Forgotten Review

For my birthday this year I got this totally awesome gift from a lovely friend of mine. Yeah, except that my birthday was May 7 and I totally just forgot to tell y'all about it!

Anyway, as you can probably guess, it is a water bottle. But even better, it is a water bottle with a Brita filter built in!I really like it, and it definitely helps me drink more water throughout the day. I'm kind of picky about my water (as in I don't drink tap water if I can help it) and this bottle leaves no trace of that "tappy taste" lol. So I can fill up using water fountains and sinks when I normally would have just bought a soda instead. It holds 24 oz, so I do pretty well meeting my 8 glasses a day. Buuuuut.... if I'm being completely honest, it does annoy me sometimes.

There is a design flaw with the way the lid attaches. See, you have to squeeze the water through the filter and into your mouth, and about 20% of the time water will leak from where the top screws on. Sometimes it's a few drops, sometimes it feels like half the bottle landed in my lap. :-( I have taken to cupping my hand under my chin when I drink from it. Right now I'm actually using it as a portable filter. I fill it up at the water fountain and then transfer the filtered water to an aluminum water bottle. It works.

Target had some that were a little different when I was looking before I got this one. I'm curious to read the reviews on those. If I remember correctly, they were a harder plastic. I wonder if you would still be able to squeeze them? Anyway, hope you're having a great Friday!

Shopping Success

Today was the first day that I have attempted to go clothes shopping since I started losing weight. I am happy to say that it was a success! It took a few tries for me to find my new size, but I found it and it is smaller!

The whole reason I decided I need to go shopping was because my pants selection for work was seriously lacking. Seeing as I have lost 30+ pounds, they are baggy, saggy, and generally unprofessional looking (which makes me feel like an unprofessional slobby Bobby). And I think we've all been told that we should dress for the job we want. Well, I don't want to be Batman, and I don't want to be a slobby Bobby. I want to be a middle school teacher. So I need to start dressing and thinking like one. I was able to find 3 pairs of dress pants that I liked and that fit. I'll probably have to go look for some more pants later, but this will help out for now. Plus, when I wear things that look more professional, I'm less likely to get mistaken for a new student (which happens a lot at the High School.... do I look THAT young??).

I'll admit, part of the reason today was my first shopping trip is because I HATE looking for dress pants. Let's face it. I have some hips, people. Overweight or not, I will be a curvy girl. And for some reason, most slacks are not made for girls with hips, especially girls with hips and not a lot of thigh. Blah, oh well! Regardless, I found some pants that fit and look good and I'm excited. I'm going to test drive one of these new outfits tonight. Mr. Wonderful and I are going to see Young Frankenstein at the Theatre (that's how they spell it) this evening. I'm excited x2!

Alright, I'm going to go... do something else! Have a great Tuesday!

Best Guesses...

As to where my "co-blogger" is? I've seen her fb pic change, so I know she's still alive and whatnot. I'm just not entirely sure why she hasn't been posting. Although, I'm not taking it personally, since she hasn't updated her other blogs in forever either.

Here's another picture of me, pretty much full length. It was taken about a month and a half ago at a fundraiser/fashion show my bf was a part of. Not to make excuses, but I'm wondering about the lens the photographer used. Or maybe I'm standing at an awkward angle (I was posed with a friend who I cropped out in case she didn't want to be in my blog). Anyway! I was at a fundraiser and that was a dress I bought 3 years ago and never wore because I got too big. Yay for fitting into old clothes! Yes, that is a glass of wine (read: empty calories), but it was the first one I'd had in months. I kind of regretted going over my calories that night, but it was for a good cause. :-D

Oh, happy November! I can't believe that it's already November... My favorite time of year, but still. Halloween went fairly well here. I didn't make it to any parties, or even get a chance to carve a pumpkin. Work, work, work. That's ok though, I need the money. I'm a little worried about my eating this month. I will be first to tell you that Thanksgiving is my ab fab holiday. I'm a Christian, and I love Christmas, but even Christians (or maybe especially Christians?) have to admit that Christmas sometimes seems more about Santa and presents than the birth of our Savior. But that's a whole other sermon that I won't get into right now. I love Thanksgiving because it gets people to think about what they are thankful for and notice their blessings. And then there is the food! Soooo much good food! I think I will be able to pay attention to my eating and make smarter decisions this year though. It is becoming ingrained in my actions. I love it!

In other news, I want you to look at this picture. For those of you who know what kind of ring this is and what it symbolizes, slow your roll. That's NOT what I'm trying to tell you. What I want you to notice is that IT FITS!!! I bought this ring forever ago, and it was a little snug when I got it. Needless to say, there was a point that I couldn't even get it over my knuckle. I put it on my key ring for probably a good 2-3 years. The other day I noticed it and decided to try it on. Voila! That might make me happier than losing a pants size. Ok, maybe not, but you know what I mean!

Alright folks, it's been kind of a long day. I'm going to head to bed. I hope November is good to you all. Good night!

Comparison...

Comparison is not always the thief of joy. Sometimes it brings the joy!

I know I've been promising a new pic for months and I have failed to deliver. Well, no longer! It's just a head shot, but I think it's crazy that you can really tell a difference, especially in my cheeks.

You like my super-awesome rubber ducky shower curtain? I took the picture to show my friend my new bangs (which are so short my hair must be straightened for the next few weeks lol), hence the fact that I'm not facing straight into the camera. Since the picture turned out halfway decent, I decided I would go ahead and post it.

Anyway, there you have it. A friend of mine took a picture of me the other day. If and when she posts it, I'll do another side-by-side. Alright, I got called to do a half day of subbing today so I need to get my stuff together. I hope you all are have a wonderful Wednesday!

Another One?!

Yes, and not just one, but 2! Really, I am just posting to let you know that I finally posted an update in the other blog. Yep, I bet you thought I forgot about it, didn't you? Nope! Well, mostly because I cant, because it's on my "your blogs" line-up whenever I log in. It's taunting me, reminding me what a bad blogger I am. But no more! You beautiful people have a recipe waiting!

Anyway, here it is, Monday again. I have to go to one of my too-many jobs here in just a minute. Luckily, it's the only one I needed to get to today. I need to get more organized about this whole multiple-jobs thing. I need to prepare my meals and such beforehand. I always mean to pack something healthy the night before. Inevitably, I end up throwing together a lame sandwich the night before and stopping for dinner at a fast food establishment. I plan to start doing better this week. I'm going to go to the store after work and see what I can't find.

Ok, I need to finish getting ready for work. More later!

Slackers abound!

Wow... I haven't posted in 2.5 weeks. It feels like longer than that, but either way, it's been too long. And I have no clue when my co-blogger last made a post. We've really slacked off lately!

Anyway! Things have been going well, though. I recently started yet another job. For those of you keeping count, that makes 3! Four, if you count baby-sitting, which I do as much as I've been doing it lately lol. But this new job is at the gym I go to. I'm hoping that since I'll already be at the gym, and already in workout clothes, I'll have no excuse to not to workout. Plus, they freeze my account and give me a free one as long as I work there. Even better!

I've hit another plateau. I'm remaining steady at the 30 pounds I lost, but I haven't really made any progress since then. It's because I've been lame about my working out and such. Like I said, I'm hoping this new(est) job will help me in my endeavors. And my personal trainer told me that employees get good deals on sessions. I'll have to see.

Alright, I need to get back to job number one! I'll try to post a more substantial post later!
- Jen

Post Number 79

Yeah... I'm not feeling creative today. I'm actually feeling rather blah. I have been stress eating lately, and I'm trying to snap myself out of it. I know I'm not hungry, but I'm irritated, upset, and bored. I'm trying to find other ways to keep my hands busy, but that's frustrating me too. I just feel like I'm in a really negative space right now, and I can't decide how to get myself out of it.

I know, this isn't a very informative post. Like I said, I'm not in a happy place. Dwelling on what's PISSING ME OFF (!!!!!) is not going to help me get back to a good place, so I'm going to try to move on. And I'm going to try to do that now.

- J