Spooning

Spooning

Two spoons made their way

to the bottom of my bag,

unbeknown to me,

searching among notebooks and pens.

When I found them,

they were nuzzled deep

spooning.

Autumn in Minnesota

Hello,

Today is a gorgeous, crisp, sunny day in Minnesota. I walked around lake of the isles this morning with Morgan. I love the energy I feel when walking around the lakes here, people just seem to enjoy and be happy. The air was fairly cool, but the sun shining big and bright made it a little better.

After our walk we stopped at Isles Buns for a cinnamon roll, it was glorious! It is so nice to be in a city I love. I've missed it here.

I moved back to Minneapolis at the very end of August and signed a lease on a new place in the uptown area. So far, I am very pleased with my decision to move back here. I am living with Travis, working at an elementary charter school and hanging out with both of my parents who live in the area. Not to mention my two best friends, Morgan and Mia, are also living in the area. It is hard to complain, that is for sure.

I want to blog about so many things... about my new job, about my journey to losing weight, about my relationship, about what I want to dress as this Halloween, haha. But there's too much! Like anything, I think you just need to start one step at a time.

I started my job the week of Oct. 3rd, for that week my goal was just to focus on work.

Last week, my goal was to focus on exercising 3 times a week.

This week, my goal is to focus on my eating habits.

So I will hopefully report good news from the week. I am very disciplined when it comes to work and school, but for some reason when it comes to my own personal life with eating and exercising, I cannot stay focused. I think that when it comes to work and school, I am working to please someone else. For example, my efforts at work directly help other people and are recognized by my supervisor. In school, my efforts were to please the professor so that I would get a good grade. With food and exercise, I am only working to please myself. Why do I not have a problem letting myself down? That absolutely is not acceptable. I will not let myself down this week.

I will not let myself down this week. I will not let myself down this week. I will not let myself down this week. I will not let myself down this week....

Sending love <3

Vanessa

Happy 4th of July

Happy Independence day to you all! What do you need to be freed from in your life? Think about the things that weigh you down in your life, is it your job? An unsuccessful relationship? If you haven't guessed, mine right now is FOOD! It is controlling me and I am working to free myself. For my 4th of July post I will make a plan to free myself from the pressures of over-eating.

I am sitting in bed on this beautiful summer morning, reading a book and catching up on some blogs. I am trying to plan out my day ahead and I realize that my mind tends to plan in terms of FOOD! Instead of planning out the great activities I want to do today, I am planning out what I want to do for lunch/dinner/ice cream.. etc. I have learned from Weight Watchers that it is very important to plan your meals ahead of time - BUT your brain shouldn't be thinking only about what your next meal is going to be.

Today I would like to do some of the following ACTIVITIES:
- Go on a nice bike ride
- Read my book on the beach
- Play "Catch Phrase" with friends who are coming over later
- Wear Glow Sticks while watching the fireworks!!

Now that I have some fun activities going on, I hope I'll be less likely to sit at home and eat everything in the fridge. I am going to plan out my meals though, especially my night time meal to make sure I don't binge eat at the BBQ tonight.

Okay so...
- Corn on the Cob (with lime juice and cumin instead of butter and salt) 2 Points Each
- Fat Free Brats (no bun - ketchup and mustard) 1 point each
- Freshly cut Cantelope - 0 Points!
- Ice Cream Cake with Blueberries and Strawberries (1/2 cup) 6 points

That sounds pretty healthy to me, with the ice cream cake being my special treat :) The problem is DRINKS! Each alcoholic drink is at least 4 points. So I going to make Mojitos using Rum, Mojito flavored crystal light, mint and lime! I'll let myself have 2 for a total of 8 points.

Which leaves me with only 9 points from now until the festivities arise... oh boy.. lot's of fruit today!

Okay I am going on my nice bike ride.

Happy 4th of July to you! Today, learn to overcome the negative pressures around you.

All love,

Vanessa

Let it go..

Let go of all of the pounds I have gained since college! When I went to college in 2006 I weighed somewhere around 117-120 pounds. In December of 2006 when I went home for Christmas break I weighed 141 pounds!! I can't believe how fast this transition can occur!

Here is a picture of me before I left for college.. I know its silly but look how thin I was! This was taken in August of 2006


And then just a few months later, I believe this picture was taken in December 2006!


I have tried dropping these pounds, but as soon as they go away they seem to appear back before I know it. So this summer I have tried something more drastic.

I JOINED WEIGHT WATCHERS!

I know it is kind of silly, but I really think it has helped me. When I went in for my first visit (5 weeks ago) I weighed 138.8 pounds. My goal weight is 118.8 pounds, so I have 20 pounds ahead of me.

I have lost a total of 4.6 pounds in 5 weeks. Someone asked me the other day how I could have drastically changed my diet, started exercising more and still only managed to lose less than a pound a week. I will admit this is frustrating, but if you think about it - that means you would lose close to 52 pounds a year. And that's pretty amazing!

I didn't do very well eating or tracking this past week. I was very stressed out and I am most definitely a stress eater. For some reason I think I "deserve" more to eat when I am stressed. That is a silly notion. I have my weigh-in tomorrow afternoon and I just know that my weight isn't going to have gone down. But what I have to remember is that even if I didn't eat perfectly, I still made healthier decisions because of Weight Watchers than I would have normally.

I've already started this week off much better.

Good luck, me!

All love,

NessaGirl

Feeling a little sad in 2011

Hello Readers,

I am writing with some feelings of sadness here today. I spent the past two weeks with my lovely boyfriend Travis and now that I am back in Tahoe, I'm feeling quite lonely.

I have no one to blame but myself, as it was my decision to keep a long-distance relationship up and going.

It is really hard for me to feel a purpose here. I love my job, but I feel aimless in other areas. Today I had the opportunity to go out and be active in the sunshine, but instead I was drawn to my bed and took a nap. If i want to see changes in my life, I need to be that change.

Here is to change for 2011.

Sending love,

Vanessa

Cooking

Cooking has become a new hobby of mine. Living with three other girls, we each have a night to cook so that Monday - Thursday we have something nutritious and delicious to eat while only having to spend the time and money one night a week! I eat gluten free and my roommate Grace is a vegetarian so the meals we choose have to be well thought out and creative! Quinoa has recently been my grain of choice, as it is Gluten Free, and a great addition to most meals!

Here is a meal I have made and am making again tonight for my boyfriend, who also eats gluten free. I have made my additions in purple. I found it here:

Delicious Big Bowl - Quinoa Recipe

2 cups white quinoa, rinsed well
4 scant cups water
1 teaspoon salt
a few splashes of extra virgin olive oil
3 - 4 medium/large potatoes, cut into 1/2-inch dice
1 large yellow onions, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
1 cup toasted nuts (walnuts, pine nuts, etc)
1-2 cups lightly cooked asparagus, cut into 1/2-inch segments

Lemon Juice
1 Teaspoon of Pepper
Pinch of Basil or Rosemary

another splash or two of good olive oil or citrus dressing

Bring the quinoa, water and salt to a boil in a large thick-bottomed pot. Reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the quinoa opens up revealing a little spiral and is soft and pleasant to chew. If there is any remaining liquid at this point, drain it off and set the quinoa aside. Put a little extra splash of olive oil in the quinoa right after it is finished, it gives it a good flavor.

Warm a splash of olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat, then add the potatoes and a couple pinches of salt. Toss to coat the potatoes and cover for a few minutes to allow the insides of the potatoes to sweat and cook. Put rosemary or basil on the potatoes for a little extra spice.Uncover, toss again, then cook a few minutes longer (uncovered) until the potatoes start to get some color. Continue tossing every few minutes to get more color and crispness. When they are cooked through and pleasantly crunchy, season to taste with salt and scoop out onto a plate. Set aside. Add to the big pot of Quinoa

Cook the asparagus in a separate skillet. I like to add lemon juice and a bit of salt and pepper. I put the pine nuts in with the asparagus so they get a similar flavor.

In the same skillet (no need to clean) warm another splash of oil. Add the onions and garlic and cook for 4-5 minutes or until they soften up a bit.

Toss everything together in one big bowl and serve it up family-style.

Serves 4 - 6.

A big update.

Time passes and I forget to write. Time passes and I forget to stop and reflect. Time passes and I forget!

Now it is the middle (almost the end) of November and I have spent the last three months in a gorgeous place with a wonderful job and I have forgotten the details. I'll do my best to make up for the lost time here.

In the end of August, Travis and I drove the 30 or so hours to Incline Village, Nevada. My new home. The very day we made it to our destination we SAW A BEAR! I have since seen 4 bears in my life, and I am still counting. I love seeing bears. Every time it is a ZEN moment when it seems like all of the world stops around you. People stop talking, the wind stops blowing, all to take in the beautiful sight of a big, furry animal waddling through the town.

I pledged my commitment to America in the beginning of September. "I will get things done for America" were the exact words I had to say to announce my commitment to AmeriCorps. Kind of cool and honorable.

I started work at Tahoe's Connection for Families that very same day. I work at a parenting education facility with a complete childhood development program as well. In laymen terms that means that from 9-noon every morning I hang out with families and their kids. We play games, sing songs, recreate. The parents go into a class for about an hour of that time with varying topics such as potty training, discipline, sleeping, food, etc. while Pattye (one of my coworkers) and I play with kids and feed them snack.

From noon-5 every day I assist in all of the things it takes to run a business. I answer phones, respond to emails, manage money, apply for grants, organize fundraisers, translate documents to Spanish, work on the website (www.tcfkids.com) and any other thing that needs to be done. It is pretty great. I truly love my job.

Living in Lake Tahoe is awesome. It is hands down the most beautiful place I have ever lived in my life. To see the Lake glowing and mountains hovering in the background is such an energizing sight. It has a very calming and healing nature about it.

I live with three girls named Cora, Grace and Lyndsay. We have a small little condo which serves us very well. We each have our own bedroom and bathroom. And we even have a fireplace in our living room! Fireplaces make everything so cozy!

Okay, I have to go. But I will make an effort to keep things updated. Not really for anyone else other than myself. But I would also love it if others would read it!

Sending love,

Vanessa.