well, tan fat looks better than white fat

So operation One-derland in one month hasnt been going so well. Dang it. More like -2lbs in one month! Well, I suppose thats better than nothing. Kicked off my 7 day makeover yesterday. Dyed my hair (now a lighter reddish brown), started my Arbonne Spa Detox (Spa? Seriously?), and tried my new lip gloss. Oh, and the Jergens self-tanning lotion. At least that is working, my legs wont be quite as blindingly white in Colorado.

2 days until Colorado!! YAY!! Trace Adkins concert tonight!! YAY!!

May 1st - Day 1

Weight: 215.4

Pant size: 18 (almost 17)
Shirt size: XL
Bra size: you perv, why are you wondering that?

I was going to take some measurements, but I am too lazy.

Here's my starting pics. I tried to look as frumpy as possible, because that is the way all great 'before' pictures look.

Step away from the Girl Scout cookies....

Note to Self:

Self,

Stop. Just STOP. What is your goal? You know how to lose weight. There are rules. You are not following the rules, that is why you are not losing weight. Simple. So stop. Follow the damn rules.

1. Write it down. All of it. Guilt will keep you from eating that 10th thin mint cookie.

2. Exercise. MUST EXERCISE. Remember, even a skinny person looks like crap without muscle tone. Go stare at your arms in the mirror for a minute. Jiggle them.

3. Drink WATER! Drop that diet pepsi! And write it down!

Why are you eating this junk? Healthy food tastes good too! The pleasure of eating will be over in 5 minutes. Then, you are back to square one. WHY are you grazing? Did you take your pill? Drink a glass of water and reevaluate in 15 minutes. Watch the clock. Still hungry? Eat a healthy snack. Candy is NOT an authorized snack.

I know you are tired, frustrated, irritated at the kids and eating on the run... but its not worth it to eat junk. Crappy food will not fix a crappy day. It will only make you feel guilty, bloated- and then you will have a sugar crash and repeat the cycle. So stop. Just stop. Go drink some water.

I've centered my chi...

Whew... panic attack has passed! I went to visit Kim (the administrative assistant for my LPN program) and she calmed my frazzled nerves. Love you Kim! My laptop has been repaired, Praise God! God, the Great Physician (and computer techie, God is very talented) dried up the water and my laptop has come back to life! YAY!! The good folks at Computer Renaissance tweaked my CD-Rom just a bit, so we're back on track! Im SOOOOO happy, I didnt even lose any files! Some good news and some bad news.... found out that summer semester is being condensed into two 5 week segments, so my A&P II class is going to be even more intense than I expected. BUT, I will also have more time off this summer to play with the kiddos and do some camping. Also, on the freak chance that I fail A&P I, I'd be able to retake it during the 1st summer segment and still be on track for A&P II.

my dirty little secret...

Gosh, life can be so stressful!! Trying to be the best, of the best, of the BEST.... makes me want to just lay down and take a nap. I recently had this little idea, that I might start a little part time photography business- just for fun really, not to supplement our income. Its something I had daydreamed about for a few years, but never knew the digital technology enough to be competitive. Now that I am starting to learn this stuff, I think my photos have made a big leap in creativity. But sometimes, after you stare at something for a long time... suddenly it isnt that great anymore. Looks pretty ordinary. So I'm stressed out over that. Pretty silly, huh? This is something that I would like to do, but my own fear of failure is holding me back. In the meantime, I havent really told anybody about my plans to do this. So if you're reading my blog, you're getting the inside track of my brain! Mostly I think my biggest issue is that I pretty much only have pictures of my kids, no other subjects. I need to get out there and shoot some more kids! Anybody have kids they want shot? Ha, not that way! So anyway, if you've read this far, please check out my little portfolio and give me some honest feedback: www.myspace.com/lotwphotography

behold.... the power of photoshop!

Before: chicken wing arm fat













After: I do 100 push-ups a day. One handed.

The short history of Erica....

Hi, I'm Erica. Here's my life story: Born and raised in Anchorage, AK. Decided to leave Alaska in search of new adventures (and partly avoiding exboyfriends) and moved to Fort Collins, CO. Met some great friends there, enrolled in the School of Hard Knocks, majoring in Alcohol Consumption and minoring in Credit Card Debt. Met my husband Rob on a smoke break at work, ahhh the romance. It was love at first puff and we got married 8 months later. Quit smoking and drinking, found God (YAY GOD!!)... apparently he'd been looking for me since high school. After a devastating miscarriage, were were blessed with baby Emma... and thus began my obsession with pregnancy. We moved to Houston in hopes of warmer weather and lower costs, but Hurricane Katrina flooded the job and housing market the same week we arrived. After Emma was born, we swallowed our pride and moved back to Alaska, living with my parents. Living the with the parents.... hmm, sounds bad on paper, but actually it is pretty awesome because they help with the kids, give us good advice, and dont charge rent. Dipping my toes into the medical field, I went to phlebotomy school. Somehow, I graduated valedictorian of the business class- was it the announcer's error or was it my 79wpm typing skills? Either way, once I was hooked on needles and blood, nursing school seemed like the obvious next step. After some bad guidance counselor advice, I applied and was accepted to the Practical Nursing program. Just as school was about to start... surprise! pregnant again! Now, you might be thinking: "Erica, seriously, you know all the science of pregnancy and birth control, how could this have happened???". Well, it's simple really, God decided it was so, and now we have a cute little baby Addison! She was born in the middle of LPN school... that was pretty stressful, but she fit right in to the family and we love her a lot. Graduated from LPN school, decided to keep plowing ahead and do my RN pre-requisites.