30 for 30 Photos: Day 17

Hello everyone! Day 17 in the 30 Day Photo Challenge is to post a picture of something that has made a huge impact in your life lately. That's easy: Gina, from Gina's Skinny Recipes! I know it is silly to choose a food blogger I've never met for this category, but Gina has played an integral role in Andrew and my success with Weight Watchers. Her recipes include our favorite foods! She's even working on a pizza recipe! Every Thursday I post pictures and/or links to her scrumptious recipes, so I hope you search around her site and find some tasty treats too!

P.S.

So I joined For the Love of Blogs and am having so much fun! Today is "Comment Love Day" which is basically a big blogger meetup, if you will. I commented on three blogs and plan to follow them now. Here's a quick shoutout to Chrissy in America, Mimi at Irresistible Icing, and Shay from Laugh Until Your Cheeks Hurt.

How fun to connect with people!

30 for 30 Photos: Day 16

Good morning, readers! Today I'm slated to post in the 30 Day Photo Challenge a picture of someone who inspires me. I think you all know how much I love my family by now. Sometimes I think I do the things I do because of my family influences; whether due to inspiration or Catholic guilt, I find myself inspired by my family and in particular my grandparents. I envision them looking down on me from Heaven, willing me to make the right decisions and praying for me to live a happy and full life. Sure that might seem weird, but since my grandma on my mom's side passed when I was in Kindergarten it is a way to keep her memory alive. One of my favorite things to do over the holidays is wash my grandma's old dishes and China with my mom because she will often tell me stories of her youth, her family, and all of the quietly inspirational things they accomplished in their lives. My grandma raised 10 children and I am so proud to be in my family. My grandpa lived through the Great Depression and kept the family business going, and my uncle now runs it. My grandpa on my dad's side fought in WWII and appreciated the simple pleasures in life, and my grandma (the only one still with us) is a source of inspiration because she too values simplicity, honesty, and family. I guess I could have chosen a celebrity or famous figure as someone who inspires me, but I think I'll leave it with my grandparents. They raised my wonderful parents, so they deserve all of my love and respect. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures on my computer, sorry!

30 for 30 Photos: Day 15

So I didn't post yesterday because I couldn't come up with anything concrete for the 30 Day Photo Challenge. The assignment, if you will, is to post a picture of something I want to do before I die. Many people probably dream of doing something daring, like skydiving or bungee jumping. Not this gal. There are many things I want to do before I die, like get married, have kids, grandkids, pets, house, cars, blah, blah, blah, but there are two things I have been craving lately that I want to do ASAP.

1. Get a damn stamp in my passport. I bought this sucker last summer before the prices went up and do not have the funds to go anywhere. Where would I go? First, Western Europe. I want to go to Spain, France, Italy, and Greece. I wouldn't mind going to where my family is from, either: Ireland, Poland, and Germany. I'd also like to go to Portugal and England. Yes this would be an expensive trip, but they can split into multiple trips, and a girl can dream, right? A cruise through the Mediterranean would be a nice as well. After Western Europe I'd like to go to Turkey, Brazil, Argentina, Peru, Costa Rica, Madagascar, and New Zealand. So yeah! I'd like to go to all of these countries before I die. Dreams are fun, aren't they?!?! :)
2. As I network and do informational interviews I have spoken to people who say they love their jobs. I want this before I die. Sure it sounds like a lame request, but seriously? I think it is difficult and is therefore so incredibly important. I want to wake up and be excited to go to work and make a difference. I really really REALLY hope I am lucky enough to have this happen before I keel over.

So here is a picture of the word dream I found, because so far that's all these are!

Week 8; 30 for 30 Day 14

First of all, the picture for today's 30 Day Photo Challenge is a no-brainer. I'm supposed to post a picture of the person I could never imagine my life without. My life would be incomplete without my friends and family, of course. But if I MUST choose only one person it's Andrew. He makes me happy, makes me laugh, makes me want to be a better person, and loves me for who I am. I don't know what I would do without him :) Here we are goofing around on the Bocce Ball court last spring:
Second, here is the weekly Weight Watcher update!

Weight loss:
I gained .9 pounds this week.

Total weight loss:
12.2

Pounds remaining to reach goal weight:
27.6

Overall mood this week:
Of course I am disappointed that I gained weight this week. We did not cook much, and while I did control my portions I think I was super hungry all of the time because of how much I worked out. Plus, it could be a muscle-gain week: I am so sore from my workouts but feel and look more toned. So yes, I'm upset, but it's not the end of the world because this weekend when I went out I looked amazing in my outfits and overall I feel healthier.

It was a stressful week because I had a lot to do for school, but now that I'm on Spring Break I'm feeling pretty good! I plan to read a book, treat myself to lunch, go to a movie at the E Street Cinema to see an Oscar film (any suggestions? I've only seen The Social Network), and possibly go see an art exhibit at a gallery that I have never visited but have always been curious to check. I may just do something touristy, too. Rest assured that I have school work to do and plenty of networking/job hunting on my radar, but I fully intend on making the most of my last Spring Break!

Worked out:
Five times! Granted, two of them were quick and easy, 30-minute sweat fests, but I was CRAZY busy and hey, it's better than nothing!

Yummy finds:
We had a deliciously healthy meal with Whitney on Tuesday, but I forgot to take a picture! Fail. However, we made 2-point Rice Krispy Treats courtesy of Gina's infinite Weight Watchers wisdom. I am so happy with the treats and will make them often! They taste like childhood!

Another find this week arrived in the mail. I spotted this cute ring and had to have it! It was only $9 on Adri Apparel's Etsy store! Sorry it's blurry haha
Have a good day, everyone! The weekend is near!

30 for 30 Photos: Day 13

Today's picture for the 30 Day Photo Challenge is to post a picture of my favorite band or artist. My favorite artist is easy: it's my friend Mo. Mo can make anything. I am always amazed with her creativity. In high school Mo would come to school with something she baked, something she created, and many things on the brain to make the following day. In college she made a legit comic book/graphic novel for her senior project. It was so impressive - and she even made t-shirts for it, which I still wear all of the time! I don't know how she does it all! Today she's rocking out in LA working on production teams for films. She recently worked on The Green Hornet (go see it! It's soooo funny!) and I literally freaked out when I saw her name in the credits! Mo also has her own Etsy store and is on IMDb. I can't wait to see her recent work in Cowboys & Aliens coming out soon! I am so very proud of her!

Here's a picture of a few of Mo's impressive creations:

30 for 30 Photos: Day 12

Today's post for the 30 Day Photo Challenge is to post a picture of something I love. That's easy. I LOVE this video of my niece, Elizabeth. Enjoy and have a nice evening! :)