Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Yellowstone

Matt and I have lived in Montana for two years now and finally went to Yellowstone National Park two weekends ago. It was a ton of fun! We didn't have much time or money, but we got to visit the Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center:

See some beautiful sights:




And climb hundreds of stairs to see the sights at Mammoth Hot Springs:


All in all a great day trip!!



Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Flowering Peas

I finally have flowers on my peas! And on my tomatoes, squash, and peppers :) Photographic evidence that my thumb isn't black, as previously thought:

Sunday, July 1, 2012

New Year Resloutions

Well, it is July 1st. The first six months of the year are behind us, and the last six start today. I thought it was a good time to talk about where we're at on our resolutions. The big winner is Matt! He wanted to quit smoking and he started the patch January 1st. 10 weeks later he was off the patch, and hasn't had a cigarette since 2011!! Way to go Matt!!

My biggest resolution was to brush my teeth more/better, and after a few false starts I have brushed my teeth every day for the last two months! Woohoo!

As for the other resolutions:

1. Write more on this blog!
2. Try to focus on the positive, even when I don't want to.
3. Eat food that is good for me, more than I eat food that is bad!
4. Be more active, even if that means just getting out of my desk more at work.
5. Keep making progress on my debt, even if I have to do it $25 at a time.
6. Knit more!

1. Well we've averaged 3 posts a month since January, I'd say that's pretty darn good. :)
2. Can't really tell where I'm at with the positive thinking - it's difficult to quantify. But if I had to say, I think this year has been very positive, with bits of complete negativity (that's what happens when someone loses their job and you can't pay your bills for two months though...so I'd say I'm doing better than expected!)
3. With Matt switching from nights to days eating better has actually been easier. We both usually want to eat at the same time and can make healthy meals together instead of running to a fast food joint. Also on nights he works I have been eating a super plain, boring, healthy Chicken breast/baked potato/veggie meal that is also helping me keep on track with my new weight loss goal! (More to come on that later!)
4. Summertime means we are active no matter what. Hiking, walking, Matt's even talked me into jogging a few times! I bought an Xbox with Kinect too, and this winter spent a little time playing Zumba and Your Shape Fitness Evolved. I wasn't as good about it as I was hoping, but I think I can carry my momentum from this summer forward into this fall and winter.
5. Ah, the debt resolution. I was actually doing decently well on that one...but sometimes you can't help it when life intervenes. We're back to square one essentially on our debt, but with hard work I think we can get it reigned in again by Christmas.
6. I can't say that I've really knit much more than last year so far, but I have definitely made more, and signed up for more craft shows. I made a foray into sewing this spring, and have been trying to get to the Harmony Markets on a regular basis.

And my crafting goals?

1. Knit a pair of socks!
2. Finish Matt's Mitts (or just start over!)
3. Finish other half-done projects, including the blue snowflake scarf :)
4. Finish a Buy Local bag and list it for sale on Etsy.
5. Knit lots and lots of hats for next year, so I'll be ready to go to craft shows!

1. Done!
2. Well...they are still on hold for now...
3. I finished the Blue Snowflake Scarf at least, I count that as progress :)
4. Finished 4 Buy Local bags, but didn't list them on Etsy. Ended up selling two to the nice lady who runs the Harmony Markets, sent one back to BRF and have the fourth here in MT. Hopefully I will get that one up on Etsy before the year is out ;)
5. I have made lots of hats, and even have a model for children's sizes now. So I would call that one good too!

Of course goals change, and I've added a few more. In May my friend Zach graduated from College, his family came out and took photos to commemorate the event. I was in a few of those pictures and barely recognized myself! At 178 pounds I am at my heaviest ever, and compared to a 125 pound me I look like a different person. So, new goal - get to 120 pounds by my 26th birthday, which will be in May of 2013. In the two months I've been charting my progress I'm down to 167 pounds and feeling a whole lot better about myself. Still not ready for any more photo ops, but I can walk up Highland Blvd on my walk home without stopping on the bench halfway up, and I can jog down Peet's Hill without falling in a heap at the bottom (although somedays I would like to!) I can do an hour and a half of Zumba and still feel like dancing while I make supper. It's going to be hard, and it's going to be a long journey, but by this time next year I should be back in my cute little skirts and the metal belt! ;)

So, how are you doing on your goals?