitty

I LOVE my kitty!! I've had him since I was about 8 or 9, so he is an old man!! I have been trying to find some pictures of him when he was a kitten, but I have not had much luck!! I will have to try harder and then come back and edit this post!

My cat does some pretty funny things!! Sometimes he drinks water from him paw. He scoops it out and licks it from him dirty paw!! Haha!! It's pretty dang cute to watch. And sometimes he will pick food up in his paw, swipe it through the water and then eat it!! He also knows exactly where the kitty treats are in the house and heads there right away when he makes it inside!!

When he's not sleeping (which he does more and more of) he is a climber!! We have found him in some interesting places!! One day my brother came in to the house and told me to hurry outside. He and my dad had been cleaning out the garage, so it was empty. They could here the cat meowing and couldn't figure out where it was coming from!! They realized that he was on the shelves.... above our garage!! I wish I would have thought to grab my camera!! Silly kitty!! He had jumped from the stairs to our Suburban and the climbed onto the shelves. Well, the car was gone now and we was looking down at us with huge eyes that said "HELP ME". It was pretty dang funny!! But he's also smart!! He's never gotten himself stuck up there again!! But he has been known to climb up on some other garage shelves and make himself comfortable!!

He loves rolling around on the cement on a warm day and lays in the dirt when it is hot! He also likes hanging out under bushes and trees to keep cool. In the summer I love sitting outside brushing him!! He gets so relaxed and it's funny to watch his face!!


Well a few weeks ago I started to notice that something was not right with him. He was drinking lots of water. I would fill his dish and he would have the whole thing gone in a matter of minutes!! And he stopped drinking water out of his paw. He was sucking it down like there was no tomorrow!! His litter box got very very full (I'm sure you wanted to know that huh), and he started loosing lots of weight. If you have ever seen my Snowball, you know that he has always been a BIG kitty!! So I worried for a long time about what it could be. At one point my dad suggested it could be kidney failure, and I knew it was time for a visit to the vet.





The verdict: my poor kitty has diabetes. Cats should have a blood sugar level somewhere around 150/180. The vet has a chart that measures up to 450........... Snowball's blood sugar level was off the chart!! Poor thing!! They also weighed him and he only weighted 10 pounds. I don't know how much a cat is supposed to weigh, but he suddenly seemed so small. I realized I could fit my index fingers and thumbs around his middle. He was so tired, and so worn out. He usually isn't very cuddly but that day all he did was snuggle with me!Look at him!! My poor baby!! I felt SO SO SOOOOO bad for him!! I felt terrible that I had waited so long to take him to the doctor!! He hates that cat carrier thing and all he wanted to do was lay in it! And he usually hates car rides and meows the whole way home. Not that day though!! He was just too weak and sick! =0( The vet showed us how to give him insulin shots; so every day, twice a day, we give him a shot. It's amazing how fast it can kick in. He had made a HUGE improvement just by the first afternoon. His levels are still high, but he is finally on the chart (last time he was checked he was in the 300 range).

I don't know how long we will do it for. Some people give me a hard time about it and say "it's just a cat" or "just put it to sleep" or "I cant believe you would spend money like that on a cat". It's kind of frustrating too me!! Would they not do that for their pets?? I hope they would!! I cant just sit back and let him die of dehydration or seizures (both possible if we don't keep it under control). I have had him as long as I can remember and it would be like loosing a family member!! I cried a lot the day I found out about it. He's always there for me to cuddle with when I have a bad day. He always seems to know when I need it because it is some of the only times he will let me cuddle him!! I love him...... he is my buddy and I will do what I have to, for as long and I have to, to keep him here with me!!

Loser

So I keep going back and forth on whether or not to post a blog about this or not. But I figure I will probably do better if I do!! So here it goes.......
I'm tired of being fat!! So I am finally doing something about it. That is not to say that I have not tried before. I am really good at starting out and being good for a few days, and then I loose my motivation and things go back to the way they always are. I get frustrated really easily and rather than sticking with it, I give up.
Not this time!! This time will be different! I am on a quest to be my own Biggest Loser!!
A few weeks ago at work, we had an in-service about goals. They gave us lots of statistics about how often people keep their New Year resolutions (it's not often by the way) and how men and women differ in goal keeping. They said women are 10% more likely to accomplish their goals if they tell someone.
So I have a plan! I have written out all of my goals and how I want to achieve them. I also have a contract with a great friend, so I am accountable to her for what I eat and the exercise I do. And now I have told you. So, who ever you are, I am now accountable to you!! I want to loose weight and have a happier, healthier life. I am going to be strong this time. I know that I will get frustrated and I know that some weeks will be harder than others. But I am sticking to it!!

Just Plain Awesome

YouTube is an interesting place. There is definitely a lot of crap on there, but you can also find some really amazing stuff like this:



I LOVE THIS!!! It is a million times better than the Miley Cyrus version!! I listen to it over and over!! And the piano player (Ahmir), how dang cute is he!!!!

And I love this video too!!!



I'm sure you have probably seen it before, but it's another one that I can never get enough of!! It makes me wish I could play the piano like that!! How awesome would that be!! And the cello! Ahh! I LOVE the cello!! One day I want to learn to play!
I downloaded Love Story Meets Love Story, but it's just not that same without Viva La Vida!!
So, COME ON COLDPLAY!!! PLEASE give them permission to release this!!!

And finally my last YouTube video obsession.... This is from the Oprah Show!! One of the dang coolest things I have EVER seen!! I would totally recommend checking out videos of this from the air because it looks even more awesome!! And then do some searches on Flash Mobs!! There are some pretty awesome ones!!



HAPPY SATURDAY!!

Tales From The Driver's Seat

I have THE WORST car luck... I mean horrible, and awful and far worse than any one person should have to deal with!! After so many problems, my grandpa teasingly said I could write a book!!

So with a few new and recent problems, I thought I would start at the beginning!

CHAPTER 1: Amanda and the Terrible Taurus My first car! That I would jokingly say I got from the Tooth Fairy, because I got it not not long after I had my wisdom teeth taken out!! This car wasn't horrible ALL of the time.... but it definitely was a pain MUCH of the time!!

I cannot even recall all of the times I broke down in the car, because it literally happened to many times to count! I broke down on the way to a play, in Logan, in the freezing winter time, and had people behind me honking because I wouldn't move (yeah.... like I wanted to sit there in the middle of the road). I don't know exactly what happened, but I do remember calling my dad, crying! I also broke down on the freeway, during rush hour traffic, of course, and my grandpa and uncle and to come and rescue me. It also overheated so badly while I was in Logan that I couldn't drive it and then my poor neighbor had to come and tow me back to my apartment!

And speaking of overheating........... there were SO many times I had drive in the super hot summer time WITH THE HEATER ON!! It was horrible!! All four windows would be down but it didn't make a difference!! My poor friends that had to put up with it!! Sorry guys!! You were troopers!! Other "fun" Taurus memories: the first time I ever ran out of gas was in that car, my first flat tire was on the car, I got pulled over for drunk driving in that car, and I locked myself out of it SO many times!!! The rubber stuff around the windows was bad (after shoving multiple hangers down, trying to unlock the doors) and water would literally gush in and soak my left side if I ever went through the car wash. And the stupid trunk!!

At some point, the trunk latch thing stopped working. I would be driving down the road, and it would just fly open!! I got very good and making quick, short stops, and slamming it closed!! I was pretty impressed with myself!! But it got worse and worse!! I would have to SLAM it shut over and over and over!! One day, after a long day at work (at Discover Card), I slammed the trunk so hard, because I was SO mad, that I broke the top of the tail light!! Oops!!

CHAPTER 2: Amanda and Bonne

After the Taurus came the Pontiac Bonneville. I WAS NOT excited about driving this car. It had belonged to my grandpa and all I saw when I looked at it was and old person boat!! It seemed so long, and so boxy and I REALLY didn't want to drive it!! But the air conditioning had long since been dead the Taurus and I was tired of melting in the summer, so the thought of nice cool air finally made me cave.

This car honestly wasn't to bad. Actually, I don't think I even really broke down in it (although I did come VERY close on my 23rd birthday when it over heated big time). But I did get hit in the car... maybe that's why the memories are not so happy!! The first time was on a winter day!! I'm sure I blogged about it when it happened, so I wont bore you with that part of the story again, but it was not fun!! I was so scared and I'm pretty sure that is what solidified my fear of winter driving!! Luckily it wasn't a bad accident!! The only damage was a broken tail light and some scrapes on the bumper. Poor Bonne!!I also got hit (twice) while doing and ice cream run for work!! Again, it was not a bad accident, just some more bumper damage. The worst thing that happened with this car...... the blinkers died!! I could not signal lane changes and it was awful, especially since I had to drive on the freeway to get to the U of U!! Lots and lots of people honked at me!! And I was constantly worried about getting pulled over!! Not fun! But I did learn the hand signals for lane changes and had some compassion (for awhile) for people who cut me off without signaling.... maybe theirs was broken too!! The windows were also weird on that car!! They could go down....... but it could be a nightmare trying to get them back up!! On the drivers side you could pull on it and it would come up. But when the passenger side would get stuck, there was no moving it!! You'd have to move it up inch by inch over a long period of time!! Toward the end of my driving it, the air/heat started to act funny. It wasn't blowing out the vents, and would take 30 minutes to heat up or cool down!! I couldn't take it!! So............

TO BE CONTINUED....................................

I'm Pretty Sure I Could Do This!!

Who wants to be my buddy??? Haha!!!! How many times do you think they crashed or fell all the way to the ground before they got that routine down??
All I know is there is NO WAY I could EVER have that kind of balance!! And how the heck do you figure out you can even do that????

Goodbye 2009

So I was looking through my old blog posts from this time last year and found this cool little year in review thing that I originally stole my my friend Danielle. It was interesting to read through it again and I thought I'd go ahead and do it for 2009! So here it is!

MY 2009...
1.What did you do in 2009 that you'd never done before? Got my own health, dental and car insurance. Man that kind of stuff can be confusing!!

2.Did you keep your New Year's resolutions and will you make more for next year? I don't even want to go back and look at my post about my resolutions because I know I was horrible!! And I even promised that 2009 would be different!! Haha!! MAYBE 2010 will be my year!!

3.Did anyone close to you give birth? My wonderful friend Tiffany had her little girl back in February (man that seems like SO long ago) and I had two works friends that both had little boys in the summer

4.Did anyone close to you die? Not this year, and I am very grateful for that!!!

5.What countries did you visit? Sadly, none this year.... I will have to do something about that this year. I think Canada might be calling my name!!

6.What would you like to have in 2009 that you lacked in 2008? More patience

7.What date from 2008 will remain etched in your memory, and why? The day I graduated from the University of Utah with my Bachelors Degree!!

8.What was your biggest achievement of the year? Finally finishing school after 6 long years and becoming a loan officer at work

9.What was your biggest failure? Still not being brave while driving in the snow!!

10.Did you suffer illness or injury? 2009... the year of the Swine Flu!! I have been SO lucky so far and I have not caught it!! But in the Spring, I did have walking pneumonia... that was "exciting" because I led to a scare that I had other lung problems!! I also had a crazy allergic reaction in the Fall that was NO FUN!! As or injury.... I fall/trip/run into stuff frequently!!

11.What was the best thing you bought? My pretty new Hyundai Elantra!! LOVE it!!!

12.Whose behavior merited celebration? Same answer as last year.... I do not know!!!

13.Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed? Tiger Woods, what a dirt bag.... and Jon Gosseslin.... loser!!

14.Where did most of your money go? Student loan repayment and my new car payments!!

15.What did you get really, really, really excited about? The New Moon movie!! I was counting down ALL year long!!

16.What song will always remind you of 2008? Good Girls Go Bad! Gosh, I know it sounds like a horrible song, but it will forever remind me of my awesome friend Christine!! She is hilarious!!

17.Compared to this time last year, are you:
i.happier or sadder? Probably about the same, not much has changed for me!
ii.thinner or fatter? Fatter of course
iii.richer or poorer? I think richer.... but only slightly!!

18.What do you wish you'd done more of? Played our Wii Fit!

19.What do you wish you'd done less of? Stressed about crazy drama at work!!

20.How will you be spending The New Year? Same thing I did last year!! I had a date with the Cullen family!!

22.Did you fall in love in 2009? No!! Sad times!!

23.How many one-night stands? None

24.What was your favorite TV program? Heroes!! Thanks for getting me addicted Miranda!!

25.Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year? There is a finance person at a particular car dealership that I very very VERY strongly dislike!!

26.What was the best book you read? I read "Thirteen Reasons Why" and it was VERY good!

27.What was your greatest musical discovery? It literally was a musical.... Little Women!! The songs are wonderful!!!

28.What did you want and get? Wanted a new car... got it!! Wanted the loan officer job at work... got it!! Wanted to go on lots of vacations.... did it!!

29.What did you want and not get? The government to write off my student loans!! Haha!!

30.What was your favorite film of this year? There were TONS of good movies this year!! Especially in the last few months!! New Moon of course would have to be my number one!! But The Blind Side and Invictus and also right up there!! And who could forget Star Trek!!!

31.What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you? I went back to even numbers by turning 24!! And what did I do.... well this year was more about what I DIDN'T have to do!! I DID NOT have to go to class!! First year in a long long time! I did go the The Cheesecake Factory with my mom again and I am loving that tradition!! Then that night my whole family went to dinner at Ruby Tuesdays!! Fun times!!

32.What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying? This one is kind of personal... so I think I am just going to leave it at that!!

33.How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009? I had a new found love of chunky rings and jewelry and well as boots of all kinds!! And scarves.... lots and lots of scarves!!! So I guess this was the year of accessories!!

34.What kept you sane? Haha, not very much, because I think I lost it a few times through out the year!!

35.Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most? New celebrity crush: Zachary Quinto!!

36.What political issue stirred you the most? It was a CRAZY political year!! There was SO much going on and lots of it was frustrating to me! Hopefully this year will be better... but I might have to hold our for 2012 for that to happen!

37.Who did you miss? Still miss my best friend Lacey!! I miss talking to and seeing her every day!! Hopefully one day that is easier!!

38.Who are your favorite people that you met this year? I don't think I really met any one new this year! I'm pretty lame and don't get out much!!

39. Quote a song lyric that accurately summarizes this year.“It's your life, what ya gonna do, the world is watching you......"